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Shut Up And Do Something For Thailand


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Posted

Shut Up and Do Something!

It is depressing, pathetic and embarrassing that there are many Thai people who are damaging the country and the royal institution by simply blowing hot air. Such people are in large numbers and can be seen everywhere. However, the worst case examples are those who like to hang out around Parliament and various political parties.

There is also another kind of hypocrite called Non-Government Organizations, or NGOs. They come in hundreds of groups, some are good and some are bad. There are many who have overvalued themselves by talking big and acting as know-it-alls. They also like to voice their opposition to pretty much just about everything, without knowing all the details. It is unfortunate that these people are a hindrance on the country's development and an opponent to the greater good.

The most obvious example can be seen right now during the current flooding situation, which has been causing great damage in many provinces. If one were to ask, why there is a flood? There must be many answers such as too much rain (In fact, according to the Department of Irrigation's record, there has not been that much rain this year compared to past years) or there are less trees to prevent flooding due to the deforestation. Some may claim that the flood was caused by the lack of dams while some may argue that there are already too many useless dams in the country, allowing many farmlands and villages to be flooded.

All of the answers are backed by different explanations made through various media outlets. Surprisingly, during this flooding disaster, one group remains tight-lipped and cannot be found anywhere.

Indeed, where are the know-it-all NGOs, who in the past, have protested against the construction of many dams? Once the problem has arisen, they have simply disappeared. Why are they not helping the flood victims? It has even been rumored that one such NGO is now living large in a European country.

The reason why today's editorial criticizes these NGOs is because they talk big with little, if any, action. They are also not looking after the country's best interests. Often, they tend to shove what has been done in other countries down Thai society's throat without considering whether they are even appropriate for Thailand.

We must beg this people to shut up and start doing something for the country. They must also stop their criticizing behavior for the sake of the country's development and happiness. Please keep in mind, my dear NGOs, that to criticize something is very easy, but to actually do something good is harder, but not impossible.

Taken from Editorial Section, Naewna Newspaper, Page 3, October 29, 2010

Translated and Rewritten by Kongkrai Maksrivorawan

Please note that the views expressed in our "Analysis" segment are translated from local newspaper articles and do not reflect the views of the Thai-ASEAN News Network.

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-- Tan Network 2010-10-29

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Posted (edited)

Well I think one of the 'reasons for being' for many NGO's

is to do exactly what they are doing; Talk about the issues ,

and bring and keep those issues on the national radar.

If they are non-voting Thai's, what are the supposed to do?

Certainly they can throw money at a problem, but if there is

a cultural or 'influence' backed block to solving the problem,

then the best way around that is to keep issue in the public eye.

Telling them to shut up to avoid embarrassing the country,

is a very Thai cultural approach that is rarely held as valid

by most of the NGO's. Their point being that if the existing

approach was working, then they wouldn't need to keep

talking about it long and loud.

So I see this article as a 'Shoot The Messenger' to keep

the culture from looking closer at it's own issues and

creating change. Change of course often means someone

will lose face, for not changing or being told to change.

God forbid someone loses face, even if people are

suffering because of that

Edited by animatic
Posted (edited)

Why this is written in English and not Thai is an enigma.

Tiger

No enigma. Published originally in Thai. We got the translation as this is an English language website. Clearly the audience for the sentiments in the item is Thai people. Edited by Jingthing
Posted

Well I think one of the 'reasons for being' for many NGO's

is to do exactly what they are doing; Talk about the issues ,

and bring and keep those issues on the national radar.

If they are non-voting Thai's, what are the supposed to do?

Certainly they can throw money at a problem, but if there is

a cultural or 'influence' backed block to solving the problem,

then the best way around that is to keep issue in the public eye.

Telling them to shut up to avoid embarrassing the country,

is a very Thai cultural approach that is rarely held as valid

by most of the NGO's. Their point being that if the existing

approach was working, then they wouldn't need to keep

talking about it long and loud.

So I see this article as a 'Shoot The Messenger' to keep

the culture from looking closer at it's own issues and

creating change. Change of course often means someone

will lose face, for not changing or being told to change.

