Still Along Way To Go To Improve The Image Of Women In Media: Thailand

[webfact]

Still along way to go to improve the image of women in media

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Stereotypical bias in gender representation continues to be prevalent in the mass media in the Asia-Pacific region, according to journalists from 14 countries.

They're taking part in a three-day media sensitisation programme organised in Bangkok by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

"The media just do not reflect what's going on in society," Voraporn Chamsanit, a feminist and director of the Women's Well Being and Gender Justice Programme. "[but] the media can still work as a strong advocate of social justice, including gender issues."

The breadth of current media coverage includes looking for different story lines, instead of presenting women in a stereotypical way. "Few women appear in the media as scientists," said Varaporn, adding that news reporting often doesn't reflect reality.

There has been greater coverage recently on domestic violence in Thailand, however, said Varaporn. On the other hand, too many "good" media stereotypes such as selfless mothers or wives can be limiting in presenting an accurate picture.

According to the 2011 Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media in 2011, only 26.6 per cent of women media professionals globally occupy top management positions. "Stories accorded high news value are least likely to be assigned to female reporters, while those accorded lowest priority will most likely be assigned to female reporters," the report stated.

The report also stated that reports by female journalists are more likely to challenge stereotypes than those by male reporters.

Nevertheless, women are underrepresented in the media, said Ginger Norwood, co-founder and programme manager of Chiang Mai-based International Women's Partnership. Participants from many countries including India, China, Laos and Bangladesh said women faced barriers in attaining top or senior positions in media organisations, most of which had no gender-news desk or journalists specifically tasked with carrying out gender coverage.

Suluck Lamubol, a news reporter from prachatai.com on-line newspaper, said this event has opened up her gender perspective in news reporting in ways she has never considered.

"Usually I pay attention only to traditional content and necessary content in the news, but having attended this training, I think it's important that any media should recognise the gender factor and mainstream gender sensitivity in news, or at least slowly create gender awareness and lessening of the socially-imposed stereotypes usually portrayed in media or advertising," she said.

In China, where there are 300 million domestic migrant workers, there has been more media focus on the wives who are left behind. Eighteen million children are without parents because migration for work means the caring is in the hands of grandparents. As a result, many do not want to go to school.

"When these children grow up they'll become a big problem for society," said Luqiu Luwei Rose, news editor of the Hong Kong-based Phoenix Satellite.

Luqiu said media in Hong King and China are almost all male-dominated. "For the portrayal of women in Hong Kong, the media will be very careful because there's a law. In China, there's a lack of awareness, [the subject is] sexy and juicy," said Luqiu.

Violence against Vietnam-ese women married to Chinese in Hong Kong is also not adequately reported.

In Laos, few women are part of top management in the media, said a female Lao journalist who asked not to be named. "Their main responsibility would be, at the most, chief editor, and it's still difficult for them to be in the field because the feminist spirit is in its infancy."

In Thailand, where some women from ethnic minority groups such as the hill tribes can't speak Thai, greater support for capacity-building and advocacy are needed, along with media attention, said Joan Carling, secretary- general of the Chiang Mai-based Asia Indigenous People's Pact. Some are still being evicted from the national forest as well. "When they're thrown out of the forest, they have no food. Many end up in Chiang Mai city looking for work and many work as prostitutes and become more vulnerable to human trafficking."

There's also the issue of citizenship, making access to education and healthcare for some of these women impossible. "Men can become monks but women cannot," said Carling, adding that on the other hand, there's a lot of initiative to form self-help groups.

The group paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday afternoon at the Gover-nment House. Yingluck said the government was pursuing many initiatives to work toward greater gender equality.

-- The Nation 2012-12-17

[fareastguy]

The group paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday afternoon at the Government House.

Her 1st response..

then realising this might get airtime or published:

2nd response..

quote:

Yingluck said the government was pursuing many initiatives to work toward greater gender equality.

[ballpoint]

The group paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday afternoon at the Government House.

Her 1st response..

then realising this might get airtime or published:

2nd response..

quote:

Yingluck said the government was pursuing many initiatives to work toward greater gender equality.

And she'll share them with us as soon as her brother has told her what they are.

[Nisa]

If Yingluck cared greatly about how people perceived Thai women then she would cut the strings of her puppet master brother and show that women can think for themselves.

[chainarong]

Good on ya girls you tell em

[sirchai]

"Nevertheless, women are underrepresented in the media, said Ginger Norwood, co-founder and programme manager of Chiang Mai-based International Women's Partnership."

