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Attitude adjuster
Dear Editor,
I was rather surprised you could put validity to this Val who wrote,
“Alternative Pattaya Lady”. I fully understand the opinions expressed by
readers are their own but there is power in print. I only hope you will find
it in your journalistic integrity to publish this response. I am not signing
my real name but I know I speak for many international women living in
Pattaya.
I am also a “woman” living in Pattaya. I do however have a maid and a
driver. I feel as a person financially capable of employing these
individuals I am supporting the economy of Thailand. Both my maid and driver
are grateful to have work. I have two small children at home so dining out
is more of a challenge than an enjoyable experience. But because I have a
Thai maid we get to enjoy much of the “cheap, good, local cuisine” at home.
I do enjoy an occasional coffee or tea with my peers, but do not find them
complaining about their lives here in Pattaya; in fact it seems to be quite
the opposite! As far as the ‘play school type’ hobbies, I only hope that I
am never too old or pretentious to enjoy doing something with my hands,
especially when I am in a situation where I can not be employed. Many of
these, as you refer to as, “Pattaya ladies” support financially and
voluntarily a variety of needy causes here in Thailand. What day of the week
do you volunteer at the orphanage?
I too can be found at the South Road market or in one of the beautiful Wats
or sitting on the beach enjoying the opportunity to really be with my
children. Maybe someday our paths will cross. I hope you are capable of
taking your blinders off and really getting the most out of your experience
in Thailand. Please take the judgmental attitude back home with you.
Everyone needs to do it their ‘own way’.
From an international person very concerned about your attitude.
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Music too loud to buy
Sir,
Some of us in Pattaya can remember when Day/Night and Modern City were two
of the finest shopping plazas this side of Hong Kong, until the management
let a few employees run the places. Air con up, doors open trying to cool
down Pattaya, the P.A. system music up so loud you could not carry on a
conversation about any product you may have wanted to purchase. All TV and
stereo volume up to limit. If a customer wanted to listen to disco music
played at full volume they would be at a disco. One would not go to a disco
to purchase food and etc. “Big C” had better pay heed to the past.
Amon Udloon
4 more years
Hi,
Just found a computer, being able to say “congratulations” to 4 successful
years of show business, sorry, journalism. Looking forward to at least 4
more years.
Best regards,
Marion, Michael & Daisy
(On holiday in Europe)
Good, but could be better
Dear Editor,
I must now write about your earlier letters praising the quality of BBC
World, and the return of Discovery Channel. First, BBC World. The picture is
cutting out, sound out of sync. Discovery has gone to be replaced by CMT
Music Channel, same reception as BBC World. Movie channel’s the movie
doesn’t always finish or a different movie is shown half-way through. I’d
like Sophon Cable’s comments as by and large they now provide a good service
compared to the early nineties.
Regards,
Ken O’Sullivan
More on Penang visa trips
Dear Editor;
The following should not be taken lightly and ignored at your peril.
The train from Bangkok arrives Butterworth at 14:40 hrs.
The Thai visa office opens at 9:00 a.m. and closes for applications at 12:00
noon.
Therefore, visa applications can only be made the following morning (day 2).
The visa office requires 29 hours to process applications.
It follows that applications made on the morning of day 2 are available for
collection from 14:00 to 15:00 on day 3.
Any ‘special service’ previously offered for a small consideration by people
calling themselves ‘agents’ or certain security men stationed outside the
embassy are now totally worthless and should be rejected. Your best bet is
to settle down for yet another night of riotous fun and enjoyment and, if
you have not done so already, to book your return train passage, not for the
following day (as will become painfully obvious to you if you read on), but
for the day after - in other words day 4. Example for those who do not
master mathematics at school, if you arrive at Butterworth on Monday the
7th, you should bank on traveling on the train which leaves Butterworth on
the 10th.
In case anybody is thinking that they will be able to collect their visa at
14:00 hrs., thus enabling them to get a ‘fast taxi’ to the station to catch
the 14:40 hrs. train back to Bangkok, forget it. At 14:00 hrs. (the opening
time for collection) there is usually a large queue of people outside the
Thai Embassy, all with the same idea as you. Similarly, offers from taxi
drivers stationed outside the embassy to rush you to either Pedang Basar or
Hatchai to rendezvous with the Butterworth - Bangkok train are no more than
an attempt to extort money from you, and more often than not they are
singularly unsuccessful.