God forbid someone loses face, even if people are

suffering because of that

Funny, but that's not what I read at all. What I read was more on the line of quit talking and do something. That is what NGO's are suppose to do, do something not talk about it.

Did you miss the last line:

Please keep in mind, my dear NGOs, that to criticize something is very easy, but to actually do something good is harder, but not impossible.

TH

Posted (edited)

"Let us ruin our country ourselves, we don't want to hear about our poor human rights record, corruption and nepotism"

I also agree with the sentiments of the last line. But in a lot of case's the NGO's are prevented from doing something by the very people who this article appears to represent.

The only options remaining are to publicise the issues.

Edited by richard_smith237
Posted (edited)

Well I think one of the 'reasons for being' for many NGO's

is to do exactly what they are doing; Talk about the issues ,

and bring and keep those issues on the national radar.

If they are non-voting Thai's, what are the supposed to do?

Certainly they can throw money at a problem, but if there is

a cultural or 'influence' backed block to solving the problem,

then the best way around that is to keep issue in the public eye.

Telling them to shut up to avoid embarrassing the country,

is a very Thai cultural approach that is rarely held as valid

by most of the NGO's. Their point being that if the existing

approach was working, then they wouldn't need to keep

talking about it long and loud.

So I see this article as a 'Shoot The Messenger' to keep

the culture from looking closer at it's own issues and

creating change. Change of course often means someone

will lose face, for not changing or being told to change.

God forbid someone loses face, even if people are

suffering because of that

I have to agree with you up to a point. But there comes a time when calling wolf is just ignored. Perhaps if they would try to find a different method to present there case and not present it as this is the only way every body else is wrong it would help them to get attention. Maybe even give credit to some other ideas that have fact to back them. The western way of I am right only works here if you are a Thai.

For example take the red shirts. They have some good points but they have a bad way of presenting them. And I mean that in all sincerity.

I hope this doesn't turn into a Thai bashing board.:(

Edited by jayjay0
Posted

This is all well and good to say "shut up and do something" while pointing the finger somewhere else. The first step when someone or some group does criticize present practices is to listen to the alternate suggestions put forth to prevent or lessen potential disasters. For this is ever happen will require one person being listened to, even if you have reservations toward their proposal. If this procedure is followed by the group, with the intended purposes of helping the greatest number of Thai's with the most cost effective solutions then the playing field is somewhat level.

When experienced groups and individuals make suggestions that work elsewhere and this is ignored or deemed 'not Thai' why would they want to come in and clean up the mess which was self inflicted. This misery in many cases is due to the perchance that projects as proposed are seldomn followed but are modified to the Thai way/standard. We see many examples of condemnation but few suggested solutions. Is this due to the potential of being shown that there are better methods or horror of horrors, being shown to be wrong?

Thailand seems to adapt foreign products/ideas in given areas, (Mobil phones, tv, automobiles, aircraft, etc) but when pressed to adapt safety standards, building codes, environmental concerns, disaster planning, fair welfare systems, etc, the old 'this is Thailand excuse' is brought out. At times it seems that some countries endeavor to find the most extreme threshold of endurance their people can/will put up with, until change is forced on them.

Posted

Shut up and do what ? Thai people in general ( not all ) with there self centred attitudes ( of thai people know best, i mean where did they ever get this from ?? ) have messed this country up beyond the point of fixing it.

Posted

In 1961 I was living in Hunstanton, Norfolk, England, one night I found myself at a Young Conservatives meeting ( I was the only person left at the football ptch) The local MP Denys Bullard was giving a speech, I was not into politics, girls and footer! That night he said something I have always remembered, "Trouble with today is there is too much say and not enough do." He was right then and right now, some things dont change. Lets hope that this time its different, I am here to make a difference if I can, if I am allowed.

Posted

yES the bad bad foreigners! Only bring bad to Thailand.

But on the subject of NGO's, what i love in arriving in Cambodia and seeing the arrive or depart in NGO car with their girlfriends who are no older then 16 years old.

Posted (edited)

Well I think one of the 'reasons for being' for many NGO's

is to do exactly what they are doing; Talk about the issues ,

and bring and keep those issues on the national radar.