Doesn't make me wonder, when I look at THIS woman on the photo. Still a very long way to go for her.---

Edited December 17, 2012 by sirchai

[DocN]

As usual. I am a bit irritated with the reaction here.

yeah sure, the PM is a puppet, she does nothing for women...or anybody else for that matter, if it is not her brother....

And now: back to the OP, where the PM is mentioned...in the last two sentences!

Since I first came to Thailand in 1997, this is the picture of women, that was painted (mostly by TV- soap operas and advertizing):

a woman is submissive...but clever...no too clever, because that would make her succedd in business and make her a lesbian...somehow!

She is slim, has straight, silky smooth hair and is white, up unto her armpits.

She herself nourishes on diet drinks, low calorie jello and colagen- enriched coffee, but always gets a perfect ,meal ready for the kids - who get smart by drinking milk or chocolate milk or soy- milk- and her husband, to whom she looks up in admiration, when he comes home from work!

...and as we learned lately: if a 16 year old shows her boobs on a Songkhran- truck it is the end of civilisation...if she does that in a Gogo Bar, it is just the way it is!

And this model is widely accepted by everybody and not chalenged by Democrats, PAD (how could it?) or TRT, PT...and whoever!

Thailand sure has a long way to go!

[khunken]

Quote: Yingluck said the government was pursuing many initiatives to work toward greater gender equality.

Well those initiatives don't include one of her own party members who is free to abuse a woman in Parliament. They also don't include selecting a woman to run for Bangkok Governor.

Wonder what those 'initiatives' really are?

[Ferangled]

To be fair when discussing the issue of women's equality and improving the media image of women, it is a tad disingenuous to focus purely on the current Government and Yingluck especially. Certain people seem to be missing the obvious, namely the first woman premier in Thailand's history came into power as a direct result of the current administration - what more could one party do in one easy step to improve the standing of women in the country?

Playing devil's advocate I suppose that the response to the "Four Seasons" story that broke, how certain members on here responded to it and how the entire story broke in the Thai media is now irrelevant? Some would do well to remember their own fairly sexist comments on those threads, easily quotable and relevant to this story. Does no one else find this article somewhat at odds with the Nation's own reporting of that incident? What's the saying, those in glass houses...?

[Dap]

As usual. I am a bit irritated with the reaction here.

yeah sure, the PM is a puppet, she does nothing for women...or anybody else for that matter, if it is not her brother....

And now: back to the OP, where the PM is mentioned...in the last two sentences!

Since I first came to Thailand in 1997, this is the picture of women, that was painted (mostly by TV- soap operas and advertizing):

a woman is submissive...but clever...no too clever, because that would make her succedd in business and make her a lesbian...somehow!

She is slim, has straight, silky smooth hair and is white, up unto her armpits.

She herself nourishes on diet drinks, low calorie jello and colagen- enriched coffee, but always gets a perfect ,meal ready for the kids - who get smart by drinking milk or chocolate milk or soy- milk- and her husband, to whom she looks up in admiration, when he comes home from work!

...and as we learned lately: if a 16 year old shows her boobs on a Songkhran- truck it is the end of civilisation...if she does that in a Gogo Bar, it is just the way it is!

And this model is widely accepted by everybody and not chalenged by Democrats, PAD (how could it?) or TRT, PT...and whoever!

Thailand sure has a long way to go!

Along with the rest of the world. So, I won't bother holding my breath til any major changes occur.

[khunken]

To be fair when discussing the issue of women's equality and improving the media image of women, it is a tad disingenuous to focus purely on the current Government and Yingluck especially. Certain people seem to be missing the obvious, namely the first woman premier in Thailand's history came into power as a direct result of the current administration - what more could one party do in one easy step to improve the standing of women in the country?

Playing devil's advocate I suppose that the response to the "Four Seasons" story that broke, how certain members on here responded to it and how the entire story broke in the Thai media is now irrelevant? Some would do well to remember their own fairly sexist comments on those threads, easily quotable and relevant to this story. Does no one else find this article somewhat at odds with the Nation's own reporting of that incident? What's the saying, those in glass houses...?

It's not even a microbe ingenious to focus on Yingluck when she is the one mouthing on about women's rights - did you read the article? She is Thaksin's clone and has never denied it & I would be the first to congratulate her when she is her own boss.

The Four Seasons episode is classic 'but, but, the opposition'. I never accepted the sexist accusation but I did agree with the impropriety of a secret (but whistleblown) meeting with selected business leaders that she initially tried to lie her way out of.

