THE WEEK THAT WAS Celebrating Thai women - all women - and the end of “lie-ability” Boris

[webfact]

 

OPINION | by Rooster

 

My mother, a Cockney who was born in the 1920’s in inter-war London, always said that when she was a kid it was the time of old people.

 

As she grew up and became older it was the time of the young. She was referring to the swinging sixties that meant little to her generation, only to her first children. She had six - Rooster was number 5. 

 

She died from bowel cancer when I was only 16.

 

I spent the early part of my adult life always surrounded in work and play by people much older than me. As I grew older that got harder! But what my mum might have been surprised by was surrounding myself by women, particularly Asians and of course Thais.

 

Although close to my brothers I was particularly fond of my sisters at different stages in my life. My elder sister took me to see Spurs (a team supported by my mother) and we attended hundreds of games in the 1970s and 80s in North London, around the UK as well as in Ireland and Holland. We got very close because of that shared interest in THFC. My eldest sister became a great confidant in later life - especially after she expressed a desire to practice Scrabble with me! We will play hundreds of games each summer. 

 

Leaving for Thailand in the 1980s Rooster inevitably had many relationships with all sorts of brilliant Thai ladies. Some worked at night, some in the day. All seemed smarter than the men in their lives. I married two.

 

These days I have one son but three daughters. I live with my second Thai wife and two girls aged 9 and 6. I’m still trying to convince them about football and the merits of word games. 

 

In my work I only employed Thai women - 13 of them. I was head of Thai at Harrow International School and I surrounded myself with smart Thai ladies who did my work for me. A guy once came for a job. The woman I employed instead of him became head of department after I retired in 2013. 

 

I could have got to this stage in my life barely knowing any Thai men except the odd relative. That all changed when I took up Scrabble in 1991 and started to be surrounded by Thai men who played the game in far greater numbers than women. This gave me a much better perspective and I am now lucky to count many Thai men as friends in that sphere. 

 

I was very close to two in particular who became mentors for me in Scrabble. One called Narong was the second champion of Thailand in 1987 and I would visit him in Sukhumvit Soi 1 every Saturday. He died about 20 years ago.

 

Another was a dear and close friend called Amnuay who died in 2017 after setting up the Thai association in 1986. In 2014 we played in a final round at Central Plaza in Udon and the picture of that is in pride of place on my stairs. Whenever I pass it I remember my dear friend who affected the lives of so many people in Thailand and around the world as the #1 promoter of Scrabble on earth. 

 

I also have a painting by Narong that stirs emotions. 

 

These great men gave me perspective, it is true, but to this day it is the ladies of Thailand that have had the greatest impact on my life.

 

And it seemed in the news this week that “phooying Thai” were more than holding their own!

 

Top of the list was an interesting story about a teacher in Chumphon called Khru Jupjaeng, aged 25. (I always remember how my first wife loathed the name Jupjaeng because it was the name of a rival for my affections years ago).

 

Khru Jupjaeng, a math teacher, had qualified for the last 30 of Miss Universe Thailand but when she found out an old ministerial regulation from 1961 that forbids ladies from taking part in beauty contests she withdrew. It was nice to see her director, a man, supporting her and calling for a change to idiotic old regulations. 

 

 

Beauty contests these days need far more than good looks, the ladies become role models, but the forum engaged in the usual “I would” and “I wouldn’t even with yours” innuendo that befits a 50-80 year old crowd populated by many envious and sad old foreigners. 

 

To me Jupjaeng sounded like she had her head screwed on. Yes, she was attractive but level headed and smart too, not to make a mountain out of a molehill and leave the way open for her involvement in beauty pageants in the future. The kids in Chumphon are in good hands. 

 

 

Thailand has had two Miss Universes - Apasra Hongsakula in 1965 - an icon in Thailand - and Pui (now known as Bui Simon) who won in Seoul in 1988. I had the pleasure of meeting Bui and teaching one of her wards. 

 

 

Another Thai woman of immense potential is Nutcharat “Mink” Wongharuthai who won the world women’s snooker championship in February. 

 

Doubtless, she’ll be competing in the men’s World Six Ball championships at Central Plaza Ladprao in September and the women’s only event that follows. These events, great for us snooker freaks in Bangkok, were announced this week.

 

 

Over in Europe it was the women who were taking center stage at the European Football Championships. The English “Lionesses” won their first game at Old Trafford before 71,300 spectators. The final at Wembley is already sold out and will have 87,200 in attendance. This is a far cry from when the event was last held in England in 2005.

 

I will admit that women’s football still holds little interest for me. Though I have got used to seeing references to it on my favored BBC feed. I expect my sister feels likewise.

 

 

In other sports I prefer to watch women play tennis though I’d make an exception for Djok, Nadal and Federer, heroes for any generation. 

