Koh Tao murder a short-term impact on tourism, says tourism council

[clockman]

Another "keep-the-money-flowing-in-and-we-will-just-sweep-it-under-the-rug" attitude will hopefully come back and bite the Thai tourism in the ass one day! Time will heal all wounds might ring true but karmas do run in cycles. Krabi, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, now Koh Tao are now all stained in blood!

Also Chiang Mai, Kirsty Jones, and Downtown Inn!

[laolover88]

Actually I did not really express what I think: which is

This is one of the most disgusting utterances I have ever heard in any country subsequent to the murder of 2 people under whatever circumstances. The whole council, Board of TAT, etc should all be fired. Maybe Prayuth would like to issue an apology on their behalf, too!

[starkey_rich]

This is in poor taste. This is not a time to trivialize the murder of two young people who came to Thailand to have a holiday.

I am not trivializing it.

Just angry how the whole thing has been and is being handled .

[wandasloan]

I would not be a bit surprised if Mrs Piyamarn Techapaibul did not care one iota about the poor people who lost their lives, it was just an inconvenience to her I feel.

I would be flabbergasted to find the only such person in Thailand with this attitude was one in the business of dealing with tourists, especially one so well informed.

Is this informed opinion of yours to do with a recent personal disagreement with her, or what?

TAT has demonstrated their lack of class and empathy once again by making this press release... The dead tourists are not even buried and the assailants are still on the loose, while the TAT has the nerve to make press releases about the low impact on tourism... Provides some insight as to what Thais think of their victims guests...

In case anyone believes your silly rant:

This has nothing to do with TAT. Nothing.

There is no press release. It is a reporter for Thai PBS, who called this woman for a comment, and got it.

You have NO idea what the woman said, except that the reporter tells you she made a comment about tourism on Koh Tao, because she's an expert on the subject.

You and several others have done nothing but launch a sly campaign to defame this woman. You did a particularly nasty job of it by insinuating it had something to do with TAT *and then* stating flatly that she instigated the whole affair. You owe many apologies, first and foremost for attempting to mislead the people reading this thread.

.

[Emster23]

Do they pay these folks to come up with this dreck?
Perhaps should start counting migrant workers and Rohingya workers/slaves to be as "tourists"....

[wandasloan]

Do they pay these folks to come up with this dreck?

Perhaps should start counting migrant workers and Rohingya workers/slaves to be as "tourists"....

I presume "these folks" means reporters? The answer is yes. A trip or a virtual trip to any London newsstand will confirm it.

.

[brewsterbudgen]

Two young people brutally murdered, and all Thai authorities are concerned about is, if the tourist$ will keep coming!!

That really shows, how they value "us" here!!

Totally agree.

What a sick ,pathetic race.

Comments like this are no better.

So what do you think about it then?

I think it would be a lot better if everyone refrained from silly generalisations.

[retarius]

Oh if it's short term then no need to worry. Thank god for that, here was me worrying that hotel operators and taxi divers might take a hit in the pocket because of a couple of murdered Brits.

[OZEMADE]

That short term may have just went out the window with the local mafia now threatening to kill the friend of the murdered couple. Authorities have to act now.

[mojorison]

I think it is in our best interests, as tourists and business people alike, to keep this at the forefront of discussion until a satisfactory resolution is achieved. By that, I mean bumping these threads so they don;t go away...(the first thing the propaganda machine will start doing is disseminating disinformation, and unrelated drivel) so if we are genuinely concerned, as I am, we need to maintain the pressure.

[dru2]

Love to repeat that:

MESSAGE TO TAT and their admirers

Just be honest and tell what the foreigners has to expect when they arrive to Thailand:

Many people here in this forum and in the world not understand the role of a foreigner (farang)

in this country.

We(foreigners-farangs) are not guests in this country,we are customers

from the arrival stamp till the departure stamp.

So dont start whining when the thais not like or care us,They really don´t like us at all.

