Why Is Thailand So Far Behind The West?

[katyusha]

and <deleted> burmese & hilltribes have actually fled their hometowns and flocked to thailand. in fact, we've been trying to stop them coming in but without success ....

You don't seem to know much about your own country.

No attempt is made to prevent Buddhist Karen tribespeople from crossing into Thailand from Burma. They need no passport or visa, and are given refugee status the instant they set foot on Thai soil. They flee their homes and risk minefields and booby traps to escape "ethnic cleansing" by Christian Karen militias and Burmese troops. Thailand accepts them on humanitarian grounds.

[igotworms]

The fact that Thailand closed and isolated itself from the rest of the world for centuries might have something to do about it. This prevented easy access to shared information, technology, modern philosphies, etc.

And I'd say the quality of mass education was/is substandard by western standards. Only recently has education been widely available.

Besides rice, rubber, etc., Thailand's natural resources are limited. A poor trading economy fails to open those multilateral doors essential to developing and maintaining mutually beneficial agreements between foreign countries. Besides beautiful scenery, people and culture, what does Thailand have that other countries want?

I think Thailand is a have-not country.

Limited resources, geographic and cultural isolation, and substandard education are the culprits in my opinion.

The genetic inferiority theory is speculative, Hitler-esque and downright shameful.

[Boon Mee]

The fact that Thailand closed and isolated itself from the rest of the world for centuries might have something to do about it. This prevented easy access to shared information, technology, modern philosphies, etc.

Not to break your bubble there, Bud, but Thailand has never "isolated itself" from the rest of the world. If that were the case, perhaps you'd see a similar mind-set as Japan who really did isolate themselves. Correct me if I'm wrong but it's Japanese car factories in Thailand, not the other way around.

Thailand has welcomed other cultures and taken from them what it likes and rejects the rest. Don't forget that Thailand is the only country in SE Asia never to be colonized by a foreign power and who's reigning monarch also holds a US Passport!

[stroll]

I think Thailand is a have-not country.

Not compared to its neighbours, it is one of the stronger economies in the region.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The fact that Thailand closed and isolated itself from the rest of the world for centuries might have something to do about it. This prevented easy access to shared information, technology, modern philosphies, etc.

Not to break your bubble there, Bud, but Thailand has never "isolated itself" from the rest of the world. If that were the case, perhaps you'd see a similar mind-set as Japan who really did isolate themselves. Correct me if I'm wrong but it's Japanese car factories in Thailand, not the other way around.

Thailand has welcomed other cultures and taken from them what it likes and rejects the rest. Don't forget that Thailand is the only country in SE Asia never to be colonized by a foreign power and who's reigning monarch also holds a US Passport!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[/quote

You are right there Stroll. Absolutely.

[daveh]

Thailand has welcomed other cultures and taken from them what it likes and rejects the rest.  Don't forget that Thailand is the only country in SE Asia never to be colonized by a foreign power and who's reigning monarch also holds a US Passport!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you sure he actually holds a US passport? I know he was born in Cambridge, Mass, and as such has the right to US citizenship, but it does not mean he has not renounced his citizenship. I've been curious about this ever since I found out he was born in the States. Does anyone know for sure if he still retains his US citizenship?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Thailand has welcomed other cultures and taken from them what it likes and rejects the rest.  Don't forget that Thailand is the only country in SE Asia never to be colonized by a foreign power and who's reigning monarch also holds a US Passport!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you sure he actually holds a US passport? I know he was born in Cambridge, Mass, and as such has the right to US citizenship, but it does not mean he has not renounced his citizenship. I've been curious about this ever since I found out he was born in the States. Does anyone know for sure if he still retains his US citizenship?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd very much doubt it.