If they are non-voting Thai's, what are the supposed to do?

Certainly they can throw money at a problem, but if there is

a cultural or 'influence' backed block to solving the problem,

then the best way around that is to keep issue in the public eye.

Telling them to shut up to avoid embarrassing the country,

is a very Thai cultural approach that is rarely held as valid

by most of the NGO's. Their point being that if the existing

approach was working, then they wouldn't need to keep

talking about it long and loud.

So I see this article as a 'Shoot The Messenger' to keep

the culture from looking closer at it's own issues and

creating change. Change of course often means someone

will lose face, for not changing or being told to change.

God forbid someone loses face, even if people are

suffering because of that

Funny, but that's not what I read at all. What I read was more on the line of quit talking and do something. That is what NGO's are suppose to do, do something not talk about it.

Did you miss the last line:

Please keep in mind, my dear NGOs, that to criticize something is very easy, but to actually do something good is harder, but not impossible.

TH

No I didn't miss that which is why i said

"Certainly they can throw money at a problem, but if there is

a cultural or 'influence' backed block to solving the problem,

then the best way around that is to keep issue in the public eye."

Not all things can be directly tackled by action until mindsets change.

I think that is one of the great issues facing NGO's in Thailand.

'Crying Wolf' means to give a warning when the danger isn't present.

Versus giving continuous warnings of dangers that ARE present.

I am not bashing Thailand or Thai culture,

but maybe this articles writer gets a slap.

Each 'people' develop a culture that fits their temperament and the regional history. But the ones that move forward most are the ones that make the best of it

and incorporate elements from other places to improve problems they have.

Singapore is no less Asian that Thailand, and Malaysia is no less poly-cultural,

but in many ways they have moved far ahead, and pretending the 'whys are not important' enough to lose face over is pointing to one of the main reasons

Thailand lags by several measures.

Edited by animatic
Posted

Also, the 'shut up and do something' means what exactly? Go carry sand bags? That's the Thai answer. After all, they never want to think enough to understand and then resolve a problem.

To actually criticise is valuable, after all that is democracy. But then the Thais have their own version of democracy; back to shut up and do as you're told. Lots of genuflection, know your place, have no education and no hope of betterment.

It is rather sad that such a hollow cowardly piece should ever be accepted as editorial material. It simply calls for for a policy of 'my pan rai' and an acceptance that there is nothing to be improved,changed or re-thought. Back to the ability to think a problem through again. Think too much is only a Thai problem. Think at all is a Thai mantra.

And finally, the implied 'don't let foreigners tell us what to do' assertion just makes me laugh. Leave Thailand to the Thais is about the worst thing that could ever be done. They still are grieving about the IMF and the fact that the UN top job didn't go to a Thai. Can you imagine the green light being given to Burma, North Korea, China etc? It's bad enough Nigerians selling World Cup votes but Thais would have raffled the seats, the shirts even the Stadia would have had a price.

For me, this a country that never had an agricultural revolution and never heard of the industrial one. Hence, they ride motorbikes as if still on a buffalo and as for farming - fertiliser and machinery are novelties. Moreover, they have the neck to call medieval methodologies ' Thai Wisdom'. 95% of the able thais are confined to a life knee deep in paddy as they are denied the right to an education. That is criminal.

OK. The Somalis, the Sudanese may be even the Haitians would go along with it but the rest of us prefer the new millenium to the old.

I don't think any of us need any lectures from a third world, broke but they don't fix it country. Especially, when the education system fails them and even at its eletist level they struggle to have 2 universities only accepted internationally. Invariably, any Thai that can hold his own on a world stage, let alone speak the international language of English, will have studied abroad. A Thai education fails them.

Thainess simply can not hack it. Hence, no UN job. Hence no hope in hel_l of the Olympics, which they dreampt of recently [!] and yet they still want Thailand to be a centre of this and a centre of that. You can fill in the gaps as the list seems endless. Airports, financial hubs, shopping hubs. Be realistic Thailand; aim for prostitution hub. You're already there!

Thais should remember that at a centre is usually found a hole. And Thailand is full of those.

