Newspaper Finds Truth, Rapes It

We all know, Thai newspapers are not for the faint-hearted. Gross front pages showing accident victims torn apart and blood all over are the order of the day. Because there’s a market appreciating violence.

But what about the essentially more subtle handling of violence per se? That’s why this ad below (click to enlarge) can probably only appear in Thailand: “If your boy is getting anally raped by his teacher, we’ll uncover the truth.”

Let’s play “where’s Waldo being violated?”, commented advertising copywriter copyranter.  ”Bangkok daily newspaper Prachachat says that they “see through the truth.” Pretty disturbing visual, though it is Thailand.”

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July 19, 2010 | Filed Under Culture Shock, News & Media, Society | 3 Comments 

We’re Sorry, Thailand.

The TV spot reportedly banned by the Thailiban censors.

Should not be seen on TV? Hypersensitive? Creative reflection anyone?

The ad’s keyphrase: “If there was anyone to blame, it would be all of us.”

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July 19, 2010 | Filed Under Culture & Arts, News & Media, Society | Leave a Comment 

The Vongthip Letter July ‘10

Mending the fences: Thanks to FIFA, Thai football fans put away their politically colored shirts to spend sleepless nights watching the World Cup matches in South Africa. News of favorite teams and players dominated most newspapers and TV screens. An avid football fan himself, PM Abhisit has, however, managed to accomplish most of what he had promised. On 7/6/10 he left for half a day trip to Vietnam, to attend the World Economic Forum and meet up with Asean leaders at the Greater Mekong Subregion summit meeting. He took the opportunity to brief world’s business leaders of the current political situation in Thailand and to assure them that his government was taking every possible step to restore law and order while moving the country forward toward national reconciliation.

On 7/6/10 he announced another cabinet reshuffle (5th), with eight new ministers mostly from the Democrat Party. Throughout the month, the Abhisit government continued to address the country’s most urgent economic issues i.e. severe El Nino drought (worst in 18 years) that had delayed rice planting by at least six weeks. The Map Ta Phut environmental problems were finally sorted out, with 18 activities to be banned and clearer rules and regulations to become effective by year-end. After years of frozen salaries, civil servants were granted a special bonus to be paid out in 10/10 and a 5% salary increase to be effective in 4/11.

Farmers’ problem loans too were being refinanced or restructured with hefty haircuts. The first lot of community title deeds was given out. Shooting prices of sugar and eggs were promptly addressed and lowered. Rescue package for those affected by the Ratchaprasong shutdown and arson was fine-tuned and extended to include foreign businesses in the area. To ease the burden of the urban poor, free electricity (max. 90 kw), free (hot) bus, free (third class) train and subsidized LPG, were extended till year end, when PM Abhisit hope to make some of them permanent.

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July 8, 2010 | Filed Under Business & Economics, Politics, Property & Investment, The Vongthip Letters | 12 Comments 

The Brighter Side Of Life

As you may have observed posts haven’t really been updated recently. There are several reasons for that. Well, after nearly three years of practically nonstop blogging I did not burn myself out yet. That’s not it. It just there are so many other things ahead and in life. Gonna blog occasionally, but finetune priorities in the weeks ahead, and then decide. So many plans, so many projects.

The recent terrorizing of Bangkok was a blogger’s dream. Healthy stats and great traffic. But mighty depressing. That can’t be it. The blood of others should not allow for one’s profit. Even though it was a waste of blood and I really don’t want to beat a dead horse, but having to defend common sense, sanity and reason on this blog against prevarication and lies was hard to swallow.

In the days before the red march started, when it became clear that mayhem is the only strategy the reds have, when I switched from a neutral position to a clear “no, this kind of sad movement is insane,” formerly loyal readers turned against me. Well that happens when you go public with an opinion. Many of you joined in and encouraged. And it is you I want to thank for keeping this unimportant little blog going.

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July 2, 2010 | Filed Under On Our Own | 13 Comments 

BKK News Feed Archive Q3/10/I

BKK News Feed for Week 35 in 2010, September 06th – September 12th:

REUTERS – Overbought Thai Stocks Set to Fall Further
WSJ – Upsurge in Thai Rebel Attacks (video)
WSJ – Thailand’s Activists Test Govt’s Crackdown
BANGKOK POST – Red Siam Disputes Reconciliation
ASIA SENTINEL – Thai Sex Changes: Now You See It, now You Don’t
NYT – Dark Mysteries, Written From a Bright Beach
PATTAYA DAILY NEWS – Justice for Sale, Freedom for a Fee
STRAITS TIMES – CNN’s Dan Rivers Leaving Thailand
CAT & NAT – Beware of ATM Phone Scams
NOT THE NATION – Anti-Red Facebook Pages Officially Abandoned By Bored Thai Middle Class
BANGKOK POST – Abhisit: No Peace, no Election
BANGKOK POST – Thaksin Hopes Mandela-Snap Dispels Ill-Health Talk

BKK News Feed for Week 34 in 2010, August 30th – September 05th:

BLOOMBERG – Thai Stocks Rise to Highest Level Since 1996, Before Asian Crisis
NYT – In Rural Thailand, an Unappeased Opposition Bides Its Time
BANGKOK POST – Puea Thai Blames Riots for Poll Loss
BLOOMBERG – Strong Baht, Thai Economy Expands Most in 15 Years
ROBERT AMSTERDAM – Abhisit & the F-Word
THE NATION – Newin Interview: “You Don’t Need to Be a PM to Serve the Country”
BANGKOK POST – Harassment in State Offices: Fighting Sex Pests
NY DAILY NEWS – Tragic Death of U.S. Ambassador’s Daughter: A Life Full of Drinking, Pills, Partying
WSJ – Thai Baht Is Back in Vogue
GLOBE & MAIL – In a Bangkok Apartment, Tamils Wait for a Ship to Canada
PR NEWSWIRE – Contraband Cell Phones “Sniffed Out” @ Bang Kwang High Security Prison
CNN – Thailand’s Ghost-Friendly Director

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July 1, 2010 | Filed Under NEWS ARCHIVE | Leave a Comment