PawyiLee

Oh this is all simple BS..,. In fact one girl I was having a conversation with at BIG C two days ago here in Chiang Mai never heard of Vietnam. She was about 26 years old.,..

Maybe she never heard of it the way you pronounced it.

Oh my god. No wonder when I asked peeople in Thailand with 13 years of education

and did not recognise such names as Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, Dalai Lama and

Gandi. Could not point where Europe was or where the USA was. Could not tell me

a single planet in the Universe.

Most can't point to where Thailand is on a map of the world.

It seems to me that if it ain't Thailand it ain't taught, that's why everyone is so nationalistic and farangs are not important.

Most of the well educated attend schools abroad. Singapore, Uk etc.

It's hard to learn when you're not allowed to question.

I'm considering pulling my daughter out of school.

She's been there two years and still can't read numbers 1-10 if you jumble them around.

She can sing plenty of songs though.

It just seems a waste of money to me...

Excuse me, most people I know could point Thailand out on a map but I think

Europe and USA (Europe being a whiole continent) are more significant than

Thailand and not a fair comparison. Thank you.

Excuse me but I speak the truth. I've asked many ordinary people, children and adults "show me Thailand on this map".

Many have stared at it for a long time and can not show me where.

I think it is a very fair comparison. If I were Thai I would expect to know where in the world my country was.

I have read on Thaivisa of a teacher who brought in a globe to his classroom only to be told be his superiors to remove it.

They probably didn't want to "upset the apple cart" so to speak.

Thank you.

Did JFK own a globe?

Most can't point to where Thailand is on a map of the world.

Once a Thai asked me to point to my homeland from where we were standing. I'm from the East Coast of the US, twelve time zones away. What could I do but point to my feet?

Wow -- how could you be so stupid, as to bring a globe into the classroom -- didn't that teacher know that the Earth is flat?

Mmm. I love globes and reading maps, but cannot "read" the lay of the land so often get lost. With my Thai wife, it is the other way around.

Mmm. I love to read maps, but cannot "read" the lay of the land and often get lost. With my Thai wife, it is the other way around.

My two bahts worth... I said once before, Thailand needs its own Lochinvar now to ride in on his white steed....

The guy who rode into Isaan on a white steed was not Lochinvar but Padaeng [Redcliff] astride Bac Sam [Mr.Three]. He rides again in every Hae Boon Bang Fy, the Saturday parade before the Sunday rocket shoot. So, before before you ask for someone to ride to the rescue, read the cautionary tale of Phadaeng and Nang Ai.

Thailand is a banana kingdom, and Somalia a pirate's paradice.

Well, Thailand is now officially a banana republic, sitting at the sides of Somalia and such...

I was disgusted with USers beguiled by the Flaming Bush who lured them into Bewilderness; by those panting after Palin; by the wingnuts nuttier than Thai Yellow & Red Shirts; and now by the Tea Party movement. Trouble is, this morning I stumbled across the Journal of Democracy article by Robert Putnam, "Bowling Alone." "Bowling Alone" is a metaphor for the civil disengagement of people of my ilk, which Putnam fingers as the real problem. Not that I'm going to change my ways – I am so set in them you could say I'm wearing cement shoes. As for those who are civilly engaged, hug a Red Shirt or Tea Partier for me.

Perhaps a month long Songran is in order?

Rocket Festival

Animatic, are you saying you're actually a progressive? How the hel_l can't you be supporting the Reds then?

The truly progressive stopped apologising for the PAD after the coup, and many of them are marching out the front of Central World as I type.

Realise this movement goes beyond Thaksin, and that many of its number are just as abhorrent of what he did as you are. But they were able to put aside this hatred for the purposes of seeing the Six Principles of the UDD fulfilled:

The Six Principles of the (UDD) The United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship

1) Achieving the goal of establishing a genuine democracy that has the King as our Head of State, with political power belonging exclusively to the people. We reject any attempt, past or future, at using the monarchy to silence dissent or advance a particular agenda.

2) Dissolving the 2007 Constitution and restoring the 1997 Constitution, which may then be amended through a transparent, consultative and democratic process.