[bollox]

Thailand has welcomed other cultures and taken from them what it likes and rejects the rest.  Don't forget that Thailand is the only country in SE Asia never to be colonized by a foreign power and who's reigning monarch also holds a US Passport!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you sure he actually holds a US passport? I know he was born in Cambridge, Mass, and as such has the right to US citizenship, but it does not mean he has not renounced his citizenship. I've been curious about this ever since I found out he was born in the States. Does anyone know for sure if he still retains his US citizenship?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd very much doubt it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why should he need one ? The King doesn't have nothing. He doesn't need an ID, a passport, absolutely nothing.

[Khun Larry]

"Why are farang smarter than Thais?" Comparing the American and other economies in the west to Thailand's, she was wondering if there was a genetic reason. I told her I didn't think there was anything genitic about it. So then she wanted to know why the American economy was so much more advanced than that in Thailand.

This is quite a difficult question.

Genetics and weather.

In countries with a cold season, over the centuries the occasional very cold winter thins the crop of those who cannot come up with a survival plan leaving behind smarter survivors.

It is also more difficult to work hard in a very hot climate.

Median IQ in Thailand, a whopping 87.

[igotworms]

The fact that Thailand closed and isolated itself from the rest of the world for centuries might have something to do about it. This prevented easy access to shared information, technology, modern philosphies, etc.

Not to break your bubble there, Bud, but Thailand has never "isolated itself" from the rest of the world. If that were the case, perhaps you'd see a similar mind-set as Japan who really did isolate themselves. Correct me if I'm wrong but it's Japanese car factories in Thailand, not the other way around.

Thailand has welcomed other cultures and taken from them what it likes and rejects the rest. Don't forget that Thailand is the only country in SE Asia never to be colonized by a foreign power and who's reigning monarch also holds a US Passport!

Only recently has Thailand opened it's mind and doors to foreign countries. The period from western industrialization to about 60 or 70 years ago was a dormant period for Thailand's growth. This is the setback and now they are playing catch up.

[IamMaiC]

The fact that Thailand closed and isolated itself from the rest of the world for centuries might have something to do about it. This prevented easy access to shared information, technology, modern philosphies, etc.

Not to break your bubble there, Bud, but Thailand has never "isolated itself" from the rest of the world. If that were the case, perhaps you'd see a similar mind-set as Japan who really did isolate themselves. Correct me if I'm wrong but it's Japanese car factories in Thailand, not the other way around.

Thailand has welcomed other cultures and taken from them what it likes and rejects the rest. Don't forget that Thailand is the only country in SE Asia never to be colonized by a foreign power and who's reigning monarch also holds a US Passport!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

and who's Reigning Monarch was born in the United States!!!

[kat]

and &lt;deleted&gt; burmese & hilltribes have actually fled their hometowns and flocked to thailand.  in fact, we've been trying to stop them coming in but without success ....

You don't seem to know much about your own country.

No attempt is made to prevent Buddhist Karen tribespeople from crossing into Thailand from Burma. They need no passport or visa, and are given refugee status the instant they set foot on Thai soil. They flee their homes and risk minefields and booby traps to escape "ethnic cleansing" by Christian Karen militias and Burmese troops. Thailand accepts them on humanitarian grounds.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, in general it is the other way around. The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) cooperates with the Burmese military in return for special favors. The Christian Karens are the ones that are more stigmatized by the Burmese military because of their past closer relationship with the British. There are both Buddhist and Christian Karens in refugee camps, but in terms of the larger story, it is the DKBA that is on the side of the Burmese military (a/k/a - the government) and the Christian Karens who have an opposing militia. In terms of landmines, both sides are guilty of this, but if you want a long list of spectacular horrofics then you will have to turn to the Burmese government and their paid-off splinter groups.

[somtaamgaiyang]

Hasn't anyone bothered to notice who controls all the money here.

The chinese community has economically and now politically taken over Thailand They have no interest in educating the masses and throwing away the control that they have. In no way would they want to see their wealth slip outside their own community, or develop the educational capability of the populace which provides a very nice plentiful supply of very cheap labour for their labour intensive businesses.

As long as they control the big businesses, banks and government, Thailand will find it hard to reach it's full potential economically.