Posted

Well I think one of the 'reasons for being' for many NGO's

is to do exactly what they are doing; Talk about the issues ,

and bring and keep those issues on the national radar.

If they are non-voting Thai's, what are the supposed to do?

Certainly they can throw money at a problem, but if there is

a cultural or 'influence' backed block to solving the problem,

then the best way around that is to keep issue in the public eye.

Telling them to shut up to avoid embarrassing the country,

is a very Thai cultural approach that is rarely held as valid

by most of the NGO's. Their point being that if the existing

approach was working, then they wouldn't need to keep

talking about it long and loud.

So I see this article as a 'Shoot The Messenger' to keep

the culture from looking closer at it's own issues and

creating change. Change of course often means someone

will lose face, for not changing or being told to change.

God forbid someone loses face, even if people are

suffering because of that

I have to agree with you up to a point. But there comes a time when calling wolf is just ignored. Perhaps if they would try to find a different method to present there case and not present it as this is the only way every body else is wrong it would help them to get attention. Maybe even give credit to some other ideas that have fact to back them. The western way of I am right only works here if you are a Thai.

For example take the red shirts. They have some good points but they have a bad way of presenting them. And I mean that in all sincerity.

I hope this doesn't turn into a Thai bashing board.:(

I seem to remember NGOs trying to help during the tsunami and being threatened with deportation because they were working here illegally. Kinda hard to "shut up and do something for Thailand" when you face this problem. Same problem in Burma. BS article.

Wasn't it NGOs who brought to light the x-rated stuff on Suk? Or was it a foreign embassy staff. Either way, they ruffled feathers for sure....

Posted (edited)

This is an incredibly offensive and disrespectful article. The NGOs, particularly those focused on environmental issues, are one of the reasons Thailand is not a deforested barren toxic waste dump. Who does this clown think funds most of the key environmental projects? Who does this ingrate think would do the important work otherwise? The NGO's that are so arrogantly dismissed are the only groups that can guarantee that money gets to where it is needed most. It surely has not been the multiple governments over the past 50 years.

Just what is so wrong with these NGOs ?

Wetlands International in collaboration with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Surat Thani provincial Fisheries office, the Office of Mangrove Resource Development Station 12 and 14 and the Ban Don Bay Conservation Network (BBCN), is implementing a project called "Reversing Environmental Damage through Community Focused Sustainable Livelihoods in Ban Don, Surat Thani Province". OOOOOOOOOOOOOh evil NGO alert. Run away and hide.

The Dr. Dhira Phantumvanit Fund provides grants to support organizations and persons who have performed outstanding work in environmental conservation. It also provides funding for environment-related research theses at postgraduate or Ph.D. level for students registered with the Faculty of Engineering at the Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.

OOOOOOOOh funding is bad.. Quick, go ransack their offices and terrorize the staff.

Maybe the genius writer should ask himself why there is a need for NGOs. d Is it because Thailand's wealthiest are selfish greedy buggers and give nothing back to the country? Is it because successive governments spend more time supporting the military and looting the nation than in building the nation? The embarrassment is that there is a need for NGOs in Thailand.

Edited by geriatrickid
Posted (edited)

I remember when I helped to organize a group of international doctors and psychologists post tsunami for Post Traumatic Syndrome Disorder (we introduced it into Khao Lak where the Ministry of Public Health now has a PTSD center, they had no idea what PTSD was prior) in which all costs were out of pocket for everyone involved. Within one month after the tsunami, after going to the Singaporean Red Cross for funds (they currently have over US$50 million for tsunami related programs which is just sitting there), I was told that we could not have money sent as Thailand , through the brilliancy of Uncle Thaksin, had refused help from the outside community. This still stands even today.

I also remember that over US$100 million worth of donated Thai Airways flights were used up within the first month after the tsunami as we tried to apply for some of those seats for our teams. The reason? We were told by Thai Airways officials that the politicians and their families used it all up to view the aftermath like it was some tourist attraction.

So who lost out? The victims of the tsunami. So before blaming NGOs the Thais really need to look inwards and analyze themselves first.

