The week that was in Thailand news: The end of the beginning - trepidation as we grapple with what the "New Normal" might mean

 

 

On Friday much of the world was celebrating the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe - the date known as VE day in Britain. Like many, Rooster tuned into his favorite news channel to see how the country of my birth was marking the occasion. There were flypasts, two minutes silences, stirring messages from the nation's leaders. Old ladies born well after the end of hostilities in 1945 set up tables draped in Union Jacks for impromptu "social distancing" street parties outside their homes.

 

Rather banal comparisons were made with the genuine sacrifices of our forebears and the lockdown efforts most of us have been obliged to make these last few months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rightly, we were reminded of those sacrifices so that we could live our lives in freedom. Indeed, even if in great swathes of the world - including here in Thailand - it has felt like we have been imprisoned!

 

My colleague "Dan About Thailand" asked in a blog from Koh Chang what we have learned from our experiences of the lockdown. Tempted to reply "absolutely nothing" as I normally don't take bloggers and vloggers very seriously, I nevertheless gave the subject a little more thought. I must accept that it has convinced me that I am not as much of a hermit as I thought I was. 

 

When the pandemic started and we were urged to stay home to save lives I thought it would be a breeze. I hardly needed to change my routine at all and surely I could do without restaurants, bars and visiting friends for a while; after all, they are activities I would normally do infrequently. The reality has been different. Unlike those from another generation who "gave their lives" for us, I have lived a privileged existence. No war. Very little hardship. Freedom to move around the world as I saw fit. 

 

As we get close to three months of lockdown I have accepted that it has affected me profoundly. And the reason is due to the fact that I have enjoyed such a relatively cushy life! Sure, I've lived through some health scares, fought personal turmoil and suffered painful bereavements and crises. But it has been a mere bagatelle compared to the young allied pilots who faced almost certain death in the Battle of Britain, the incredibly brave Russian soldiers and civilians who turned the tide of the war against the Nazis....and my own mother who lived in nightly fear of annihilation as a child during the Blitz. 

 

My nearly 60 years on planet Earth have been a walk in the park and now that walk has been denied, I  have felt like one of Corporal Jones' 'fuzzy wuzzies'  who "don't like it up 'em Mr Mainwaring!". I haven't liked this lockdown up me at all!

 

Fortunately there are signs that the isolation we have all felt is slowly coming to an end even if we have been so brow beaten by the effects of the virus on our daily lives and our economies that there is great trepidation at the thought of any return to normal. Here in Thailand like elsewhere around the world we are bombarded by phrases like the "New Normal" and "Phase Two" of our release from confinement. This is not over by a long chalk, in fact to paraphrase a man who featured on so many of the broadcasts I saw this week, it appears to be just the end of the beginning.

 

With each passing day we are tantalized with the latest hint of a return to our former lives. Warned that if we mess up we could be back to square one. Constantly reminded that contrary to what Shakespeare once said, the greatest may not be behind. 

 

Many of the following stories that I have chosen this week reflect this uncertainty. They are presented in no particular order of importance but hopefully serve as a record of another extraordinary week in Thailand and around the world as we grapple with an event that, young or old, will mark all our lives. Even if the answer years hence to the question "Where were you during the pandemic granddad?" might be....

 

On the sofa.

 

1. A few of Thailand's billionaires - Thaicoons if you like - came up with some chump change in response to Uncle Too's urgings. Dhanin of CP coughed up 700 million, Chalerm of Red Bull 300 and Prasert of Bangkok Airways a paltry 100 million. Eleven of the twenty people contacted appeared to have ignored the PM's plea altogether just like many of his own cabinet whose silence and selfishness has been deafening. Let them eat "khanom khake" comes to mind.

 

2. A poll suggested that the great majority of the Thai public approved of the government's Covid-19 actions. One wonders if Prayut has shares in Suan Dusit for while I continue to maintain that the Thai response has been as good and as poor as many countries, to suggest that 90% are in favor is as laughable as suggesting Thailand is a democracy.

 

3. Down in Pattaya those laughs reached a crashing crescendo. An 80 year old Frenchman was taken into the police station with some aging pals after they were caught, shock horror, walking on the sands at a beach resort. He was ripped off to the tune of 50,000 baht for bail then charged 2,000 baht to be escorted home during the curfew after the case dragged on into the night. His wife Pim - who aged from 42 to 48 during one of the stories - went to her butch MP for justice. The MP called chief Pol Col Khemmarin who said he was busy. After an online firestorm raged, he met Pim for an hour after which she declared that the Pattaya police were utterly wonderful. It was all deemed a misunderstanding though I suspect that the brave wife had got a face-saving result behind the scenes. Thai media Naew Na wrote the "mother of all whitewashes" revealing once again that they are nothing more than a mouthpiece for immigration and their RTP rellos.

