GUEST COLUMN
Thailand's sliding reputation is costing much more than just tourism dollars
Hasan Basar



BANGKOK: -- In the last few months, international media have been flooded with adverse stories about Thailand. We first attracted the global spotlight with a coup d'etat, though most observers reserved judgement.

Those reservations are, now, rapidly sliding into adverse judgements. Since the horrendous Koh Tao murders, we have had a Japanese man murdered and dismembered, another committing suicide by jumping off a building, two Koreans drowned in a boating accident, and a Briton killed under anaesthesia in a clinic - and all in a period of weeks. Thailand's international reputation is not immune to the cumulative effect of these stories, which could lead to a snow-balling of "things going wrong in Thailand" coverage if those responsible for managing the country's international reputation do not step up to the plate at this time of crisis.

The real problem for Thailand lies not in the fact that tourists die on Thai soil - they die in other countries, too - but in how we address those incidents. The flip-flopping on the Koh Tao murders - confessions and retractions, authorities reaching out for international help then rejecting international help, and the inability to solve a crime committed in a tiny community - raises serious doubts about the capacity of the state to carry out one its most basic duties: enforcing law and order.

The other problem for Thailand is the doubt it raises on leadership. International coverage portrays Thailand as unable, or unwilling, to deal with crime, while its tourism leaders are preoccupied with puzzling safety measures, such as wristbands and radio-frequency ID-tagging for all visitors to the country.

The price of this adverse publicity for Thailand goes beyond damage to high-yield tourism. It undermines overall investor confidence in the country.

When you say "Thailand" to anyone overseas, whether tourist or investor, the immediate reaction is usually positive. This is not a God-given privilege for Thailand, but something that has been earned through positive reports and experiences over the last 20 years. Perceptions will change based on how media present our country, and that change will make itself felt in boardrooms that vote on investment in Thailand. Nothing scares international investors more than erosion of the rule of law.

The tactical programmes being undertaken in Thai tourism promotion may be good, but they are totally insufficient if we want to stop the snowballing negative coverage of Thailand. Our leaders need to forget about asking the media to "refrain from covering bad stories". The media is doing its job; our leaders must learn to do theirs.

The best public relations initiative to shore up confidence in Thailand is for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to step in personally to ensure that certain high-profile crimes are solved, securing whatever involvement will reassure a now-sceptical international community that this is done transparently and truthfully. It will show the world (even if only symbolically) that the rule of law is still in force in Thailand and a priority at the highest levels of government. It's a job the prime minister cannot afford to delegate any longer.

The consequences of failing to do so will be severe for him personally. Unlikely as it may sound to Prayut at the present time, it is individual, apparently isolated incidents such as these, rather than great matters of constitutional or electoral reform, that will ultimately determine how both he and the coup that he led will be judged by the international audience.

Hasan Basar is a public relations guru with 30 years' experience in the field of PR, during which time he has advised prime ministers and holders of high political office. He is the founder and managing director of Bangkok PR.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Thailands-sliding-reputation-is-costing-much-more--30246420.html


-- The Nation 2014-10-29

Will anyone here actually believe the country's reputation is sliding ?

Aren't we assured that everything is improving and can only get better that's why everyone is happy, happy, happy and the PM's personal reputation is so high.

Mr. Hasan Basar makes some useful points. He seems sane. He leaves out so many other considerations that have contributed to the breakdown of Thailand's "reputation." But he's on the right track by pointing out the lack of leadership in Thailand and that this is the key. There are no "leaders," no decision makers, no visionary, inspired, passionate people. No Thais have compassion and empathy for the welfare of "all" the Thai people. Leadership requires a visionary who can articulate the Thai nation to the world and why the world should welcome Thailand. Thaksin for all his faults was in fact a leader. There must surely be another leader somewhere in Thailand.

Hasan Basar is a public relations guru

he's prospecting for customers.

Mr. Hasan Basar makes some useful points. He seems sane. He leaves out so many other considerations that have contributed to the breakdown of Thailand's "reputation." But he's on the right track by pointing out the lack of leadership in Thailand and that this is the key. There are no "leaders," no decision makers, no visionary, inspired, passionate people. No Thais have compassion and empathy for the welfare of "all" the Thai people. Leadership requires a visionary who can articulate the Thai nation to the world and why the world should welcome Thailand. Thaksin for all his faults was in fact a leader. There must surely be another leader somewhere in Thailand.

