Thai Govt Welcomes Global Killer Flu

It’s flabbergasting how fervently the Thai government embraces the swine flu, ehm, the Mexican human flu – in a globally acclaimed attempt to show that a) Thailand is clean; b) Thailand is very safe to travel to (to fill those emptied tourism coffers again; c) Thailand will host a regional swine flu summit (to reenter the world of international politics); to d) divert from the political mess; to e) have an Asean photo opp after the Pattaya fiasco; and to finally f) quietly celebrate that other countries can be humiliated too.

What, that old bird flu? That was under Thaksin. Sars? Again, Thaksin. But as The Nation back then called Thaksin’s handling of Sars “a classic example of how one can turn crisis into opportunity – even at the expense of one’s neighbors,” here we go again: A Thai official suggests to “transform (the) swine flu crisis into opportunity (…) He said the Mexican swine influenza outbreak had repercussions around the globe, making many people reduce their travel and tourism activities,” Thai News Agency reports.

“The flu outbreak crisis is an opportunity for Thailand to prove its competence to manage the response, and prevent the outbreak of the disease. As the government contains the outbreak, Thailand would again come to the attention of tourists and foreigners.” Sounds familiar? So often in the past Thailand’s success was built on the misery her neighbors … But wait, compassionate Thailand will even send 5,000 face masks to Mexico:

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

April 30, 2009 | Filed Under Health, Body & Mind, News & Media, Seriously, Not ..., Society, Travel & Tourism | 8 Comments 

Bangkok Poetization

Everyone’s a writer or an artist in a way. Everyone, at some point, kept a diary or dared a few strokes of the brush. But over time, busy with one’s own life of daily routine and obligations, the artist within dies. Arriving in Bangkok, many again feel that long gone artist in themselves.

To “materialize” one’s own enthrallment, something felt deeply. Thailand, or Bangkok for that, for many becomes a life-changing experience. Many dream of living in this never pausing carousel of decadence, downright commonness and darkly raffish milieu. Writers, painters, musicians dedicate work to their very own Krung Thep.

The artistic productivity of a city serves as a gauge of the city’s vibrancy. Most artists though have no stage and no gallery. They pursuit their art quietly for themselves, not even looking for a springboard to market their talent. I once met a Thai girl she designed the most amazing T-shirts.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

April 30, 2009 | Filed Under Being Farang, Culture & Arts, Just Do It! | 1 Comment 

Yellow & Red As Political Weapons

We received an exclusive paper by renowned Thailand historian B. J. Terwiel on the current Thai strife of colors. The original is a small book in size. So here’s an abstract with Terwiel’s four main points: 1) Background on Thailand’s Tangled Political Situation; 2) Parallels in the Past (does Sarit ring a bell?); the 3) Symbolic Values of Some Colors in Traditional Thai Culture; and a careful 4) Prognosis.

“Baas” Terwiel’s disciplinary base is cultural history. His latest publication A Traveler in Siam in the Year 1655 was published by Silkworm in 2008. If you thought you know what was and what is going on in Thailand, Terwiel adds some new perspectives and explains connections you may not yet be aware of. Chapters 2), 3) and 4) are the essential reading. But even if you know the background, why omit the intro:

1) Dutchman Terwiel describes former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who’s at the center of it all, as “effective and drastic.” Surprisingly most of his election promises were fulfilled – and financed by a booming economy. Much money went into the communes, the granting of loans was eased and Thaksin reacted “immediately and effectively” to crises such as the anti-Thai riots in Cambodia or the tsunami.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

April 28, 2009 | Filed Under History, Politics, Society, The Thai Mind | 5 Comments 

Expat Women’s Voice

Most expat publications and websites covering Bangkok and Thailand are focused on men – even though that’s not an explicitly stated policy. There’s a ton of purely male-oriented sites out here. As a woman, looking for like-minded information, you quickly find yourself in the desert.

Local women’s magazines are with practically no exception published in Thai. But this very exception proves the rule. As now there’s Acclimate, a women’s magazine published in English that addresses the “complex life of expatriate women in Bangkok.”

The magazine’s mission statement sums it up: “While she enjoys comforts and luxuries that she might never have experienced in her home country, she also faces issues and challenges that she never would have encountered (…) Acclimate makes it a little easier for expatriate women to find their best life in Bangkok.”

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

April 28, 2009 | Filed Under Being Farang, Fashion & Style, News & Media, Truly Bangkok | 13 Comments 

Kraisak Choonhavan & The Wrath Of Vasan Sitthiket

They’re close friends since decades. Former senator Kraisak Choonhavan, one of the most ferocious critics of Thaksin, who needs no introduction. As shouldn’t Vasan Sitthiket, artist, activist and enfant terrible – one of the few Thai artists who’s collected. They met at the opening of Vasan’s exhibit Capitalism is Dying! at Thavibu Gallery. absolutely Bangkok spoke with both of them.

About rage, political humiliation, hope. Because that is what they have in common, the good friends. Anger, disillusion, lost hope. While Kraisak’s weapons are words, Vasan’s are his angry, controversial paintings, with the brush applied in “short, raw dabs of paint,” as the exhibit’s curator Steven Pettifor, a driving force behind Bangkok’s contemporary art scene, writes in the exhibit’s booklet.

“I paint like this because this world is rude, capitalism is cruel and how we are treating mother nature,” Vasan told aB.com. “My work is very provocative, I make people think again.” Provocative is only the first name it seems. After the exhibit, while studying the booklet in the Skytrain, a cute girl nearby blushed. No wonder. She had peeked over my shoulder. What she saw? Expressive sexuality:

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

April 25, 2009 | Filed Under Culture & Arts, Politics, Society, The Interview | 4 Comments 

Near Maximum: How To Beat The Heat

The absolute maximum temperature on record for Bangkok is 40.8 °C (105.4 °F). While writing this on April 24th, 2009, at noon, the thermometer climbed to 38 °C, but the day’s maximum temperature will reach nearly 39 °C.

The 30 year average maximum temperature for Bangkok in April stands at 34.9 °C according to the Thai Meteorological Department. Means this April not only feels like, this is an above average hot summer.

The good part: you’re hardly sweating as any sweat dries up instantly. Not much you can do about it. Beside the usual. Hydrate, don’t walk, visit the malls, cruise on the Chao Phraya – why not a refreshing klong tour -, and shower, shower, shower. Or:

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

April 24, 2009 | Filed Under Health, Body & Mind, Travel & Tourism, Truly Bangkok | 2 Comments 

Next Page →