2BANGKOK.COM'S
NEWS AND VIEWS
OCTOBER 2004
Bush
website adopts isolationist stance - The Register,
October 27, 2004
Thanks Jeremy for passing along this link: International access to
the official re-election website of Us President George W. Bush (www.georgewbush.com)
has been blocked. Surfers from outside the US trying to reach the site
receive an "access denied" message...
Yesterday: George Bush's election site unreachable from Thailand?
- October 27, 2004
 |
It seems GeorgeWBush.com
remains unreachable from Thailand.
KSC tech support helpfully
checked out the site and said
it was not accessible via
'any' of the Thai ISPs (perhaps
the Bush site webmasters are
blocking Thai ISPs because
of attacks on their servers).
KSC then insisted the .com
URL was wrong and the actual
site is GeorgeWBush.org.
However this site is a parody
campaign site.
John
Kerry's site is accessible. |
More
on Thai Christians on TV
'Wrong
approach' in ad blitz - Bangkok
Post, November 9, 2004
A central body of Protestant
churches has ruled that an advertising
campaign for a free evangelical
Christian book, Power for Living,
is too blunt and might affect
religious relations among people
in the country...
Reverend Thongchai said the committee
decided not to take any harsh
action as the campaign was due
to end at Christmas. Besides,
the 134-page book, written by
the late Jamie Buckingham, an
American pastor, was religiously
correct.
However, the committee issued
a warning that such a campaign
should not be repeated in other
countries...
Reverend Thongchai said about
two million people had contacted
the foundation through its four-digit
hotline. Of this 800,000 managed
to get through.
Aggressive GOD campaign -
Bangkok Post, October 31,
2004
...The Evangelical Fellowship
of Thailand (EFT), the country's
main Christian governing body,
has questioned the foundation's
motives. A source at the EFT said
that the organisation would discuss
the ''Power for Living'' campaign
at its next meeting next month.
Tavivat Puntarigvivat, a philosophy
lecturer at Mahidol University,
questioned the suitability of
the campaign. He did not think
the aggressive thrust was appropriate.
The government should develop
tighter rules and regulations
to keep such movements in check,
he added..
''Buying air time to promote a
belief, whether it be political
or religious is not appropriate,''
he said...
'Aggressive'
book ad campaign stirs up row
- Bangkok Post, October
28
Members of the Christian community
have expressed concern over an
aggressive advertising campaign
for a free evangelical Christian
book, Power for Living, now being
promoted in Thailand...
There are 400,000 requests for
the book--an amazingly high number
for Thailand where practising
Christians account for 0.5% of
the population, he said...
Several newspapers and TV programmes
have even alleged the foundation
is some form of "cult"...
A reader comments (October 27,
2004): Once again I would like
to say thanks for your great site.
I make a point of looking at it
first thing every time I get on
the internet...
I would also like to take the
opportunity to refer to one of
today's items. I am a Christian
(many years ago I was a Missionary
in Thailand) and I was very interested
in the item about Thai Christians
appearing in TV commercials [see
below]. I
don't intend to say much about
it except to refer to Ms Anchalee.
She is a very practical Christian
and for many years she has been
involved in working for a group
which I have also helped support
financially. They work with poor
people who come to Bangkok in
search of fortune if not fame.
They meet these people usually
at Hualampong Station, take them
to overnight accommodation, give
them an evening meal and a morning
meal before sending them off with
advice on how to survive in Bangkok.
In some cases they help in finding
employment for the new arrivals.
All of this is done without cost
to the people they help. In the
last few years they have become
involved in helping men and women
released from prison. Unfortunately
the work they do is not something
which the Thai people generally
support.
My main point in writing the above
is to show that people like Anchalee
are not getting on some bandwagon
but actually do good works quietly
without any fanfare. It shows
also that there are farangs around
whose love for the Thai people
is displayed in practical ways
and are not continually complaining...
Earlier:
Celebrities
plug Christian handbook -
The Nation, October 25,
2005
...To promote “Power for
Living”, Christian celebrities
last week began appearing on television
commercials to regale viewers
with stories about how their strong
belief in God had improved their
lives...
The ads feature singer and composer
Boyd Kosiyabong, model and TV
host Sasithon Wattanakul, former
pop singer Anchalee Jongkadeekij
and Central Pattana CEO Kobchai
Chirathivat.
