Not much of an apology: Health minister Anutin unrepentant after face mask tirade against "farang"

[BobbyL]

He lost 'face' and acted like a child. 

 

 

[Miami007]

9 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Burma and the neighboring nations, are now benefitting partially for the fact that Thailand seems to have gone out of their way to make themselves repulsive to alot of people, as a nation. Not the people. I love the people here. It is the stupendous degree of arrogance, hubris, ignorance, racism, hatred of foreigners, and the stunning lack of vision, on the part of the fabulously incompetent leaders and ministers here. It is really turning off the planet to Thailand. If they could only see how they are perceived. Such ignoramus fools. 

 

Now, after years and years of fake nationalist ranting, and insufferable arrogance, they are really starting to pay the price, and they are getting exactly what they so wholeheartedly deserve, which is to be shunned by the planet. Oh well. 

 

We sow what we reap. We make the bed, and then we have to lie within it. 

 

Don't be arrogant, because arrogance kills curiosity and passion. Arrogance is knowledge minus wisdom. Arrogance is blind to the stumbling block. Arrogance is a roadblock on the highway of wisdom.

 

 

An arrogant person considers himself perfect. This is the chief harm of arrogance. It interferes with a person's main task in life - becoming a better person.

Leo Tolstoy 

 

“Patriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in it….”

— George Bernard Shaw

 

“Every miserable fool who has nothing at all of which he can be proud, adopts as a last resource pride in the nation to which he belongs; he is ready and happy to defend all its faults and follies tooth and nail, thus reimbursing himself for his own inferiority.”

— Arthur Schopenhauer

 

“Nationalism is an infantile thing. It is the measles of mankind.”

— Albert Einstein

 

I agree with the sentiment but not that Thailand is "shunned by the planet". Actually, most countries and people couldn't not care less about what is happening in Thailand. It's just inconsequential unless there is some form of personal connection to LOS.

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, DannyCarlton said:

Not.

Only when it's preceeded by "ai".

I disagree. Heard it in way too many tones form way too many different ti

yoe of a THAI people and it is more in the biggest majority being condescending. 

[DannyCarlton]

1 minute ago, holy cow cm said:

I disagree. Heard it in way too many tones form way too many different ti

yoe of a THAI people and it is more in the biggest majority being condescending. 

Watch the video made by a Thai. I have had exactly the same explanation from a number of Thai friends.

[Number 6]

10 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Burma and the neighboring nations, are now benefitting partially for the fact that Thailand seems to have gone out of their way to make themselves repulsive to alot of people, as a nation. Not the people. I love the people here. It is the stupendous degree of arrogance, hubris, ignorance, racism, hatred of foreigners, and the stunning lack of vision, on the part of the fabulously incompetent leaders and ministers here. It is really turning off the planet to Thailand. If they could only see how they are perceived. Such ignoramus fools. 

 

Now, after years and years of fake nationalist ranting, and insufferable arrogance, they are really starting to pay the price, and they are getting exactly what they so wholeheartedly deserve, which is to be shunned by the planet. Oh well. 

 

We sow what we reap. We make the bed, and then we have to lie within it. 

 

Don't be arrogant, because arrogance kills curiosity and passion. Arrogance is knowledge minus wisdom. Arrogance is blind to the stumbling block. Arrogance is a roadblock on the highway of wisdom.

 

 

An arrogant person considers himself perfect. This is the chief harm of arrogance. It interferes with a person's main task in life - becoming a better person.

Leo Tolstoy 

 

“Patriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in it….”

— George Bernard Shaw

 

“Every miserable fool who has nothing at all of which he can be proud, adopts as a last resource pride in the nation to which he belongs; he is ready and happy to defend all its faults and follies tooth and nail, thus reimbursing himself for his own inferiority.”

— Arthur Schopenhauer

 

“Nationalism is an infantile thing. It is the measles of mankind.”

— Albert Einstein

 

Quoting Schopenhauer on TV. A new paradigm born. Lol.

[tomauasia]

This muppet wouldn't know the definition of work. Secondly if you were concerned why are the Chinese still welcome. Are you wanting to kill people.

[meinphuket]

11 hours ago, morrobay said:

Who cares what they say. Its a two way street. Look at all the negative/ condescending comments about Thais by foreigners around here.