Thaksin may have been a leader, but purely for his own gains. He led his classmates, as he placed them all into strategic positions of untouchable dominance... aside of that, and for self-gain, I don't much more leadership in other areas of the role Thaksin played.

I got to " raises serious doubts about the capacity of the state to carry out one its most basic duties: enforcing law and order."

FULL STOP. From what I've seen there is NO rule of law in Thailand. The concept of "Duty" is hilarious. Where can this be evidenced in Thailand? Where?

I hope the world finally realizes the reality of Thailand and acts accordingly. Then and only then (if ever) - I'm afraid - will Thailand change.

Since the horrendous Koh Tao murders, we have had a Japanese man murdered and dismembered, another committing suicide by jumping off a building, two Koreans drowned in a boating accident, and a Briton killed under anaesthesia in a clinic - and all in a period of weeks.

It isn't like these horrific crimes are just starting to happen here or getting worse. The difference is that the world has reached it limit and people are no longer saying "oh it's just a few hundred murders of people I don't know each year, it's only 70 people dying on the roads every day, it's only a massive street riot every year, the beaches are very nice and it's very cheap so I still love it". Now every indiscretion, especially against Brits, is being put into the UK headlines and people are starting to see the real, dirty side of Thailand.

The fact is that nobody else can be blamed for any of this. It's not like there was a foreign establishment responsible for the riots, or the coup, or the murders, or the lack of safety here, or the worst road fatalities in the world, or the many other failings of this country. It is all the responsibility of the Thais alone and they will never admit it or face up to it so it is never going to get any better.

Thailand is a beautiful country but greed and corruption by everyone has ruined it for themselves. Thailand doesn't deserve anything it has but it deserves everything it gets.

Am I crazy or has there been an increasing number of articles written by thai aopplying Western logic and common sense ?

Would appear more and more media people locally starting to think and talk sense.

I only wonder when those in the position to make changes will start to think the same way

"Sliding" I think the correct word should be plummeting,and most

of the adverse,negative,reputation of Thailand are self inflicted.

regards Worgeordie

Edited October 29, 201411 yr by worgeordie

It's a shame, Thaksin had the charisma and attention of the public to lead this nation to greatness, but he squandered it for personal gain. Not too many Thais have inspired the people in this generation. Aphisit had the opportunity but not the charisma. In a country of 65 million, you would think somebody with honor and ability would rise to the top, but no, greed and profit is the mantra the Asian people have adopted. How many rich Asians do you see donate or be philanthropic. It's not hard wired in their culture, unlike the western world.

Thailand's reputation has never been a highlight at the Sunday BBQ, nothing surprises comes to mind with Thailand, there quiet frankly is nothing Thailand can do about its reputation except battle on , the moral issues are so built into the fabric of Thai society that to eradicate will take eons of a proper education system , after all isn't that just one of many reasons why every one goes to School, to learn hopefully to be a model citizen, in this area Thailand fails miserably.

When you say "Thailand" to anyone overseas, whether tourist or investor, the immediate reaction is usually positive.

I hate to say this, but that isn't the usual reaction I have received in the past. Many relatives and friends weren't very happy when I moved here. I'm usually the one telling them that it isn't so bad, not every one is out to cheat you etc. Maybe the people that I have talked to were jet ski victims.

One of the major issues at play here in Thailand, is that of face - those in public office parading in front of fellow Thais, and flaunting their power thinking they have everything under control. It is utterly ludicrous that this country has had 19 coups, and the current leadership has made such glaring and embarrassing errors over the last few weeks.

The dumbfounding and illogical ideas that are dreamed up, such as electronic tagging for tourists, banning of "beach parties" and other such irrelevant notions, only compounds the perception that this country is run by monkeys or clowns.

The deeply troubling and saddening factor is that of power and money crazed people holding office. They have fallen into one of the most deadly traps for humanity - that of greed. Power corrupts and money corrupts if one doesn't use either wisely and for the greater good.

I am always at a loss to understand this amassing of personal wealth, when none of us know when our time might be up.