[Ferangled]

To be fair when discussing the issue of women's equality and improving the media image of women, it is a tad disingenuous to focus purely on the current Government and Yingluck especially. Certain people seem to be missing the obvious, namely the first woman premier in Thailand's history came into power as a direct result of the current administration - what more could one party do in one easy step to improve the standing of women in the country?

Playing devil's advocate I suppose that the response to the "Four Seasons" story that broke, how certain members on here responded to it and how the entire story broke in the Thai media is now irrelevant? Some would do well to remember their own fairly sexist comments on those threads, easily quotable and relevant to this story. Does no one else find this article somewhat at odds with the Nation's own reporting of that incident? What's the saying, those in glass houses...?

It's not even a microbe ingenious to focus on Yingluck when she is the one mouthing on about women's rights - did you read the article? She is Thaksin's clone and has never denied it & I would be the first to congratulate her when she is her own boss.

The Four Seasons episode is classic 'but, but, the opposition'. I never accepted the sexist accusation but I did agree with the impropriety of a secret (but whistleblown) meeting with selected business leaders that she initially tried to lie her way out of.

I did read the article but it seems that you did not. Yingluck is not the one mouthing on about women's rights. The article is actually about a three-day media sensitisation programme organised in Bangkok by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women; Yingluck only gets a mention in the last line and isn't mouthing off about anything... the group paid her a courtesy call, that's it! It appears that you are so quick to cry foul of anything to do with Thaksin or Yingluck that you failed to read the article that you reference and as such your comments hold little water... mouthing on about what exactly? Where did you get this from?!

With that in mind I'm afraid your post holds little merit and as to your recollection of how the Four Seasons "scandal" was handled, well let's just say it comes across as pretty blinkered. Let's ignore the crude allegations made by members of the opposition at the time, together with the even more crude comments on TV, let's even forget the obvious that if it was a male PM there would have been no scandal and the obvious sexist implications that led to the focus on the non-incident in the first place... I think that's referred to as convenient memory loss!

[khunken]

To be fair when discussing the issue of women's equality and improving the media image of women, it is a tad disingenuous to focus purely on the current Government and Yingluck especially. Certain people seem to be missing the obvious, namely the first woman premier in Thailand's history came into power as a direct result of the current administration - what more could one party do in one easy step to improve the standing of women in the country?

Playing devil's advocate I suppose that the response to the "Four Seasons" story that broke, how certain members on here responded to it and how the entire story broke in the Thai media is now irrelevant? Some would do well to remember their own fairly sexist comments on those threads, easily quotable and relevant to this story. Does no one else find this article somewhat at odds with the Nation's own reporting of that incident? What's the saying, those in glass houses...?

It's not even a microbe ingenious to focus on Yingluck when she is the one mouthing on about women's rights - did you read the article? She is Thaksin's clone and has never denied it & I would be the first to congratulate her when she is her own boss.

The Four Seasons episode is classic 'but, but, the opposition'. I never accepted the sexist accusation but I did agree with the impropriety of a secret (but whistleblown) meeting with selected business leaders that she initially tried to lie her way out of.

I did read the article but it seems that you did not. Yingluck is not the one mouthing on about women's rights. The article is actually about a three-day media sensitisation programme organised in Bangkok by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women; Yingluck only gets a mention in the last line and isn't mouthing off about anything... the group paid her a courtesy call, that's it! It appears that you are so quick to cry foul of anything to do with Thaksin or Yingluck that you failed to read the article that you reference and as such your comments hold little water... mouthing on about what exactly? Where did you get this from?!

With that in mind I'm afraid your post holds little merit and as to your recollection of how the Four Seasons "scandal" was handled, well let's just say it comes across as pretty blinkered. Let's ignore the crude allegations made by members of the opposition at the time, together with the even more crude comments on TV, let's even forget the obvious that if it was a male PM there would have been no scandal and the obvious sexist implications that led to the focus on the non-incident in the first place... I think that's referred to as convenient memory loss!

It's a pity that you cannot conduct yourself in a discussion without attacking anyone who disagrees with you.

Yingluck said (to repeat): Yingluck said the government was pursuing many initiatives to work toward greater gender equality.

I did read the article and focused on what Yingluck said (mouthed off) which was not the first time she has come out with fancy rhetoric about women's rights. I happen to be a supporter of women's (among others') rights & will focus on whatever I want despite ignorant attacks.

