Bbc News Item

[GuestHouse]

Thailand's Human Zoo - From the BBC Edited January 29, 2008 by GuestHouse

[blizzard]

can you give some examples of the good things about los that peeple worldwide would be interested in.............lol.

i lub los and for all the wrong reasons.................lol

[Lilawadee]

Now that, I think, is solid reporting. Gives me a little confidence back in journalism.

I'm the one who posted the link to the sensationalist item on a Canadian TV show.. I object to that because it's false and inaccurate.

This on the other hand, is honest, concise and accurate reporting that quickly describes the situation in, what, a 3 minute item?

I think it's brilliant, and hopefully it will give some tourists a clue about what things to see/support in Thailand and what things to pass by.

[howtoescape]

Now that, I think, is solid reporting. Gives me a little confidence back in journalism.

I'm the one who posted the link to the sensationalist item on a Canadian TV show.. I object to that because it's false and inaccurate.

This on the other hand, is honest, concise and accurate reporting that quickly describes the situation in, what, a 3 minute item?

I think it's brilliant, and hopefully it will give some tourists a clue about what things to see/support in Thailand and what things to pass by.

Please dont associate the BBC with good, honest, fair reporting.

They are instituationally left wing ran by champagne socialists, they threaten the good people of Britain with court action if they dont hand over 120 pound a year, to watch their political agenda lies, brainless soap operas and constant house renovation programmes, whilst paying millions of pounds a year to talentless TV presenters.

The sooner the BBC gravy train is derailed the better.

The Canadian report maybe useless and brainless, and i would never take such channels serious, but at least the programme is paid for by advertising and is what the people must want.

[Lilawadee]

Please dont associate the BBC with good, honest, fair reporting.

Well, my association went no further than this particular item. It was not an endorsement of the BBC per se.

They are instituationally left wing ran by champagne socialists,

Yes, but so am I.

Though through circumstance, being in Thailand and import tariffs being what they are, I may have to settle for calling myself a Sang Som Socialist.

The Canadian report maybe useless and brainless, and i would never take such channels serious, but at least the programme is paid for by advertising and is what the people must want.

Yeah, and market-based thinking works really well as long as content & information is a limited resource. It only takes a bit more bandwidth on the internet and people will be completely free to seek information wherever they choose, and not be restricted to what the marketing & sales guys of a network feel they should be fed.

Sorry if this is distracting things from the topic at hand... Anyway there *IS* a whole lot of solid information available on Thailand on the internet, and, as a collective pat on our collective backs, we're adding to it here every day.

[GuestHouse]

Well a nice rant, but no comment at all on the link I posted.

Perhaps because, if the report is indeed good, honest and fair you whole rant becomes groundless.

[howtoescape]

Well a nice rant, but no comment at all on the link I posted.

Perhaps because, if the report is indeed good, honest and fair you whole rant becomes groundless.

Its a case of the boy who cried wolf with the BBC, too many times they have lied, and they are undeniably extremely left wing.

Only TV news worth listening to in the UK is on channel 4 and most notiably Jon Snow.

[Lickey]

3 quid for BBC multi channels 24 hrs a day, yep i agree with How Toes Cape, its a rip-off, who wants to see Sir David Attenbourgh and factual wildlife programmes, repeats of the Two Ronnies, Open All Hours, Fawlty Towers,all the briliant documetories,the through the ages dramas,the live sports,Moto GP, Rugby, Skiing,Football, boxing,nah its all crap, and as for there news service and free radio progs, scrap them too, YEAH RIGHT!!

[JetsetBkk]

Now that, I think, is solid reporting. Gives me a little confidence back in journalism.

Oh dear.

[yorkman]

Well a nice rant, but no comment at all on the link I posted.

I may be detrimental to Thailand, but is a concise report, typical of the BBC. Factual, but alas these days not the complete story.

And that is where the BBC is going. It is following the trend, providing 24 hour news with sensational snippets, and no in depth reporting or programmes.

So, this particular report filled a short slot, attracted a lot of viewers with a short attention span who enjoy sensationalism.

That is about it, is it not?

I would not say scrap them. Just look at the new ventures. The web presence is world class.

But as for this snippet, they are trying to compete with Murdoch and his ilk for the sensationalist viewer. No chance

Edited January 29, 2008 by yorkman

[howtoescape]

3 quid for BBC multi channels 24 hrs a day, yep i agree with How Toes Cape, its a rip-off, who wants to see Sir David Attenbourgh and factual wildlife programmes, repeats of the Two Ronnies, Open All Hours, Fawlty Towers,all the briliant documetories,the through the ages dramas,the live sports,Moto GP, Rugby, Skiing,Football, boxing,nah its all crap, and as for there news service and free radio progs, scrap them too, YEAH RIGHT!!

