The week that was in Thailand news: Thailand - First World or Third World it still rocks my world.

[rooster59]

The week that was in Thailand news: Thailand - First World or Third World it still rocks my world.

 

 

Rooster has never used the term “third world” when referring to Thailand. It’s not that my specs have a strong tint of rose, just that I long since accepted its shortcomings and preferred to celebrate its improvements rather than dwell on what is wrong all the time.

As I observed the term in relation to Thailand for the umpteenth time on Thaivisa forum this week I thought a little research was in order as while most people accept the connotation the term ‘third world’ implies it is not immediately obvious where it originated.

I mean where is the second world? And is there even a fourth one, I wondered.

I was amused to discover that on a world map from 1975 on Wikipedia Thailand is listed as “First World” – this was really a political designation as the kingdom was a supporter of the US during their failed attempts to give the Vietcong an ass-whupping and bomb Laos out of existence.

So Thailand joined the UK, France, Japan and Australia – among others -  in the First World bracket while the communist bloc in the Cold War were the second, and everywhere else was third class citizenry.

Since the wall came down the terms have changed with third world becoming the handy put down for Thai and other bashers the world over.

But there is always someone worse off than you – some online refer to my beloved India as the fourth world…Bless!

No, when it comes to Thailand I prefer the term “Rocks My World” despite all its foibles, follies and frequent feeble fallacies.

Enough effing; this was a week that saw both the lack of safety and professionalism associated with emerging nations and the slick emergency responses normally more akin to developed countries.

An example of the former was the horrific accident that befell an Australian tourist in Phuket who was caught on his wife’s holiday video falling from a parasail. The operators have been charged and have blamed the tourist, as is their wont.

Those involved in such activities can do unpredictable things and they should not be able to harm themselves due to their lack of knowledge. Rooster – who organized hundreds of adventurous residential school trips in Thailand and produced a safety policy copied by many well-known schools – is only two well aware of cowboys.

But it was my view that engaging Thais, who wanted to raise standards in conjunction with foreign experts and assessors, was the way forward. I always told the hi-so Thai parents at safety briefings before we took their little ones on zip-wires that I had checked everything personally.

This was true – but I also said that the biggest chance of injury on a school trip was on the road to the resort or in the hotel swimming pool, two matters that I painstakingly addressed out of fear of what could easily go wrong.

On the plus side this week was the case of the Thai authorities who managed to save the life of a British tourist who had been living on stream water in Samui for three days after breaking his leg at an isolated waterfall.

Hopefully, he won’t develop dysentery.

The police were professional in finding him and the rescue services did a great job in getting him to hospital – very First World if I may…..

Bucking the police professionalism trend were those paragons of idiocy down at Koh Tao who thought that mentioning the fact that the Belgian tourist, who allegedly hanged herself, had bought a ticket off the island would take the heat off.

It merely served to turn up the gas as it hardly takes Sherlock to determine that someone who buys a ticket to ride doesn’t usually intend to remain exactly where they are.

Also shambolic in the extreme was the continuing investigation into the murder of a Thai woman found in Phuket allegedly done in by her German boyfriend who took a box cutter to his own throat when the cops came calling.

Incredibly, the forensics team “overlooked” a bloodstain the size of a small bus on the underside of a mattress. The offending stain was found by relatives looking for valuables resulting in the fumbling forensics making a third visit.

This was ample grist for the mill for those who claim that Thai investigative procedures are based on those chemistry kits one used to get as a ten year old in England when the “advanced” experiment was to make copper sulfate turn white by heating then blue again by adding water.

It is to be hoped that the investigation into the mass shooting of the kamnan’s family in Krabi is handled better. Eight are dead but miraculously three family members survived in a shooting supposedly done with the main victim’s own gun.

However, press speculation that this was somehow contrived to make the crime look like a murder suicide was not even worthy of the term third world.

Out of this world perhaps.

Much of this week’s news was going on at a resort you may have heard of east of Rooster’s Bangkok sanctuary.

Forum comment of the week thus went to keyboard wag “klauskunkel” who remarked on the story about the misspelling of road signs in Pattaya with: “The Pattaya sign proofreader was unavailable, since he was competing in a Scrabble tournament”.

Indeed my good friend Graham Buckingham who plays Scrabble tournaments internationally and lives at the resort ought to be hired to bring some respectability to QUOTES (the Queen of the Eastern Seaboard). Then they wouldn’t need to blame the contractor!

Both Graham and Rooster were scrabbling alongside the Thais at the Brands International in Bangkok last week an event won by Bangkok computer programmer Komol Panyasophonlert who beat a Canadian world champion in the final.

Komol managed to spell XYLONITE to beat the best player in the world.

Of course, spelling of English generally in Thailand leaves something to be desired. Much of the problem is that no one ever came up with a standard transliteration system. And not surprisingly no one spoke up when an important person more than 100 years ago initiated a lot of spellings for names based on his idea of how words sounded including letters not actually pronounced.

No wonder foreigners who don’t know the Thai script can be left a little befuddled!

Rooster – a Thai teacher of 20 years’ experience – has the best Thai transliteration system in the world, he says modestly, but even that, if strictly adhered to, would mean having to spell Pattaya as Phatthayaa, never mind the tone marks.

Of course it is not just spelling but pronunciation that can baffle, though mistakes can be revealing.