If you expect to get true and honest treatment as a friend or a good guest

you are in the wrong country.

Even every single smile in this country is faked and based only on financial interests.

Be a good customer and shut up ;-)

Well why stay here if you feel like that?

And for the nth time, farang = Westerner, NOT foreigner.

Is Obama a farang?

No Obama is NOT a Farang. How difficult is this to understand?

Obama is a luk khreung, half Farang and half Negro. You (and I) may not like or use the term Negro, but Thais do. Often these names are or may be construed as impolite, but it's what Thais call people. For example:

Khon Farang = White Caucasian Westerner

Khon Negro = a Black person

Khon Khaek = an Indian or an Arab - a person of sub-continental or Middle Eastern origin. Not very polite.

Khon Jin = a Chinese. An impolite version is Jek.

Khon Yipun = a Japanese. An impolite version is Yun.

Khon Melayu = a Malay or an Indonesian, sometimes also labelled Khak - the latter is not polite.

Khon Kowree = a Korean

Khon Vietnam = a Vietnamese. An impolite version is Yuan

Why can people not learn and understand that Farang does not mean foreigner???

A polite an all-encompassing term for foreigner is "Khon Tang Pratet".

Is that clear enough?

[chiang mai]

Love to repeat that:

MESSAGE TO TAT and their admirers

Just be honest and tell what the foreigners has to expect when they arrive to Thailand:

Many people here in this forum and in the world not understand the role of a foreigner (farang)

in this country.

We(foreigners-farangs) are not guests in this country,we are customers

from the arrival stamp till the departure stamp.

So dont start whining when the thais not like or care us,They really don´t like us at all.

If you expect to get true and honest treatment as a friend or a good guest

you are in the wrong country.

Even every single smile in this country is faked and based only on financial interests.

Be a good customer and shut up ;-)

Well why stay here if you feel like that?

And for the nth time, farang = Westerner, NOT foreigner.

Is Obama a farang?

No Obama is NOT a Farang. How difficult is this to understand?

Obama is a luk khreung, half Farang and half Negro. You (and I) may not like or use the term Negro, but Thais do. Often these names are or may be construed as impolite, but it's what Thais call people. For example:

Khon Farang = White Caucasian Westerner

Khon Negro = a Black person

Khon Khaek = an Indian or an Arab - a person of sub-continental or Middle Eastern origin. Not very polite.

Khon Jin = a Chinese. An impolite version is Jek.

Khon Yipun = a Japanese. An impolite version is Yun.

Khon Melayu = a Malay or an Indonesian, sometimes also labelled Khak - the latter is not polite.

Khon Kowree = a Korean

Khon Vietnam = a Vietnamese. An impolite version is Yun

Why can people not learn and understand that Farang does not mean foreigner???

A polite an all-encompassing term for foreigner is "Khon Tang Pratet".

Is that clear enough?

Actually no! On a broad basis it is permissible for casual visitors to believe that the term "farang" means foreigner, those who have studied the Thai language, no matter how briefly, may know better, the native Thai population doesn't get upset about it, you shouldn't either.

[dru2]

Well why stay here if you feel like that?

And for the nth time, farang = Westerner, NOT foreigner.

Is Obama a farang?

No Obama is NOT a Farang. How difficult is this to understand?

Obama is a luk khreung, half Farang and half Negro. You (and I) may not like or use the term Negro, but Thais do. Often these names are or may be construed as impolite, but it's what Thais call people. For example:

Khon Farang = White Caucasian Westerner

Khon Negro = a Black person

Khon Khaek = an Indian or an Arab - a person of sub-continental or Middle Eastern origin. Not very polite.

Khon Jin = a Chinese. An impolite version is Jek.

Khon Yipun = a Japanese. An impolite version is Yun.

Khon Melayu = a Malay or an Indonesian, sometimes also labelled Khak - the latter is not polite.

