Response To The Burma Situation From Thai Colleagues, Friends & Partners ?

[WaiWai]

I haven't heard much about the Burma "situation" from Thais I know, so far. The Burmese are not regarded very favourably in Chiang Mai, on the whole.

I am curious about reactions from Thai individuals - colleagues, friends, partners - that others may be receiving ?

[jumnien]

I don't think the lack of interest stems from how they feel about the Burmese in particular. The lack of interest would be the same if the situation was happening in Bangladesh or Brunei. It's very difficult to adjust to living here in Thailand where people are not as consumed by world news. In the west, social discourse and everyday conversation is to a large extent determined by popular media. In Thailand, popular conversation is dominated by where you are coming from and where you are going and food and weather.

[Savage]

I don't think the lack of interest stems from how they feel about the Burmese in particular. The lack of interest would be the same if the situation was happening in Bangladesh or Brunei. It's very difficult to adjust to living here in Thailand where people are not as consumed by world news. In the west, social discourse and everyday conversation is to a large extent determined by popular media. In Thailand, popular conversation is dominated by where you are coming from and where you are going and food and weather.

Its very bizarre as at my work there has been, well, indifference. What makes it bizarre is a lot of them are 1st generation refugees from Burma. They seem completely uninterested.

[frodo]

The only responses I get from my mate and other friends has been, "What can you do about it? Why worry?", and "I don't want to hear about it. It's sad, but I none of my business."

Edited September 29, 2007 by frodo

[tijnebijn]

I don't think the lack of interest stems from how they feel about the Burmese in particular. The lack of interest would be the same if the situation was happening in Bangladesh or Brunei. It's very difficult to adjust to living here in Thailand where people are not as consumed by world news. In the west, social discourse and everyday conversation is to a large extent determined by popular media. In Thailand, popular conversation is dominated by where you are coming from and where you are going and food and weather.

Its very bizarre as at my work there has been, well, indifference. What makes it bizarre is a lot of them are 1st generation refugees from Burma. They seem completely uninterested.

May seem like that , but we do not understand what they say when they talk Burmese to each other do we ?

Anyway the Thai people still are much talking about their own petty political situation ,

and like one poster said that it seems indeed that they are lessed interested in world situations (then we westerners) .

The press in the West and over here work very differently , can be a topic on itself .

It can be a strange world sometimes .

[tijnebijn]

The only responses I get from my mate and other friends has been, "What can you do about it? Why worry?", and "I don't want to hear about it. It's sad, but I none of my business."

It is sad , very sad actually .

More to say about how they stay in life and well , everything probably .

one of the reasons why I do not try to get in a conversation with most Thais .

The thais with whom I do , tell me the same .

[Savage]

I don't think the lack of interest stems from how they feel about the Burmese in particular. The lack of interest would be the same if the situation was happening in Bangladesh or Brunei. It's very difficult to adjust to living here in Thailand where people are not as consumed by world news. In the west, social discourse and everyday conversation is to a large extent determined by popular media. In Thailand, popular conversation is dominated by where you are coming from and where you are going and food and weather.

Its very bizarre as at my work there has been, well, indifference. What makes it bizarre is a lot of them are 1st generation refugees from Burma. They seem completely uninterested.

May seem like that , but we do not understand what they say when they talk Burmese to each other do we ?

Anyway the Thai people still are much talking about their own petty political situation ,

and like one poster said that it seems indeed that they are lessed interested in world situations (then we westerners) .

The press in the West and over here work very differently , can be a topic on itself .

It can be a strange world sometimes .

I totally understand what you are saying, but what I don't understand is that the issue of a 1,800 km border that very well could soon be pouring refugees over into their country is hardly world news!

[mrt273nva]

My Missus wasn't even aware there was a problem in Burma until a week into it. She told me as if I hadn't heard. Then I explained to her what was happening there. I personally think that if Monks weren't involved that it wouldn't have even made Thai news.

[PeaceBlondie]

My partner, a native of Chiang Mai, looks down upon all Burmese and Hill Tribes. We were watching TV when it showed a monk carrying something, and the expression on his face was serious. My partner, who spent years training for the monkhood, just exclaimed disgustedly, "He is very ugly!"

Even educated Thais deny that Japan invaded Thailand during world war two. Thai schools can even celebrate Nazi Day, goose stepping, swastikas, etc., without seeming to realize that there was a Holocaust! See at www.teflwatch.org

[tijnebijn]

My Missus wasn't even aware there was a problem in Burma until a week into it. She told me as if I hadn't heard. Then I explained to her what was happening there. I personally think that if Monks weren't involved that it wouldn't have even made Thai news.