 

4. In the southern provinces, so often ignored by the rest of Thailand despite the appalling loss of life there, it was reported that insurgency backed violence had ceased for the first time in 16 years. Call them terrorists, call them freedom fighters. Whatever. They were staying home!

 

5. Bangkok's parks opened up last weekend and Rooster and his chicks were some of the first to enjoy the beautiful splendor of the Suan Rot Fai in Chatujak. I was amazed how few people were out but then realised it was 12 o'clock and incredibly hot and only Mad Englishmen are allowed out at that time. Posters on the Thaivisa forum continued to be baffled by the beach bans especially when confronted by pictures of Bangkokian's crammed in like sardines on the overloaded BTS. Expecting social distancing on trains and planes in particular is absurd. It makes no economic sense and the people are getting increasingly tired of the draconian measures to limit their freedoms. Rethinks are needed about transport in the coming months. 

 

6. The police told the Thai public that it was OK to have a beer but woe betide we should ask a friend round. Trang did a U-turn and was added to the four provinces whose governors saw fit to countermand the central government and continue with the booze ban. Plod went to Makro to demand that Leo be taken off the shelves after all. The fiasco even made teetotal Rooster feel like a beverage to cope with the madness. Also down south a 'phu yai baan' decided that the best way to punish the locals for going out without masks was to make them do press-ups and jumping jacks. Seeing as they were highly unlikely to have any money for fines it didn't seem unreasonable though large swathes of forum curmudgeons failed to understand Thai logic. 

 

7. Thailand sweltered in unbearable heat and no respite was foreseen over the next few days. With the mercury topping 35C in my breezy flat we retreated to the sanctuary of upstairs air-conditioning. To hell with the cost, I thought, manana can take care of itself. I felt truly Thai. The electrical authorities have refunded me 10,000+ baht for their meter deposits...that'll pay for it! The milk started going off days before the sell-by date resulting in the nippers receiving a temporary ban on opening the fridge to raid my chocolate biscuits. They too must learn about sacrifice in a crisis.

 

8. Plastic screens appeared in restaurants then taxis. In the latter this meant it would be impossible to see that the meter was not running. Salon employees donned scrubs as customers waited outside on socially distanced chairs. In Chiang Mai the head of a restaurant association said that people weren't bothering to go out to eat what with all the restrictions and the curfew that remained in place nationwide. I put on the increasingly grubby cartoon mask I've been wearing for four weeks and put my money for the takeaway Big Mac on a tray for the cashier. Some things are still worth going out of your way for!

 

9. The Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit shut up shop and furloughed its staff. I always went there to treat my staff at International School for an end of term buffet. The Thai school year - planned to start in July - looks set to continue as one almighty long term without a break until after next year's Songkran. ONLY eight more weeks of home schooling to go. I think when July comes Mrs R is bound to put her back out doing cartwheels on the condo landing. The education authorities continued to insist that the curriculum time be upheld no matter what.

 

Do they really believe that the children learn anything anyway!? Fortunately the schools were given some leeway and will be allowed to cram some more rote into the hapless 'deks' at weekends. 

 

10. The Bank of England declared that the UK would face the worst recession in 300 years since The Great Frost of 1708-09. I'd like to say I remember it well but I'm not quite that old. Britain recorded the most virus deaths in Europe while the much better prepared Germans planned to resume the Bundesliga shortly giving hope to all Scousers that they may yet win the English Premiership. The British government's principal scientific advisor Prof Neil Ferguson was caught fraternizing with his mistress ignoring his own stay at home rules.

 

Oh Ajarn...did you mistake Belgravia for Bavaria!

 

11. It was rumored that Phase Two of our release back into the wild in Thailand would include opening the malls, fitness centers, theme parks and a host of other treats. Just give me back my condo swimming pool, pretty please and I promise I'll never complain about maintenance fees again. 

 

12. Bang Saen's mayor Narongchai "Lek" Khunpluem went Facebook-ballistic at his compatriots after they left his beach in a mess just one day after the frontage road was reopened. The trash appeared to have been blown in off the sea but he was right to observe that filthy humans dumping off the coast or in klongs were ultimately to blame. 

 

13. In the US an aide to Mike Pence caught the virus and the POTUS decided that trying to preserve his image was more important than wearing a mask at a mask factory. He opted for goggles that did nothing for his vision. More than 14 million Americans are now out of work as all sides of the political divide started upping the blame game. The US economy is in tatters just like most of the rest of the world. Magician Roy Horn of Las Vegas legends Siegfried and Roy became one of the highest profile casualties of the virus this week. 

