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HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:
Celebrating the ox in Petchburi Province
Think Twice, Mr. Tourism Minister
So you’d like to manage in Thailand?
Dining Out: Way down south in New Orleans
“Family Day” at YWCA

Celebrating the ox in Petchburi Province

Each year in Petchburi Province, when the rice harvest is finished and the farmers go home to rest, the people have a festival to celebrate the end of Buddhist Lent. In the country areas, when the fields are fallow, Petchburi residents hold "Ox-Cart Races" and plowing competitions as part of this festival.

f11.jpg (38349 bytes)A festive beginning to the oxcart races in Petchburi Province.

Over the weekend of February 20-21, we had a chance to go to the Ox Cart Races, one of many events in the "Phranakornkhiri-Muang Petch" in beautiful Petchburi Province.

Many other Thais consider Petchburi fierce and dangerous people. They are considered fearless, willing to take risks. The saying goes that "Petchburi people are good friends but dangerous enemies." Many famous Mafia "hitmen" were Petchburi natives.

f12.jpg (25869 bytes)A ring of the bell and they’re off!

But the 400 temples in Petchburi City would be a good argument against that statement.

"Petch" people are also fond of keeping oxen as beasts of burden. The main jobs these animals do are pulling carts, but at least once a year they are dressed up, shown, and most importantly, raced.

f14.jpg (34878 bytes)Racing to the finish.

The favorite ox of the people is a variety native to Thailand. Medium-size, they are strong but do not eat much. Perfect oxen have a "noble face, a brawny chest and a straight back". During show time, the pair must walk in perfect rhythm, hooves striking the ground in perfect unison.

Each pair of oxen seems to know what their duty is in both the plowing competitions and the cart races. And to the residents of this area, it is a time for welcome relieve from the daily burden of farming.

Another type of race in Petchburi is the "monkey race" when monkeys compete with humans in climbing coconut trees. The strange thing is that the people usually win. If you don’t believe it, come to Petchburi and see for yourself!

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Think Twice, Mr. Tourism Minister

by Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor, Travel Impact Newswire

Here are ten things that Asia-Pacific tourism ministers can do when weighing how to proceed with the demands of globalisation. Chances are, however, they will pay no attention, for reasons these 10 points will make amply clear.

1. Take a breather: There’s nothing so important that it cannot wait. The Asia-Pacific tried to run a marathon at the speed of a sprinter. That’s physically impossible. Pause and take stock of the situation. Think.

2. Take hype with a pinch of salt: Globalisation can have the same effect as steroids. It can pump up the economic muscles very quickly. But they’re fake muscles. Listen to steroid salesmen at your peril.

3. Listen to all parties: Those who are warning of the dangers of globalisation are not indulging in idle talk. They just don’t have access to the propaganda megaphones of the multinationals. Listen carefully to all sides.

4. Examine options: The three most dangerous words in the English-language are "the only way". There is no such thing as "the only way". If all parties are carefully heard, many different ways will open up.

5. Set clear priorities: If you are an elected leader, your biggest dilemma is balancing the needs of those who elected you with those who paid your campaign bills. Achieving this can be quite a trick.

6. Balance the benefits: Companies drive economies. And they, like ministers, to do what they are told. There is always a middle way. Nothing in life is achieved without balance.

7. Think long-term: Very difficult for ministers and politicians generally. But it can and should be done. Somebody’s got to do it. At a time when everything is focussing on instant gratification, someone who looks far ahead can be viewed as quite visionary.

8. Show some courage: Sometimes, you just know when you should not sign something, even if it’s favoured by someone who paid your campaign bills.

9. Communicate clearly and consistently: If you have a firm moral and ethical view on an issue, communicate it through every channel you have access to. Your opponents will be busy doing the same.

10. Plug into some ancient wisdom: In the Asia-Pacific, you have probably read either the Bhagavad Gita, the Qu’ran, the Teachings of the Buddha, Analects of Kung Fu’Tzu or the Bible. Turn to them when seeking solutions to difficult problems. A way will emerge. The rest will be easy.

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So you’d like to manage in Thailand?

by Dr. Henry Holmes

Delegate your work the proper way

Compared to the West, there is less delegation of work here by seniors to juniors and some of those assignments are not given so thoroughly or systematically. As a consequence, accountability is not found in the same form or degree as you might expect. A particular problem with accountability here is that juniors do not always report back - i.e., give feedback to seniors about what is going on. This issue comes to a head in the case of bad news, which can be a great frustration for managers if it is reported too late to turn the situation around. Events like this can be very costly.