THE BBC ALMOST KILLED ENGLISH FOOTBALL IN THE EIGHTIES, THE ONLY REASON THEY SHOW IT NOW IS THANKS TO RUPERT MURDOCH.

BBC paid boxer "Ordinary" Harrisson million of pounds when this money should have been used to promote young up and coming boxers not a talentless pansy who won a gold in a division where no one else was capable of fight.

Jonathon Ross gets paid 5 million a year for what? that talentless prat Graham Norton gets the same and is put on BBC2 at 11pm, this is what happens when champagne socialists are driving the gravy train.They have more reporters and journalists at the American elections then any other foreign news broadcaster.

Why should people be taxed to pay for all of the above when all of the above would be commissioned privately if it not for honest folk getting threatened with court action and potentially getting a credit blacklisting for not paying.

Taxing people to gain basic news information is immoral and more then likely illegal if proven so in the case going through my other favourite undemocratic, overly beaucratic regime called the EU.

[yorkman]

A Murdoch supporter surfaces.

[howtoescape]

A Murdoch supporter surfaces.

Think its called chopping my nose off to spite my face to make a point.

I prefered football in the 80s, as i went to home games every week and a to about a third of the away games.

My team was still crap but at least there was an atmosphere and it was affordable,GBP1.50 to stand in the gallowgate now its 40 odd quid to sit in the most sterile atmosphere imaginable. Hence i rarely go.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Wow, long-necked Karen to the English Premier League in how many posts?

[bruceboy]

I thought it was a good report.

[PeaceBlondie]

Pardon me for not taking part the Brit bashing of BBC (reminds me of certain Aussies, Americans and Brits not being able to finish a sentence without a whole-scale political lambasting of the opposition), but my dialup might take 39 minutes to download this documentary. Would it be asking too much for a nonpartisan summary of the broadcast? Is it about commercial sex workers in Uzbekistan, sexpats in Patpong, exporters in Rayong, or the high cost of cosmetics at Paragon?

[PhilHarries]

Thanks PB a nice little reminder that some of us don't live in farang wonderland with ultra high speed internet. Don't know about broadband but this lot is more like brassband.

As for the anti BBC ranters you have to remember that opinions take take all forms many of which do not agree with yours. It is called freedom and if you don't agree with what you are seeing and hearing use the off or channel change button. This is helpfully located on your remote so you don't have to summon all you reserves of energy to cross the living room.

[KhaoNiaw]

The Canadian report maybe useless and brainless, ... and is what the people must want.

[spot]

Now that, I think, is solid reporting. Gives me a little confidence back in journalism.

I'm the one who posted the link to the sensationalist item on a Canadian TV show.. I object to that because it's false and inaccurate.

This on the other hand, is honest, concise and accurate reporting that quickly describes the situation in, what, a 3 minute item?

I think it's brilliant, and hopefully it will give some tourists a clue about what things to see/support in Thailand and what things to pass by.

Please dont associate the BBC with good, honest, fair reporting.

They are instituationally left wing ran by champagne socialists, they threaten the good people of Britain with court action if they dont hand over 120 pound a year, to watch their political agenda lies, brainless soap operas and constant house renovation programmes, whilst paying millions of pounds a year to talentless TV presenters.

The sooner the BBC gravy train is derailed the better.

The Canadian report maybe useless and brainless, and i would never take such channels serious, but at least the programme is paid for by advertising and is what the people must want.

I thought it was concise and non sensationalist. I've read and heard other stuff about this subject and the BBC report to me just stated the facts. Good on them for keeping this story going. I hope the media pressure picks up more and something is eventually done about situation.

Howtoescape: I think you've got a bit of a hang up about so called left wingers the BBC. What is and where is the left wing in the UK?

The BBC is a respected worldwide name, and it's actually one of the few things Brits can be proud of. Your telling me that the UK needs another commercial channel?

The Canadian report showed what a commercial channel HAS to produce for ratings...i.e seedy sensationalist tabloid rubbish!

By the way, the BBC is not completely funded by the tax payer, it sells a lot of it's programmes abroad.

Sorry about diverting the discussion away from the OP..

[Ricardo]

It reports on the Long-Necked Karen, being kept in special camps for tourists to visit, allegedly for Thai profit.

A situation which has existed for many years past, I remember being advised 20 years ago not to go to these tourist-attractions, as it only encourages their exploitation. Still a good policy IMHO. Vote with your feet !

For me, it reflects more badly on the farang tourists who go there, than on Thailand.

[PeaceBlondie]

All right, I am beginning to see what the broadcast is, a quick documentary or comment about the Long Neck Karen or Padang villages in Mae Hong Son or Chiang Rai provinces.

[onzestan]

For me, it reflects more badly on the farang tourists who go there, than on Thailand.

Exactly!

onzestan

[howtoescape]

Howtoescape: I think you've got a bit of a hang up about so called left wingers the BBC. What is and where is the left wing in the UK?