 

I’m thrilled for the female jockeys in horse racing who are breaking record after record not just for their gender but across all genders. Women and men should compete side by side when physical strength is not paramount. 

 

In Scrabble one of my best friends is the undisputed finest women’s player in the world. (we’re all far behind the best man). She’s far better than Rooster despite the fact we’re the same age. I have visited her converted barn in the Scottish Borders with my Thai wife and kids on many occasions. 

 

In other Thai news the local media still tried to get the “ganja angle” on any story - though thankfully it’s beginning to subside. An idiotic taxi driver who refused to stop had a bong, while another guy who bust up cars near Pratunam said he’d been smoking. Ho hum….talk about feeding the trolls!

 

They will be back to blaming alcohol and Ya Ba next week all the while ignoring the real scourge that this country has faced for many decades - the easy availability of guns. 

 

It is true that generally speaking there are not the mass murders and murder sprees usually associated with the United States (Terminal 21 Korat notwithstanding). Thai mass murders usually involve financial disputes in families when one rogue kills mum, dad, gran and the nippers just to get revenge.

 

Revenge and the loss of face is key, but guns are what makes it easier. yet not a single politician ever sees fit to regulate them properly.

 

In the 1980s it became obvious to me how many weapons were carried both from the magazines I read to learn Thai and the signage that went up everywhere at clubs and bars: “Khet Plort Aawut” - weapons free zone - was over every door.

 

I only saw one gun drawn in Nana and only one pointed at me in Chiang Rai. Many friends had altercations with Thais wielding guns. Especially when my mates thought they were safe in road rage incidents. 

 

Again generally speaking, there is little violence associated with “what are you looking at” though it may be best not to look at someone else’s wife or girlfriend. In my experience if you don’t make trouble in Thailand you won’t get any. 

 

My mantra to tourists has always been:

 

“Make trouble and go home in a box”. 

 

In international news the entire world was focused on London when Conservative PM Boris Johnson finally resigned though he said he’d stay on until a successor was elected. That’ll be too long for many. Charismatic Boris was never suitable for statesmanship. Being a lying toe rag was more his forte. 

 

 

It’s no surprise that the British public were beguiled. They were conned by others like Savile, Thatcher, and Churchill. Yes, even Churchill; a man held up as an icon in bulldog Blighty but vilified through much of the world who was as deceptive and made far more crass errors than Boris. Hilariously, Boris always aspired to be like him.

 

Well, he succeeded, didn’t he? Now he’s been dumped just as postwar Churchill was too. 

 

Not surprisingly the odds of a Conservative victory at the next general election have gone down. What a liability he was. 

 

Or should that be “lie-ability”.

 

Boris resigned in front of No 10 but didn’t apologise. Instead he “got Brexit done” (that’s an achievement??!!), brought in Covid vax at speed and showed the way in Ukraine. Oh, and messed up one of the biggest Tory mandates in years at the 2019 election. Well done!

 

In my favorite quote of the week the witty Keir Starmer, Labour leader, referring to Boris’s ministers with their knives out said it was the “Charge of the Light Weight Brigade”.  

 

In Pamplona, northern Spain, the San Fermin bull festival was on again after pandemic cancellations. Thousands clogged the streets for the famous daily bull runs. 

 

I went in 1982 though I never saw a single bull. I was too busy seeing the bottom of wine glasses to bother about getting myself gored. 

 

In sports news, Nadal got to the Wimbledon semis before an abdominal injury forced him to pull out. Bad boy Aussie Kyrgios was set to play either Djok or Britain’s Norrie in the men’s final.

 

 

In foreign sports news with a Thai twist it was reported that Ronaldo, CR7 to many, will not travel with the Manchester United team who are due to play Liverpool in the much vaunted big match at the national stadium this coming Tuesday. 

 

For many it’s a rare opportunity to see their team in action without getting on a plane. But some have paid 20,000 baht and more to see second rate players in a pre-season friendly. You must be joking!

 

Back in Thailand the Thai press were exploring every angle in dawn raids by commandos on Thursday. Many warrants were served and some very nasty people were taken off the streets. 

 

RTP chief Suwat issued an order to make sure that none of his men smoke weed at police stations. I wonder if he’ll do urine tests on his men in the coming months. Now, that’ll be really taking the…er…initiative. 

 

 

Another big story originated in the Bangkok Post but found a ready home on the ASEAN NOW forums. The government spokeswoman had spoken of a scheme to have dual prices for tourists and Thais at hotels.

 

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. As the hotel industry pointed out, it is market forces that drive the business and the government - and simpletons like tourism minister Pipat - should stay well away. 

 

The government just needed to keep their traps shut. Prices under their stimulus schemes will always favor Thais (and their resident spouses) who can work out how to benefit. 