A few more interesting facts:
1. If you have pre-booked your return ticket to Bangkok, this can only be
refunded at Bangkok and then just 50% of its original value.
2. Booking you return trip at the Penang ticket office is cheaper but you
take a risk that the train may already be full.
The thing that amazes me is that around the world the use of computers has
speeded up previously slow & time consuming tasks, whereas for the Thai
consulate it appears to be the opposite. Funny, isn’t it?
One final word, for your own benefit, and it should go without saying but
I’ll say it anyway, please ensure you take enough money to enable you to
stay at least 3 nights in Penang or you might be forced to join the growing
number of foreigners who - having run out of money - are reduced to selling
watches, cameras and the like to greedy Malaysian pawn-brokers for a
fraction of their worth to enable you to pay for your next meal.
You have been warned!
Neil Stone
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It will take a long time for things to change, if ever...
I was horrified by the tragic fire at the Jomtien Pattaya
Hotel, but was not surprised. Now, in the aftermath of this fire, people are
looking at effect and not the true cause.
The real cause of this fire is a way of thinking which has grown out of
environment and culture. The various thought processes which caused this
tragedy were not aberrant or criminal and were not motivated by any desire
to hurt people. It cannot be labeled as “wrong”, although it has the
potential to cause disastrous results in certain situations.
Every culture has areas in which it is very advanced. On the psychological
level, I think Thais are much more acute than Westerners. But not on a
technical level. Although equally valid for the respective culture, Western
and Thai thinking processes are not the same. An example of this is Western
irritation with lack of punctuality in Thailand.
For Thai people, concern with time was not a cultural necessity, except in
war. The Westerner is probably countering this last sentence with, “Then why
are people here
so obsessed with having watches.” This is because Thai culture is a
‘presentational’ one and having watches (especially expensive ones)
establishes status.
People are very naive to try and put Western standards on Thailand. Everyone
who has lived here for any length of time must realise that this country is
a ‘subsistence’ culture. Thai culture is also very ‘image conscious.’ The
Thai want the world to think their country is ‘modern’ because that is
‘fashionable’.
But take away the TV antennas and electrical appliances in 90% of the
villages and you will see that people live the same as they did 1,000 years
ago. The farming methods, the marriage customs and almost every facet of
life is not much different than in 13th century Sukhothai.
Coming to Thailand is fun. It is rather like going camping. The wilderness
can provide everything one needs, but don’t expect microwave ovens or
washing machines. In Thailand, buildings were, and are, built for utility
and comfort and not for safety.
One cannot expect a people who are not yet totally conversant with
electricity to understand large buildings. Traditional Thai architecture was
never on a level with their neighbours, the Khmers, or even the Vietnamese.
Most of the very large structures in pre-World War One Bangkok, and even
Ayuthaya, were designed and built by foreigners.
Don’t think we can change a people by telling them they must do things our
way. In Thai eyes, constructing large buildings is doing things ‘our’ way.
The infrastructure of the building is not the important thing.
The fire doors of the hotel were locked to prevent people from skipping out
on their bills. This accomplished its purpose but had tragic consequences in
the recent fire. This is ‘selective logic’. Anyone who doesn’t like it
should not be living here. Linear logic cannot be forced on a culture.
Trying to lay blame on or shame Thai people only makes them feel resentment
and they become obstinate.
All who lost loved ones in this fire are suffering great emotional pain.
People also wonder why this happened. Being an extremely hierarchical
society, it was the job of ‘the people in power’ to see that avoidable
disasters do not happen. In former times, ‘people in power’ were never
questioned. ‘People in power’ were also totally accountable if something
went wrong. This is a trait which helped Thai culture maintain itself for a
millennium.
But Thai power structures are now so snarled and convoluted by the
superficial imposition of ‘Western-style’ administration, that no-one is
sure where the responsibility should be put.
The people who control Thailand are in a rather cosy situation, as they can
use this confusion to abrogate responsibility. Thai society is still very
‘presentational’ as ‘position’ and ‘responsibility’ are not necessarily
related. It will be a long time until there is a true synthesis of ‘power’
and ‘accountability’.
Thai people say this about themselves; ‘Thai people forget easily.’ It’s
true.
It is a very difficult thing to say, but the disasters will not stop and
will be continued to be dealt with in a Thai fashion when they do happen.
The westerner will scream, ‘It can’t go on like this!
Says who?
‘Thai people forget easily.’
Richard Blake Esq.
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