Imagine being given the enormous honour and privilege of holding a position of power, an opportunity to actually make a change in your country and affect the lives of millions, but all the while your attention is fixed on how you can feather your own nest.

Without sounding like a harbinger of certain doom, I find it very challenging to believe that Thailand is able to pull itself out of the mire it is currently in.

The fact that there has been so much scorn and rejection of international help and advice on current issues, leads me to concur that the arrogance of those in power in this country is really out of control.

Forget "Thai Culture" and ""tradition" etc - if this country wants to benefit from what the international community brings, ie - tourism, and international trade and commerce, the very least it can do is to respect the international community by cleaning up their act and taking stringent measures to rectify the huge errors and blunders that have been made.

IT seems like we are on a downward trajectory and a huge amount is going to depend on this current murder case.

There is a glimmer of light here - Thailand can grasp it - take the opportunity to get at least one thing right.

But - I'm not holding my breath.

Are you?

Edited October 29, 201411 yr by eeworldwide

He should probably add the immigration "fast track" in arrivals at Phuket airport to his list too.

Say "Thailand" to the average person in the street in the West and the words "cheap sex" and "ping-pong balls" are usually what is thought of first.

Mr. Hasan Basar makes some useful points. He seems sane. He leaves out so many other considerations that have contributed to the breakdown of Thailand's "reputation." But he's on the right track by pointing out the lack of leadership in Thailand and that this is the key. There are no "leaders," no decision makers, no visionary, inspired, passionate people. No Thais have compassion and empathy for the welfare of "all" the Thai people. Leadership requires a visionary who can articulate the Thai nation to the world and why the world should welcome Thailand. Thaksin for all his faults was in fact a leader. There must surely be another leader somewhere in Thailand.

Thaksin may have been a leader, but purely for his own gains. He led his classmates, as he placed them all into strategic positions of untouchable dominance... aside of that, and for self-gain, I don't much more leadership in other areas of the role Thaksin played.

I think Thaksin was much more than that. I agree with what you say on the whole, however I think it true that Thaksin also politically mobilized many of the poor who were previously uninvolved and sidelined by the elite. That is a good and long term benefit of Thaksin and his popularity policies. Of course like most left wingers the concept of payment for those policies is never thought about. Unlike most left wingers the idea sprung not out of a philosophical mission but rather one of selfish greed which merely magnified the negative aspects of a left wing philosophy.

Unlikely as it may sound to Prayut at the present time, it is individual, apparently isolated incidents like these .......

Now that is PR spin if ever I heard it ..... down playing and dismissive.

The truth Mr Hassan is that the rule of law starts at the top with successful prosecution of high profile cases in corruption and evasion of other crimes by the "elite" as well as migrant workers or otherwise. The rule of law needs to be applied to every-one.

This is not PR excercise, this is an application of a system that exists that is all too often abused.

less spin doctoring and more jail time for offenders in high profile instead of walking free with a slap on the wrist.

look at Singapore.......every-one knows the consequences no matter of status.

"Sliding" I think the correct word should be plummeting,and most

of the adverse,negative,reputation of Thailand are self inflicted.

regards Worgeordie

how do you plummet from ground zero

Mr. Hasan Basar makes some useful points. He seems sane. He leaves out so many other considerations that have contributed to the breakdown of Thailand's "reputation." But he's on the right track by pointing out the lack of leadership in Thailand and that this is the key. There are no "leaders," no decision makers, no visionary, inspired, passionate people. No Thais have compassion and empathy for the welfare of "all" the Thai people. Leadership requires a visionary who can articulate the Thai nation to the world and why the world should welcome Thailand. Thaksin for all his faults was in fact a leader. There must surely be another leader somewhere in Thailand.

Thaksin may have been a leader, but purely for his own gains. He led his classmates, as he placed them all into strategic positions of untouchable dominance... aside of that, and for self-gain, I don't much more leadership in other areas of the role Thaksin played.

So what you are saying is that TS was in it for his own gain and the present bunch launched the coup for pure and honest reasons. Maybe you werent here last time around, but under all the previous juntas transparency went down the drain and corruption soared and this time will be no different, just look at the oil/gas concessions. It was sneaked past the public in a low profile manner. But rest assured every dog gets its day.

