PM asks whether anyone wants a bowl or a garlic to drive away 'ghosts in farang's houses'

[Cpkt8]

I kinda like to watch the speech he gives every Friday. It's very entertainment, from my point of view.

He speaks like a father lecturing the children. Not as a politician who has a way of sweet talking to people. He comes straight to the point, sentences that are easily understood even for the uneducated Thais.

[MZurf]

I like his style

Is he talking about jump/push

I would rather prayut sense of humour

than any pheuthai politicians any day.

BTW

If your going to blame anyone for Thailand

issues, blame Facebook & the internet.

Because 30 years ago Thailand was a peaceful holiday destination.

This must be a contender for the most ignorant post of the year.

Are you really saying that Thailand didn't have issues before the advent of the internet and social media??

PS. My apologies if you're being ironic.

[poohy]

My black lab is staring longingly at her red bowl i suspect hoping for more for breakfast than looking for a ghost!

Seriously its time this man was committed!

[Baerboxer]

The nightmares of Thaksin returning after a rebellion and sentencing them must still be playing out in this guys head.

The bravado doesn't hide the fear that tens of millions are on this ghosts side.

And his make believe and polls won't save him from that particular evil spirit when the time comes.

Hang on to the garlic and brace for sanctions by years end

The farang houses are about to reject your slave tainted products

Why would a country have a rebellion and then allow a convicted crook with oodles of serious outstanding charges to return a free man and put him in some sort of capacity that required honesty?

Like catching your car's thief and asking his accomplice to hold the keys for you.

His joke may not have been translated well, or some comprehension is missing, or some want their own spin on it. He is suggesting certain Thai fugitives overseas live in foreign houses i.e they are outside Thailand. Nothing to do with farangs here.

[Baerboxer]

I like his style

Is he talking about jump/push

I would rather prayut sense of humour

than any pheuthai politicians any day.

BTW

If your going to blame anyone for Thailand

issues, blame Facebook & the internet.

Because 30 years ago Thailand was a peaceful holiday destination.

This must be a contender for the most ignorant post of the year.

Are you really saying that Thailand didn't have issues before the advent of the internet and social media??

PS. My apologies if you're being ironic.

I bet all the politicians, civil servants and business mandarins just hate social media and the IT revolution.

The people in the world are finding out so many things that were nicely kept secrets before.

20 years ago, there were rumors of course, but far less and never really substantiated like they are today.

[Mister Fixit]

Jesus Christ, is this guy for real? Still prattling about ghosts? Someone should send him on a farang culture course, so he can move up into at least the 19th century ...

[Baerboxer]

I think this is good news that he is suggesting farangs can own houses

Your sublime comprehension skills once again at the fore.

[Baerboxer]

Jesus Christ, is this guy for real? Still prattling about ghosts? Someone should send him on a farang culture course, so he can move up into at least the 19th century ...

Serious things mate. Didn't they cause a couple of minor accidents to Thai Airways planes?

[elgordo38]

Judging by the Prime Minister`s remarks it does display the fact that Farlang expats are still considered as complete outsiders and will never be an acceptable part of Thai society. Or may be I`m reading too much into this?

No your not reading to much into this. I think your right on the money. He wants most tourists to be transitory here today gone tomorrow leave your money behind. He knows that we can see right through him and it irritates him that there is a certain segment here that can see that he is the emperor with no clothes. Yes supposedly 93.3% are happy with him but we fall within the other 6.7%

[elgordo38]

I would assume that the farang ghosts are scarier than the mundane Thai ghosts, but really I think he made a mistake, as garlic is for warding off those pesky vampires.

Those that do not string garlic over their doorways could wake up in the morning with 2 puncture holes in their neck. Assimilation has now taken place go forth and bite.

[Always18]

Judging by the Prime Minister`s remarks it does display the fact that Farlang expats are still considered as complete outsiders and will never be an acceptable part of Thai society. Or may be I`m reading too much into this?

