Maxwell Book

It probably could be argued that there is a higher percentage of deviants and criminals among the non-teaching expat community in Thailand than among the teaching community.

Wait just a minute! I thought one of the criticims of bad boy Thaksin was is tight grip on the media. These guys are trying to do the same thing. Why not just keep the elected facist instead giving all the power to unelected facists?

Just a thought.

I don't disagree John, but if the numbers are correct, the percentage of offenders versus the number of teachers is quite small. I saw a number somewhere that their were nearly seven thousand foreign teacher work permits issued in the last year. Three of the seven thousand have been found to be facing charges back home. One was cleared of all charges but still he is a psycho.

The numbers do not bear out a crisis. The numbers don't suggest that the general foreign teacher population at large is suspect.

Some perspective is needed.

One of the difficulties in hiring foreigners is the fact that they are foreigners. It is difficult to know the cultural cues that help access character. If I were hiring a Thai national, I'd like to have a Thai national on a panel of interviewers to help me access the person's character based on knowledge of the culture.

It is far easier for a person within a given culture to determine the kind of person is within their own culture. From my limited experience, Thais rarely bring in foreigners to hire other foreigners. Because of the top down management style here, they rarely allow foreigners to do the hiring.

Infrastructure? you mean like a safe airport?

I keep waiting for these reaction to a Thai news story: "Great Decision!" "Those Thais are really on the ball!" "Thais really think things through."

But they never come.

Did someone mention crackdown?

Thais and their crackdowns! They crack me up!

It's interesting that the news organizations that Thaksin tried to muzzle are acting in much the same way when they admonish other news organizations to muzzle the former PM.

The solution to the Thaksin 'problem' is not more censorship but more vigorous and open discussion about his actions as PM, as well as, more open discussion about the nonsense the current junta is wreaking on the country.

This idea must be contagious!

It hasn't been a week since China called on its own countrymen to stop the debauch and raise moral standards. Then, just a few days ago, Vietnam's premier made a similar speech to his country.

The only ones getting tired of the whole morals campaign are the youth of the world. Young people in Singapore revealed in a recent survey that they were absolutely and completely fed up with campaigns against pre-marital sex. OH MY GOD!

However, I do agree that it is up to each and every parent and adult to individually set an example without being all preachy.

This is a rolling story that will hit which country next?

Is it just me or has the writing and editing at Thailand's major English dailies deteriorated?

Pakistan has announced a plan to build a wall. The first proposal called for a 1,200 mile wall. The second plan calls for a twenty mile wall. I can only imagine the second is just a symbolic gesture to show the powers that be that the war on terror is being supported.

So, just what lack of privacy do I currently need to be concerned about as a cell phone user in Thailand?

You'd think that information in the headline of the story would actually appear in the story!!!

:D

Report on Suvarnabhumi airport cracks due next week

Mr. Suebsak said that Thai engineers had the expertise and the integrity to investigate the problems on their own.

This is exactly the problem that most people have with Thailand who are familar with the culture. Truth is often on a continuum. I pray they suspend cultural norms that got them into the current mess and admit mistakes. This would show the world they are serious about fixing the problems.

This wasn't a story til the authorities in Thailand made it one...As far as I can tell, none of this had occured to anyone until AFTER the Thai authorities announced they were stepping up security to 'protect' Singaporean fans. This is all part of the behind-the-scenes manoeuvering in the ongoing bilateral spat - and was almost certainly done to start something, not prevent it from happening.

Unstable leaders need an enemy to shift the focus and redirect questioning, unsettled fury. As Orwell hammered home, Big Brother needed Goldstein, Napoleon needed Snowball and it appears Thailand needs Singapore in much the same way.

It's definitely not a good precident. This action fits the Thai model of not playing by the rules. They are pirates of the first order, well maybe second to Vietnam!

However, health, and more importantly, life and death, make it necessary for drug companies to bend to save lives. There has got to be a middle ground. If there isn't a middle ground these companies are not going to waste their time and money developing important drugs.

Analysis good?

Coup bad, therefore thesis that Thaksin should have been dealt with harsher by an unjust group brought to power through unjust action is lacking any legitimacy. Analysis therefore, bad.

If the Thai people lack the will to deal with lawbreakers under the law, then they deserve the lawbreaker that they allow to break the law. Coups have never been the solution to Thailand's problem. If they had, then the last fifteen or so would not have been needed. Thailand lacks the will to live by the law. This inability goes right through its entire society. Until it learns to deal with problems in legitimate ways, coups in Thailand will persist. Get ready for the counter coup!!!

Khun whomever's analysis is bad, bad, bad.

Thailand's dreaming.

Thailand wants to be seen as a world player, but all their nuclear scientists in training are sleeping on the classroom floor.

On second thought, they're good at paper mache which works well with a hot water reactor. Paper mache is also great for patching the containment shield.

The Nation has better writers, or editors. Sometimes a Post story will be completely and utterly incomprehensible. The Nation takes more chances in their headlines, with more attack style words. While both are still rather meek, they are certainly more independent than the government mouth peice the TNA.

The Post has a better op ed page, with more syndicated contributions. I don't usually read their editorials but I sometimes read the syndicated writers. They also have more foreign contributions in their Outlook section, with movie and book reviews and other pieces of interest.

Both papers have a nasty habit of burying the lead or dumping the important facts way at the bottom of the story.

Both are decent with general updates on the country and abroad. But in Thailand, if you've spent any time here, you know you'll never get the truth presented to you but are forced to infer and draw your own conclusions.

I think they both did a great job following the Chuwit scandal but then neither asked "who will take responsibility for the suk ten demolition?" It seems those accountable were just left uninvestigated...stories just seem to end without resolution.

What they are both criminal in neglecting is following up on all these government announcements. Everyday a new program or plan or proposal is announced and then just forgotten. What happens to these ambitious plans? I'd like some reporter to count up all these types of announcements and investigate what really happened with them.

Hello,

I'm heading north to Udon Thani and I'm wondering about internet services. I'd like to stay at a hotel that has internet in the room or maybe a wi fi connection in the lobby. Other internet tips for that city would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

Max