This is an act of blatant racism for which any health minister would be relieved of his duties. Its not only farang but also Singaporeans, Burmese, Cambodians, Indonesians, Filipinos, Vietnamese etc not wearing masks. Are they not also humans carrying the same risks, if indeed not much more risk because of their eating and drinking habits as they tend to share food dishes and even cups and glasses.  The WHO has clearly stated that no masks are needed when in the open air, or in uncrowded venues, and just recommend washing your hands more often,since we tend to use them to scratch and put food in our mouths. . The paper masks he was dispensing are deemed useless,since the virus can enter via the sides. I do believe that people should wear proper masks when visiting hospitals, clinics etc. I personally stay away fom crowds like in malls, cultural activities, concerts and have postponed all unnecessary travel by public transportation at the expense of my business, pleasure  -private and otherwise- . I was here during Sars, and the avian flu outbreaks too, and did exactly the same thing. Anyway, I know there will be those who disagree on this forum, but this is just how I deal with the situation. Goodnight, goodluck and stay healthy !

[codebunny]

12 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Daily News said in their online headline: "The day will never come when I will apologize to foreigners".

 

11 hours ago, YetAnother said:

purest racism

It seems like more of a competence issue.

 

1. His statements do not align with WHO guidance, and he does not appear to be sufficiently medically qualified and experienced to contradict the WHO with any credibility

2. His statements show poor judgement in terms of supporting the Thai tourism industry and Thai economy by singling out the most profitable per-capita customer group. 

3. As said, the intelligent approach is to set up medical information kiosks and posters at tourist arrival points at all border crossings, and nudge foreigners to join in with what may be superficial gestures like hand washing solvents in the queues, and being issued with facemasks or at least nagged to buy them for tiny prices. He doesn't seem to have presented any kind of credible plan for the reception of tourists at ports, land borders, and airports. Surely the main airport would be a place he should be holding media events at, especially if he wants to criticise foreign tourists.

4. He's at a supposed publicity stunt, where he is failing to observe consistent and credibly hygenie practices... where are his nitrile gloves? where is his yellow biowaste bins? why is he talking without a facemask? never mind the why is he singling out one particular group of visitors, who are probably the lowest risk of all of them... I wonder if he's been to India and China recently and inhaled the "vibrant" air there. What his publicity stunt advertises is his lack of competence for the job.

 

I don't know if he is of Chinese extraction, or if there is an endemic hostility towards farang from Sino-Thais, but I don't hear comments like his coming from Thai citizens who are not Sino-Thai.

My other question is, my farang-Thai kids don't look Thai at all, are they going to be treated as foreigners in their own country by people who are also of mixed heritage? Is it all a proxy war?

Edited February 8, 2020 by codebunny

[Scot123]

11 hours ago, morrobay said:

Who cares what they say. Its a two way street. Look at all the negative/ condescending comments about Thais by foreigners around here.

And this comment shows how ingrained the racism and xenophobic they are. Making this remark just epitomises it. Thank god my wife had the good sence to remove us from Thailand and she is Thai. 

[Caldera]

I wouldn't even care if he's making xenophobic remarks when being stressed, if only he was qualified for his job and tried to take it seriously.

 

Now more than ever, Thailand needs a real health minister, not this useless piece of work.

[silent]

Someone should point out that when masks are in short supply because of thoughtless foreigners wearing masks unnecessarily now, it wasn't their idea.  

[dinsdale]

LOS. Land Of Superiorsits. He lost face in a photo opp. and like all good spoiled babies had a tantrum. 

Edited February 8, 2020 by dinsdale

[JustAnotherHun]

1 hour ago, herwin1234 said:

" average income" means you have yr own house, a car, and holidays, and send yr kids to uni.

BS. Average income is not what your fantasy tells you.

And the average income in Thailand was 5.597 €/year which is 466 €/month. With that Thailand was no 53 worldwide (data from 2018).

Not that easy to pay yout home, car and your kid's university.

Edited February 8, 2020 by JustAnotherHun

[manhood]

I hope, more and more tourists stay away from Thailand that let a racist health minister offending foreigners, especially westen people!

If western dont want to follow the stupidness of this Minister they should be kicked out??

Even right now i am in Bangkok and see many thais also not wearing a mask as they know: useless!

[Griff4114]

Thai Racism at its best. 