He needs to keep beating that xenophobia drum to try to distract the populus from the nightmare that he's trying to create...............

Edited April 6, 2016 by Always18

[elgordo38]

The nightmares of Thaksin returning after a rebellion and sentencing them must still be playing out in this guys head.

The bravado doesn't hide the fear that tens of millions are on this ghosts side.

And his make believe and polls won't save him from that particular evil spirit when the time comes.

Hang on to the garlic and brace for sanctions by years end

The farang houses are about to reject your slave tainted products

Why would a country have a rebellion and then allow a convicted crook with oodles of serious outstanding charges to return a free man and put him in some sort of capacity that required honesty?

Like catching your car's thief and asking his accomplice to hold the keys for you.

His joke may not have been translated well, or some comprehension is missing, or some want their own spin on it. He is suggesting certain Thai fugitives overseas live in foreign houses i.e they are outside Thailand. Nothing to do with farangs here.

Ah finally a junta lover pops up out of the woodwork how refreshing brave lad. Take a look around the planet it is totally controlled by crooks. Read the article on the Panama Papers to convince you. Yes Thaksin had his faults but he did a lot of good for the people. Was he a convicted crook? By whom was he judged? Other crooks and power people that disliked his populist policies. Translation people policies that benefit the people i.e. the 30 baht card. Do you truly believe the world is governed by honest people? Maybe there should be a re-education centre for people that have your disease. They will remove your rose colored glasses at the door. Comprehension missing? Thats not all that is missing about this man. Missing comprehension alone should disqualify him as a leader but he unfortunately is a non elected leader. What good really has this man done come on now think hard. Ordered more stupid military hardware, lottery tickets beach chairs forest crack downs taken a legally elected official and is trying them in court crawling into bed with the Chinese, playing governments off against each other what has he done tell us? Take your time and get back to us. Again your the only brave junta lover to come out of the closet.

[amdy2206]

I like the last couple of lines where he says its all about democracy!!! Where has the democracy he is talking about gone??

[jesimps]

Judging by the Prime Minister`s remarks it does display the fact that Farlang expats are still considered as complete outsiders and will never be an acceptable part of Thai society. Or may be I`m reading too much into this?

Or maybe you just didn't comprehend what you read. He was talking about Thai fugitives living abroad, not expats in Thailand.

my read as well.

why should the facts matter when you are determined to find fault?

Trouble with this guy is that he thinks he's a comedian, whereas he's about as funny as a boil on the jacksy. The only time he makes me laugh is when he's trying to be serious.

If, like you say, he's being misunderstood, then he should aim for clarity rather than laughs.

[Tomtomtom69]

Judging by the Prime Minister`s remarks it does display the fact that Farlang expats are still considered as complete outsiders and will never be an acceptable part of Thai society. Or may be I`m reading too much into this?

Or maybe you just didn't comprehend what you read. He was talking about Thai fugitives living abroad, not expats in Thailand.

That's exactly it. Although most westerners with even a rudimentary knowledge of the Thai language will recognize the term "farang" as referring to Frenchmen, which later on became the word to describe all westerners, it also has a broader meaning, which depends on the context it's used in.

"Farang" can be used as an adjective to mean the "west" or in some cases just simply "foreign" or "abroad/overseas". Often Thais will refer to "farangs" who could be anything from potential consumers of Thai products, guests, tourists or anytime a reference to someone foreign is made - it's simply too cumbersome to individually pick out different terms like "khaek", "dam", "khaek khao" etc. to describe all the different possible foreigners so they just say "farang" and the implied meaning becomes clear when there is no specific reference made to a particular nationality.

Also, as you have correctly identified but quite a few other posters have not, is that Thai fugitives living abroad were being referenced and it just so happens that most of them live in "farang" countries. Even the UAE is a "farang" country of sorts - it's a "white guest" country or "khaek khao" country but that's getting too specific.