Khon Kowree = a Korean

Khon Vietnam = a Vietnamese. An impolite version is Yun

Why can people not learn and understand that Farang does not mean foreigner???

A polite an all-encompassing term for foreigner is "Khon Tang Pratet".

Is that clear enough?

Actually no! On a broad basis it is permissible for casual visitors to believe that the term "farang" means foreigner, those who have studied the Thai language, no matter how briefly, may know better, the native Thai population doesn't get upset about it, you shouldn't either.

Nonsense. Just an excuse for laziness, stupidity and linguistic incompetence. But go right ahead - earn everyone's respect! You epitomize the dumb what.... Farang?

[rayongchelsea]

Well why stay here if you feel like that?

And for the nth time, farang = Westerner, NOT foreigner.

Is Obama a farang?

No Obama is NOT a Farang. How difficult is this to understand?

Obama is a luk khreung, half Farang and half Negro. You (and I) may not like or use the term Negro, but Thais do. Often these names are or may be construed as impolite, but it's what Thais call people. For example:

Khon Farang = White Caucasian Westerner

Khon Negro = a Black person

Khon Khaek = an Indian or an Arab - a person of sub-continental or Middle Eastern origin. Not very polite.

Khon Jin = a Chinese. An impolite version is Jek.

Khon Yipun = a Japanese. An impolite version is Yun.

Khon Melayu = a Malay or an Indonesian, sometimes also labelled Khak - the latter is not polite.

Khon Kowree = a Korean

Khon Vietnam = a Vietnamese. An impolite version is Yun

Why can people not learn and understand that Farang does not mean foreigner???

A polite an all-encompassing term for foreigner is "Khon Tang Pratet".

Is that clear enough?

Actually no! On a broad basis it is permissible for casual visitors to believe that the term "farang" means foreigner, those who have studied the Thai language, no matter how briefly, may know better, the native Thai population doesn't get upset about it, you shouldn't either.

Nonsense. Just an excuse for laziness, stupidity and linguistic incompetence. But go right ahead - earn everyone's respect! You epitomize the dumb what.... Farang?

He is right. Calm down it isn't that serious and he said casual visitor.

Thais don't give a cr-p..

Farang isn't lazy it is a universally accepted phrase ( polite or otherwise).

What has respect got to do with it. Respect is as much earned by actions than use of a lazy word, put things in perspective.

[Loles]

" ..... it was just a short-term impact."

No man, this case is not a MAI PEN RAI, cause 2 young tourist have died in your country and your police hava no idea at all.

[dru2]

No Obama is NOT a Farang. How difficult is this to understand?

Obama is a luk khreung, half Farang and half Negro. You (and I) may not like or use the term Negro, but Thais do. Often these names are or may be construed as impolite, but it's what Thais call people. For example:

Khon Farang = White Caucasian Westerner

Khon Negro = a Black person

Khon Khaek = an Indian or an Arab - a person of sub-continental or Middle Eastern origin. Not very polite.

Khon Jin = a Chinese. An impolite version is Jek.

Khon Yipun = a Japanese. An impolite version is Yun.

Khon Melayu = a Malay or an Indonesian, sometimes also labelled Khak - the latter is not polite.

Khon Kowree = a Korean

Khon Vietnam = a Vietnamese. An impolite version is Yun

Why can people not learn and understand that Farang does not mean foreigner???

A polite an all-encompassing term for foreigner is "Khon Tang Pratet".

Is that clear enough?

Actually no! On a broad basis it is permissible for casual visitors to believe that the term "farang" means foreigner, those who have studied the Thai language, no matter how briefly, may know better, the native Thai population doesn't get upset about it, you shouldn't either.

Nonsense. Just an excuse for laziness, stupidity and linguistic incompetence. But go right ahead - earn everyone's respect! You epitomize the dumb what.... Farang?

He is right. Calm down it isn't that serious and he said casual visitor.

