3 hours ago, steven100 said:

actually he is correct in that every child should learn to swim, it should be mandatory ....  as for the language I have always said schools MUST make english a requirement.  A child that can speak English has a far better opportunity to travel and advance in life through career prospects, than one that can't. 

Maybe your hero should practice what he preaches as his English is awful. I see you do your best to defend the indefensible.

2 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

It´s not an odd comment at all. The fact is that there are too many people that can´t swim in Thailand. He´s perfectly right in saying it could save your life. It is also a fact that Thai people need to learn English as a second language. Both due to better work in the tourism sector as well as the world is moving towards internet and online business, where English is a required language to be successful.

As some poster mentions, that he sounds like a child when explaining to people. That might be true, but that is probably only to come down to a level where everyone can understand.

You do understand what his wife does for a living

1 hour ago, 473geo said:

The advice is actually sound I agree 

Too often these types of statement are out of context and appear to be a throwaway line trying to appear knowledgeable for which there is no supporting plan 

 

That's the problem. It's just inconsequential chatter and blah blah which doesn't cost him anything. Besides the fact that there are much more important problems to be solved for Thailand; as a PM he could easily order to have swimming lessons and a second foreign language in the school curriculum.

But he doesn't do it because it costs money. Buying military toys is much more lucrative for him and his friends.

 

In my home country, swimming lessons are compulsory from the 3rd grade onwards at school. According to the school curriculum, at least 30 minutes per week are reserved for visiting the swimming pool for one year.

It is the same with foreign languages which are firmly established in the curriculum.

Edited November 16, 20214 yr by tomacht8

I'm sure he is referring to Low lying areas that get often flooded in Thailand . Being able to to speak at least 2 languages will help you shout for help hoping someone will understand only my view 555

A personal attack has been removed

3 hours ago, bankruatsteve said:

One way to nurture stability would be to ease up on trying to squeeze money out of expats.  We have kept this country from imploding. 

Nonsense.   First sentence and the second.

Prayut's solution to Climate Change flooding of Bangkok......"Learn to swim"............555

3 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

But what relevance does it have for the current economic, political, social and health situation in Thailand?

He didn't claim that his suggestions did have any relevance to those subjects!

Crawling under netting seems to have been more important to teach at school rather than swimming or languages

 

under PM Prayut, the military government mandated that kindergarten students must learn how to do push-ups, salute, eat from metal trays on the floor, and crawl under netting. This type of learning was part of the PM’s “land defender battalion” programme.

"Come gather 'round people

Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin'
And you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'"

-per Mr Dylan

4 hours ago, webfact said:

He also suggested that Thai people should exercise and study two languages to survive.

Coming from a man who is chauffeur driven everywhere, drowning Thailand in nonsensical regulations and has translator on hand when talking to foreign dignitaries.

4 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Not much odder than "...there will not be coup"?

 

 

There's a whole list,

I'll stop corruption being top of the list.

3 hours ago, tracker1 said:

No mention of road carnage

 No... not encouraging anyone to learn to drive properly ... that's silly... 

4 hours ago, steven100 said:

actually he is correct in that every child should learn to swim, it should be mandatory ....  as for the language I have always said schools MUST make english a requirement.  A child that can speak English has a far better opportunity to travel and advance in life through career prospects, than one that can't. 

I think the second language he was referring to is Chinese.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

He also suggested that Thai people should..................... study two languages to survive.

Mandarin and Wu I guess he is thinking.

3 hours ago, anchadian said:

He should have studied the English language when he went to school.

 

Shame.

 

 

He's fluent in BS

3 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

In terms of content, everything is correct. And the fact that you should cut your toenails regularly, eat well and sleep well every day would also be right. But what relevance does it have for the current economic, political, social and health situation in Thailand?

Learning to swim has a lot of relevance to the flooding.

 

Headline is a misprint, surely it should read...

Odd Thai PMs suggestions.????????

Sad that such basic common sense should be called odd. He should be allowed to make such comments without being told 'fix the country first '. The two are not mutually incompatible. Sad also that even many (most?) first world countries do not teach children to swim in school time. Survival in this world is not all about intellect. ????

5 minutes ago, Kinnock said:

Learning to swim has a lot of relevance to the flooding.

 

Exactly. Reduce school to the basic three Rs and you deprive children of too much that they should know but might not be able to learn in their home environment. 

4 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

In terms of content, everything is correct. And the fact that you should cut your toenails regularly, eat well and sleep well every day would also be right. But what relevance does it have for the current economic, political, social and health situation in Thailand?

noooow - I got the missing link: He wants to say that Thailand is neglecting her toenails!

July 1997 comes to MIND. 

In my opinion, these statements are 3 of the more sensible things that have come out of his mouth.

4 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

Is that for real? Or has it got lost in the translation? It reads like having interviewed an 8 year old.

Come on - he's not that old.

4 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

The day that Thailand  was transformed was 22nd May 2014 , and it has gone downhill ever since !

Learn to swim, or drown , this the question 

It is absolutely true that when children roll into society with a command of the English language and can also work with a computer, their chances increase enormously. For the Western world it is an advantage if the Thai children are more English oriented than Chinese.

Edited November 16, 20214 yr by metisdead
Bold font removed.

And he’s the Prime Minister TIT

4 hours ago, webfact said:

He also suggested that Thai people should exercise and study two languages to survive.

Perhaps he could help with that by paying the wages that attract real teachers and actualy letting them teach. That involves failing pupils who need to work harder and don't reach the required standard in their exams - not requiring teachers to manipulate their results so they pass.

1 hour ago, welshissan said:

You do understand what his wife does for a living

Why would I need to understand that?

4 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

Is that for real? Or has it got lost in the translation? It reads like having interviewed an 8 year old.

More like a 4 year old. An 8 year old kid knows that people who can swim often drown.