 

14. In Prachinburi a German teacher of English was found stabbed to death at his home. The police chief promised the case would soon be solved and the media said that the slaying of a foreigner was bad for the image of the kingdom. Amid the uncertainty of the pandemic, it was somehow reassuring that it was business as usual when it came to crime, though the poor German may beg to differ. 

 

15. The Thai government claimed that 13.3 million people had had their 5,000 baht handout claims approved. Thank goodness the booze bans have generally been lifted or many of them would have nothing to spend their money on. The SCB said that more Thais were depositing money. But for how long I wonder. Meanwhile, a 54 billion baht bailout for Thai Airways was mooted. Words fail me on that. 

 

Finally it was announced that we could all look forward to another 18 months of pandemic pain. 

 

I can hardly wait. 

 

Rooster 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-05-09

 

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i didnt fly any airplane during ww2, but i have no problem at all

staying at home alone

5 hours ago, rooster59 said:

A few of Thailand's billionaires - Thaicoons if you like - came up with some chump change in response to Uncle Too's urgings.

Talking of people making mega bucks reminded me about the guys who made a mint running some private bus companies.

Their idea to self-publicise their success story with a website went through the roof after they registered the name bigbustycoons.com

 

An enjoyable read as always and a greatly appreciated round-up of the weekly news; I don't follow it closely anymore as 99 out of 100 stories seem to be virus-related, and I am just bored with it. 

 

I am still pondering the implications of Rooster's comment from last week regarding the Hi-Sos/Rich being "AWOL'" plus this week's "Chump Change" combined with the odd weather in the North East.

 

The perception that I have from various media and general chit-chat with local Thais is that the 'Rich and Powerful' aren't helping, at least not enough, and people are getting ever angrier about that. Further, while I did see Prayut's comments/letter and a few planted news stories about how the wealthy were 'doing their part',  it was so contrived and unconvincing that it made the perceptions worse rather than better. Finally, the increasingly strident orders/threats by officials seem to be having the opposite effect; people aren't taking them seriously anymore.

 

The Thai Social Compact (the 'Unwritten Rules' of society) is a complex and nuanced organism, and one that I do not fully understand. That said, it is clearly hierarchical and every hierarchical organizational structure has a few common elements to it. Those at the top receive respect, deference, power, flattery, a few privileges, etc. BUT, in return for those perks/benefits, there is a corresponding obligation to 'take care of' those below. It seems to me that this provision of the Thai Social Compact is beginning to fray because the Rich and Powerful aren't keeping their end of the bargain. And, people are noticing. 

 

Normally, I would say that the above is a good thing as the proverbial 'Master/Servant' relationship in Thai society is too strong in my opinion (I'm from the 'all men were created equal' school of thought), and I would like to see it weakened somewhat. In better times, it wouldn't be much of a threat to a society as basic respect for norms and institutions would see the society through a transition phase, but Thailand has very few respected institutions left after all the coups, corruption, dodgy court rulings, more corruption, financial games, ludicrous "Independent" agencies like the NACC or EC, ever-changing constitutions, still more corruption, an unaccountable Bureaucracy, etc. etc. etc.

 

A society is strongest when it has both an agreed-upon Social Compact and respected institutions to regulate its affairs. A society can get through a shifting Social Compact if it has strong institutions, and conversely can muddle through with weak institutions if it has a strong Social Compact. Sadly, Thailand currently has the confluence of a weakening Social Compact plus weakening public institutions, and no clear path for strengthening either.

 

Does Thailand have the internal fortitude to take positive and proactive steps to come out stronger/better on the other side of this crisis? Or will the slow erosion of norms and institutions lead to even more serious crisis' down the road? I suspect the latter, but...

 

We might not be flying Spitfires these days, but we still live in interesting times.

 

 

 

Edited May 9, 20206 yr by Samui Bodoh
lack of coffee

Thanks Rooster

Great recap but unlike the battle of Britain or the Blitz we have done nothing remarkable unlike our parents of the Greatest Generation. They all (the allies) contributed to the massive effort and were unified and had direction and conviction and they had pandemics and outbreaks as well but plodded along, nothing stopped. 

So what have we done ? Nothing just stay home and people some how find that remarkable ? There won't be any stories of "hardship to recall" No rationing ,no going without anything for the bulk of the population. The biggest challenge we've been faced with is what to order from Grab food or from Lazada etc. We're a bunch of panzies just going with the flow led by power hungry Morons. 

