What Hunger In Thailand?

[henryalleman]

They need to gather money. Doesn't matter whether what they say is true. Those cushy NGO jobs with nice apartments and SUVs don't pay for themselves you know.

I remember (have some pics too, March 2005) of a Thai maid, good English. She brought a boy she was looking after to the Benjasiri park.

While my daughter was playing, we were watching the kids and chatted. She appeared to be proud about looking after the boy whose parents were UNICEF employees in BKK. Not IBM, not Goldman Sachs.

"Where do you live"?

She pointed towards 120-150K baht rent per month buildings.

Couple of years ago I rented a flat in London to a Unicef employee for a shade under 1000 sterling per week. One year contract, option to renew.

Always brings a smile to my face when I see passengers on BA in economy filling up their "change for good" envelopes with leftover coins and currency, little realising that the beneficiaries of their largesse were sitting up front in business or even first class.

And who they send as volunteers?

Some greenhorns just get out from University, who nothing about local culture.

Once I was invited to participate in a development program in Africa, I spoke my mind, they said to me that every of my objections where correct. Result? I was never invited again.

The only organisation who in my mind who is genuine is "Medicine sans frontiere"

the rest is a scam include the red Cross, and I know what I'm talking about.

they have huge overhead costs up to 75%. So for every 100 Euro you donate only 25 EURO go's to the people who need it.

[khaowong1]

I live way out in the sticks and there children living around here that don't go to school pas about 12 years old as their parents can't afford to send them, buy school books and lunch as well.

Also during the planting/ harvesting times schools partly close down as the pupils are in the fields helping their families out.

Now that there is a slowdown in the world economy which will affect Thailand more families who had work in the cities and lose their jobs will be back on the farms for a while.

So living, as you do, out in the sticks you should be aware that Thai people are not starving.

The original question was about food, not about schooling and the economy.

From my expereince living out in rural Thailand for many years there is an abundance of food. You can always eat rice, fruit, even exotic meats, like frogs if you so desire. Food is almost free. It is everywhere. Any Thai child that goes hungry in rural NE Thailand, goes hungry due to parental neglect, not from lack of available produce. There is a lot of food in Thailand. In the fields and hanging from the trees.

I live in rural Thailand, and this is exactly what I see. There's no one around here that has a lot of money, most of the people here where I live are farmers. But no one goes hungry except due to parental neglect. Food is too cheap here. And abundant here. Rice, fruit, veggies, and even fish. The kids I see that may be going hungry are hungry because their parents are drunks and can't find the time to sober up and feed them. But they still don't go hungry for long. Too many people giving these kids food to eat.

[Geekfreaklover]

This orphanage was on the road between Sop Moei and Mae Ramat. In the middle of nowhere. I did not see any cross only a few top's on the right side of the road on very muddy waste land. lucky I drove a 4WD otherwise I could not go. I saw a few boy's about 10 years old, hanging arround. Some raggy clothes where hanging outside, and the boy's where very shy to talk with me and my wife. From the rest of the story I will spare you.

So please don't say I'm talking Bulls**t.

And this was no exeption

Did you ever visited a small village up North on some mountain flank.

here you don't see tourists or welfed expats, even Thai people don't go there.

Do this first and tell than that I'm talking Bulls**

I have been to the most poorest parts of Thailand, and indeed Asia. I have seen, in Thailand, poverty, lack of education and other problems. But I have not seen any form of starvation in over a decade of extensive travel in the, South. Central, North and North East regions. You twist my words, I never spoke of starvation, but about malnutrition

Please refer to my previous post where I mentioned Burmese border tribes that are suffering from malnutirtion in the region of which you speak, and a Thai friend that works as a social worker helping these folks out. Abuse of human rights against Burmese fugitives and hill tribes is another topic worth

These are people are not Thai people. The original question was about Thai people and lack of food in Thailand.

Did you realize what you wrote? Its could easy be explained as racism

The issues concerning certain people not receiving food are social issues and not issues to do with lack of food harvest. The OP was "is there hunger in Thailand", and do you deny that there is still hunger and malnutrition in Thailand?

I have lived in rural poor regions of thailand for many years. I have also lived in various cities in the kingdom. And in all that years you never saw extreme poverty and malnutrition amongst THAI people.

To suggest that Thailand has a food shortage just will not wash with me. Sorry. You are wrong.

I did not make any suggestion that there is a food shortage in Thailand, but not everybody can profit from it

http://web.nso.go.th/eng/en/indicators/health_e.htm

There is hunger and malnutrition everywhere in the world.

Thailand produces a lot of food, much of which is exported.

I am simply agreeing with the OP that Thailand does not need charity donations beacuse of lack of food poduce. Thailand produces a lot of food.

