Regional integration: Knowledge of our neighbours will be power

[webfact]

STREETWISE
Regional integration: Knowledge of our neighbours will be power
Achara Deboonme

BANGKOK: -- As the implementation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) draws near, Thai businesspeople remain upbeat on the prospects for trade and investment.

Language classes have come alive in schools, while Thais living on the borders have bought up land in anticipation of future price hikes.

But the AEC will also draw a more important long-term benefit - deeper knowledge of other countries' affairs, be they political, economic or cultural.

After officials at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Thai companies operating in other Asean countries are next to feel the need to understand what's going on there. Their operations must be adjusted accordingly. For example, while bank staff in Thailand enjoy a mid-year break on July 1, the bank holiday in Myanmar falls on October 1.

Meanwhile the freed-up flow of labour means Thai employees transplanted elsewhere will enjoy close and prolonged encounters with different cultures. As time passes, more and more of us will become familiar with the history of our neighbours. For a sustainable and prosperous future, we have to learn lessons from the past.

This trend will only gain speed after the AEC is forged at the end of next year, echoing the experience the European Union (EU) over the past few decades.

A recent four-day study visit to Poland shed some light for me on this trend. Every Pole I met praised the decision to join the EU in 2004, which channelled a huge amount of money into a nationwide infrastructure upgrade. Optimism remains high, though some officials are concerned at the scale of spending needed for Poland to catch up with countries in Western Europe. Importantly, the country has emerged from a "closed" state under communism to a modern nation more integrated with international affairs.

The Poles are more than happy with the economic success since the Iron Curtain collapsed and are eager to share their experiences with fellow Eastern Europe countries, whose history has overlapped for the past 1,000-odd years up to and including the experiment with communism.

Though most Poles agree that the Ukraine crisis and Russia's Soviet-style imperialism is the No 1 threat, all those that I met were interested in what is going on further afield - including politics and the economy in Thailand. Obviously, the latest military coup amazed them.

Poland and Thailand established diplomatic relations just 42 years ago. Bilateral trade is low-level, worth below US$1 billion per year. All trade is influenced by the fact that Poland is now part of the 28-member EU bloc.

Many of the locals I chatted to were interested to know what had happened in Thailand since the military coup in 2006. News about our military governments reminded them of the strict control imposed in Poland during the communist era.

An economist fired the obvious question at me: How has the business sector responded to the coup? Optimism is there, I answered, as long as infrastructure investment plans are kept intact.

"What about foreign companies' reaction?" he asked.

Well, a little-known fact is that Toyota - the world's largest automaker - recently announced it was making a huge investment in Indonesia. The plan is to turn Indonesia into the "Detroit of Asia", a term which for years had been reserved for Thailand - where several Japanese and Western automakers have established their presence. If other foreign investors follow suit, this won't be good news for Thailand in the long term.

I talked with a social movement-leader-turned politician, who asked when free elections would return. He offered the opinion that Thailand's authoritarian government, shaped by years of fighting, wouldn't lead the country towards democracy - something that gives Poland a firm place in the global community today.

A veteran journalist had a long list of questions. Aside from the election date, she asked about the public response to the coup. Her particular interest was martial law and whether it had led to any prosecutions.

In the follow-up, she asked about the status of the Yingluck government's policies. As all appear to still be in place, but for the rice-pledging scheme, she asked how farmers had responded. Well, that will be answered when their output hits the market in March. She also asked about His Majesty the King's health.

I asked why Poles were interested in the situation in Thailand. "Military coups anywhere in the world are always interesting," she replied.

I don't know how many people in Indonesia - a key Asean member - are watching the political and economic situation in Thailand. Likewise, how many Thais know that there is fighting there over rural elections.

Certainly, this kind of knowledge will be necessary when the AEC arrives. Current affairs will define future moves, while information on the history of AEC members will be a must if we want to understand public sentiment and actions there. Public attitudes also drive government policymaking.

For Thais who care little about what folks in neighbouring countries have endured, it may be overwhelming. But in our deeply integrated world, this learning will be fruitful in the years to come.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Regional-integration-Knowledge-of-our-neighbours-w-30244878.html


-- The Nation 2014-10-07

[EricBerg]

"The plan is to turn Indonesia into the "Detroit of Asia","... "this won't be good news for Thailand in the long term."

Has anyone been to Detroit recently?

[NongKhaiKid]

Language classes have come alive in school ! If so called English classes it will be Thailish such as ' I ever know... "

Knowledge of neighbours will not be power as they will be unable to understand why the neighbours don't understand Thainess and the neighbours will never understand Thainess.

[deckape]

These Nation editorials always strike me as childish. There is no real reasoning, just a bunch of very different ideas thrown out without much to back them up.

[baboon]

Knowing who your neighbours actually are would be a good start. I have met people with degrees even, who don't know which countries border Thailand.