[Darth Bangkok]

Thailand has welcomed other cultures and taken from them what it likes and rejects the rest.  Don't forget that Thailand is the only country in SE Asia never to be colonized by a foreign power and who's reigning monarch also holds a US Passport!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you sure he actually holds a US passport? I know he was born in Cambridge, Mass, and as such has the right to US citizenship, but it does not mean he has not renounced his citizenship. I've been curious about this ever since I found out he was born in the States. Does anyone know for sure if he still retains his US citizenship?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

didn't the first daughter of the royal family get disowned for marrying an american? even later when she divorced him, she was not allowed to have back her claim to the throne as the first born. I don't know, maybe a woman can't even ascend the throne here. an old girlfriend told me this.

if she was disowned just for marrying an american, i doubt the king holds a US passport.

[Boon Mee]

Thailand has welcomed other cultures and taken from them what it likes and rejects the rest.  Don't forget that Thailand is the only country in SE Asia never to be colonized by a foreign power and who's reigning monarch also holds a US Passport!

Are you sure he actually holds a US passport? I know he was born in Cambridge, Mass, and as such has the right to US citizenship, but it does not mean he has not renounced his citizenship. I've been curious about this ever since I found out he was born in the States. Does anyone know for sure if he still retains his US citizenship?

I'd very much doubt it.

Why should he need one ? The King doesn't have nothing. He doesn't need an ID, a passport, absolutely nothing.

I'm sure he doesn't need one - the point being he's the only reigning King in on the planet who qualifies for one due to the circumstances of his birth.

Also, it might come in handy when he and Queen Srikit make their annual visit to Washington DC and their health needs attended to at Walter Reed Hospital.

[katyusha]

and &lt;deleted&gt; burmese & hilltribes have actually fled their hometowns and flocked to thailand.  in fact, we've been trying to stop them coming in but without success ....

You don't seem to know much about your own country.

No attempt is made to prevent Buddhist Karen tribespeople from crossing into Thailand from Burma. They need no passport or visa, and are given refugee status the instant they set foot on Thai soil. They flee their homes and risk minefields and booby traps to escape "ethnic cleansing" by Christian Karen militias and Burmese troops. Thailand accepts them on humanitarian grounds.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, in general it is the other way around. The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) cooperates with the Burmese military in return for special favors. The Christian Karens are the ones that are more stigmatized by the Burmese military because of their past closer relationship with the British. There are both Buddhist and Christian Karens in refugee camps, but in terms of the larger story, it is the DKBA that is on the side of the Burmese military (a/k/a - the government) and the Christian Karens who have an opposing militia. In terms of landmines, both sides are guilty of this, but if you want a long list of spectacular horrofics then you will have to turn to the Burmese government and their paid-off splinter groups.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're talking about history Kat. I'm talking about last month.

The DKBA is a spin off group of only a few hundred Buddhist Karen who split with the KNU in the middle 1990s. Its ranks today include a few renegade Buddhist monks, and its professed raison d'etre is to create a Buddhist cleric government in the Shan. It's more like a group of bandits than a militia fighting for a cause, with booty and rape being the only rewards since the Burmese government cut off funds. Its members are hated by Buddhist and Christian Karen alike, but loved by SPDC and the Burmese Secret Police.

The Christian Karen National Union is by far the biggest and best armed ethnic group in the Shan, and in 2004 it is by far the most likely to kill you. The KNU claims to be a resistance army, but it is heavily involved in methamphetamine manufacture and smuggling and is listed by the CIA as "a violent and criminal religious based group". Fleeing Buddhist Karen are welcomed and given refugee status in Thailand. Christian Karen are treated with suspicion, and if armed can be shot on sight. If they reach the Thai side they are routinely interrogated by soldiers or the BPP, and those who don't come up with the right answers often disappear without a trace.

Don't believe everything you read in newspapers. The bad elements of both factions are tarred with the same brush.

[axl]

Hasn't anyone bothered to notice who controls all the money here.

