sidelines

Wishful thinking, probably, but now that the smog issue has reached the international press and it must be clear to tourism chiefs that the cash cow is choking, perhaps we will see some meaningful action from the Government.

http://www.telegraph...rist-trail.html

Agree with the petition, and have signed it, but also see "alant's" point about the wording.

"We demand" is not the right opening gambit particularly when the majority of signees are guests in Thailand. Split infinitive aside, "respectfully request" would come over better.

Also, pressure should be put on other Governments besides Thailand's. The US, UK and Japan, in particular, show concern about the well-being of their nationals at times of crises - terrorist threats, tsunamis and severe weather.

Well, the smog in northern Thailand has been well above internationally recognised (health) safety limits for more than a month so surely it is time for these Governments and others to issue a travel warning for the area.

Personally, I am reconsidering my decision to resettle in northern Thailand. I have a rental agreement in place and was going to move my family up in early May but we visited in early March and are still coughing and spluttering as a result. Shockingly, the air in Bangkok is better than around the hills of Chiang Rai.

<br />hey sidelines, yeah you have a very valid point, so does Thaworn. ive also spoken with some of the thai players and they feel the same way about the field, they think there should be at least 10 or 20 thai spots but have only been given 4. It is suppose to be the asian tours season ending event, i guess similar to the race to dubai for europeans so yeah it doesnt make much sense why theyve invited so many europeans. <br /><br />as for the money aspect, its always a bit of a secret how much appearance fees certain players get but your figures would be lose im sure. Although alot of those players and big name thai players have said theyre donating alot to the relief, so i guess will wait and see how much. <br /><br />In the end sporting events still need to go ahead and if certain companies want to sponsor them we are lucky to have that, ultimately i would say the government should be responsible for relief efforts. <br /><br />nway, it should be a good week of golf.<br /><br />cheers<br />

Agree fully with your point that golf is lucky to have companies willing to sponsor events. The trouble with the Thailand Golf Championship is that it is essentially the Government that is sponsoring the tournament - both PTT and EGAT are state owned enterprises. It's been reported that the budget is 200 million baht with most of that going on appearance fees not prize money which is US$1 million. As Thaworn said the Government could have used that money in a better way. As for the make up of the field, it is up to the players to raise the matter with their representatives on the Asian Tour Board. Bit of a problem, there, as well though as one of the player representatives on the Tournament Players Committee has just received an invitation to play - that's one way of silencing the opposition.

Most athletes, yes, but golfers tend to claim that they earn their pay on the golf course when the opposite is the case, especially in Asia. Rory McIlroy has made US$11 million in prize money and appearance fees over the last two months, primarily from events in Asia (several of them which were not sanctioned by the European Tour). The point made by Thaworn Wiratchant was that the US$750,000 being paid to him just to tee it up in Thailand could be better spent at a time when there is so much suffering because of the floods. I happen to agree with that view. In McIlroy's case, it may be immaterial as his management said today that he may have to pull out of the Thailand Golf Championship with exhaustion. A final decision to be made tomorrow night although his withdrawal has been rumoured for more than a week.

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<br />yeah got a great field, aswell as all the top thai and asian tour players will be playing. will be tough to beat mcilroy n westwood though.<br />

<br /><br />Yeah, a great field but it has come at a price. Two state owned companies - PTT and EGAT - are sponsoring the Thailand Golf Championship so effectively US$5 million of Government money is being used to pay wealthy golfers appearance fees at a time when hundreds of thousands of people are rebuilding their lives after the flooding. As Thai golfer Thaworn Wiratchant pointed out in a newspaper article "surely that money could be put to better use." He also questioned the benefits to Thai golf with scores of young players who normally get a start in Asian Tour events in Thailand sitting on the sidelines while players like Gerry Norquist (currently coach of the Thai national golf team), Pelle Edberg, Romain Wattle, Stephen Dodd etc get starts. Sure, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy (if he plays) and Ryo Ishikawa bring value to the event but was it really necessary to invite a load of lower ranked European Tour players as well? The organisers have also stated that the appearance of the stars will help boast the image of Thailand and boast attendance with ticket money going to help flood victims. They are looking to raise a million or so baht but are dishing out about 150 million baht on appearance fees - that does not quite equate.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

<br /><br /><br />Maybe you don't know enough about the situation/numbers to be so critical of the decision?   Ultimately, what you're saying is, they won't generate any revenue and spending $$ on advertising is a waste.  Perhap's they're talking about raising 1million baht after all payments are made?<br />

I did not mention advertising. They are paying around 150 million baht on appearance fees ie McIlroy will get US$750,000 or so, way more than the first prize, just to tee it up. Ticket prices range from 300 baht for a day ticket on Thursday and Friday to 800 baht for a four day ticket. To cover that revenue, they will need 187,500 people through the gates. As I said, it does not compute.

yeah got a great field, aswell as all the top thai and asian tour players will be playing. will be tough to beat mcilroy n westwood though.

Yeah, a great field but it has come at a price. Two state owned companies - PTT and EGAT - are sponsoring the Thailand Golf Championship so effectively US$5 million of Government money is being used to pay wealthy golfers appearance fees at a time when hundreds of thousands of people are rebuilding their lives after the flooding. As Thai golfer Thaworn Wiratchant pointed out in a newspaper article "surely that money could be put to better use." He also questioned the benefits to Thai golf with scores of young players who normally get a start in Asian Tour events in Thailand sitting on the sidelines while players like Gerry Norquist (currently coach of the Thai national golf team), Pelle Edberg, Romain Wattle, Stephen Dodd etc get starts. Sure, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy (if he plays) and Ryo Ishikawa bring value to the event but was it really necessary to invite a load of lower ranked European Tour players as well? The organisers have also stated that the appearance of the stars will help boast the image of Thailand and boast attendance with ticket money going to help flood victims. They are looking to raise a million or so baht but are dishing out about 150 million baht on appearance fees - that does not quite equate.

Thanks for the input, up and running now.

I would appreciate some advice on setting up a video sender with UBC DSTV set top box (old model) and Samsung LCD TV model LA32S7. I can send video to another TV using the A/V cable from the television but when it is removed the RF feed from the set top box does not function so I have no picture on the primary television. When I bought the TV last year the picture was terrible - surprise, surprise - and I was out when the guy came to have a look. It seems that he changed the feed to A/V from RF as the source now shows Cable STB. Basically, I just want to have the same picture on both televisions without the inconvenience of continually plugging and unplugging the A/V cable or running a RF cable to the next room.