Restaurant Owner Pleads Innocence

[Lite Beer]

SOUTHERN VIOLENCE

Restaurant owner pleads innocence

Supitcha Rattana

The Nation on Sunday

KUALA LUMPHUR:--Thai owners in Malaysia say their interests were hurt after media wrongly portrayed association chief as militant head

The president of the Thai restaurants' association in Malaysia - Samsuding Wasukaloh or Wansamsuding Dinwaihusen - yesterday led 50 Thai restaurant owners in Kuala Lumpur to a press conference in Songkhla's Hat Yai district to clarify a misunderstanding after he was earlier mistaken for Samsuding Khan, leader of a militant movement in Thailand's deep South.

The misunderstanding arose after media reports on Pol Colonel Thavee Sodsong, secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, talking to representatives of a separatist movement in March, showed a photo of Wansamsuding meeting Thavee.

Emphasising that he was not Samsuding Khan but only had a similar sounding name, Wansamsuding said he had nothing to do with the separatist movements in southernmost Thailand and had never supported them. He said the meeting between him and Thavee was about financial aid to Thai restaurants in Malaysia and work permit procedures.

He lamented that some 200,000 Thai workers in the "Tom Yam Kung" restaurants in Malaysia were affected by this rumour.

"Some press published my picture and said I was Samsuding Khan, which is not correct. As a result, Thai restaurants in Malaysia came under the scrutiny of Malaysian authorities. Also, Thai workers were assumed to be bad guys by society despite the fact that they had nothing to do with the separatist movements," he said.

He said the restaurant owners had jointly hosted the press conference to express their innocence.

Wansamsuding said he was a Yala native and had moved to open a Thai restaurant in Malaysia some 20 years ago. As his family was still in Yala, he often came to visit during festivals, including the previous national elections during which he closed his restaurant and returned home to exercise his political rights as a Thai citizen.

Wansamsuding said he was directly affected by the rumour and the number of customers to his restaurant went down. Calling for justice, he said there were some 2,000-3,000 "Tom Yam Kung" restaurants in Malaysia, owned by Thai people, which hired some 200,000 Thais. They had nothing to do with the southern violence and had no ill intention towards Thailand.

Wansamsuding said most workers at the "Tom Yam Kung" restaurants were from Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat and they were required not to be involved with drugs. Although admitting that it was difficult to do a background check on each worker, he affirmed that they worked very hard to gain income for their families back home. He said many parents of the young workers wanted their children to return home because they didn't want them to be seen as wrongdoers by society.

Lala Tom Yam Kung restaurant owner Apichat Lemsoh said the "Tom Yam Kung" restaurants in Malaysia were run by fellow Thai Muslims from five Southern provinces and they had helped each other out regarding jobs funds and livelihoods in Malaysia for the past 20 years. He said their gathering was to help Thais stay safe and had nothing to do with insurgent movements as news reports had claimed.

-- The Nation 2012-04-22

[MEL1]

"he said there were some 2,000-3,000 "Tom Yam Kung" restaurants in Malaysia, owned by Thai people, which hired some 200,000 Thais."

So each of these restaurants employs in the region of 100 Thais each? I feel my leg being extended.

Or maybe they do, but their pimps are so successful they own a Lada each. Thais for export, and not just girlie imports too.... works both ways in exchange at the borders, don't forget that.

-mel.

[sirchai]

?He lamented that some 200,000 Thai workers in the "Tom Yam Kung" restaurants in Malaysia were affected by this rumour" .

Here's an interesting article of "Isranews:"

The numbers of restaurants and workers don't really fit with the Nation......

:http://www.isranews....n-malaysia.html

Thai-owned tom yum kung (hot and spicy shrimp soup) restaurants are doing a brisk business in Malaysia and bringing home billions of baht in revenue each year.

But for the owners of the restaurants and their Thai employees, it is really a hard work with sleepless nights. Worse still, many of the Thai workers the majority of them being Thai-Malay Muslims have to play hide-and-seek with Malaysian immigration officers because they do not have proper work permits or have overstayed their visas.

There are several hundreds of tom yum kung restaurants in Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur, operated mostly by Thai-Malay Muslims in the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. The business has provided jobs to tens of thousands Thai-Malay and Isan workers who left homes and their families in search of green pasture in Malaysia.

Edited April 22, 2012 by sirchai

[jerrysteve]

I hope their Pad Thai is good!

[MEL1]

I hope their Pad Thai is good!

It's taxinawesome mate!

-mel.

[heiwa]

"he said there were some 2,000-3,000 "Tom Yam Kung" restaurants in Malaysia, owned by Thai people, which hired some 200,000 Thais."

So each of these restaurants employs in the region of 100 Thais each? I feel my leg being extended.

Or maybe they do, but their pimps are so successful they own a Lada each. Thais for export, and not just girlie imports too.... works both ways in exchange at the borders, don't forget that.

-mel.

Most excellent deduction. I have heard Malay men were marrying Thai girls in such big numbers. And the Thai husband of these ladies who marry Malay men choose to tag along on a work visa attached to a non-existent job so he can be with his Thai wife with the "monthly salary" paid for by the Malay husband. These Thai men are very clever. They sure know how to get a cushy job. Edited April 22, 2012 by heiwa

[AngryParent]

Also, Thai workers were assumed to be bad guys by society despite the fact that they had nothing to do with the separatist movements," he said.

Thais viewed as bad guys in ASEAN?

[sparebox2]

"he said there were some 2,000-3,000 "Tom Yam Kung" restaurants in Malaysia, owned by Thai people, which hired some 200,000 Thais."

So each of these restaurants employs in the region of 100 Thais each? I feel my leg being extended.

Or maybe they do, but their pimps are so successful they own a Lada each. Thais for export, and not just girlie imports too.... works both ways in exchange at the borders, don't forget that.

-mel.

I wonder if it includes Tony Jaa?

[heiwa]

Also, Thai workers were assumed to be bad guys by society despite the fact that they had nothing to do with the separatist movements," he said.

Thais viewed as bad guys in ASEAN?

Bad guys - It's the crime rate, over 20,000 gun murders a year in Thailand and how many for poisoning etc. It's the safety factor. And also Malays have told me many business partnerships between Malays and Thais end up in the Malay business partner committing suicide meaning the Thai business partner ends up with everything. Edited April 23, 2012 by heiwa

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed.

[heiwa]

I hope Malaysian Immigration is looking in to these discrepancies in work visas being allocated being far in excess for the number of restaurants.

[Sayonarax]

The big bad Malays are picking on the innocent Thais, who appear to be working illegally in a foreign country. Taste of your own medicine perhaps?