Published on July 18, 2005
After reviewing articles and press releases from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), I thought I would contribute another perspective as to the reasons the expected tourist targets have not been met. The TAT reasons that the devastating tsunami of last December 26 is the main culprit behind falling tourism numbers. Of course, the tragedy that happened almost seven months ago contributes to the declining numbers, but certainly bird-flu fears and terrorism in the South weigh on peoples’ decision not to visit the Kingdom.
Now that much of the world is connected to the Internet, perhaps some staff at the TAT should search out what is being disseminated worldwide in regard to Thailand as a tourist destination. A few examples of what is out there are now in place, and others are being seriously considered by the government. Early closing hours of entertainment venues, proposals to close clubs and other venues on Mondays to save energy, petrol stations unavailable after 9pm, no television after midnight, baffling restrictions on the hours to buy liquor, random urine checks for drugs and passport checks while on vacation greet each visitor to Thailand. To the casual observer, some of these measures may seem draconian, while others may be acceptable on some level. However, the picture that is painted may be too restrictive to consider Thailand as a tourist destination.
The TAT and the government must try to synchronise their efforts to revive tourism. Why would people from Singapore and Hong Kong come here to shop when taxes and duties makes almost everything more expensive than in their home country? Slogans like Amazing Thailand (“Amazing we’re in bed so early after the two-hour urine check”) and Unseen Thailand (“I saw only the police station, because I was told not to carry my passport”) have not hit the mark. How about “Every Hour Is Happy Hour”? Feel free to adopt this slogan and attitude for the good of tourism. David Barkdull Bangkok ----------------------------------------- Are deaths in Iraq worth less than deaths in London? On Thursday, July 7, around 50 innocent people died in a series of bombing attacks in England. You might be aware of this. On Saturday, July 9, around 50 innocent people died in a series of bombing attacks in Iraq. You might not be aware of this. The victims in Iraq on that day, along with the countless and uncounted others dying on a daily basis in that country, do not warrant a continentwide silent remembrance; they do not warrant blanket media coverage; they do not warrant an outpouring of grief. They are, to borrow from historian Mark Curtis, “unpeople”; they are undeserving of news coverage in the mainstream, and they are undeserving of the dignity afforded to the victims of atrocities committed against nationals of developed countries. “They”, to put it simply, are unimportant, and “we” do not care. James Martin Bangkok ----------------------------------------- Give all Thais access to education despite ethnicity Centres for cross-cultural bilingual education and community guidance and learning would offer supportive training options along with potential solutions to the problems of Thai illiterate ethnic and cultural minorities who pledge allegiance to “The Land of the Free” but cannot prove their national identity, even though they were born here. Their inability or reluctance to communicate with local authorities, whom many distrust or perceive as unfair, represents a major barrier, one that inhibits assimilation, acceptance and resident amnesty. It’s time to review, clarify and ultimately change outdated security measures, discriminatory procedures and intolerant laws in regard to the evaluation of in-limbo status and harsh citizenship laws that flagrantly violate 21st-century global human rights. In accordance with universally accepted protections for minors, school-age youngsters should be allowed and actively encouraged to avail themselves of formal schooling, deserving the same rights, diverse privileges and equal opportunities afforded every other child, regardless of background, pigmentation or creed. Dr Chanchai Prasertson Bangkok ----------------------------------------- Lots of animals could take offence at human analogies Re: “Orang-utans may resent being likened to humans”, Letters, July 16. John Orangus writes that he resents me comparing orang-utans to humans, because orang-utans are much nicer. That letter got me thinking about other examples of how we unfairly compare animals to humans. For example, we often refer to sexist men as “wolves”, when in reality, wolves are monogamous animals who treat their “girlfriends” better than most human men treat their women. On the other hand, the wolf’s relative, the domestic dog, is generally much more promiscuous, and that’s because being around humans so much has destroyed his moral-values system! We also refer to dirty and sloppy people as being “pigs”. Yet when given the opportunity, a pig is a very clean animal. But when factory-farmed pigs in countries such as America are forced to sleep in their own excrement, it is hardly fair to blame them if they don’t wake up smelling like roses. Whenever the media reports on a man who rapes and murders children, he is always called “an animal”. Yet what animal other then man rapes and murders children? Instead of telling humans who misbehave to stop acting like animals, we should tell animals who misbehave to stop acting like humans! Eric Bahrt Chon Buri ----------------------------------------- Christian affairs deserve increased coverage I am a regular reader of The Nation, which is delivered to my condominium daily. I was told recently that the Roman Catholic community here in Thailand numbers approximately 350,000. I did not enquire at the time whether the figure quoted was specific to Christians who are Thai or whether it included foreigners living here. I would imagine the overall figure might be higher, however, allowing for Thai Christians of other non-Catholic denominations. I notice that while The Nation quite naturally includes considerable content relating to both Buddhist and Muslim matters within the Kingdom, there is little, if any, coverage of Christian news. This seems rather curious, as there is a Thai cardinal as archbishop of Bangkok, with 10 additional bishops plus many priests contributing to the needs of the wider Thai Catholic community. There is also a considerable presence of religion from among the monastic communities here serving educational establishments. Is there any reason that Christian news appears to receive such minimal attention? David Hancock Bangkok ----------------------------------------- Don’t make the situation out to be worse than it really is Re: “Perfect’s plan: keep building regardless”, Business, July 14. Writing that Thailand’s economics are on the decline is currently an incorrect statement. Please look to revising your phraseology in the future from “economic downturn” to something like “declining economic momentum” or “the declining rate of economic growth”. Most economic analysts would agree with those statements, whereas very few are forecasting a true downturn. David Beller Bangkok ----------------------------------------- Economic slumps happen regularly, so just ride it out Will the Thai economy slip into recession? [My advice is] do not be too panicky and lose heart when hearing of economic recession looming in the second half of this year, because similar things have happened at least twice in the past two decades in Thailand. One happened 18 years ago in 1987, while the other occurred eight years ago in 1997 and lasted to 2000. The 1987 recession arose when General Prem Tinsulanonda was prime minister, and a baht-devaluation measure forcing the exchange rate to the equivalent of Bt27 to the US dollar was applied. Fortunately there was no fuel and energy crisis complicating the situation back then; however, the recession brought about various measures and campaigns that were not only practicable but also perceptible in tackling the worsening economy. Initially a lot of people decried the Prem government for its baht-devaluation policy causing distress, economic slowdown, inflation, lay-offs of workers and rising foreign debt. Eventually they came around to praise him as a statesman who led the country to a healthy economy with impressive growth up to the next boom period, ironically growing in leaps and bounds with sustained two-digit GDP growth. The 1997-2000 economic recession rose again, also without a fuel and energy crisis, during former Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh’s era , when the government was forced to devalue the baht, which at one time exchanged for Bt50 per US$1. This time, the economic slump caused gruesomely severe mass lay-offs of workers, closure of financial institutes, rising foreign debts and conditions of bankruptcy. Even before the strong economic recovery of 2001-04 under Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was able to run its course, a worldwide fuel and energy crisis was looming, which combined with the tsunami, bird flu, drought, insurgents in the South of Thailand and trade deficit to produce adverse economic effects. The belief that the government’s planned mega-infrastructure projects are expected to spur economic growth from later this year is the main theme of government policy. It is hoped that these projects will send a positive signal. But people should stay vigilant and be prepared against any potential economic slump by taking heed of the self-sufficiency economic principles of His Majesty the King. Tubby Bangkok
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