Thailand does need help with many social problems that lead to children being mistreated, and going hungry, but these problems stem from a social nature and have nothing to do with lack of food harvest.

[henryalleman]

This orphanage was on the road between Sop MoeiMoei and RamatRamatRamating arround. Some raggy clothes where hanging outside, and the boy's where very shy to talk with me and my wife. From the rest of the story I will spare you.

So please don't say I'm talking Bulls**t.

And tharroundno exeptionraggy

raggy.

here you don't see tourists or welfed expats, even Thai people don't go there.

Do this first and tell than that I'm talking Bulls**

I havexeptiono the most poorest parts of Thailand, and indeed Asia. I have seen, in Thailand, poverty, lack of education and other problems. But I have nowelfed any form of starvation in over a decade of extensive travel in the, South. Central, North and North East regions. You twist my words, I never spoke of starvation, but about malnutrition

Please refer to my previous post where I mentioned Burmese border tribes that are suffering from malnutirtion in the region of which you speak, and a Thai friend that works as a social worker helping these folks out. Abuse of human rights against Burmese fugitives and hill tribes is another topic worth

These are people are not Thai people. The original qumalnutirtionbout Thai people and lack of food in Thailand.

Did you realize what you wrote? Its could easy be explained as racism

The issues concerning certain people not receiving food are social issues and not issues to do with lack of food harvest. The OP was "is there hunger in Thailand", and do you deny that there is still hunger and malnutrition in Thailand?

I have lived in rural poor regions of thailand for many years. I have also lived in various cities in the kingdom. And in all that years you never saw extreme poverty and malnutrition amongst THAI people.

To suggest that Thailand has a food shortage just will not wash with me. Sorry. You are wronthailand

d not make any suggestion that there is a food shortage in Thailand, but not everybody can profit from it

http://web.nso.go.th/eng/en/indicators/health_e.htm

There is hunger and malnutrition everywhere in the world.

Thailand produces a lot of food, much of which is exported.

I am simply agreeing with the OP that Thailand does not need charity donations beacuse of lack of food poduce. Thailand produces a lot of food.

Thailand does need help with many social problems that lead to children being mistreated, and going hungry, but these problems stem from a social nature and have nothing to do with lack of foodbeacuset.

Sorry I have to go on about it. Nowhere I wrote that Thailand is in need of charity, because there is simply no need for it. I only wrote that there is malnutrition, and that this is an social and political problem created by the injustices in both the social and political system, And its not only I who stated that there is malnutrition in the country but its coming from the National statistics office of Thailand. And malnutrition is meaning that some people are not feed properly as it should be. By those statistics its about 8% of the population. And not proper fed is not meaning they eat to much junk food as one member imply but just don't get the necessary vitamins for many children to grow up healthy by body and mind. And other statements who put the blame on drunk parents or parents just don't care is pure denial of the problem.

And the remark that there is hunger and malnutrition all over the world is using a platitude as lame meaningless excuse.

[ballpoint]

They need to gather money. Doesn't matter whether what they say is true. Those cushy NGO jobs with nice apartments and SUVs don't pay for themselves you know.

I remember (have some pics too, March 2005) of a Thai maid, good English. She brought a boy she was looking after to the Benjasiri park.

While my daughter was playing, we were watching the kids and chatted. She appeared to be proud about looking after the boy whose parents were UNICEF employees in BKK. Not IBM, not Goldman Sachs.

"Where do you live"?

She pointed towards 120-150K baht rent per month buildings.

Couple of years ago I rented a flat in London to a Unicef employee for a shade under 1000 sterling per week. One year contract, option to renew.

Always brings a smile to my face when I see passengers on BA in economy filling up their "change for good" envelopes with leftover coins and currency, little realising that the beneficiaries of their largesse were sitting up front in business or even first class.

And who they send as volunteers?

Some greenhorns just get out from University, who nothing about local culture.

Once I was invited to participate in a development program in Africa, I spoke my mind, they said to me that every of my objections where correct. Result? I was never invited again.

The only organisation who in my mind who is genuine is "Medicine sans frontiere"

the rest is a scam include the red Cross, and I know what I'm talking about.

they have huge overhead costs up to 75%. So for every 100 Euro you donate only 25 EURO go's to the people who need it.

The long term UNICEF and NGO employees aren't interested in any solution that will see them made redundant. As is well illustrated in Africa, they keep the local population reliant on handouts to the extent that they actually serve to add to and prolong the original problem by producing generations of charity dependant people living on the borderline of starvation. They stick to a narrow path between making the people self sufficient and starving the people to death - in either case they lose their jobs along with their luxury accomadation and big white land cruisers

[think_too_mut]

What is your issue with people that raise other people's awareness; think too mutt?

does a case need to be "perfect" to be useful? Do people fall between the cracks in Thailand? Is there a less than "perfect" social security system here for the poor? What about people with no families? or people that left the area where they grew up years and years ago? People fall through the cracks and people in fact DO go hungry here. (often a matter of pride more so than necessity.