I particularly enjoyed a UK quizmaster’s attempt at knowledge, in the days before the Brits invaded the kingdom en masse, when he asked a contestant: “What is the capital of Thigh-land?

Maybe he knew something I didn’t about Thai anatomy, but there was no doubting the intention of The Sun newspaper who, commented on the infamous scandal involving Prince Andrew’s missus Sarah Ferguson having her feet licked by her toy-boy on a boat.

The tabloid, once famous for the headline “Gotcha!” as hundreds of “Argies” died in the sinking of the General Belgrano, said the licking incident occurred “off the Thai island of Phuket (pronounced Fuk-It)”.

Pattaya was also in the news for all the wrong reasons again after various news outlets and private individuals shared pictures of a black object offshore that some call “the sea”.

Tourism minister Khun Kobkarn might have spent her week more productively by making a visit east rather than doing ministerial back slapping at the latest “medical hub” and “long stay visa conference”.

She really needs to start getting some priorities straight and using her obvious influence to enact some positive change. Pattaya has more hubs now than an 18 wheel truck but what could be a massive draw for families, that sea thing, is just a filthy cesspit that epitomizes the corruption of QUOTES.

More lighthearted this week was the latest “survey” that noted Thailand was 31st on a list of the laziest countries on earth. I’m not sure where this placed the kingdom in the perennial first world/ third world debate.

But the survey was billed as a major one concentrating on the number of steps that mobile users take on their death-wish walks around the streets.

In this regard Rooster demands a recount – I am old school often leaving my phone at home suspicious of my more tech savvy better half’s ability to track my movements; those few thousand steps I still occasionally take staggering between Soi 23 and Soi 4 on Sukhumvit were clearly not recorded making a mockery of the survey.

Now, before I reveal too much, onto this week’s Rooster awards. The “Begpacking Achievement Award” goes to the group of foreign tourists who managed to get a whopping 70% discount from the resort owners for clearing up their filthy bit of beach.

This could become a trend that Khun Kobkarn may like to follow up on. Perhaps we could have a “Begpacking Visa” so that all tourists could stay free. Just so long as they go down the drains and do the work that the convicts or Cambodians used to do.

This would have the added benefit of being safer for the general public, so long as the tourists were not tanked up Brits of course.

The beach cleaners were termed “naa rak” or “loveable” by the groveling and two faced Thai press but there was no doubting the “Most Loveable Girl” of the week that went to little 8 year old Ploy who melted my heart.

She was the conscientious trainee foundation medic carrying on the family tradition by helping members of the public in trips to accidents with her proud dad.

A case of why one loves Thailand so much, a comment that also refers to my closing statement of the week.

Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawali turned 60 on Thursday. Not one of the most well-known of the Royal Family, HRH has worked irelessly to promote good causes and has been especially to the fore in the work done in Thailand to help the hundreds of thousands who have HIV with all its related stigma.

The proudest moment of my humble life was receiving an award from the princess in 2006 and the picture that proves it has pride of place in my home.

To mark the princess’s birthday the Red Cross this week handed out free drugs to those who might be at risk of HIV infection. Princess Diana famously hugging AIDS victims came to mind.

Happy Birthday and thank you Princess Soamsawali for all you do for Thailand.


Rooster

 

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-07-16

[Orton Rd]

As long as it is so corrupt, the traffic deaths are so high, and the education system so poor it can never be first world standard. Putting people in jail for 35 years for social media comments does not help either, that's a virtual death sentence for having an opinion.

Edited July 15, 2017 by Orton Rd

[khunano]

15 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

As long as it is so corrupt, the traffic deaths are so high, and the education system so poor it can never be first world standard. Putting people in jail for 35 years for social media comments does not help either, that's a virtual death sentence for having an opinion.

You forgot to add the stray dogs to your list.... though I must admit all the fancy shopping malls spread over the country are definitely first world.

[williamgeorgeallen]

the first world status could be determined by the countries police force.  thailand will have to wait 9 more months to become first world as the reform is not being carried out till then.

[pumpjack]

23 minutes ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

the first world status could be determined by the countries police force.  thailand will have to wait 9 more months to become first world as the reform is not being carried out till then.

and probably most likely never change even after ! 

[Thaimike370]

Rooster, is only two well aware of cowboys?  just pointing out a little mistake that jumped out!

Edited July 16, 2017 by Thaimike370

[Stargeezr]

Another good article Rooster, Thanks.  In Thailand and China I have noticed First world country methods being used.

  One of them is the Traffic signals with count down timers to show the time for Green or Red lights. In Canada

the pedestrians have the small walk signs do the count down, and they are hard to see for the drivers and I feel

that Canada should advance a bit with the large count down signs for drivers as well. China has lots of electric carts

and other modern systems like solar water heaters on the roofs of their buildings, while Canada is just talking about

having the population try to go more green., Not hat I am calling Canada a third world countr, but sometimes I laugh

when I hear of somewhere else in the world, not being considered as modern as North Amrica or Europe.

Geezer

[AsianAtHeart]

On July 15, 2017 at 6:03 PM, rooster59 said:

HRH has worked irelessly to promote good causes

I would hope that no anger would be involved in promoting good causes.  But perhaps the addition of a "t" would make better sense here.  Of course, expert scrabble players get more points for longer words anyhow--and they should be in the dictionary, unlike our unique entry here.