Another characteristic of traditional Thai management is that the senior person tries to develop an effective "patron-client" relationship with his staff. The senior is expected to provide direction, control and protection, while the junior contributes good performance and, very important, loyalty. Indeed, loyalty has by custom been expressed more towards an individual than towards an organization or a profession. As a consequence, the manager works hard to develop and maintain good personal relationships with his staff.

The social roles

As a part of this effort, the senior person has tended to take on a wider range of company related social roles than a Western manager might be expected to perform. Among these may be attending religious events, gift-giving and receiving, entertaining staff and having somewhat more knowledge of subordinate’s family situations. All of these can serve as motivators on the part of the leader, and are commonly admired by his colleagues. There are a number of opportunities in this area that an expatriate manager may want to explore further.

A third characteristic of the traditional family company (and indeed of Thai society itself) is its hierarchical system. This aspect is especially important for Australians or Americans, whose social systems are considered more egalitarian than those in many other societies. Thais traditionally relate to others on the basis of their respective ranks, and to some extent, of the particular situation. A Thai will express himself quite differently depending on whether he sees himself as a senior, a junior or a peer. Since most Thais, like the English, rarely introduce themselves to one another, they rely on a myriad of non-verbal cues about how to address another Thai who happens to be a stranger.

Stemming from this ranked system is the fact that communication has tended to be from the top down. Thai tradition has encouraged junior family members and young students to absorb rather than initiate, to "get it right" rather than question or express opinions, especially dissenting ones. The result of this pattern is that most Thais - even at rather senior levels - have not had such extensive practice in expressing themselves in an assertive way, in either Thai or English.

To be continued...

Next installment: Recognized for competence and several forms of anger.

For over 25 years Dr. Henry Holmes, and his colleagues from Cross-Cultural Management Company, have been helping organizations improve their teamwork and management skills.

Holmes, a graduate of Massachusetts and Harvard, recently co-authored the book "Working with the Thais" (White Lotus Publishers), now in its fourth printing. The company courses were featured on BBC World Television.

In 1999, the company will offer five training courses on the Eastern Seaboard, under sponsorship of Hemaray Industrial Estate:

* A good start with Thais
* Skills of Cross-Cultural management
* Train the trainers
* The keys to assertiveness and accountability
* Making effective presentations, in Thai or English

Please call 02-391 8586-7 for details.

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Dinning Out: Way down south in New Orleans

There is a new restaurant in town! Way down South. Well, almost down south in South Pattaya, down Soi Pattayaland 2. This is the Café New Orleans, the brainchild of entrepreneur Murray Hertz.

Now, Murray is experienced in New Orleans restaurants. Not only has he eaten in them, but he already owned one himself. Only that one is in the Philippines.

dinning.jpg (34359 bytes)Café New Oleans.

However, back to our new restaurant (sorry, his new restaurant) in Pattaya.

The décor is staggeringly brilliant. It is worth an evening there just to look at the pictures on the wall. You will be lucky to find any wall, the pictures are everywhere covering it completely. The majority of them even came from New Orleans!

The dining is on two levels. Street-level and outside on the sidewalk there is space for around 30 diners with a small stage area for a jazz combo, whilst upstairs on a mezzanine floor it is set up for probably another 50 or 60.

This has obviously been a "no expense spared" project with the restoration of the old property and it has been done with "style". From the natty waistcoat aprons on the uniformed waiters and waitresses, to the open BBQ grille on the ground floor, to the ‘dumb waiter’ system from the third floor, all stainless steel kitchen. Everything has Murray’s trademark - "Style".

The menu was a decent size, with large print for those who forget their reading glasses. Enough variety is there to ensure you do not get tired of eating the same fare. The emphasis is New Orleans, Cajun style, but again there is not a preponderance of this. We began with a soup, even though I was very tempted by the deep fried onion roll. In the Mains, the ribs are probably the "star" in the menu, but on our visit my partner and I both chose a steak, feeling in a carnivorous mood that evening.