In the commercials, the celebrities
tell dramatic stories about their
fears, conflicts and problems
before God’s light illuminated
them with happiness...
About
the Elite Card program -
The Standard, October 23-24,
2004
Interesting explanation of the reasoning
behind the Elite Card program and
a scathing critique of what it became:
"Friends of mine liked the
ease of getting through the airport.
But the real thing was the right
to own land.'' Not so. Thai law
still prohibits the ownership of
Thai land by foreigners, so this
promise of the Elite Card was flawed
from the first.
...VIPs or not, Elite Card members
have to follow the same laws in
the end. The only difference is
that when a card holder eventually
chooses to sell the land, that sale
will be seen as a sale by an individual
rather than by a corporation, making
it liable for lower tax.
The five-year tourist visa also
sounds good too - except that again,
Thai law interferes and requires
Elite Card members, just like any
other foreigner in Thailand, to
report to an Immigration office
every 90 days.
As for the golf courses, news reports
say TPC has cancelled its golf course-building
and expansion plans around the country.
Card holders do get privileged access
to some existing courses, however.
A key card benefit remains having
just one number to call to arrange
everything one wants in Thailand,
from cars to roses to dinners and
appointments.
Additional scepticism exists in
some quarters about some of these
promises because any rich person
staying at a top hotel in Thailand
can enjoy such benefits through
the concierge and guest services.
Even non-rich people can have their
own cars and drivers, and can hire
fixers of many kinds...
(Photo:
Nils) |
First
Post and telegraph office
- October 21, 2004
Nils writes: Did you notice
there has been a new building
downstream of Saphan Phut (Memorial
Bridge) for some time? It is
directly adjacent to Phra Pokklao
Bridge. |
It
has a historical style reminiscent
of the Rama V era, is quite tall
and very slim. You can see it looming
behind the trees when passing on
an express boat on the river. But
I cannot remember ever seeing anything
there before, and it looks very
new, so I went there one weekend
to find out.
The structure itself is finished,
but the gardening activities around
it seem having been abandoned....
many of the flower pots are empty,
some trees have toppled. People
living under the bridge were using
the space at the backside for an
afternoon game of takraw.
It has a (functioning) clock in
its tower and a Thai flag on top,
but there is nothing inside the
building. I also wondered how to
go up to the second floor, as I
could not see any staircase, neither
outside nor inside.
The plate in front of the entrance
says: "This building was constructed
in the style of a 'front building'
- The first (post and) telegraph
office in Thailand, BE 2426 [1883
AD] - For purposes of conservation.
Construction carried out by the
Department of Public Works and Town
and Country Planning, Ministry of
Interior, BE 2547 [2004 AD]."
Post and Telegraph Museum - Historic
post office building replaced at
foot of bridge - Bangkok Post,
June 27, 2004
Bangkok had to sacrifice one
of its most charming architectural
structures, the Post and Telegram
Office, with the 1981 construction
of the Somdej Phra Pokklao Bridge
to ease traffic congestion in Phra
Nakhon's Klong Ong-Ang area.
Today a new building, on a much
smaller scale, has replaced the
old one at the foot of the bridge
on the Phra Nakhon side.
Only the facade of the old building
has been kept by the new structure,
painted light yellow and white _
the same colours of the old renaissance-style
structure which had graced the Chao
Phraya River since 1883, during
the reign of King Chulalongkorn...
(Photo: Nils)
Mor
Chit Park and Ride
- October 15, 2004
Nils took this photo of the almost completed Mor Chit Park and Ride.
Wisarut reports the Park and Ride is actually an asphalt parking lot
with a roof and will be opened by the end of this October one month
behind schedule. This location was once slated for Sun
Estate's Mor Chit development
Contrasts
from the Western media
- October 19, 2004
Western news media thrives on images
of contrast. News is more newsworthy
if it contains perceived contradictions
or hypocrisy of some kind. This
condescending photo (right) from
a CNN
story is typical of this approach.
|
 |
Sultan
of Brunei reopens parliament -
BBC, September 25, 2004
The Sultan of Brunei has reopened the tiny
oil-rich state's parliament for the first
time in 20 years.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah described the move
as a "cautious" reform and warned
the legislative council against making "mistakes".
