Bangkok To Become World Book Capital In 2013

[webfact]

Bangkok to Become World Book Capital in 2013

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced that it will promote Bangkok to become, what is being called, the World Book Capital in 2013.

The Deputy Governor of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration or BMA, Taya Teepsuwan said the office will promote Bangkok to become the World Book Capital in 2013.

The plan will promote reading habits among residents, after studies have found a decline in average reading in the city.

The BMA will sign a Memorandum of Understanding or MoU with 50 different organizations to proceed with its strategy to develop learning and raise living standards for Thais through improving Thai people's ability to think.

The strategy includes, promoting social visions by advertising through different channels.

The Bangkok governor will sign the MoU to promote reading among all institutes in the city.

The BMA will promote the Read on the Move campaign to make reading available on the sky-train BTS, subway MRT, BRT express bus, regular buses and taxi users.

The office will also organize a variety of reading activities to attract readers such as creating reading street, book commenting, and meet the author from the Bangkok Young STAR Writer program.

With its attempt to turn Bangkok into a society based on wisdom in the future, BMA will bid Bangkok for the name “World Book Capital of 2013”.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-23

[random]

bless them, bangkok is becoming like manchester. everything that came up they were there 'can we have it' trying to make the dreary shithole bearable, even trying to get the olympics

What next for bangkok I wonder?? a new hub? a new centre? a new capital of something or other?

[wimpy]

Comic books, I presume.

[Jingthing]

At least they're not going for hub of book BURNING, though in Thailand that would be a mighty small fire.

Edited March 23, 2011 by Jingthing

[dumpling]

Maybe it is because Bangkok will be the only city left after the end of the world in 2012 that is the only way i could see this happening.

[DP25]

Any campaign to encourage reading is a good thing

[housepainter]

Studies found a decline in the City? wow! then god help the state of play up country; nothing other than billboards to read. Whereas Bkk has it's multitude of posters and flyers but seems a bit short on books. But then I could be wrong.

I'm puzzled how there can have been a decline when no one reads anyway. I expect they are now somewhere below zero then. As the only books I've seen carried on the sky train were student compulsory texts; never a novel, a work of fiction is the claim that Thais read a work of fiction or non-fiction. They do read palms though. Does that count?

And the sky train; what a wonderful place to while away a few pages during your 7 stop, 9 minute journey home, wedged against other passengers, gently swaying to the rhymic rumble of a diintegrating track. What's that amount to? 10 pages a day. That would take me two months to get through Sebastian Faulks 'Birdsong', which no self respecting Thai would ever be seen reading as they think it's about the First World War and its effect on one man. Why should any Thai be interested in one of the most stirringly errotic books ever written when they are daily surrounded by filth, sex and sleeze. That explains the comic book then and the desire to be luled by a TV set just above the sliding doors.

Wonderful suggestions for self improvement; streets that read, another example of lost in translation, more advertising on TV as it's desperately needed for people who prefer to watch TV and not read, that should work, but no mention of actually improving reading standards in schools, or promoting reading standards in school, or going anywhere near education. But rather using the TV to tell people to switch off the TV and start reading.

So if it works you can't get your message across? No one is watching TV. May be they will even switch it off from the street corners and the sky train? Allow people to have peace and quiet. To be able to concentrate and think or read. Because they want to raise Thai people's ability to think.

I can seriously see the next craze being being Karoke book clubs where book clubs have electronic screens where drunks deliver orations of their favourite Hemingway or Proust novellas, off key, breathless and raging drunk.

Shouldn't be that hard. They are mostly drunk night and day to start with.

But if Thai people ever did learn to think, to comprehend, to understand, to wish to improve their lot .......... then they would dismantle society, after all, there is something happening out there in the real world across Northern Afirca and the Middle East, so in ever educating Thais to think then thy are signing their own exits out.

And that will never happen.

No they don't read or burn books in Thailand because they don't have books in Thailand. Where are the public libraies? I see only market stalls with comic books and the last Thai Superman had the time on his hands [all 95 watches] to make a difference but preferred rape and pillage and the lining of his own pockets to ever putting rice on pauper plates.

I therefore do not expect any change soon.

Next.

Edited March 23, 2011 by housepainter

[thaicbr]

hahahahahahahahahahaha.

enough said

[Chang_paarp]

So I guess this means there will be a Thai version of the World Book Encyclopaedia complete with sales force going door to door.

[GreenSnapper]

The only people I see reading books are students. They are forced to.

[softgeorge]

Comic books, I presume.

The book hub of the world. Are there any hubs left that won't be in Thailand. Enid blyton books I think Noddy and Sambo are still aceptable here..

[softgeorge]

The only people I see reading books are students. They are forced to.

and forbidden to question the content, Must except what is written is fact and there are no grey areas.