I, for one, think that it is a good thing to raise awareness of hunger and malnutrition anywhere!

What fact?

Your platitudes so far have overlooked one more large segment of any society: lonely hearts. They need love too. Who do they have to turn to when they get hungry? Who is raising awarenes about them?

[billd766]

I live way out in the sticks and there children living around here that don't go to school pas about 12 years old as their parents can't afford to send them, buy school books and lunch as well.

Also during the planting/ harvesting times schools partly close down as the pupils are in the fields helping their families out.

Now that there is a slowdown in the world economy which will affect Thailand more families who had work in the cities and lose their jobs will be back on the farms for a while.

So living, as you do, out in the sticks you should be aware that Thai people are not starving.

The original question was about food, not about schooling and the economy.

From my expereince living out in rural Thailand for many years there is an abundance of food. You can always eat rice, fruit, even exotic meats, like frogs if you so desire. Food is almost free. It is everywhere. Any Thai child that goes hungry in rural NE Thailand, goes hungry due to parental neglect, not from lack of available produce. There is a lot of food in Thailand. In the fields and hanging from the trees.

I live in rural Thailand, and this is exactly what I see. There's no one around here that has a lot of money, most of the people here where I live are farmers. But no one goes hungry except due to parental neglect. Food is too cheap here. And abundant here. Rice, fruit, veggies, and even fish. The kids I see that may be going hungry are hungry because their parents are drunks and can't find the time to sober up and feed them. But they still don't go hungry for long. Too many people giving these kids food to eat.

This true.

My wife runs a noodle stall and the price is the same as last year, 20b for an adult portion and 10b for children. However if she sees someone who has no money there will always be food available for them. It is the same all around the local villages. No one goes starving. If the parents are too drunk then the children sort of belong to the village and will be looked after by a family or two.

[think_too_mut]

I live way out in the sticks and there children living around here that don't go to school pas about 12 years old as their parents can't afford to send them, buy school books and lunch as well.

Also during the planting/ harvesting times schools partly close down as the pupils are in the fields helping their families out.

Now that there is a slowdown in the world economy which will affect Thailand more families who had work in the cities and lose their jobs will be back on the farms for a while.

So living, as you do, out in the sticks you should be aware that Thai people are not starving.

The original question was about food, not about schooling and the economy.

From my expereince living out in rural Thailand for many years there is an abundance of food. You can always eat rice, fruit, even exotic meats, like frogs if you so desire. Food is almost free. It is everywhere. Any Thai child that goes hungry in rural NE Thailand, goes hungry due to parental neglect, not from lack of available produce. There is a lot of food in Thailand. In the fields and hanging from the trees.

I live in rural Thailand, and this is exactly what I see. There's no one around here that has a lot of money, most of the people here where I live are farmers. But no one goes hungry except due to parental neglect. Food is too cheap here. And abundant here. Rice, fruit, veggies, and even fish. The kids I see that may be going hungry are hungry because their parents are drunks and can't find the time to sober up and feed them. But they still don't go hungry for long. Too many people giving these kids food to eat.

This true.

My wife runs a noodle stall and the price is the same as last year, 20b for an adult portion and 10b for children. However if she sees someone who has no money there will always be food available for them. It is the same all around the local villages. No one goes starving. If the parents are too drunk then the children sort of belong to the village and will be looked after by a family or two.

Exactly the same.

My wife's sister runs noodle shop, prices are 20/10 baht and no way children would come in group and one that has no money looks while others are eating. That child would be served too with "I'll ask your mother later" but with little hope or effort to recover the money.

And those with no as little money as local noodle soup shop would charge have self-induced the problem - mostly heavy drinking.

[think_too_mut]

The point I wanted to make - false claims that Thailand has hunger problems.

There's plenty of poor people in Thailand, and plenty that don't get enough to eat or have nutritional problems. But you'll find them mostly in unfashionable rural areas, along the borders and NE where overfed expats don't like to go.

Don't have to go that far, just go in the small soi in a medium size Thai town, you will see a poverty not so much different than in India.

On my last trip up North in the Mae Hong Song valley I saw blatant poverty also.

And indeed there you don't see tourists not even Thai ones or overfed ex pats.

I visited orphanages where the children almost had no clothes, only wearing old rags. And their living quarters I would not even put my dog in.

A complete fountain of abouslute bullsh#t.

Have you ever been to India?

Do you have any understanding of povery in Thailand?

Who ran these orphanges, where the children are starving and dressed in poor clothing?