To wash it down we chose the house white, which by dint of some detective work proved to be an eminently drinkable Australian Chablis. There is a wine list for those who want to try for a bottle (even bubbly) - not a large selection, but a good representation of wines to chose from.

Our soups arrived with a flurry of waitresses. The clam chowder was creamy and crustaceous and put us in a good mood for the second course. The steaks then came medium-rare, as we had ordered. Plump and tender beef and definitely recommended. Being a new restaurant, we also spoke to some of the other patrons, who all confirmed our feelings. The steaks were excellent and the ribs sensational - large servings and very juicy!

Modeled on the successful formula used in the Philippines, it is obviously working here as well. Café New Orleans is a very welcome addition to the glitzy end of dining out in Pattaya. Priced towards the upper end of the scale it still represents good value for what you get. Go there. You will enjoy it.

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“Family Day” at YWCA

On February 23 at the Grand Hall on the 5th floor of Mike’s Shopping Mall on Pattaya Beach Road, the YWCA of Bangkok-Pattaya, led by Association President Ms. Vilawan Hengtrakul, held a "Happy Family Day".

"Happy Family Day" is part of the "Happy Family Project", one of many YWCA projects. The project began in 1989 with the purpose of helping needy children whose families could not afford to give them a proper education. It was also to help "bridge the generation gap" and the "society gap".

yw1.jpg (21892 bytes)Hundreds of children and benevolent sponsors from the YWCA and other organizations turned out for the festive “Happy Family Day” at Mike’s Shopping Mall.

One of the main reasons for supporting the needy children in their studies is to lower the incidence of child prostitution and drug addiction among children, major agendas in the government’s policy. The stimulus for the project was Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s 36th birthday.

There are now 296 children with over 148 sponsors. The Pattaya Sports Club recently gave 60 more scholarships and will soon increase this to 100. Students from 32 schools participate in the program. The children will receive sponsorship until they have finished their education at the institutions they attend.

On "Happy Family Day", children had the opportunity to meet with their sponsors and talk about their school life and show them various projects and accomplishments. Questions were asked by "parents" and children alike. One could see how thankful the children were are towards their sponsors. All of them prepared handmade flowers and gave them to their "parents" with a word of thanks. The sponsors were very touched at the handmade gifts that "their" children gave to them.

As is usual on a typical family day, games were played and free lunch was served.

Khun Sukhon Chaloryu, the initiator and main supporter of YWCA’s "Happy Family Project" founded eight years ago, couldn’t join the annual event this year due to an accident. Instead, Khun Nithed Buatoom, the Head of the Primary Education Banglamung District, gave the welcoming speech to all the young students and their "foster parents". Even though all the children still have their own parents, they were more or less adopted by organizations, groups and private people to give them a chance for proper education.

Scholarships are also currently provided by six organizations: The Lion’s Club of Pattaya, The Lion’s Club of Phra Tam Nak Pattaya, The Rotary Club of Pattaya, The Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya, The JCs Thailand Pattaya and the Pattaya Sports Club.

The children are chosen from different schools in the Banglamung area.

yw2.jpg (23832 bytes)Representatives of the Pattaya Sports Club met with sponsored children on “Happy Family Day”.

Before the meeting with the sponsors started, the children received a free health check-up from Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. All the doctors and nurses involved received a plaque from the president of YWCA, Khun Vilawan Hengtrakul, the lovely wife of Khun Chanyuth of Sophon Cable. In her speech, she thanked all the sponsors for their support and expressed the gratefulness of her club and of the children for all the help they get. Khun Vilawan also presented plaques to all the sponsors, including the Pattaya Sports Club and the PILC.

Khun Chanyuth said in his speech that the plan and the hope for the year to come is to reach the magic number of 1000 children being sponsored. A scholarship for one child is only 1,500 Baht per year to cover expenses for books and schooling material.

The YWCA also has an on-going lunch project, which is mainly covered by the Lions Club Pattaya Patamnak, Rotary Club Pattaya, Rotary Club Jomtien-Pattaya and the Pattaya Sports Club.

Private and government organizations also participated in the "Happy Family Day", including Mike’s Shopping Mall, which donated the venue, snacks and writing materials, the Pattaya Education Authority, which gave administrative help, and the Office of Elementary Education which coordinated with the various schools involved.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a scholarship can contact YWCA, tel. 423 662 or 421 475, ask for Khun Jiraporn.

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