[Nigel Garvie]

1 hour ago, Miami007 said:

Spidermike. 11 hours ago

An arrogant person considers himself perfect. This is the chief harm of arrogance. It interferes with a person's main task in life - becoming a better person.

Leo Tolstoy 

 

“Patriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in it….”

— George Bernard Shaw

 

“Every miserable fool who has nothing at all of which he can be proud, adopts as a last resource pride in the nation to which he belongs; he is ready and happy to defend all its faults and follies tooth and nail, thus reimbursing himself for his own inferiority.”

— Arthur Schopenhauer

 

“Nationalism is an infantile thing. It is the measles of mankind.”

— Albert Einstein

 

Yes, and also.............The problem in all of this is that many European countries went round the globe in the colonial era, turning people into 2nd class citizens (If not slaves) in their own countries. Exploiting their raw materials and cheap labour, and indoctrinating them with our unpleasant, guilt ridden, Middle Eastern religion. 

We never ceased making it clear that we were superior people, and sadly from TV posts it looks like many Farangs living in Thailand still actually believe that they are superior still. Without commenting on the man behind this unacceptable remark, we would be idiots not to realise that there is still a great deal of resentment among people who get the 2nd class citizen message from us. Why are we surprised?

 

Of course a sensible person judges people from different parts of the world on the way they behave as an individual, not on the way their nation behaved in the past. 

[Swedenlars]

As it looks  in this forum, only kind of older members really finally understand what is behind  the land of smiles. I don't mean this ironically. What I'm trying to say is the Thais are world champions of being double faces and they are still pretty successful to convince the whole world this country is still one of the best tourist destinations around the globe. Well, good luck. Especially the young travellers are nowadays  well informed and if the Thais continue acting as they were lately I do not wish them well. No sympathy from my side. I had a good time in Thailand in he past. Well what can I say, never look back in life.......

Edited February 8, 2020 by Swedenlars
grammar

[JustAnotherHun]

9 minutes ago, manhood said:

Even right now i am in Bangkok and see many thais also not wearing a mask.

they don't wear masks because there are none available anymore since a farang loving philantropist gave them away to foreigners at the airport for free.

Edited February 8, 2020 by JustAnotherHun

[Rikito]

In any case, can’t a minister understand how offending it can be for thousand of expatriate people who came to live in the land of smile and in all sincerity, assisting, the country development, to remind them and keep treating them of farang. Making a local culture:  whenever I go to the provinces, young kids seeing my face: farang, farang ... In my European home country  no one would dare to mention Thai as Siamese, though Thai should be proud of this heritage ...

 

I have been living here for over 30 years. I have a Thai family. I wish that I could stay there, but, regretfully, being treated such, I will return most likely to my home country soon. A country who always respect people who ever they are, does not differenciate faces and, from their administrators, would never dare to pronounce such, let’s put it straight, racist comments ,.

[Lacrimas]

This moron. Maybe that farang already had a mask? Maybe has respiratory problems and can't wear one? Maybe wants to leave it to a Thai rather than him? There are thousands of reasons you stupid idiot.

[rabas]

1 hour ago, herwin1234 said:

Yr second ignorant statement concerns about the word "farang". Its simply a term for a westerner. Its not a racial slur. 

The PC movement didnt arrive yet in Thailand, ppl just speak their mind and call a fat person "fat" and a "farang" they call "farang" without any negative hidden meaning. 

Stop being the sensitive westerner.

Amen.

 

And the Thai who is called fat or short, and is fat or short, has no hard feelings. Something infinitely hard for many Westerners (sorry, farang) to understand. 

 

[up-country_sinclair]

13 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Daily News said in their online headline: "The day will never come when I will apologize to foreigners".

 

I've been told by a reliable source that this is not an accurate translation.

Apparently, he actually said, "I will never apologize to that foreigner". And he's referring to the specific person who refused the face mask. 

Apologies if this has already been posted.

[Gweiloman]

4 hours ago, Marcallen1019 said:

I love Thailand I live in Thailand   first of all I live in Bangkok the majority of Thai people don’t even wear masks themselves. when my wife and I went to look for masks you can’t find them   anywhere everybody sold out and maybe they should put a stop to all the Chinese people coming into the country O Thai Government won’t do that they only care about the money coming in.  