Where did I ever said that in Thailand children are starving, I only gave statistics from NSO about malnutrition.

Were the children starving or were the children bought by Farang run Chistian NGOs and dressed in poor clothing in an effort to keep their NGO show on the road?

This orphanage was on the road between Sop Moei and Mae Ramat. In the middle of nowhere. I did not see any cross only a few top's on the right side of the road on very muddy waste land. lucky I drove a 4WD otherwise I could not go. I saw a few boy's about 10 years old, hanging arround. Some raggy clothes where hanging outside, and the boy's where very shy to talk with me and my wife. From the rest of the story I will spare you.

So please don't say I'm talking Bulls**t.

And this was no exeption

Did you ever visited a small village up North on some mountain flank.

here you don't see tourists or welfed expats, even Thai people don't go there.

Do this first and tell than that I'm talking Bulls**t

Wake up people.

I agree with the OP.

Thai kids are bought for money and put into Christain NGO enviroments.

NGOs need money.

Thailand has lots of food and the populice will always provide food for the hungry.

I could not find the first post that came with this picture of an orphanage.

If somebody wants to show how dire hunger problems are in Thailand, they better use this picture:

Just don't tell it's a backpackers paradise at Koh Chang, 400B a night and the bum in the picture belongs to a Scandinavian girl still sobering up 4pm.

[Geekfreaklover]

And the remark that there is hunger and malnutrition all over the world is using a platitude as lame meaningless excuse.

The original question referenced a television clip asking for charity donations for starvation in Thialand.

The OP stated that there is adequate, and indeed, surplice food supplies in Thailand.

It is that simple.

[think_too_mut]

The original question referenced a television clip asking for charity donations for starvation in Thialand.

The OP stated that there is adequate, and indeed, surplice food supplies in Thailand.

It is that simple.

It was not on TV, it was between 2 video clips. You know how Hard Rock Cafe has their own production of rock music video spots...this hunger one was inserted between them.

Just remembered 2 more countries mentioned...Mali and Haiti...then a couple more that I can't recall and then "Thailand and Indonesia". Like Thailand has made it among the top 5 hunger spots on the planet. <deleted>.

It could be 5th from the bottom, better than US and some developed countries.

Edited December 31, 2008 by think_too_mut

[jdinasia]

You need to look up the word platitude and you never did answer my questions

[think_too_mut]

You need to look up the word platitude and you never did answer my questions

I was trying to avoid word "drivel" to describe the rubbish you posted. Now, look it up and see when you get answers to your "questions".

[qwertz]

If I may insert my take into this bunfight, I think that nobody is actually starving in Thailand as there is still enough charity there to

provide a safety net for those really on the breadline.

The real deficit there is the obsession with getting rich quick and the lack of access to a good free education to equip the less wealthy

majority with the necessary skills and ability to survive and prosper in a rapidly changing world that is currently leaving them behind.

I think it's time for the influential Thais to step up to the plate and do something for their own folk - before they appear on the list as

a real emergency.

[think_too_mut]

To add more egg on Bono's and Geldof's face:

world-weary worrywarts Bono and Bob Geldof

If the link disappears:

Saint Bob and Bono's halos slip

Finally somebody has shown the chutzpah to say "enough already" to those wealthy world-weary worrywarts Bono and Bob Geldof. Sydney-bound Dambisa Moyo, a Zambian-born economist, says the singers have glamorised aid to Africa to such an extent that it is damaging the very people it is supposed to help.

Moyo's book Dead Aid has received huge publicity in the US and Europe, not least because she is been bold enough to speak out against the beatific Bono and the sainted Sir Bob and such feel-good moments as the Live Aid concert of 1985.

Moyo, who is heading to Asia to promote her book, hopes to get to Sydney next month. "Celebrities have raised millions, but it only served to further corrupt governments with the leaders able to steal money without suffering any consequences for years while at the same time the people have been made further aid-dependent. Today Africa is far poorer than it was 40 years ago."

Moyo argues that aid has not only perpetuated African poverty, but also worsened it, and thinks it would be a good idea for all aid to be halted within five years. A firm believer in market forces, she thinks African countries should look towards other sources of finance as India and China did over the years when billions was being given to Africans.

"You get the corruption - historically, leaders have stolen the money without penalty - and you get the dependency, which kills entrepreneurship. You also disenfranchise African citizens, because the government is beholden to foreign donors and not accountable to its people."

She met Bono the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last year, when they both attended a party to raise money for Africa.

"I was the only African in the room," she said.

Moyo hardly mentions the glamorisation of aid for Africa in her book. Her main point is that the more musicians step up to the plate the fewer Africa's elected officials or policymakers get a word in. "As one critic of the aid model remarked, 'My voice can't compete with an electric guitar'," she said.