The chinese community has economically and now politically taken over Thailand  They have no interest in educating the masses and throwing away the control that they have.  In no way would they want to see their wealth slip outside their own community, or develop the educational capability of the populace which provides a very nice plentiful supply of very cheap labour for their labour intensive businesses.

As long as they control the big businesses, banks and government, Thailand will find it hard to reach it's full potential economically.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True - but how come the Chinese were more successfull?

[Limbo]

Don't forget that Thailand is the only country in SE Asia never to be colonized by a foreign power and who's reigning monarch also holds a US Passport!

Wrote respected Mr. Boon Mee.

During the epoque that Thailand still was an absolute Monarchy HM. Rama IV en HM. Rama V had the most excellent and best thinkable approach in foreign policy.

The enligthed King Rama V had Siam supported of a team of twelve specialists in international law at that time. Eleven Belgians and one Dutchman.

They were allowed to play a very important role in helping Siam to avoid colonialization by the French.

Gustac Rolin Jacquemijns, the Chairman, was honoured with the title Chao Phraya Abhai Raja.

Holding a US passport can be a real headache if you have to carry it around all the time. But I don't think we have to worry about that.

[Pepe']

didn't the first daughter of the royal family get disowned for marrying an american? even later when she divorced him, she was not allowed to have back her claim to the throne as the first born. I don't know, maybe a woman can't even ascend the throne here. an old girlfriend told me this.

if she was disowned just for marrying an american, i doubt the king holds a US passport.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is a fact she lives here in Rancho Santa Fe, California.

I have had the pleasure of meeting her at dinner once.

[Abandon]

The Worst contribution the West has made to Asian society is LOUDSPEAKERS

[somtaamgaiyang]

Hasn't anyone bothered to notice who controls all the money here.

The chinese community has economically and now politically taken over Thailand  They have no interest in educating the masses and throwing away the control that they have.  In no way would they want to see their wealth slip outside their own community, or develop the educational capability of the populace which provides a very nice plentiful supply of very cheap labour for their labour intensive businesses.

As long as they control the big businesses, banks and government, Thailand will find it hard to reach it's full potential economically.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True - but how come the Chinese were more successfull?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In much the same way that they control the vast majority of the "wealth" in Malaysia, and Indonesia, they arrived as immigrants. Large populations of immigrants from various provinces descended/were welcomed into these countries to provide cheap labour.

Firstly, they had a very strong work ethic and in Thailand at least were barred from public service when they arrived. Secondly, they had a very good understanding of trade/value of money. Thirdly, they didn't have any money so they had to work extremely hard and fend for themselves as a community. Fourthly, they had loose network since they were chinese and from the same places in China.

They provided the "glue" to link together all the south-east asian trading communties. Families and friends began trading each other in south east asia, which was actually easier than the Thais to trade with the Malays or Indonesians.

I have seen the connections at work myself. Our partner has "distant" family in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Europe. He does business within the family, pretends essentially to be Thai, but has a British and Hong Kong passport. In fairness he pays all his taxes and the company is successful. There is more combined wealth in th hands of S.E Asian Chinese than the whole combined wealth of the mainland chinese populous.

How on earth can one get the government to raise the level of spending on education, when it is the sons and nephews of Chinese businessmen sitting in parliament who need cheap labour for their factories and the money will come from their own bulging pockets. How can they vote to raise the pitiful minimum wage when the businesses that it will hurt belong to their own family's.

It is like putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop and I fear that this factor holds back the Thai economy as much as anything else.

[fiveyears]

Don't forget that Thailand is the only country in SE Asia never to be colonized by a foreign power and who's reigning monarch also holds a US Passport!

Wrote respected Mr. Boon Mee.