[midas]

Comic books, I presume.

The book hub of the world. Are there any hubs left that won't be in Thailand. Enid blyton books I think Noddy and Sambo are still aceptable here..

arai na ?

[mrtoad]

Thta one has brightened up my day

[Valentine]

I must be in a time warp as I thought today was 23rd march not 1st April. However, if they can get more people to read meaningful books then it will be a worthwhile effort.

[Kilgore Trout]

The only people I see reading books are students. They are forced to.

Have you ever actually seen them reading them, or just carrying them?

[GreenSnapper]

The only people I see reading books are students. They are forced to.

Have you ever actually seen them reading them, or just carrying them?

Last time in BTS, I saw a woman reading a book. I tried to check what she read. As far I could decipher, it was a bible and probably she belonged to some Christian sect.

A few days later, I saw a man reading a book. I checked again what he read.

It was in Japanese and he was Japanese.

I like watching people doing exotic things :jap:

[SomTumTiger]

Comic Books?

[TheLaughingMan]

"With its attempt to turn Bangkok into a society based on wisdom in the future, BMA will bid Bangkok for the name “World Book Capital of 2013”."

It's starting to not be funny anymore. Listening to the Thai powers that be say ANYTHING these days is like watching an episode of the Twillight Zone. Why do they keep saying things that are so distant from reality and pure fantasy? Is it all about saving face? What drives them to say blatantly stupid things PUBLICLY? Do Thai people all eat it up and believe it and really feel good about themselves thinking they are the capital or hub of anything? fuc_kING BOOK READING? Is there actually some political academic that believes this shit? Are they all so ignorant of the world they don't even realise that just about EVERY country around the world reads more freaking books in a day than this entire country does in a year? I'm losing my sense of humour.

[rubl]

Comic books, I presume.

The book hub of the world. Are there any hubs left that won't be in Thailand. Enid blyton books I think Noddy and Sambo are still aceptable here..

arai na ?

A recent article with comments:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/23/enid-blyton-appeal-vampires-bieber

[Jingthing]

It's true, Thais don't read much. I also feel that culturally they feel there is something deviant about people who do read. Reminds me of an American comedian who was talking about when he was reading a book in some diner in some hick town there. The waitress asked ...

WHY are you reading?

(Not what are you reading?)

Hilarious.

[TheWalkingMan]

With all the gambling that goes on in the city and country, I think that the title of the article should have been Bangkok to Become World Bookie Capital in 2013. Now that is believable.

TheWalkingMan

[ginjag]

Comic books, I presume.

The book hub of the world. Are there any hubs left that won't be in Thailand. Enid blyton books I think Noddy and Sambo are still aceptable here..

Bkk capital hub of world books. older students here read comics, they watch crap /stupid t.v. soaps/and animated cartoons-because thats nearly all thats forced on them, NO geography taught-very little air time given on learning. adverts for skin whitening or farrang/Thai high SOs kids getting kids to buy tooth killing sweets. I read dandy and beano at 6 years, and spick and span at 13 years.

[Thaddeus]

bless them, bangkok is becoming like manchester. everything that came up they were there 'can we have it' trying to make the dreary shithole bearable, even trying to get the olympics

I lived and worked in Manchester for many years and I knew that something was tugging at my brain strings with its correlation with Bangkok, got it now, thank you.

[Thaddeus]

The book hub of the world. Are there any hubs left that won't be in Thailand.

The Hula-hoop appears to be very popular around here at the moment, perhaps they should go for that.

Bangkok the Hula-Hub.

Think of the spin they could put on that.

[Deez]

Why do they always think it has to be the "hub" of ?? or the "capital" of ???. If they just announced they were going to improve whatever they are talking about it wouldnt be so laughable. I think they actually believe by saying it makes it true. And since nobody in thailand can form their own opinion it goes on and on zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[kevc]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

World Book Capital is a title bestowed by UNESCO to a city in recognition of the quality of its programs to promote books and reading and the dedication of all players in the book industry.

The designation runs from April 23 (UNESCO's World Book and Copyright Day) of one year until April 22 of the following year.

Ahhh so now it makes sense they don't actually need to make the people read books they've just got to promote it a lot.It's sad that someone in authority has actually been paid to think this up, goes hand in hand with free riot insurance with your tourist visa.

[Jingthing]

Thailand is a target rich environment for book promotion. Good luck to them.

[Crushdepth]

Why don't they just promote the things they already have and are good at?

[Kilgore Trout]

It's true, Thais don't read much. I also feel that culturally they feel there is something deviant about people who do read. Reminds me of an American comedian who was talking about when he was reading a book in some diner in some hick town there. The waitress asked ...

WHY are you reading?

(Not what are you reading?)

Hilarious.

Bill Hicks, agreed, hilarious. RIP