Thais don't give a cr-p..

Farang isn't lazy it is a universally accepted phrase ( polite or otherwise).

What has respect got to do with it. Respect is as much earned by actions than use of a lazy word, put things in perspective.

Did you ask John Terry?

[AGareth2]

?CHAO TANG PRATET

[Loles]

Well why stay here if you feel like that?

And for the nth time, farang = Westerner, NOT foreigner.

Is Obama a farang?

No Obama is NOT a Farang. How difficult is this to understand?

Obama is a luk khreung, half Farang and half Negro. You (and I) may not like or use the term Negro, but Thais do. Often these names are or may be construed as impolite, but it's what Thais call people. For example:

Khon Farang = White Caucasian Westerner

Khon Negro = a Black person

Khon Khaek = an Indian or an Arab - a person of sub-continental or Middle Eastern origin. Not very polite.

Khon Jin = a Chinese. An impolite version is Jek.

Khon Yipun = a Japanese. An impolite version is Yun.

Khon Melayu = a Malay or an Indonesian, sometimes also labelled Khak - the latter is not polite.

Khon Kowree = a Korean

Khon Vietnam = a Vietnamese. An impolite version is Yun

Why can people not learn and understand that Farang does not mean foreigner???

A polite an all-encompassing term for foreigner is "Khon Tang Pratet".

Is that clear enough?

Actually no! On a broad basis it is permissible for casual visitors to believe that the term "farang" means foreigner, those who have studied the Thai language, no matter how briefly, may know better, the native Thai population doesn't get upset about it, you shouldn't either.

Nonsense. Just an excuse for laziness, stupidity and linguistic incompetence. But go right ahead - earn everyone's respect! You epitomize the dumb what.... Farang?

He is right. Calm down it isn't that serious and he said casual visitor.

Thais don't give a cr-p..

Farang isn't lazy it is a universally accepted phrase ( polite or otherwise).

What has respect got to do with it. Respect is as much earned by actions than use of a lazy word, put things in perspective.

Especially the "falang" means French people, cause they have seen before French people here as first Westerners.

Of course Thais can't say: France, they say: falangset, tha falang comes from this France word.

Just check how they say the "H" letter in English alphabet. This idiot "hes" makes me jump to the wall.

[dru2]

?CHAO TANG PRATET

A bit rustic... chao = folk, khon = people. But not bad!

[MikePhuket1970]

...and at the end of the day a farang is always a customer and never a guest

in this country

remember that even you plan to marry someone with a bloody nice family in the background :-)

[dru2]

Especially the "falang" means French people, cause they have seen before French people here as first Westerners.

Of course Thais can't say: France, they say: falangset, tha falang comes from this France word.

Just check how they say the "H" letter in English alphabet. This idiot "hes" makes me jump to the wall.

A common and understandable misconception.

Farang does indeed equate with French, but not because they were the first Westerners in Thai waters (they weren't).

A thousand years earlier Arab and Persian mariners visited these waters. They called White Caucasian Westerners "Farangi" (from Frank = French). From this not just the Thais but the Lao, the Cambodians (Barang), the Vietnamese and the Burmese all acquired variations on the term. In the case of Burma and Vietnam these are now obsolete, replaced by - "Tay" or Westerner in Vietnamese, and a rather charming kala phyu or "White Indian" in Burmese, while to the Malay we are "Orang Puteh" or White Men. That's all there is too it. Now feel free to dismiss me as a tedious Farang pedant - but I hope it is interesting to those who wish to know.

[Card]

"joint effort of the private and public sector in the island to regulate migrant workers to restore tourists’ confidence."

Blaming it on poor migrant workers without any evidence at all. Therefore to solve the tourist 'problem' they regulate migrants - killing two birds with one stone.