 

 

I’m currently in the middle of Nakhon Nowhere where most people hadn’t even heard of CV. Went to BigC, Lotus, Watson’s, Pure. All out of face masks and sanitising gel. Bit I don’t see a single person wearing a mask. 
 

I wonder if someone is stockpiling it all. To send to China maybe? Or to wait for the “Big Boom” of CV and then selling it at a 1000% markup?

 

Luckily for me, one of the neighbours work in the local hospital and I am now in possession of 2 big boxes of surgical masks and 1 litre of sanitising gel. 

[codebunny]

18 minutes ago, up-country_sinclair said:

I've been told by a reliable source that this is not an accurate translation.

Apparently, he actually said, "I will never apologize to that foreigner". And he's referring to the specific person who refused the face mask. 

Apologies if this has already been posted.

doesn't really change the meaning or intent.

[fraggleRock]

Some one mentioned before about the mask he is wearing as being useless, I concur its not even worth wearing (putting your hand over your mouth after washing your hands is actually more effective) as it does not have a secure seal around the nose or mouth, so that's an ignorance of knowledge on his part, a mask with a charcoal inlet/outlet is better, a sort of civilian respirator. 

 

Also for the sake of knowledge sharing the virus can also be absorbed through the eyes - so Mr honcho big man, why aren't you wearing sealed eye protection?

 

The particles also stick to clothing so going home taking outer garments off, movement of the body can release these particles back into the localized atmosphere around you so you can still get infected, so to speak - why do you think in China etc.. they are wearing white jump suits then going through decontamination tunnels before removing the jumpsuits which are then burned... this process is also being applied to the general population also of the epicenter - so Mr Health Minister maybe do your research here also before you show your racism and disdain for anything non-Thai, and also to clarify the Earth is not flat, Mr Health Minister....jeez

 

In conclusion all I can say is every village has one.

 

Take care folks.

Edited February 8, 2020 by fraggleRock

[richiejom]

theres so much contradiction going around, the world around saying you should wear a mask only if you're showing symptoms but then they say its can be transmitted if you're asymptomatic so surely its better for everyone to wear one as we don't know whos got it!

 

Ive got my N95 for a trip next week.. it won't catch all 0.2 microns but will catch some and stop air at the sides getting in... apart from that Im staying in full hibernation

 

Regardless of cultural conflict I agree with the health minister to wear a mask...  even if its the paper thin one it stops you coughing on other people

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2020 by richiejom

[rabas]

25 minutes ago, fraggleRock said:

- so Mr Health Minister maybe do your research here also before you show your racism and disdain for anything non-Thai, and also to clarify the Earth is not flat, Mr Health Minister....jeez

Mr. health minster would probably explain to you that the primary purpose if a mask (alone) is to prevent someone with the disease from spreading it widely in public by greatly reducing the number of particles breathed into the local environment and protecting against explosive sneezes and coughs.

[richiejom]

1 minute ago, rabas said:

Mr. health minster would probably explain to you that the primary purpose if a mask (alone) is to prevent someone with the disease from spreading it widely in public by greatly reducing the number of particles breathed into the local environment and protecting against explosive sneezes and coughs.

exactly what I said...and it can be transmitted from someone without symptoms so we don't know whos got it so better for everyone to wear a mask

[fraggleRock]

7 minutes ago, richiejom said:

exactly what I said...and it can be transmitted from someone without symptoms so we don't know whos got it so better for everyone to wear a mask

Sorry gents I on-board your point but they are non effective - as per my reasoning.  Kindest regards.

[TheAppletons]

7 hours ago, richiejom said:

theres so much contradiction going around, the world around saying you should wear a mask only if you're showing symptoms but then they say its can be transmitted if you're asymptomatic so surely its better for everyone to wear one as we don't know whos got it!

 

 

 

 

Not so fast.....:

 

"Chinese researchers had previously suggested asymptomatic people might transmit the virus but had not presented clear-cut evidence. “There’s no doubt after reading [the NEJM] paper that asymptomatic transmission is occurring,” Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told journalists. “This study lays the question to rest.”

But now, it turns out that information was wrong. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German government’s public health agency, has written a letter to NEJM to set the record straight, even though it was not involved in the paper." 

 

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/paper-non-symptomatic-patient-transmitting-coronavirus-wrong