For one thing you can be sure , the Thai authorities are very cautious .

Very cautious to condemn anything , very cautious because they are Junta themselves ,

apart from that , any other lets say elected government would also be very reluctant .

Its historically and politically very complexed here in Asia , which some other

members can tell about much more then me .

[bina]

reactions by thai workers here was: sad that people died there, now what's for supper....

well, theyre in israel where everyday news is along the same lines .... ho hum....

husband watches the thai news in the internet (dailynews) but got bored after two days with the burma situation...

[geriatrickid]

My partner, a native of Chiang Mai, looks down upon all Burmese and Hill Tribes. We were watching TV when it showed a monk carrying something, and the expression on his face was serious. My partner, who spent years training for the monkhood, just exclaimed disgustedly, "He is very ugly!"

Even educated Thais deny that Japan invaded Thailand during world war two. Thai schools can even celebrate Nazi Day, goose stepping, swastikas, etc., without seeming to realize that there was a Holocaust! See at www.teflwatch.org

I was talking to my friend from CM yesterday, and he didn't care either. Maybe it's because he has his own family issues and struggles. Or maybe it's because westerners in Thailand are more likely to be interested due to circumstances. I doubt that too many folks in the UK midlands or Tupelo or Upper Slobavia, are paying attention either.

As for the latter comment, with the desire to cosy up to the Iranians, you can bet that attitude won't be challenged. The lack of knowledge on world history is shocking isn't it? I was having a discussion with some friends about medical ethics in research and using the japanese live subject experiments from China as an example and they didn't even know what I was referring to.

[Savage]

My partner, a native of Chiang Mai, looks down upon all Burmese and Hill Tribes.

Your partner is a racist bigot?

Scratch the surface and you'll find a fair amount of people are

[chinthee]

My partner, a native of Chiang Mai, looks down upon all Burmese and Hill Tribes.

Your partner is a racist bigot?

Scratch the surface and you'll find a fair amount of people are

Well, especially with regard to Burmese. Thais, for the most part, are either afraid of them, contemptuous of them, or impartial to them.

[Savage]

My partner, a native of Chiang Mai, looks down upon all Burmese and Hill Tribes.

Your partner is a racist bigot?

Scratch the surface and you'll find a fair amount of people are

Well, especially with regard to Burmese. Thais, for the most part, are either afraid of them, contemptuous of them, or impartial to them.

I haven't met too many that aren't

[FarangNoi21]

this thread quickly degraded into thai bashing. sad.

My thai lady friend does not look down on any race. she has been bothered greatly about the Myanmar situation.

Edited September 29, 2007 by FarangNoi21

[PeaceBlondie]

In class with teenagers in northern Thailand, the easiest way to get a laugh is to say something about Myanmar or the Burmese. The Koreans in Thailand have more respect for their Burmese maids.

So, it was good to hear that Chiang Mai had a protest in favor of the Burmese people suffering in Myanmar. I've written a novel about how the Thai people finally looked west and considered the Burmese to be their brothers and sisters in SouthEast Asia. But they didn't do that, in the novel, until The Lady of Burma died and the reigning monarch referred to Aung San Suu Kyi as 'my elder sister.'

[Savage]

this thread quickly degraded into thai bashing. sad.

My thai lady friend does not look down on any race. she has been bothered greatly about the Myanmar situation.

Do the French like the English?

Do the Indians like the Pakistanis?

Do the Polish like the Germans?

Do the Turkish like the Greeks?

Do the Koreans like the Japanese?

Do the Cambodians like the Thais?

NO

Sorry pal, to say that most Thais don't like the Burmese is not Thai bashing. In general it is the truth

[xyborg]

<br />reactions by thai workers here was: sad that people died there, now what's for supper.... <br /><br />well, theyre in israel where everyday news is along the same lines .... ho hum.... <br /><br />husband watches the thai news in the internet (dailynews) but got bored after two days with the burma situation... <br /><br /><br />

<br /><br /><br />

Probably the lack of ghosts in the plot or wailing over acting women.

[FarangNoi21]

this thread quickly degraded into thai bashing. sad.

My thai lady friend does not look down on any race. she has been bothered greatly about the Myanmar situation.

Do the French like the English?

Do the Indians like the Pakistanis?

Do the Polish like the Germans?

Do the Turkish like the Greeks?

Do the Koreans like the Japanese?

Do the Cambodians like the Thais?