Your post has even less merit when you continue to focus on the sexist aspect of the Four Seasons episode without and effort to explain why the initially secret meeting was held. I wonder who's memory loss you are referring to? Yingluck's?

[Ferangled]

KhunKen it is clear that it is impossible to have a meaningful exchange between us. We agreed to stop replying to each others posts after you got quite emotional and threatened me. I have maintained that agreement but you seem unable to. I have not "attacked" anyone and that is the very same false allegation you made in our last exchange.

You are deliberately twisting the actual events. "Mouthing off" from a line that states Yingluck made a statement? It's ridiculous. I guess by the same token I can take your irrational rants wit a pinch of salt as KhunKen simply "mouthing off" again, nothing to see here!

Similarly your response concerning the Four Season "scandal" - you are choosing to focus on the off topic allegations and ignore the sexist allegations that were made and the nature in which both the Nation, the Dem MPs and certain TV members dealt with the subject. Why do you expect me to explain anything about what happened in the meetings? How could I? I'm not saying anything about the rights and wrongs of the meeting only the sexist nature in which it was handled...

Perhaps your memory is failing... a few little gems from our very own thread on TV...

"Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut. Not only was the controversy about a conflict of interest, but also about sexual impropriety, which would disgrace her honour, he said."

"If she has any honour she has hidden it well from the world so far, in my humble opinion. She likes to keep her hands clean in her part-time job as PM, but she doesn't mind getting her knees dirty when the corporate oligarchs command her to."

"If they delivered state secrets that harm the country during sex, or sold land that protects the public to someone foreign, who used that control to harm the Thai public, then yes treason."

I'm quite sure the honourable Democrat MP would have made the exact same comment had the PM been male... no sexism here! Whether or not Yingluck was involved in some shady deals in that hotel is irrelevant to this topic. I'm not saying it is irrelevant in general but specifically to this topic, of course it is. I mentioned it because of the obvious sexism evident throughout the handling of the incident, which is relevant to this topic.

[Nickymaster]

Since Thaksin couldn't find a suitable male puppet anymore, he threw his sister into the political game.

Let's hope that she can at least improve the image of women in thai media. Or..give it a human touch.

[Thai at Heart]

What is going on in the media doesn't resemble reality.

Strewth, and they just noticed that very few Thai women are ghostly white, have jet black hair, live in land and house mobhans with 2 Mercs in the driveway. Black black black.

Not many women are portrayed as scientists? Name me one Thai TV show where a bloke was depicted as a scientist? Aren't they all living on the 30th floor in their 25mn baht Apartment, driving new sports cars and sitting in offices where there are apparently no papers?

[khunken]

KhunKen it is clear that it is impossible to have a meaningful exchange between us. We agreed to stop replying to each others posts after you got quite emotional and threatened me. I have maintained that agreement but you seem unable to. I have not "attacked" anyone and that is the very same false allegation you made in our last exchange.

You are deliberately twisting the actual events. "Mouthing off" from a line that states Yingluck made a statement? It's ridiculous. I guess by the same token I can take your irrational rants wit a pinch of salt as KhunKen simply "mouthing off" again, nothing to see here!

Similarly your response concerning the Four Season "scandal" - you are choosing to focus on the off topic allegations and ignore the sexist allegations that were made and the nature in which both the Nation, the Dem MPs and certain TV members dealt with the subject. Why do you expect me to explain anything about what happened in the meetings? How could I? I'm not saying anything about the rights and wrongs of the meeting only the sexist nature in which it was handled...

Perhaps your memory is failing... a few little gems from our very own thread on TV...

"Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut. Not only was the controversy about a conflict of interest, but also about sexual impropriety, which would disgrace her honour, he said."

"If she has any honour she has hidden it well from the world so far, in my humble opinion. She likes to keep her hands clean in her part-time job as PM, but she doesn't mind getting her knees dirty when the corporate oligarchs command her to."

"If they delivered state secrets that harm the country during sex, or sold land that protects the public to someone foreign, who used that control to harm the Thai public, then yes treason."

I'm quite sure the honourable Democrat MP would have made the exact same comment had the PM been male... no sexism here! Whether or not Yingluck was involved in some shady deals in that hotel is irrelevant to this topic. I'm not saying it is irrelevant in general but specifically to this topic, of course it is. I mentioned it because of the obvious sexism evident throughout the handling of the incident, which is relevant to this topic.