[Balance]

Love to repeat that:

MESSAGE TO TAT and their admirers

Just be honest and tell what the foreigners has to expect when they arrive to Thailand:

Many people here in this forum and in the world not understand the role of a foreigner (farang)

in this country.

We(foreigners-farangs) are not guests in this country,we are customers

from the arrival stamp till the departure stamp.

So dont start whining when the thais not like or care us,They really don´t like us at all.

If you expect to get true and honest treatment as a friend or a good guest

you are in the wrong country.

Even every single smile in this country is faked and based only on financial interests.

Be a good customer and shut up ;-)

Last month year over year for July was down a little over 10%, this month same measurement for August was reported as 11.4%. Bad news is cumulative and there is a tipping point where people who came to Thailand just right it off and move on to another country or counties. I doubt if the TAT folks understand that.

[hansnl]

Tourism in Thailand is very durable. It recovered after the tsunami, Red Shirt/airport protests, floods, coups and curfews, and it will recover again.

In fact, it did not!

See the real numbers.

Too many things are coimg out at the moment, even the Chinese are getting less enthousiastic.

Bad press is not good, and if the police does not produce the killers, tourism will dive.

[traviss]

it will have zero effect

Zero effect huh? I personally know of three cases of friends back home and friends of friends who have changed their plans. One case where two friends were coming at the end of the month, one has pulled out because of this so the other has to come alone. I know of a couple who had a Christmas holiday booked here, not anymore. And another group of friends were thinking of planning a holiday here soon but now they have decided against it. Zero effect my behind

Sounds like the island will be short 1 friend in October but the other has not been deterred, and a couple at Christmas time. Oh yes, I must not forget the group that was "thinking" of planning. What would you calculate the "total direct" economic impact to the island to be?

This is why there will be zero effect on the overall numbers of future tourist going to the island. We live in a "me,me" world, with a selfish and self absorbed mindset.

Understand, in considering the broad picture, there will be zero effect...

[taony]

All the facile talking heads at TAT, TOT,TCT,and all the other tourism waste if space ministries need to take a break for a few weeks and shut their traps. Go on some "fact finding " trip abroad. Who cares, just shut the hell up.

[cookee68]

Two young people brutally murdered, and all Thai authorities are concerned about is, if the tourist$ will keep coming!!

That really shows, how they value "us" here!!

you took the words right out of my mouth

[MJP]

TAT's got some set a knackers on 'em, eh?

Public . . . . Relations . . . . Disaster . . . . .

[Whidbeyboy]

Didn't I read last week that TAT manipulates the figures?

So are these the manipulated or real numbers?

Don't know, but what I do know is that worrying about tourism at this point shows insensitivity.

Might as say "Kids killed but no worries cause business good"

[mojorison]

Especially the "falang" means French people, cause they have seen before French people here as first Westerners.

Of course Thais can't say: France, they say: falangset, tha falang comes from this France word.

Just check how they say the "H" letter in English alphabet. This idiot "hes" makes me jump to the wall.

A common and understandable misconception.

Farang does indeed equate with French, but not because they were the first Westerners in Thai waters (they weren't).

A thousand years earlier Arab and Persian mariners visited these waters. They called White Caucasian Westerners "Farangi" (from Frank = French). From this not just the Thais but the Lao, the Cambodians (Barang), the Vietnamese and the Burmese all acquired variations on the term. In the case of Burma and Vietnam these are now obsolete, replaced by - "Tay" or Westerner in Vietnamese, and a rather charming kala phyu or "White Indian" in Burmese, while to the Malay we are "Orang Puteh" or White Men. That's all there is too it. Now feel free to dismiss me as a tedious Farang pedant - but I hope it is interesting to those who wish to know.

As I know it, this is quite correct. Kaak, also means "guest" as in "hong rub kaak" (Thais also have interesting differentiation between "white Arabs, and Black Arabs"), and Obama would more likely be called a "Kon Dum" down here...but as you say, it is really just petty semantics. There are those that know and those that don't know...