 

Spitfires ruled along the coast and over the channel while the Mustangs ruled across Europe escourting the bombers and fighting off the Luftwaffe. What are we fighting besides boredom ? 

 

Now off to the beach the 2nd wave's coming ! 

You should have decamped to the wife’s family up here in Loei Rooster. Life has barely changed. The only noticeable difference is that more people (not everyone) are wearing face masks and some shops have sanitisers at the entrance. Beer was getting difficult to purchase towards the end of the ban, but could be found if you hunted around.
 

Last week we had an inaugural opening of a ban phu paid for by a now wealthy ex-resident. It was attended by at least 100 people all huddled closely together in the available shade. One of the few people to wear a mask was the phu yai ban, but he discarded it once the after show party (complete with music, booze and 30 somethings) commenced. 
 

Covid-19? Not up here thank you very much. 

Nice read thank you. 

51 minutes ago, PaDavid said:

You should have decamped to the wife’s family up here in Loei Rooster. Life has barely changed. The only noticeable difference is that more people (not everyone) are wearing face masks and some shops have sanitisers at the entrance. Beer was getting difficult to purchase towards the end of the ban, but could be found if you hunted around.
 

Last week we had an inaugural opening of a ban phu paid for by a now wealthy ex-resident. It was attended by at least 100 people all huddled closely together in the available shade. One of the few people to wear a mask was the phu yai ban, but he discarded it once the after show party (complete with music, booze and 30 somethings) commenced. 
 

Covid-19? Not up here thank you very much. 

Not for me thanks. Mrs R is threatening to go for the last month of the school "hols", that'll be break enough. I shall stay in the land of the living. Bangkok has been peaceful, clean and pleasant. The countryside has never been for me. However, I might pop up for a few days if the rains come and the temperature drops below 35C. 

 

Rooster

14 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Talking of people making mega bucks reminded me about the guys who made a mint running some private bus companies.

Their idea to self-publicise their success story with a website went through the roof after they registered the name bigbustycoons.com

 

A bit like the person trying to help people with their problems who had difficulty with the space bar. The rapist.

 

Rooster

15 minutes ago, Nero Dog said:

Nice read thank you. 

Cheers, I'm glad you enjoyed it. The previous 214 (consecutive Sunday) editions are all archived on the site. 

 

Rooster

45 minutes ago, Jane Dough said:

A bit like the person trying to help people with their problems who had difficulty with the space bar. The rapist.

 

Rooster

Quite:

Very good ,  nice to read your news, the week that was in Thailand.

 

Have yourself a magic day,,,,,

 

I am in Canada now, I sold my beautiful house in Hua Hin  <stone head>

I hang around south East Asia 7 months a year but not as much in Thailand anymore.

Another great edition Rooster, Thanks.  I read the story of the old expat getting arrested

for being on the dreaded toxic beach of Pattaya, and then wonder how TAT and the 

Thai government is going to get tourists to come back to Thailand?  Seeing the taped off beach         area in Jomtien beach as well, I keep thinking that there will have to be a different slogan for

the new tourism in the future.   At least the PM and government ministers have the brains

to wear their masks when close to other public people.  The US president and VP seem to

have no respect of others even their war veterns by standing close to them without masks.

 I think that America and maybe Russia will end up having the most cases and deaths from

the Covid19 virus, as they will not even social distance, let alone wear masks or gloves to try            keep safe from the virus.   Anyway good luck to all the Thai people and expats there and have

a drink or two, when the benelovent government sees fit to give all of you a bit more

freedom. Cheers and Chok Dee!

Geezer

On 5/10/2020 at 3:59 AM, Samui Bodoh said:

 

The Thai Social Compact (the 'Unwritten Rules' of society) is a complex and nuanced organism, and one that I do not fully understand. That said, it is clearly hierarchical and every hierarchical organizational structure has a few common elements to it. Those at the top receive respect, deference, power, flattery, a few privileges, etc. BUT, in return for those perks/benefits, there is a corresponding obligation to 'take care of' those below. It seems to me that this provision of the Thai Social Compact is beginning to fray because the Rich and Powerful aren't keeping their end of the bargain. And, people are noticing. 

Did they ever ??

It was only the extreme growth of the asian tiger economy years and Tackys economic decentralization / expansion of development out to the provinces which caused a dribble down effect to the lower echelons.  

Rooster, I’ve enjoyed your columns for a long time, but this week I’ve had enough. The continual page bouncing from the ads make it ridiculous! Even as I’m typing this, the page is bouncing. I’m out!