... He abolished parliament in 1984 after
Brunei gained independence from the UK.
Lube
Oil Shop Fire - One-hour wait for chemicals to
douse blaze - Bangkok
Post, October 16, 2004
[Not a major story, but since we happened to have a photo of this blaze,
here's the details. The Sathorn business district and the surrounding
areas do seem to have a consistent series of fires.]
|
...The blaze, which broke
out at 11.30am at one shop belonging to
Krissada Jiravipattanond caused panic in
the community as it was opposite a petrol
station and just 50 metres away from a cooking
gas cylinder store.
A fleet of large and small fire engines
rushed to the scene but it took an hour
before chemical foam--the appropriate extinguisher
for an oil fire--arrived.
The situation worsened as fire fighters
pumped waste water that was mixed with run-off
lube from sewage pipes to put out the fire
as there was only one hydrant...
It was not the first blaze in the area.
Two years ago, a fire broke out at a shophouse
selling electric appliances.
" We feel unsafe having shops selling
hazardous goods in our community. It's like
bombs being planted everywhere," said
Rad Vanagodha, a resident...
|
(Photo: 2Bangkok.com)
|
US citizens prohibited from smoking
Cuban cigars--anywhere
- October 6, 2004
From US
Tightens Restrictions on Cuban Cigars - VOA
News, October 6, 2004: The United States Treasury
Department has tightened its prohibitions against
U.S. citizens importing or consuming Cuban cigars.
The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control
has announced in a notice posted on the Internet
that even Americans licensed to bring back up to
$100 worth of Cuban goods will no longer be allowed
to include tobacco products in what they carry.
Previously, those licensed were exempted from what
was otherwise a total import ban on Cuban tobacco
products.
The notice also clarifies that Americans are barred
from not only purchasing Cuban goods in foreign
countries, but also from consuming them in those
countries.
The penalties for violating the prohibitions include
maximum criminal fines for individuals of $250,000
and imprisonment for up to 10 years. Corporations
can be fined as much as a million dollars.
Construction
of Malaysia-Thailand link bridge starts
- Mustapa, October 13, 2004
Construction of the Bukit Bunga-Buketa bridge
linking Malaysia and Thailand will commence tomorrow,
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk
Mustapa Mohamed said.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the 120-metre-long bridge would be jointly
performed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his Thailand
counterpart, Thaksin Shinawatra, he said...
Evidence
of 'jungle yeti' found -
BBC, October 12, 2004
Fresh evidence has been found in the jungles
of Sumatra supporting claims that a mythical
'jungle yeti' may exist, claim two UK explorers.
Adam Davies and Andrew Sanderson found footprints
which seem to match examples they found three
years ago, which were shown to be from a new
species of ape. The orang pendek, as it is known,
is said by islanders to walk like a man...
Govt
prepares new directives on witchcraft
- TNA, October 12, 2004
...Mr. Weerasak Khowsurat, Vice Minister for Culture,
said today that in the immediate term, the government
would seek to use the 1996 Civil Service Administration
Act to allow Interior Ministry officials to determine
whether local spirit houses were adversely affecting
communities, or whether legislation was being broken.
However, Mr. Weerasak stressed that the government
had no intention of trampling on ancient beliefs,
many of which gave local people a considerable amount
of psychological support.
In the long term, the government is looking at extending
the 1985 Spirit House Act to require all spirit houses
to be registered with the Interior Ministry.
This would also require any people believing themselves
to have special spiritual powers to inform the authorities
of their activities...
Thai
group celebrates anniversary of the Workers' Party
of North Korea - KCNA, October
11, 2004
The magazine "Warm Congratulations on 59th
Founding Anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea"
was published by the Organization for the Study of
the Juche Idea of Thailand on the occasion of the
anniversary. The magazine carries articles and photos
introducing the Juche idea and Korea. It also informs
the readers of recent activities of the organization.
In
Thailand, a leader feels the heat
- BusinessWeek, October 11, 2004
[Foreign media are keeping up the drumbeat of "Thaksin
in trouble." However, it is not clear that this
viewpoint is accurate or if it is merely a perception
drummed up by local anti-government media.]
The tough-talking Prime Minister has delivered
heady growth. Fall is traditionally a pleasant season
in Thailand, as monsoon rains begin tapering off and
temperatures start to cool. Yet October has been anything
but salubrious for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra...