3) Bringing Thais together in an effort to solve our political and socio-economic problems, recognizing that such efforts must stem from the power of the people.

4) Implementing the rule of law, due process and a system of equal justice for all, free of any obstructions or double-standards.

5) Uniting all Thais who love democracy, equality, and equal justice within all facets of society, in an effort to deconstruct and move beyond the Amartyatippatai (Aristocracy) system.

6) Using exclusively non-violent means to achieve these objectives.

It saddens me to see progressives divided in this way, and even sadder that the flavour of rhetoric such as yours had you pegged in my mind as a conservative. You are on the wrong side of history, mate.

Good post- such ideology as has been expressed by the reds lately is, to my mind, quite astute- it regards the nation as being controlled by an untouchable cabal of beaurocrats, military and judiciary, all at the service of a historic land owning aristocracy with varying proximity to the center of power- not unlike feudal societies of the past. This view would hold that no democracy of any stripe is possible unless power is devolved to the citizenry. THe real questions that should be asked now would refer to the accuracy of this analysis. If anyone could recommend a good academic analysis of this system, I for one, would be grateful.

Fred W Riggs. 1966. Thailand: The Modernization of a Bureaucratic Polity. Honolulu: East-West Center Press. 470 pages.

James Ockey. 2004. State, Bureaucracy and Polity in Modern Thai Politics, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Vol. 34, 2004.

Erik Martinez Kuhonta, Dan Slater, Tuong Vu. Southeast Asia in political science: theory, region, and qualitative analysis. Stanford University Press.

How is "ammataya" spelled in Thai?

Somebody on one of these threads recently posted some astute comments on how much things have improved in Isaan since Thaksin was sent packing. I've seen the same thing, so know somebody somewhere is doing something right.

.... The glaciers which are producing the Mekong will not last forever....

I think all glaciers feeding the Mekong are all gone forever.

...They would surely survive at Wat Yang though.

A lot of Thai go there and release terrapins / turtles and fish to make merit and they get well fed by the visitors.

This is a long standing Buddhist tradition.

I know two US-ers who cut short their holiday so a ruckus wouldn't delay their getting back to work - so they can save up for their next holiday - which won't be here!

If that was true then I would bet that the Thai army wins with Red-shirt fighters. Also this man is not helping the case of Khun Thaksin. This can only make a lot of people angry. I would not like to see what would happen to the tourism industry and the stock market if there was a domestic war.

Let's pray for peace

Praying won't do any good.

It sure didn't do any good when that flag you're sporting got trampled.

Yesterday was not a typical day in my Isaan village. I was surprised at how clean the village looked, and asked why. My wife said the cleanliness is, as it were, a once-a-year spring cleaning not to be repeated until the next BOON KHAO JEE (BOON DUAN 3.) URL <http://tinyurl.com/y96v3sw>

says it's an Isaan festival when Moon 3 waxes. Yesterday was Day 3 of waxing Moon 3, so I'm guessing the double 3 has some significance. The web site doesn't mention the spring cleaning, or the double 3, but otherwise explains that it is an Isaan, Cool Season Festival, when folks like to warm themselves by open fires, and toast sticky rice balls rolled in salt and egg until they're golden yellow. I've only "decoded" the first paragraph, which has some Isaan words NOT in my dictionary. The first is JEE (Toast) in the name of the festival (GHEE in Thai,) on down to the use of Yaw Ying in a word where it's pronounced the old-fashioned way, 'en-ya', like a Spanish N with a tilde on top.

My wife laughed when I read the site's quotation out loud; I think it means, "It's Moon 3 and I wants Khao Jee. Put a little syrup on it or I'll cry!"

Prior to the 97 crash the Baht was pegged to USD and the exchange rate held at around 25, subsequently it went ballistic and into the 40's. Today it's on its way back down, a reversion to circa 25 is not totally unthinkable.

Back then, you could also eat your fill at a kao-pat stand for 1 Baht - I don't expect ever to see that again.

It's in Chumporn so :Why just don't call some Isaan people, as they are well known to easy catch and eat everthing with four legs (except tables and chairs) !