This may partly explain the English language proficiency in Thailand. To answer the initial question, I think it's culture related. Critical thinking is not rewarded but discouraged, after five years in the Kingdom I tend to think that Thailand will remain a developing country for all its life. It's only competitive advantage is cheap labor and cheap costs, the government does all it can to keep it like that. eg the petrol prices, Thailand would need to develop some core competencies but that would require serious effort, they tend to buy technology from foreign countries instead of developing it on their own.

mai pen lai...

Edited October 28, 2004 by fiveyears

[stroll]

Sounds like you're not enjoying yourself much here, or what motivates your somewhat inaccurate, simplistic rant, fiveyears?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Sounds like you're not enjoying yourself much here, or what motivates your somewhat inaccurate, simplistic rant, fiveyears?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd be stronger Stroll. I exceed old mates time in Thailand and have no hesitation in awarding him the the twit award ( or is it &lt;deleted&gt; nowdays ) Go home bitter 5 yrs

[kat]

and &lt;deleted&gt; burmese & hilltribes have actually fled their hometowns and flocked to thailand.  in fact, we've been trying to stop them coming in but without success ....

You don't seem to know much about your own country.

No attempt is made to prevent Buddhist Karen tribespeople from crossing into Thailand from Burma. They need no passport or visa, and are given refugee status the instant they set foot on Thai soil. They flee their homes and risk minefields and booby traps to escape "ethnic cleansing" by Christian Karen militias and Burmese troops. Thailand accepts them on humanitarian grounds.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, in general it is the other way around. The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) cooperates with the Burmese military in return for special favors. The Christian Karens are the ones that are more stigmatized by the Burmese military because of their past closer relationship with the British. There are both Buddhist and Christian Karens in refugee camps, but in terms of the larger story, it is the DKBA that is on the side of the Burmese military (a/k/a - the government) and the Christian Karens who have an opposing militia. In terms of landmines, both sides are guilty of this, but if you want a long list of spectacular horrofics then you will have to turn to the Burmese government and their paid-off splinter groups.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're talking about history Kat. I'm talking about last month.

The DKBA is a spin off group of only a few hundred Buddhist Karen who split with the KNU in the middle 1990s. Its ranks today include a few renegade Buddhist monks, and its professed raison d'etre is to create a Buddhist cleric government in the Shan. It's more like a group of bandits than a militia fighting for a cause, with booty and rape being the only rewards since the Burmese government cut off funds. Its members are hated by Buddhist and Christian Karen alike, but loved by SPDC and the Burmese Secret Police.

The Christian Karen National Union is by far the biggest and best armed ethnic group in the Shan, and in 2004 it is by far the most likely to kill you. The KNU claims to be a resistance army, but it is heavily involved in methamphetamine manufacture and smuggling and is listed by the CIA as "a violent and criminal religious based group". Fleeing Buddhist Karen are welcomed and given refugee status in Thailand. Christian Karen are treated with suspicion, and if armed can be shot on sight. If they reach the Thai side they are routinely interrogated by soldiers or the BPP, and those who don't come up with the right answers often disappear without a trace.

Don't believe everything you read in newspapers. The bad elements of both factions are tarred with the same brush.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm sorry to go a bit off topic everyone, but please bear with me, bc I think this is important.

Katyusha:

You make too many assumptions about people. I do not get my information from newspapers or the Thai goverment or border patrol for that matter. I have done extensive professional research on the political situation in Burma, and have worked with Burmese refugees and migrants for over 2 years.

I think you are confused in your statements, because the KNU and the Karen are different than the Shan; two different ethnic groups in a country with over 110 ethnic dialects. The Shan have their own insurgent army, along with almost every ethnic group in Burma. Some ethnic groups have made pacts with the Burmese military goverment, in return for perks like manufacturing drugs and methamphets while the government turns a blind eye because they get a pay-out. I think you may be confusing the KNU with United Wa State Army, who are drug manufactures and are widely recognized as outlaws, and government-sponsored bandits. They have also appropriated territory in Shan State for poppy and methamphetimine production. Maybe this is why you have confused the two.