I tend to agree with your first sentence. The second sentence is fiction - we didn't agree about anything & I never threatened anyone on TV. You may be referring to a warning to report anyone who goes over the red line of flaming.

Yes, Ferangled you mouth off as well & I feel exactly the same about your arrogant rants & personal jibes. You are too often on the edge of direct insults about posters instead of their opinion.

You consistently ignore that 'Yingluck said.....' IS a statement, except to the mangled language brigade.

Posting more totally irrelevant bull about the Four Seasons episode is not worth discussing. I'm only interested in why it was a secret until the whistle was blown - which you ignore.

[Ferangled]

KhunKen it is clear that it is impossible to have a meaningful exchange between us. We agreed to stop replying to each others posts after you got quite emotional and threatened me. I have maintained that agreement but you seem unable to. I have not "attacked" anyone and that is the very same false allegation you made in our last exchange.

You are deliberately twisting the actual events. "Mouthing off" from a line that states Yingluck made a statement? It's ridiculous. I guess by the same token I can take your irrational rants wit a pinch of salt as KhunKen simply "mouthing off" again, nothing to see here!

Similarly your response concerning the Four Season "scandal" - you are choosing to focus on the off topic allegations and ignore the sexist allegations that were made and the nature in which both the Nation, the Dem MPs and certain TV members dealt with the subject. Why do you expect me to explain anything about what happened in the meetings? How could I? I'm not saying anything about the rights and wrongs of the meeting only the sexist nature in which it was handled...

Perhaps your memory is failing... a few little gems from our very own thread on TV...

"Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut. Not only was the controversy about a conflict of interest, but also about sexual impropriety, which would disgrace her honour, he said."

"If she has any honour she has hidden it well from the world so far, in my humble opinion. She likes to keep her hands clean in her part-time job as PM, but she doesn't mind getting her knees dirty when the corporate oligarchs command her to."

"If they delivered state secrets that harm the country during sex, or sold land that protects the public to someone foreign, who used that control to harm the Thai public, then yes treason."

I'm quite sure the honourable Democrat MP would have made the exact same comment had the PM been male... no sexism here! Whether or not Yingluck was involved in some shady deals in that hotel is irrelevant to this topic. I'm not saying it is irrelevant in general but specifically to this topic, of course it is. I mentioned it because of the obvious sexism evident throughout the handling of the incident, which is relevant to this topic.

I tend to agree with your first sentence. The second sentence is fiction - we didn't agree about anything & I never threatened anyone on TV. You may be referring to a warning to report anyone who goes over the red line of flaming.

Yes, Ferangled you mouth off as well & I feel exactly the same about your arrogant rants & personal jibes. You are too often on the edge of direct insults about posters instead of their opinion.

You consistently ignore that 'Yingluck said.....' IS a statement, except to the mangled language brigade.

Posting more totally irrelevant bull about the Four Seasons episode is not worth discussing. I'm only interested in why it was a secret until the whistle was blown - which you ignore.

KhunKen, yes I was referring to your "you don't know me etc..." and the subsequent threats about reporting me to the moderators... the same ones that subsequently deleted most of your posts on that particular thread. Using a different word doesn't change the actual meaning. You say warning, I took it as a threat, both the threat of reporting me and the implied, thinly veiled threat about not knowing you and being lucky I didn't, although I'll graciously concede that I do feel lucky to not know you personally.

I haven't made any personal jibes or attacked anyone on this thread. This seems to be the product of your over active imagination or perhaps an emotional inability to deal with those that voice views contrary to your own. I even made the deliberate step of posting on here not in direct reply to you so as to not offend your easily offending sensibilities... didn't seem to work though!

Yes, "Yingluck said" is a statement. That's actually what I said in my post, it's you that has applied some speculative assertion that she was "mouthing off". What exactly was she mouthing off about KhunKen? Do you actually have any details of what she said or have you seized on that last sentence and simply added your own rhetoric and twisted it to suite what you wanted to write?

And finally, yes, I understand that you don't want to discuss the relevant, on topic aspect of the Four Seasons incident; the evident sexism in the handling of the case. That is quite apparent and understandable given your stance. I am not ignoring anything, my thoughts were already made on the subject in the thread it is relevant to!

[khunken]

Here we go again shifting your position this time. Far too much fiction - there was no 'thinly veiled threat' only a warning about flaming which you take out of context (without mentioning your personal attack then). The mods did indeed remove some of my posts & yours too (conveniently omitted).

The personal attack was on another thread (I didn't say it was on this one) & the constant jibes about 'memory loss' are here.