[Crazy chef 1]

the most common reaction from Somchai will be: "what,we have neighbors?"

[Always18]

First deal with the deep-rooted xenophobia and racism in Thailand then Thais will have half a chance of understanding their neighbours..............

[trainman34014]

Education starts at zero and it's already way too late for many Thai's who are useless at geography including the layout of their own country. They were taught at school that Thailand is the greatest Nation on the Planet so there is no point in knowing anything about the neighbours, who are underclass compared to the master race.

My Wife, who is now 51, told me that she did not know any other country existed until she was 11 years old, and that was thanks to a Monk that visited her school and showed the kids books with pictures of other countries. She rushed home to tell her parents about 'The World' and guess what ? They showed no interest whatsoever and told her to get on with helping her Mother at work. Even now; when we go on trips to other countries, no matter near or far, she has to explain to her family where we are going as they are completely clueless about anywhere outside of Chiang Mai Province.

[outsider]

Learn to 'suhpeak anglit' first. Otherwise nobody would understand you and honestly, nobody would be bothered to, beyond the 'wai' and 'sawasdee krub'.

[Krataiboy]

Westerners, particularly Brits and Americans, are the last people who should be critisising Thais for having little knowledge of other languages and world geography. Hardly any of the resident Brits here (myself included) can speak reasonable Thai and more than half of all US citizens have never been out of their own country - and of course can't even speak English properly/

[Thai at Heart]

For example, while bank staff in Thailand enjoy a mid-year break on July 1, the bank holiday in Myanmar falls on October 1

This knowledge and checking of the holidays was deemed to be absolutely vital to operations of thai companies. It has spurred a great desire to work overseas since it holidays from both thailand, and the neighbouring countries will be observed strictly, meaning that an overseas this can take thai, Burmese, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Malay holidays, leading to them having 120 days holiday per year.

Somchai, recently sent overseas said "I love AEC, I get to holiday permanently, its great."

[FangFerang]

Regional integration: Knowledge of our neighbours will be power

"And right now, frankly, we're powerless," (he wanted to not say, and didn't).

[FangFerang]

Westerners, particularly Brits and Americans, are the last people who should be critisising Thais for having little knowledge of other languages and world geography. Hardly any of the resident Brits here (myself included) can speak reasonable Thai and more than half of all US citizens have never been out of their own country - and of course can't even speak English properly/

Give it a cockney break. Brits travel outside their country because....a dozen countries are next door through the Chunnel. The British say mite for mate, broyt for bright, sloyt for slight and poi for pie. Many foriegners have more trouble with the British accent than they do with the Tennessee valley natives who say didja for did you, prit near for almost and weerya goin for where are you going.

Curiously, A Brit told me that the midwest American accent is easier to understand, and more readily hired as teachers, than those with the London accent because.....they read the phonetics section of dictionary look-ups straight from the Oxford Standard Dictionary of the English Language (the Bible of all English words).

Typical POHM arrogance.....

[rickirs]

"AEC will also draw a more important long-term benefit - deeper knowledge of other countries' affairs, be they political, economic or cultural."

Unless the Junta relaxes its strict controls over freedom of speech, obtaining knowledge of another country's political system woud seem to be against Junta law. As recently stated, the Junta objected to a Thai university lecture on democracy in other countries. It found such information to be inappropriate and asked that content be consistent with Junta's efforts to bring happiness to the people. It would seem that having knowledge of political systems in other countries is a threat to Thailand's national security.

[wackybacky]

Westerners, particularly Brits and Americans, are the last people who should be critisising Thais for having little knowledge of other languages and world geography. Hardly any of the resident Brits here (myself included) can speak reasonable Thai and more than half of all US citizens have never been out of their own country - and of course can't even speak English properly/

Give it a cockney break. Brits travel outside their country because....a dozen countries are next door through the Chunnel. The British say mite for mate, broyt for bright, sloyt for slight and poi for pie. Many foriegners have more trouble with the British accent than they do with the Tennessee valley natives who say didja for did you, prit near for almost and weerya goin for where are you going.

Curiously, A Brit told me that the midwest American accent is easier to understand, and more readily hired as teachers, than those with the London accent because.....they read the phonetics section of dictionary look-ups straight from the Oxford Standard Dictionary of the English Language (the Bible of all English words).

Typical POHM arrogance.....

What the hell would you know about it?

You are bashing Brits as arrogant because they have regional accents mostly due to migrants settling in respective regions over the course of history.

So that makes us arrogant does it?

Talk about hypocrisy at its finest. YOU sir are the arrogant one because WE colonised Australia and you don't like it. Australians are nothing more than a sub-species of a true master race.

Edited October 7, 2014 by wackybacky

[chotthee]

My neighbors are all Thais.

No Farang or other Aseans at all.

Confirmed.