 

By giving the impression there would be a dual pricing system you will only alienate foreign tourists and lead to calls for boycotts. Anyone with any doubts about that should read Richard Barrow’s page on the subject. 

 

Finally, a story about Muslims in the far south opposing not just weed, but alcohol and same sex marriage led one newsletter. The reaction was predictable. Why religious people who follow some absurd set of rules from centuries ago and expect us to have any interest in their drivel is beyond me. 

 

And have you noticed that it is always men who tell everyone what to do, be it in Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam or Scientology, to name but five of the worst offenders.

 

Maybe they need to get more women to put a spin on their nonsense. 

 

Rooster

 

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[proton]

Has this guy ever done one of these without mentioning somewhere how long he has been here? it's not a badge of honour ???? Spot on re Muslim objections to weed. and men in general controlling religious nonsense. 

[Reposed]

This morning I had waffles.

[BritManToo]

28 minutes ago, webfact said:

Finally, a story about Muslims in the far south opposing not just weed, but alcohol and same sex marriage led one newsletter. The reaction was predictable. Why religious people who follow some absurd set of rules from centuries ago and expect us to have any interest in their drivel is beyond me. 

Agree!

[Skallywag]

45 minutes ago, webfact said:

Beauty contests these days need far more than good looks, the ladies become role models

For maybe 2% of the population IMO.  Not same as it was back in the 60's.  Women are running companies, restaurants, etc... are seen and read about in newspapers and magazines and online .  

Personally, do not know any woman who ever said a beauty contestant was a role model

[MyFriend You]

My association with Thailand is pre-Rooster, US Army 1971 - talk about draconian, they would pull out the pages in our Playboy magazine at the airport, you never saw an advert for cigarrettes, but Mekong whiskey(?) was okay, never a billboard advert for womans under garments or swim suits - even the Coppertone girl with the puppy pulling down her bathing suit had a big Star on her backside.  No women in sports, politics, professional careers, never saw a woman Doctor, plenty of Nurses (Philipino), lady boys were few and far between, they kept to thenselves. Guess I am saying, "Thailand, you've come a long way baby"  Okay I resemble a rambling rooster -  enough already.............Peace

[Iamfalang]

5 minutes ago, TunnelRat69 said:

My association with Thailand is pre-Rooster, US Army 1971 - talk about draconian, they would pull out the pages in our Playboy magazine at the airport, you never saw an advert for cigarrettes, but Mekong whiskey(?) was okay, never a billboard advert for womans under garments or swim suits - even the Coppertone girl with the puppy pulling down her bathing suit had a big Star on her backside.  No women in sports, politics, professional careers, never saw a woman Doctor, plenty of Nurses (Philipino), lady boys were few and far between, they kept to thenselves. Guess I am saying, "Thailand, you've come a long way baby"  Okay I resemble a rambling rooster -  enough already.............Peace

No more facts!!!!

 

It's hilarious when the old guys say, "Wow, it was sooooo much better way back when."

 

Speaking for the majority of humans, I would say, "absolutely not."  Some guys get upset because they don't have that "power" over women like they thought they would have a long time ago.   

 

I only miss the post for a few things:   1.  Nothing was recorded, everything forgotten.  No smartphone distraction.

2.   I had energy to play basketball for 5 hours a day and only stopped because it got dark.

[John Drake]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

In international news the entire world was focused on London 

No, it wasn't.

[roquefort]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

It’s no surprise that the British public were beguiled. They were conned by others like Savile, Thatcher, and Churchill

Savile certainly. Churchill - not sure how you get to that conclusion. Yes, he made plenty of gaffes, but can you honestly see Britain winning WW2 with Chamberlain or Halifax at the helm (they were the alternatives at the time, along with Attlee, who Churchill famously described as "a sheep in sheep's clothing").

As for Thatcher - how exactly did she con the British public? You may not like her policies, but she did exactly what she promised to do at three general elections.

[kingstonkid]

4 hours ago, Reposed said:

This morning I had waffles.

I had toast

[Reposed]

2 hours ago, Iamfalang said:

Speaking for the majority of humans, I would say, "absolutely not."

 

????

 

[George Aylesham]

Thanks Rooster - a cracker article this week.

[Golden Triangle]

I really don't know why I continue to read this drivel.

[RobU]

Entertaining article. I don't agree with some of the opinions expressed (and would argue the points if we met) but I enjoyed reading it as usual

[Lacessit]

" Don't make trouble in Thailand and you won't have any." Never a truer word spoken.

IMO women are the backbone of Thailand, and deserve better. Far fewer layabouts on the distaff side.

Another good one, thanks Rooster.

[herfiehandbag]

2 hours ago, roquefort said:

Savile certainly. Churchill - not sure how you get to that conclusion. Yes, he made plenty of gaffes, but can you honestly see Britain winning WW2 with Chamberlain or Halifax at the helm (they were the alternatives at the time, along with Attlee, who Churchill famously described as "a sheep in sheep's clothing").