What's happening
Lightning
destroys ancient pagoda - TNA, October
12, 2004
...Phra Ngen Chedi, known to locals simply as the ‘giant
chedi’, was struck at around 16.30 hrs, sending bricks
and sand from the back of the chedi flying out in all
directions.
... As soon as people realised what had happened, they
rushed to remove their parked cars from the area, he said,
adding that local people were afraid that the chedi could
collapse further in heavy rain.
Phra Ngen Chedi, built in 1008 by Mon immigrants, was
originally part of a larger temple complex which was later
abandoned...
Thailand
to celebrate 200th birthday of King Rama IV -
TNA, October 12, 2004
...Bangkok’s Wat Bovorn Niwet Vihara will join
temples of the Dharmayukti sect all over the country and
overseas in the anniversary celebrations on 18 October,
according to Phra Phrommuni, an assistant abbot at the
temple...
Heli
Asia 2004 - Day 1: Bangkok's Presidential Tower fire rescue
relived by those who were there -
October 12, 2004
With the backdrop of televised scenes from the Meridien
Presidential Tower fire that occurred in downtown Bangkok
in July 1997, helicopter crew members who helped rescue
93 people from the building’s roof that day related
their roles to delegates attending Heli Asia 2004’s
inaugural event, the Breeze Eastern Airborne Hoist Workshop.
Led by pilot Major Swangkit, the crewmen from the Thai
Police Aviation Department described the problems they
faced, not least of which was the need to winch down onto
the rooftop an officer to control the crowd of desperate
people frantic to leave their temporary haven at the earliest
possible moment...
Ads
warn American child-sex tourists
- AP, October 12, 2004
[A decade of pressure on Southeast Asian nations has resulted
in this kind of solution. It has been shown that local
law enforcement is not going to be a dependable partner
in stopping pedophiles, so prosecutions have to be done
in a tourist's home country. Australia has already has
some success with this tact.]
...A huge billboard that looms over traffic in the
Cambodian capital Phnom Penh warns in English: "Abuse
a child in this country, go to jail in yours."
The State Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
and the group World Vision are behind the roadside,
television, print and Internet ads in the United States
and the prime sex-tourism destinations Cambodia, Costa
Rica and Thailand...
What's happening today - Shin Corporation
lawsuit hearing - October 11,
2004
Today is the first hearing of a civil suit by the Shin
Corporation against Supinya Klangnarong, secretary-general
of the Campaign for Popular Media Reform along with the
owner and editors of Thai Post. The suit seeks
compensation of about 400 million baht for "adverse
publicity" that supposedly resulted from an interview
with Supinya that was published in Thai Post. Supinya
stated that the profits of Shin Corporation, founded by
the Prime Minister and now owned by his family, have soared
since the Prime Minister's Thai Rak Thai party came to
power. Besides the civil suit, the defendants are also
facing a criminal defamation suit that threatens them
with lengthy prison sentences.
This legal action by the Shin Corporation will be widely
watched as it has seen as creating a possible precedent
that a ruling party and its top personalities could be
immune from media oversight, much like they are in Malaysia,
Singapore and other countries dominated by one political
faction. It is likely that next hearing will be delayed
until well after the next election to deflect further
discussion of the case.
2Bangkok.com will be monitoring the
Thai-language papers today and tomorrow to see how they
cover this.
Tourists
to be offered special 'stream locomotives' trips
- TNA, October 9, 2004
...The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) plans
to offer special daily train trips to Trang province,
using steam locomotives, according to Jaran Chuennaitham,
the chief of the provincial tourism office.
...The planned train trips will visit several historic
sites in the province, including the Kan Tang Pier,
the first rubber tree grown in Thailand, as well as
the old Royal residence, which Japanese soldiers use
as their headquarters during Word War II...
Taipei
101 skyscraper deemed tallest -
AP, October 8, 2004
... The 1,679-foot-tall structure — which some
liken to a giant bamboo shoot of glass and steel —
received the title from the Council on Tall Buildings
and Urban Habitat, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization
involved in the planning, design and construction of
skyscrapers.
"There's no dispute whether Taipei 101 is the tallest
building in the world," said Ron Klemencic, chairman
of the council, as he formally certified the building's
record with a new plaque...