NO

Sorry pal, to say that most Thais don't like the Burmese is not Thai bashing. In general it is the truth

dont be ridiculous.

there are general rivilarly. i will give you that, but certainly Thai people emphasis with Myanmar people on their current problems. if a burmese person is on fire, thai people wont throw water on him? dont be silly.

Edited September 29, 2007 by FarangNoi21

[domreknaw]

My partner, a native of Chiang Mai, looks down upon all Burmese and Hill Tribes.

Your partner is a racist bigot?

You understand that that lower class like burmese and all such have to make quiet about life. what do you mean by racist bignut?

[sibeymai]

My wife says it's nobody's business except the Burmese. Does she care that monks are being killed ? No. Does she realise that the freedoms she enjoys now are the result of struggle against tyranny and the deaths of protesters much like what is happening in Burma now ? No.

"Not my business." "I don't want to know."

Does she understand that events in Burma may affect the kind of Thailand our children grow up in ? No.

Why so much disinterest ? "I can not do anything."

I have to agree with her. Why concern yourself with something you can't do anything about ? Seems to be the general Thai attitude to most things.

[asiaworld]

Hmm funny, why the west is getting so soaped up about all of this.. Take any unsanctioned protests anywhere, & you'll see the same responce from authorities.. How many antiBush protests were there & how many participants were carted away & thats in a 'posterboy democracy' state.. Thailand is same same, only seem to do more mutual arse sniffing with the west, so nobody bothers.. Less than 20 yrs. back some student protestors were shot by the Victory monument , how many of you know that .. See anyone start objecting present thai gov..& result will be SAME SAME.. So IF you care to bother, than care more objectively..

Edited September 30, 2007 by asiaworld

[Savage]

this thread quickly degraded into thai bashing. sad.

My thai lady friend does not look down on any race. she has been bothered greatly about the Myanmar situation.

Do the French like the English?

Do the Indians like the Pakistanis?

Do the Polish like the Germans?

Do the Turkish like the Greeks?

Do the Koreans like the Japanese?

Do the Cambodians like the Thais?

NO

Sorry pal, to say that most Thais don't like the Burmese is not Thai bashing. In general it is the truth

dont be ridiculous.

there are general rivilarly. i will give you that, but certainly Thai people emphasis with Myanmar people on their current problems. if a burmese person is on fire, thai people wont throw water on him? dont be silly.

General empathy? More like general disinterest.

[mrtoad]

Disinterest and ambivilance, mixed with a little self interest from those whose business' may be affected by the situation in Burma, i.e. traders on the border and probably manufacturing and construction, who if the Junta were overthrown may start to lose a lot of their cheap labour as they return to their homeland.

[nick2k]

many of my friends in college were asians from southeast asia. after hanging out with them for a while, I noticed that many of them did not open up to me too much. no joking or personal details about their life ever came out into the open. so, one day I curiously asked them why this was the case. ..why didn't they open up to me more?

after many years of asking, one of them sat down with me and said simply quote, "what you say can haunt you later on." that is why so many people including thais don't say much to strangers.

and in this situation with burma, thailand being so close to burma, I think keeping your mouth shut is a survival technique.

the reality is - someone around the corner could do something to you if they don't like what you say.

burma - so close, and yet - so far away.

[FarangNoi21]

i am very happy that i choose a less closed minded partner and friends than the people in this thread (assuming its not just a thai bashing thread). its never too late to change though....

[Johpa]

My partner, a native of Chiang Mai, looks down upon all Burmese and Hill Tribes. We were watching TV when it showed a monk carrying something, and the expression on his face was serious. My partner, who spent years training for the monkhood, just exclaimed disgustedly, "He is very ugly!"

He must have the mouth of a Hoover for you to tolerate such a person. Probably some pal of my idiot brother-in-law in Chiang Mai. Time for an upgrade or go back to your wife.

[girlx]

"What can you do about it? Why worry?"

exactly what the thais i talk to say about both burma and thailand's political situation. makes me want to hit them, but i guess that's how they are brought up.

[qualtrough]

My partner, a native of Chiang Mai, looks down upon all Burmese and Hill Tribes. We were watching TV when it showed a monk carrying something, and the expression on his face was serious. My partner, who spent years training for the monkhood, just exclaimed disgustedly, "He is very ugly!"

He must have the mouth of a Hoover for you to tolerate such a person. Probably some pal of my idiot brother-in-law in Chiang Mai. Time for an upgrade or go back to your wife.

Play nice Johpa!