Of course the all-purpose Thai word for foreigner is "kon dtang chaat" or "kon dtang prathet" (the latter more likely to spoken by speakers of Isarn or northern Thai), however, even the PM likes to use the colloquial "farang" as it's easier and shorter.

[cmsally]

It's becoming clearer that it really doesn't matter what he says . You need to look at the body language and expressions.
His whole career it really hasn't mattered regarding the content of his speech and I don't think that will suddenly change now.

When there is anything that remotely resembles a joke (however bad) everyone will laugh. When told to perform they will perform. He has had to do it to others and now most people do it for him.

Its just a case of seeing how far the rollercoaster goes before it derails.

[phoenixdoglover]

It's becoming clearer that it really doesn't matter what he says . You need to look at the body language and expressions.

His whole career it really hasn't mattered regarding the content of his speech and I don't think that will suddenly change now.

When there is anything that remotely resembles a joke (however bad) everyone will laugh. When told to perform they will perform. He has had to do it to others and now most people do it for him.

Its just a case of seeing how far the rollercoaster goes before it derails.

Those shifty eyes!

The fellow reminds me of Humphrey Bogart's character in The Caine Mutiny.

[Tomtomtom69]

There is a concept called Point of View. So yes, to a Thai, a farang is a farang wherever they reside.

BTW uneducated and vocally lazy Thais often pronounce "r" as "l" . Up to you, i suppose.

Off topic, I know, but the error is that you're taking the romanised approximation of the Thai letter 'ร' and assigning your language's phonological rule to this approximation.

It is a common error of farangs who think they know the Thai language better than Thais, but there is no 'r' in Thai - there is a 'rolled-r' or 'trilled-r' sound—and this is romanised as an English 'r'—but it is not, nor should ever be, pronounced as an English 'r'. According to Thai phonological rules in informal speech, or if one cannot produce the 'trilled-r' sound, the 'ร' is to be pronounced as an 'l'.

So, when you hear Thais say something like 'a-loi', they are speaking their language perfectly informally, not your misinterpretation of what you think their language is. And when you have a go at someone for writing 'farang' phonetically (according to Thai phonological rules), while incorrectly accusing all Thais of being uneducated and vocally lazy, it's not a good look for you, but up to you I suppose...

While still employed in Oz I took informal Thai language lessons from a Thai couple, both university educated. When I asked the husband why he pronounced an L for written R his wife smacked him across the head and said "Because he is a lazy bastard. If you are going to learn the language, learn to speak like an educated person, not a peasant." or something very similar.

It seems neither person knew of your rolled R rule. I will inform them of the error of their ways ASAP, along with all those expats I know that bother to speak Thai, and my Thai family, friends and aquaintances.

James, the "r" sound in Thai very much exists and it's quite a common sound, used for many Royal words and terms originally from Sanskrit and those that came to Thai via Khmer, which itself also has a lot of "r" sounds. And while you are right that's not pronounced like an English r, the correct way of speaking Thai means you have to roll your r's like the Spanish do (a single roll of the tongue is sufficient). Similarly, even the German "r" is not the same as the English "r", not to mention the French "r" is more nasalized than the English "r". However, just like the Thai "r" they are all variations of "r" sounds.

Let's also not forget that even in English, many of our "r" sounds are lost (often if they're finals) and not pronounced properly either, especially if you're British. Brits will say "ka" for "car", while Americans will pronounce it the way it should be, which is "kar". Sometimes "r" sounds are not heard properly if the speaker is talking fast, which is much the same reason why the "r" becomes an "l" sound in informal Thai for words like "farang", "rong raem" "rong rian" "rong phak" "rong ngan" "reua" etc.