As a whole, this article is just garbage and written with a crap load of water. It should not have been translated and posted on TV.

Edited by tomyummer
Posted

I remember when I helped to organize a group of international doctors and psychologists post tsunami for Post Traumatic Syndrome Disorder (we introduced it into Khao Lak where the Ministry of Public Health now has a PTSD center, they had no idea what PTSD was prior) in which all costs were out of pocket for everyone involved. Within one month after the tsunami, after going to the Singaporean Red Cross for funds (they currently have over US$50 million for tsunami related programs which is just sitting there), I was told that we could not have money sent as Thailand , through the brilliancy of Uncle Thaksin, had refused help from the outside community. This still stands even today.

I also remember that over US$100 million worth of donated Thai Airways flights were used up within the first month after the tsunami as we tried to apply for some of those seats for our teams. The reason? We were told by Thai Airways officials that the politicians and their families used it all up to view the aftermath like it was some tourist attraction.

So who lost out? The victims of the tsunami. So before blaming NGOs the Thais really need to look inwards and analyze themselves first.

As a whole, this article is just garbage and written with a crap load of water. It should not have been translated and posted on TV.

Read the Post today. Main story is about how 90% of the aid funds to flooding victims is being "misdirected". Right. Same thing happened after the tsunami. People handing out the dough make victims sign the paper that they were getting, like, 200k Baht...when in reality, they only got about 1/2. But if they did not sign, they got nothing. Nice people...for sure the NGOs are worse? :annoyed:

Posted

quit talking and do something. That is what NGO's are suppose to do, do something not talk about it.

The phrase: When in Rome do as the Romans is "blinking" in my head. Maybe these NGO's and others are doing what is so typical in Thailand i.e. talk talk talk talk and more talk. How many times have "the powers" to be made statements a/b hub this and crackdown that. Or how a/b the b/s to stamp out corruption. Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

And I agree w/ another post re: saving face. What a crock. This is really keeping development and forward thinking/action in the dark (ages).

Posted

Well I think one of the 'reasons for being' for many NGO's

is to do exactly what they are doing; Talk about the issues ,

and bring and keep those issues on the national radar.

If they are non-voting Thai's, what are the supposed to do?

Certainly they can throw money at a problem, but if there is

a cultural or 'influence' backed block to solving the problem,

then the best way around that is to keep issue in the public eye.

Telling them to shut up to avoid embarrassing the country,

is a very Thai cultural approach that is rarely held as valid

by most of the NGO's. Their point being that if the existing

approach was working, then they wouldn't need to keep

talking about it long and loud.

So I see this article as a 'Shoot The Messenger' to keep

the culture from looking closer at it's own issues and

creating change. Change of course often means someone

will lose face, for not changing or being told to change.

God forbid someone loses face, even if people are

suffering because of that

[/quote

ngos have been found out just like economists they knew and know nothing but get paid handsomely for it. Fortunately in the uk they are being sacked for wasting the uk tax payers money i just hope thailand does the same very quickly. This has nothing to do with losing face which planet do you live on.

Posted (edited)

NGO means nothing more than Non Governmental Organization.

To assume that all are 'together' or all are 'incompetent know nothings'

is a rather myopic view. They come in many flavors and abilities.

And various levels of public and grassroots backing.

The Red Shirts UDD is a NGO...

The group fighting for health care malpractice legislation is also

Weird isn't it!

A Think Tank hired to interpret a poll is an NGO.

A grass roots group paying for a lone spokesman hired to

counter that Think Tanks claims, with his lone researcher/secretary

and an office with phones, fax, computer and a sign is a NGO too.

Most NGO's are focused on one or two interlocking specific issues and

keep making efforts to drum up support and understanding for why they think

these points are important for the people and the country.

Often these points go counter to 'vested interests' or 'influential people'

and so counter attacks on their work come out, often via stealth,

to re-change peoples newly awakened perceptions to the old way of thinking.

And thus the status quo remains.

Edited by animatic
Posted
but to actually do something good is harder, but not impossible.

I am actually trying to do something....finding it very difficult to get running.....need a good experienced lawyer from Australia to help......anyone ?

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