My Isaan wife got a kick out of your post, and agrees that it is true of her generation, but not of the kids coming up today.

...McFarland is credited with playing a significant role in the modernization of the post-primary Thai educational system.

Wikipedia lacks an article on Samuel McFarland. Would you mind going there and writing it?

Some years ago I read the memoirs of a British consul who spent most of his life in Siam, but I can't remember his name. He had been the beneficiary of an aborted British scheme to take youth into its foreign service and educate them on the job. I believe he said that he and another fellow were inducted at age 18, but neither the other fellow or the scheme lasted for long. It was a fascinating read, but he left out the chapter on his experiences during WWII, other than to indicate he was so embittered that he would have been happy for Britain to occupy Thailand, and exact heavy reparations. Anybody know his name?

The constitutional basis for the law suit can be read at Constitution of Thailand 2007 under Part 12 Community Rights.

New York Times also has an article published Dec. 19, "In Industrial Thailand, Health and Business Concerns Collide."

yeah I changed all three from false to true

The warning didn't bother you?

The officer said it would be acceptable for original affidavits from embassies to be bi-lingual, and you can bet your bippy mine will be bi-lingual next year.

And you can bet your bippy it will cost a dam_n sight more than 400 baht.

I made it, myself, though your right it will cost more that 400 baht to get the American consul to put his seal to it. Here's what I wrote:

Commissioner

ท่านผู้บัญชาการ

Immigration Bureau

สำนักงานตรวจคนเข้าเมือง

Bangkok, Thailand

กรุงเทพฯ ประเทศไทย

Dear Sir/Madam:

เรียนท่านที่นับถือ

I, ________________________________, an American citizen born on ______________

ข้าพเจ้า _____________________________บุคคลสัญชาติอเมริกัน เกิดเมื่อวันที่ ___________________

at ______________________, am the holder of U.S. passport number _______________

ที่ _________________________________ ข้าพเจ้าถือหนังสือเดินทางสหรัฐฯเลขที่ __________________________

issued at ____________________ on ___________________, which expires on ___________________.

ออกให้ที่ ___________________. เมื่อวันที่ _______________ _ และหมดอายุวันที่ ___________________

I, _________________________________, affirm that I reside at _____________________ ข้าพเจ้า _____________________________ ขอรับรองว่า ข้าพเจ้าอาศัยอยู่ที่__________________

Lane/road__________, Tambon__________, Amphoe__________, Province__________

ซอย/ถนน_____ _ ___ _ ตำบล__________ _ อำเภอ__________ _ จังหวัด ________________

I also affirm that I receive in amount of US$_______ every month from the United States

ข้าพเจ้าขอรับรองอีกว่า ข้าพเจ้าได้รับเงินจำนวน _________เหรียญสหรัฐฯ เป็นประจำทุกเดือนจากรัฐบาล

Government and/or other sources. I am applying for an extension of a current Thai visa

สหรัฐอเมริกา และ/หรือ จากแหล่งอื่นๆ ข้าพเจ้ากำลังยื่นขอต่ออายุวีซ่าไทยที่มีอยู่ในปัจจุบันนี้

and any assistance you can provide in this request will be greatly appreciated.

การช่วยเหลือใดๆ ที่ท่านมอบให้แก่ข้าพเจ้าในการขอครั้งนี้จักถือเป็นพระคุณอย่างยิ่ง

ลงลายมือชื่อและสาบานตนต่อหน้าข้าพเจ้า

PawyiLee, you are lucky. Nongkhai also wants this embassy letter verified at Chaeng Wattana. That is an additional 800 baht plus lawyerfee or travel expenses.

I expect that's a (costly) mistake by a Nongkhai flunky, as the idea of having these things handled out in the sticks is to relieve the workload on Chaeng Wattana. When I objected at Amnatcharoen that I'd never had to have it in Thai before, Amnatcharoen faxed Nongkhai for confirmation, and the reply said nothing about sending me to Chaeng Wattana. When something that seems to make no sense happens, it pays dividends to remain polite and asked to be passed up the chain of command.