Correct, the left wing stand for unlimited immigration, the nanny state, big brother control over us, (id cards) taxing poor and middle income earners and giving it too the lazy and workshy, whilst millionaires have many a tax loophole created by Gordon, and for corruption and lining their pockets as best they can. Google "Jacqui Smith" she is the latest one.

The BBC is a respected worldwide name

But it isnt respected by the people who have to pay for it.

and it's actually one of the few things Brits can be proud of.

We have a great proud history, we are at the fore of modern technological and medical inventions, and we have a great sense of fair play. Though the lefties now want us to be ashamed of everything British, you should see the propoganda that they teach the kids at school.

Your telling me that the UK needs another commercial channel?

The UK needs as many commercial channels as the public will watch, the more commercial TV channels the less power the Murdochs have in influencing the masses.

The Canadian report showed what a commercial channel HAS to produce for ratings...i.e seedy sensationalist tabloid rubbish!

Like one of the earlier posters says you dont have to watch it, if i dont watch the BBC i still have to pay 130quid for the privelege.

By the way, the BBC is not completely funded by the tax payer, it sells a lot of it's programmes abroad.

Every household pays 130 quid, and this raises 3.5 billion quid a year so it more or less is publicly funded.

Sorry about diverting the discussion away from the OP..

Me to.

[toybits]

Thank you GH for this post.

I have been to the Hilltribe Museum at Chiang Rai and they have a similar point of view (with BBC) regarding how the Padaung are being treated in Thailand.

The first impression that must be corrected is that the Long neck Karen or Femme Giraffe or Padaung or whatever you call them ARE NOT from Thailand. They came from a Burmese province adjacent to Maehongson province.

The Long Neck Karen "Villages" in Chiang Rai are not REAL village but make believe villages. If you ever ask the LN Karen women where their husbands are, they were probably told to say that their husbands were working in nearby fields - yeah right - like in Myanmar!!!

If you ask me, these are exploited people and are nothing more than modern day slaves.

The Hilltribe Museum and Education Center at Chiang Rai(http://www.pda.or.th/chiangrai/hilltribe_museum.htm) does not support this type of activity. I hope that readers will help disseminate this information to raise people's awareness about this form of human abuse.

Thailand's Human Zoo - From the BBC

[cmsally]

I was wondering , maybe if I sat around in a hut in the hills, maybe I would get a free ticket to NZ and a house lined up awaiting my arrival.

This is a story that flies back and forth every couple of years, and there must be more to it than this.

It does of course make more interesting reading than your normal run of the mill Burmese refugee. Photo opps are also more appealing.

It could just be plain and simply that living in a tourist village a much better deal than being stuck in a refugee camp.

Then of course moving abroad is an even better deal than living in a tourist village.

But maybe the Thai official is right once you have taken the deal of the tourist village you are no longer a refugee.

If it wasn't for the long neck factor it would just be another boring story of refugee doesn't have correct paperwork.

A good lesson in how we choose to read articles , why they are interesting and grab our attention.

Sometimes the really important matter is just dead boring.

What is more scary is that so many people take what they see at face value and to be the absolute truth.

[PeaceBlondie]

Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be farang who take their friends to Long Neck Villages!

///Now that I saw the BBC article, it was not the worst journalism; in fact, reasonably good by the lowered standards of his journalistic age. Down in HuaHin, the only English channel I had was gray/grey BBC on a 12 inch screen. Surely was better than FOX.

Those ladies only wish they could be in BBC Land, in old Blighty. Many of them ran away from the worst dictatorship in the world, to live where few Burmese can live outside a refugee camp.

[Neeranam]

Should we limit the exhibits to insects/fish/elephants/humans?

Should all zoos be banned? If the zoos in Bangkok were banned, hardly any male touist would come.

[klikster]

I was wondering , maybe if I sat around in a hut in the hills, maybe I would get a free ticket to NZ and a house lined up awaiting my arrival.

And a government preventing you from accepting the ticket and house?

But maybe the Thai official is right once you have taken the deal of the tourist village you are no longer a refugee.

So if not refugees, they are ... ?

What is more scary is that so many people take what they see at face value and to be the absolute truth.

What is not truthful about the report? What is the absolute truth?

[KhaoNiaw]

What is more scary is that so many people take what they see at face value and to be the absolute truth.

What is not truthful about the report? What is the absolute truth?

And who are all the people who are taking what they see to be the absolute truth?

Edited January 30, 2008 by KhaoNiaw

[thaihome]

What cracks me up is after the reporter made his summarizing statement about people be “forced” to live in the their traditional way to make a better living then they could otherwise, he went out on another job to report on how people are being “forced” away from their traditional way of living in order to have a better life then they would have otherwise.

WHAT DO THEY WANT?

TH