Past
October protests commemorated
- Bangkok Post, October 7, 2004
From 'Public disinterest, govt failure to help
victims' kin deplored': High-profile attendees
at the Oct 6, 1976 pro-democracy uprising commemoration
bemoaned the public's lack of interest in the
tragic event and the government for failing
to help the families of those who perished in
the massacre defending the country's fragile
democracy...
Right: Detail from one of the October
6 sculptures at Thammasat University
|
(Photo: 2Bangkok.com)
|
Esarn
alphabets - TNA, October
8, 2004
 |
From Ancient
Isaan alphabets to go high-tech: A lecturer
at a college in Thailand's Northeast has invented
a computer font for two ancient Isaan alphabets
which are in danger of dying out.
The new high-tech inventions mark a huge change
in the life of the 'Tai Noi' and 'Dharm' alphabets...
It was not until the 19th century, when government
legislation insisted on the use of the Thai alphabet,
that the two alphabets slipped into disuse...
The fonts can be downloaded for free here.
Left: The letter for elephant
(chang in Thai). |
Wishful thinking -
October 8, 2004
Check out tuk-tuk.com.
Impatient
PM shuns partnership - The Nation,
October 5, 2004
Interesting language indeed from The Nation: ...The utter failure
of the Thai public to rein in Thaksin’s autocratic style will have
far-reaching effects on Thailand’s destiny if Thaksin is indeed returned
to power. Until something is done to counterbalance the prime minister’s
unseemly character traits, the future of Thailand does not look very bright.
| |
Bangkok
|
Total |
| Hotels
(n=111) |
| Survey 1 (December 2000) |
35 with ivory |
|
| Pieces of ivory |
15,465 |
15,465 |
| Value of ivory (THB) |
61,319,380 |
61,319,380 |
| Survey 2 (October 2003) |
17 with ivory |
|
| Pieces of ivory |
5,355 |
5,355 |
| Value of ivory (THB) |
11,589,270 |
11,589,270 |
| SEPTEMBER 2004 |
NO IVORY
FOR SALE |
0 |
| Pieces of ivory |
0 |
0 |
| Value of ivory (THB) |
0 |
0 |
(Chart: TAT)
New
type of forged U.S. dollar bills discovered
- Kyodo, October 1, 2004
A Tokyo-based precision equipment maker said Friday it
has confirmed a new type of counterfeit US dollar bills is
circulating in Southeast Asia...
What things
cost - Bangkok Post, October
1, 2004
From 'Watchdog to take criminal action against pay-rise critics':
The chairman of the National Commission to Counter Corruption
(NCCC) says he will file criminal and civil lawsuits against
people who oppose its decision to raise the wages of its commissoners...
"We have faced insults and hatred from the general public.
We need to take both criminal and civil action to address
the damage,'' he said...
The commission's regulation on July 29 increases the monthly
allowance of the NCCC chairman by 45,500 baht, to 154,000
baht. The monthly allowance of other commissioners increases
by 42,500 baht, to 147,000 baht. An MP's salary stands at
76,000 baht...
Thai
premier's corruption pledge meets with scepticism
- FT, October 1 2004
...But academics and anti-corruption campaigners said
Mr Thaksin appeared focused only on petty misdeeds or "old-style
corruption" - bribes and kickbacks - while ignoring
conflicts of interest in government policy and decision-making...
...Kanokkan Anukansai of Transparency International Thailand,
said: "Corruption doesn't mean only illegal activities.
Corruption also means something that is improper."
But she said few Thais appeared to understand the concept
of "conflict of interest".
100
firsts that shaped Bangkok - The
Nation, October 1 2004
...Bangkok's first land thoroughfare, Charoen Krung Road,
opened in 1860, the same year the Siamese first glimpsed ice.
The Kingdom's first telegraph line was established in1883,
and the first railway - the Paknam Line - in 1891. Chao Phraya
Surasakmontri imported the country's first car in 1897, as
well as the first telephone.
Another first for Bangkok, the Rama VI Bridge, came in 1926. Bangkok's
skyline, of course, knew no high-rises in earlier times. Its vast sprawl
of wooden houses rose no more than three storeys. Only its palaces and
temples pierced the horizon. Factories were small and covered with palm
leaves, most of them situated along the Chao Phya's banks...
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