As for Thatcher - how exactly did she con the British public? You may not like her policies, but she did exactly what she promised to do at three general elections.

What is more, although Churchill did lose the 1945 election he won the 1951 election, with a bigger share of the popular vote on a bigger turnout...

 

I appreciate the purpose of the column is not a history lesson, but superficial comments like the one about Churchill don't really work.

[Tropposurfer]

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Agree!

And! To demand others obey heel to and follow their religious indoctrination to boot! Off with them I say!!

[proton]

3 hours ago, TunnelRat69 said:

My association with Thailand is pre-Rooster, US Army 1971 - talk about draconian, they would pull out the pages in our Playboy magazine at the airport, you never saw an advert for cigarrettes, but Mekong whiskey(?) was okay, never a billboard advert for womans under garments or swim suits - even the Coppertone girl with the puppy pulling down her bathing suit had a big Star on her backside.  No women in sports, politics, professional careers, never saw a woman Doctor, plenty of Nurses (Philipino), lady boys were few and far between, they kept to thenselves. Guess I am saying, "Thailand, you've come a long way baby"  Okay I resemble a rambling rooster -  enough already.............Peace

Any photo's mate?

[sawadee1947]

Oh dear,

The first part was too much bragging or too much reminiscense like an old man.

Do you really need it to show off all your supposedly merits?

Or shall we admire you?

Last week I got the impression it was written with a lot of Ganja,

but this time you used a much stronger stuff. ????

[perdido]

oh , never mind what I had for breakfast.......okay, peanut butter was involved,,,,

[perdido]

.....and

[Freed1948]

37 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Oh dear,

The first part was too much bragging or too much reminiscense like an old man.

Do you really need it to show off all your supposedly merits?

Or shall we admire you?

Last week I got the impression it was written with a lot of Ganja,

but this time you used a much stronger stuff. ????

I was trying to reply to the column, but you responded very well. 

[Stevemercer]

When I first came to Thailand I was impressed by the dominance woman seemed to have in Thai culture. Inheritance was typically through the maternal line, woman were usually the family head and woman did every job under the sun.

 

But, over time, it was obvious men had control and the final say. Men rarely took advice from a woman, took advantage of them financially, and generally ignored them in any decision-making process.

 

But maybe this is true in just about any country. But I will say that Thai women are tough - so many single Mums cheerfully going about making a living and enjoying life without financial support from a male (it often seems to be the other way around).

 

[Thingamabob]

Interesting comments on Boris Johnson, much the same as those made by Vladimir Putin. On a more serious subject, very sad to see you confess to being a Spurs supporter. Oh dear.....

[RobU]

I am respectful of the fact that the Rooster series is a popular entertaining expression of a personal viewpoint not a factual news item. I wish the Trolls who denigrate the author would remember that. If you don't like what is written then don't read it in the future

[harleyclarkey]

Delighted to see your reference to Churchill... a vile genocidal lunatic who was responsible for the deaths of many millions of starving Bengals, a racist, an advocate for poison gas, anti Semetic just some of the man's contributions.

For me, an Irishman,  his role in deploying the vicious, murdering thugs called the Black and Tans in Ireland is equally unforgivable. Roving murder squads, random beating, house burnings were some of their tools of their vile trade.

Yes, good old Churchill a shining example of Britishness. Regretf,continued to this day by certain members of the English establishment.  

[Lacessit]

12 minutes ago, RobU said:

I am respectful of the fact that the Rooster series is a popular entertaining expression of a personal viewpoint not a factual news item. I wish the Trolls who denigrate the author would remember that. If you don't like what is written then don't read it in the future

It is interesting the posters who describe Rooster's columns as drivel seem to keep reading them.

[RobU]

6 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

It is interesting the posters who describe Rooster's columns as drivel seem to keep reading them.

Yes very interesting. If I have an issue with Roosters comments I wont reply in a denigrating way I try to use gentle humour and give my viewpoint.

[rumak]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Maybe they need to get more women to put a spin on their nonsense. 

You were doing OK until you got to that ridiculous statement .    There are now plenty of women in high if not top positions in the world .    If anything,  they are more power hungry and crazy than the men.   Or,  maybe just EQUALLY corrupt and arrogant .    here here !

 

Clinton,  Merkel,  Ardern, Freeland,  .......... and many many more.........

[BostonRob2]

10 hours ago, proton said:

Has this guy ever done one of these without mentioning somewhere how long he has been here? it's not a badge of honour ???? Spot on re Muslim objections to weed. and men in general controlling religious nonsense. 

 Yes, I did about four years ago. When I'd only been here arout 36 years. 

????

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Rooster