It would not be a huge surprise to see the Shins back in power, or at least backing those that get in to power in the not too distant future.

Off you go!

All Mr. Basar is writing about, are the feelings that deep down, most people are thinking the same way about Thailand at the moment.

Interesting quote of his about the state being unable / unwilling to enforce the basic rule of law and order.

Without law and order, a country ( however they are ) cannot hope to achieve much in the way of respect around the globe.

Edited October 29, 201411 yr by Cake Monster

Here's some news for you farang pseudo reds and pseudo yellows.

Both political parties are corrupt, inept and chock full of people out to enrich themselves, their families and cronies.

As foreigners with no vote, to champion one over the other makes you look foolish.

Please look foolish on another thread and don't pollute this one.

Here's some news for you farang pseudo reds and pseudo yellows.

Both political parties are corrupt, inept and chock full of people out to enrich themselves, their families and cronies.

As foreigners with no vote, to champion one over the other makes you look foolish.

Please look foolish on another thread and don't pollute this one.

So no opinions allowed then?

Here's some news for you farang pseudo reds and pseudo yellows.

Both political parties are corrupt, inept and chock full of people out to enrich themselves, their families and cronies.

As foreigners with no vote, to champion one over the other makes you look foolish.

Please look foolish on another thread and don't pollute this one.

So no opinions allowed then?

Go for it, but, on the zillion threads that already exist for the verbal punch-ups between farang reds and yellows.

This thread is not about Thaksin and whether he is good or, bad.

I have an opinion on the main reasons why the Roman empire fell, but, I'm not going to post it here as this thread is not the right place.

See where I'm coming from?

Edited October 29, 201411 yr by KarenBravo

Mr. Hasan Basar makes some useful points. He seems sane. He leaves out so many other considerations that have contributed to the breakdown of Thailand's "reputation." But he's on the right track by pointing out the lack of leadership in Thailand and that this is the key. There are no "leaders," no decision makers, no visionary, inspired, passionate people. No Thais have compassion and empathy for the welfare of "all" the Thai people. Leadership requires a visionary who can articulate the Thai nation to the world and why the world should welcome Thailand. Thaksin for all his faults was in fact a leader. There must surely be another leader somewhere in Thailand.

Thaksin may have been a leader, but purely for his own gains. He led his classmates, as he placed them all into strategic positions of untouchable dominance... aside of that, and for self-gain, I don't much more leadership in other areas of the role Thaksin played.

So what you are saying is that TS was in it for his own gain and the present bunch launched the coup for pure and honest reasons. Maybe you werent here last time around, but under all the previous juntas transparency went down the drain and corruption soared and this time will be no different, just look at the oil/gas concessions. It was sneaked past the public in a low profile manner. But rest assured every dog gets its day.

I didn't mention the present 'bunch' did I?

Here's some news for you farang pseudo reds and pseudo yellows.

Both political parties are corrupt, inept and chock full of people out to enrich themselves, their families and cronies.

As foreigners with no vote, to champion one over the other makes you look foolish.

Please look foolish on another thread and don't pollute this one.

So no opinions allowed then?

Go for it, but, on the zillion threads that already exist for the verbal punch-ups between farang reds and yellows.

This thread is not about Thaksin and whether he is good or, bad.

I have an opinion on the main reasons why the Roman empire fell, but, I'm not going to post it here as this thread is not the right place.

See where I'm coming from?

Thanks for your permission to post, much appreciated.

It would not be a huge surprise to see the Shins back in power, or at least backing those that get in to power in the not too distant future.

Off you go!

On your bike mate---never another chance---They blew it big time. hurting is it ???

Say "Thailand" to the average person in the street in the West and the words "cheap sex" and "ping-pong balls" are usually what is thought of first.

Not sure the "ping-pong balls" portion applies anymore.

Baiting post removed.

A big reorganization of the police and a real crackdown on police corruption and incompetence. But this will never happen and who has to check the police ?

The police is one of the tools of the government and it is just not functioning good enough.

Plus the fact that sometimes they rather hide facts then accept responsibility (government) isnt helping much either.

Its a bit more extreme here of course but back in the countries of our birth things get hidden too.. Here it is just far more and the cover up not so believable.

Edited October 29, 201411 yr by robblok