Still in denial about Yingluck? Mouthing off is when someone constantly talks about an issue (women's rights here) & never actually does anything about it. This is exactly Yingluck's (lack of) effort so far. She's also not her own boss, refuses to take action over sexist remarks by one of her own MPs & has to take orders to not support a woman for Bangkok governor. Oh, I forgot, also stayed silent when one of her ministers (from another party) stated that rape doesn't take place when the victim knows the perpetrator. It's actually easier to find out what she has actually done to improve women's rights - nothing.

I've already said I had nothing to do (& did not agree with) with the sexist accusations over the Four Seasons secret meeting, yet you keep on about it It's irrelevant to the argument we are having.

[Ferangled]

Here we go again shifting your position this time. Far too much fiction - there was no 'thinly veiled threat' only a warning about flaming which you take out of context (without mentioning your personal attack then). The mods did indeed remove some of my posts & yours too (conveniently omitted).

The personal attack was on another thread (I didn't say it was on this one) & the constant jibes about 'memory loss' are here.

Still in denial about Yingluck? Mouthing off is when someone constantly talks about an issue (women's rights here) & never actually does anything about it. This is exactly Yingluck's (lack of) effort so far. She's also not her own boss, refuses to take action over sexist remarks by one of her own MPs & has to take orders to not support a woman for Bangkok governor. Oh, I forgot, also stayed silent when one of her ministers (from another party) stated that rape doesn't take place when the victim knows the perpetrator. It's actually easier to find out what she has actually done to improve women's rights - nothing.

I've already said I had nothing to do (& did not agree with) with the sexist accusations over the Four Seasons secret meeting, yet you keep on about it It's irrelevant to the argument we are having.

Ken, I'm not arguing and I'm not getting drawn into another one with you. It's simple to avoid as we have discussed previously, simply refrain from replying to each others posts. It's worked up to today...

Let's simply agree to disagree. I detect a certain sensitivity over the issue of memory loss so I will not question your "recollection" of any events. You say mouthing off, I say a solitary 3rd person reference at the end of the article is clearly not evidence of that... Please take it as you like and run with it, the floor is yours.

I apologise if somehow you have construed any of my posts as personal attacks or jibes. In response to your replies to my original post I have dissected your points and in the process the words you have used have been "attacked". You suggest that I haven't read the article, I respond with points that show the question would be better asked of the person posing it... That is how I think, I run through a post point by point and try to actually address each point.

I'm sorry if you have taken this as a personal attack, yet again, it wasn't intended as such.

[khunken]

I agree with some of your points. First, I didn't say you hadn't read the article - I posed a question. I too run through posts and try to answer points I disagree with. You skip the points you don't want to answer & I do too.

We won't agree now about Yingluck. Maybe we will if she cuts the strings manipulated by you know who.

No, I'm not sensitive about memory loss but used all the time it gets tedious. No, I don't think you actually attacked me in this thread but let's keep the argument(s) impersonal. I won't promise never to start another 'discussion' with you but will avoid it as much as possible.

Finally, I'd like to thank the mod who is monitoring this thread for allowing a sometimes heated argument to run.

[Ferangled]

I agree with some of your points. First, I didn't say you hadn't read the article - I posed a question. I too run through posts and try to answer points I disagree with. You skip the points you don't want to answer & I do too.

We won't agree now about Yingluck. Maybe we will if she cuts the strings manipulated by you know who.

No, I'm not sensitive about memory loss but used all the time it gets tedious. No, I don't think you actually attacked me in this thread but let's keep the argument(s) impersonal. I won't promise never to start another 'discussion' with you but will avoid it as much as possible.

Finally, I'd like to thank the mod who is monitoring this thread for allowing a sometimes heated argument to run.

It's rare to have a clash of opinions & some cross words with someone on this forum but have it resolved with some measure of reason from both parties. Very refreshing, thank you KhunKen

[Rimmer]

One post with an altered quote has been removed, please do not alter a posters quoted reply as this is against Forum rules.

[tingtongtourist]

If you read many stories and words about thai lady from posters on this site it sound more like...

Still along way to go to improve the image of women,<full stop>

[Publicus]

'A long way to go' as contrasted to 'along the way', as we go.

Who writes this stuff?

[Potosi]

I'm sure Thai women have the best reputation of them all. Why change anything?

[tingtongtourist]

'A long way to go' as contrasted to 'along the way', as we go.

Who writes this stuff?

i think they make these kind of spelling mistake on porpoise