Hence, in making your comparison you should have pointed out that while the English and Thai "r" sounds are not pronounced in an identical way, it's only in informal speech that an "l" sound can be substituted though it isn't strictly speaking correct. However, for many it's because they are too lazy to pronounce the "r" sound properly and many Thai speakers who come from northern Thailand and Isarn actually don't have an "r" sound in their vocabulary. It's only standard Thai and Khmer that do. In northern Thai and Isarn (Lao), "rong rian" becomes "hong hian" for example. However, when these speakers speak standard Thai they tend to say "long lian" as they can't pronounce the rolling or trilled "r" sound, which is acceptable colloquially, but not formally. Listen to how news speakers roll their "r's". The best time to listen to this in action is when watching the Royal news segments, as the "r" sound is particularly common in Royal language.

[JAG]

Judging by the Prime Minister`s remarks it does display the fact that Farlang expats are still considered as complete outsiders and will never be an acceptable part of Thai society. Or may be I`m reading too much into this?

I think it's fair to say that he sees that as the case.

There again, he is hardly representative of Thai society is he (in both senses, as an example or as one chosen by them to represent society)?

I doubt many take much notice of his utterings, unless his goons are strutting around.

Nature of his regime.

[Ricardo]

Forget the ghosts, does the PM have anything which might be effective, against scammers or Immigration officials ?

In which case, what is the price quoted, for a bulk-order ?

[petermik]

Remember when Spitting image was on UK tv?

1 of the sketches was about the presidents brain missing)

Captions of Ronald Reagan popping his brain back.

When i saw this news report that is what went through my head.

Is the pms brain missing.

Colin

Do you really think he had one in the first place

[bobmac10]

Check his body language, this guy is on an ego driven high, no chance he's gonna walk out voluntarily.

[tominbkk]

I don't get the joke? Bad writing and bad humor, a combination of the two I guess.

[FritsSikkink]

Judging by the Prime Minister`s remarks it does display the fact that Farlang expats are still considered as complete outsiders and will never be an acceptable part of Thai society. Or may be I`m reading too much into this?

no, but you and your likers didn't understand his remark at all.

it is about Thaksin hiding in a foreign country

[ddavidovsky]

Ghosts aren't exorcised by garlic... Arabs are not farangs... Not exactly a classic joke.

[macksview]

a fine speaker, why question him?, a person of deep and calculated decision making.

oh him you mean?, strange very strange.

[Velisbef]

He admitted that there were many weird things these days but he could not do much about them....

Well said sir

[Praematura]

How about the unwanted guests at the government house? The country already has a steaming bowl of shit in their bowl, garlic would be an upgrade.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Praematura

[scotchonrocks]

If all the village idiots in LoS formed a village, this tw@t would be that village's idiot.

[jesimps]

Judging by the Prime Minister`s remarks it does display the fact that Farlang expats are still considered as complete outsiders and will never be an acceptable part of Thai society. Or may be I`m reading too much into this?

Or maybe you just didn't comprehend what you read. He was talking about Thai fugitives living abroad, not expats in Thailand.

That's exactly it. Although most westerners with even a rudimentary knowledge of the Thai language will recognize the term "farang" as referring to Frenchmen, which later on became the word to describe all westerners, it also has a broader meaning, which depends on the context it's used in.

"Farang" can be used as an adjective to mean the "west" or in some cases just simply "foreign" or "abroad/overseas". Often Thais will refer to "farangs" who could be anything from potential consumers of Thai products, guests, tourists or anytime a reference to someone foreign is made - it's simply too cumbersome to individually pick out different terms like "khaek", "dam", "khaek khao" etc. to describe all the different possible foreigners so they just say "farang" and the implied meaning becomes clear when there is no specific reference made to a particular nationality.

Also, as you have correctly identified but quite a few other posters have not, is that Thai fugitives living abroad were being referenced and it just so happens that most of them live in "farang" countries. Even the UAE is a "farang" country of sorts - it's a "white guest" country or "khaek khao" country but that's getting too specific.

Of course the all-purpose Thai word for foreigner is "kon dtang chaat" or "kon dtang prathet" (the latter more likely to spoken by speakers of Isarn or northern Thai), however, even the PM likes to use the colloquial "farang" as it's easier and shorter.

Grateful you now explain the one about democracy etc. That's joke's still got me stumped.