Christian Karens are treated by suspicion by ill-informed people who discriminate on the basis of religion and other issues. There is no group that is walking through Thai borders into refugee camps unscrutinized, because the RTG doesn't want anymore Burmese and refugee camps have been closed to new registered (legal) refugees. The Karen are the longest-standing resistance group to be at war with the Burmese military, but they are by far not the most violent. All of the insurgents have been involved in smuggling, tax, or illegal activities to fund their insurgence. However, the masters are the United Wa State Army, which is why they are on the side of the government. They simply get rich and powerful from drug production, even though they have a longstanding ceasefire with SPDC. The KNU is technically a labor union, with an armed branch with another acronym. The KNU are in coalition with most of the other political democratic groups who also receive funding from the American government. Therefore, I fail to see how they are classified as terrorists when many of them are funded and given asylum by the American government.

Many of the DKBA have relatives that are legal in Thailand. They easily go back and forth over the border. The fact that they are on good terms with the SPDC rapists and killing machine makes them dangerous to many ordinary and Christinan Karen. They also have a longstanding division with the Christian Karen which the SPDC has exploited for political purposes. This has led to many slurs and ethnic biases against Karen Christians in Thailand. Also, the number one businessman in Thailand, the PM, also has some important business deals past and future with Burma's governemt. There are also some really big perks for Thai business people along the border and inside Eastern Burma. The Burmese government has been routinely confiscating and appropriating ethnic Karen land in these parts. Most are Christians. Guess where many of these new opportunities for agribusiness will arise on newly cleared land? If you are getting your information from Thai Border Patrol, then this explains your warped and inaccurate understanding of the KNU and Christian Karens in Thailand.

[katyusha]

You make too many assumptions about people.  I do not get my information from newspapers or the Thai goverment or border patrol for that matter.  I have done extensive professional research on the political situation in Burma, and have worked with Burmese refugees and migrants for over 2 years.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But have yoiu ever BEEN up there ?

I think you are confused in your statements, because the KNU and the Karen are different than the Shan;

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not even slightly confused. I said "IN the Shan".

I think you may be confusing the KNU with United Wa State Army

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I know the difference between UWSA and KNU.

Christian Karens are treated by suspicion by ill-informed people who discriminate on the basis of religion and other issues.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I discriminate on the basis of "If you have an AK-47 and you point it in my general direction then I will shoot you first and figure out who you were later."

If you are getting your information from Thai Border Patrol, then this explains your warped and inaccurate understanding of the KNU and Christian Karens in Thailand.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

OK. Your extensive professional research on the political situation in Burma makes you the on the ground warfare expert. No skin off my nose.

[kat]

Katyusha:

I'm no warfare expert. But what does warfare have to do with the facts? The SPDC is also at war, and most Muslim extremists will say that they are at war with the West. The Thai goverenment also killed more than 2,000 people who were "suspected" drug dealers, without an investigation and without a trial. He called this a "war" on drugs. Now more than 200 people with the guts to step forward are suing the government for compensation because his "facts" were wrong.

I'm no expert, in fact, I try to avoid that term. But I have talked to a lot of Burmese migrants and refugees, and most are treated like criminals or sub-humans by the Thai goverenment, BPP's, and police and they have done nothing wrong. Some cannot even tell the difference between here and Burma because they have no human rights. I've been to Burma, but most importantly I've worked with groups along the border. Ethnic Burmese women are routinely raped while in Thai custody, and many groups in the North live in conditions resembeling Nazi Germany, in terms of their neighbors. When it comes to such a politically divisive issue like Burma, politically-motivated slurs and misinformation are guaranteed.

[Limbo]

I discriminate on the basis of "If you have an AK-47 and you point it in my general direction then I will shoot you first and figure out who you were later."

Wow, Mr. Katyusha, you sound like a tuff guy. Also your choice of nickname, Katyusha, better known as 'Stalin Organ' a Russian rocket system, points in the direction of great fire-power. What that concerns you even beat our beloved member Rod Kalashnikov, who, with 'Rod' in front of the name of a gun even gives a sexual connotation to his nick-name.

It could be a wording used by Stallone or Schwarzenegger, but it has some touch of John Wayne at the same time.

The fact that the excellent handweapen (the russians didn't have money, so Mr Kalashnikov -the real one- developed a simple, cheap, but effective and reliable thing with which actually the Germans were beaten and the Americans kicked out of Vietnam) AK-47 is mentioned in the hands of a potential enemy (without any hesitation Mr. Katyusha is going to kill the unknown man or woman) points in the direction of a cold-war past.

"If you have a Luger and you point it at my general I shoot you first" sounds different. That's earlier, that sounds more like a beginning second worldwar. The Luger is supposed to rest in the hands of a German soldier, that's clear.

So I go for the cold-war period, or, more correct, seen the prozaic quality of the sentence: for a cold-war movie.

So far right Mr. Katyusha (24 boum-boums, must have been a noisy piece)?

But then we get the John Wayne momentum. The movie-star, in this case MR. Katyusha, must be wearing a weapon, otherwise he can't shoot at all and certainly not first.

But then the uncertainty comes.

We know that John Wayne, or at least the person he played in his movies, was a 'fast-drawing' cowboy.

So we can interprete Mr. Katyusha's statement in the John Wayne sense: de other person (probably Russian) points his AK-47 at John Wayne (resp. Mr. Katyusha), who, fast as lightning draws his own weapon and manages to shoot the Russian (?) first.

If the Russian (?) had the intention to shoot John Wayne is not clear.

His hesitation to do so is not further elaborated, as it for that matter never is in movies where the good (mostly America) defeats the bad (mostly the Russians).

The same curious thing you see in the old cowboy(civilised)-versus-Indians(uncivilised) movies. The civilised know how to handle a weapon and these uncivilised wilds, yes their specialism is to fall from horses.

So the options which is left out is, that Mr. Katyusha pointed his weapon first at the person with the AK-47 and shot him or her when this person yes or not tried to do the John Wayne thing.

Does that make our martial thaisvisa member Mr.Katyusha a potential hero or a potential murderer? Or, sorry mr. Katyusha, but neither you or me made the world, a plain idiot?

Please enlighten us, you tuff gun-swinging Stalin Organ muscle-man.

And please, are you Mr Kalashnikov -not the real one-, Mr Katyusha.

Two members of thaivisa, both choosing names of Russian weapons as nicknames, that must be more than a coincidence!

[Limbo]

Hereby I apologize to the members, administrators and moderators of Thaivisa for my last posting.

A posting about guns and killings, just for the guns and the killings sake, is in no way Thailand related.

Furthermore it is an indication of a sub-standard mind, which makes me ashamed.

Please accept my apologies,

Mr. F. Bertha.

[Coffee Dude]

Thailand has welcomed other cultures and taken from them what it likes and rejects the rest.  Don't forget that Thailand is the only country in SE Asia never to be colonized by a foreign power and who's reigning monarch also holds a US Passport!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you sure he actually holds a US passport? I know he was born in Cambridge, Mass, and as such has the right to US citizenship, but it does not mean he has not renounced his citizenship. I've been curious about this ever since I found out he was born in the States. Does anyone know for sure if he still retains his US citizenship?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd very much doubt it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why should he need one ? The King doesn't have nothing. He doesn't need an ID, a passport, absolutely nothing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm sure he doesn't need one - the point being he's the only reigning King in on the planet who qualifies for one due to the circumstances of his birth.

Also, it might come in handy when he and Queen Srikit make their annual visit to Washington DC and their health needs attended to at Walter Reed Hospital.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Things may have changed a bit recently, but before, you couldn't hold US citizenship while holding another citizenship after the age of 18. At this point the US required that you denounce allegiance to all other nations or lose your right to US citizenship. I doubt very seriously that the King would have done this. Does anyone know if this has changed?

Female heirs of the Royal Family can't ascend to the throne.

Coffee!!!