Re: "Siam's little image problem", February 12
This is in response to Myke Bartlett's preposterous assertion that Thailand has an image problem. So, let's get this straight. Peter Arnell pops into the Mandarin Oriental for 12 days a few months ago, takes 7,000 photos (that's one photo per minute, given ten-hour days), falls in love with the country, as so many of us have done, finds time between snapping all those photos to get a profound understanding of the country, and wham, decides that he is now so deeply connected that he feels the need to "give something back", in that stock phrase of do-gooders and opportunists everywhere. In his case, the giving back is in the form of no less than "re-branding" Thailand.
Thailand is not a commodity. It's not a soft drink or a pair of sneakers. It cannot be summed up in a swirl, a swoosh, a splash of colour, a catchy jingle and a glib slogan. Thailand is as complex and nuanced as it is spectacular and unknowable. Fortunately, the Thai population includes artists, artisans, poets, historians, craftsmen and scholars, all of whom are steeped in the culture, traditions, spirituality and mystery, and who have a profound understanding of the monarchy and Theravada Buddhism, without which one cannot hope to make sense of the Kingdom.
If Thailand needs to be re-branded, and that's a big if, then it is perfectly capable of mustering the expertise to do justice to the task. The drive-by shooting of Mr Arnell has all the hallmarks of the crass commercial opportunism so common in Manhattan and so inappropriate to the Thai context. The Thai government should thank him for his interest and invite him to come back often, stay longer, travel more, talk to more people and take fewer photos. Perhaps after a few decades he might then have something of substance to contribute. Until then, the Thai flag will remain as internationally recognisable as are the Swiss cross and the Canadian maple leaf.
Peter Nielsen
Bangkok
A shame that Thailand rejects the Dalai Lama
US President Barack Obama will meet the Dalai Lama on February 18 at the White House in Washington, despite repeated warnings from China urging the United States to cancel this visit. As usual, China protests each and every time a political leader has a meeting with the Dalai Lama. Some reject this pressure, like the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and are finally more respected by the Chinese government than those who bow to their meddling in others' internal affairs.
So what about Thailand? The Dalai Lama visited the Kingdom in 1993, when a group of Nobel Peace laureates held a solidarity meeting for their Burmese colleague Aung San Suu Kyi. Since then, the Tibetan monk has not been allowed to visit Thailand because of refusal of the necessary visa. Who is afraid of the Dalai Lama? As a Buddhist monk, he is a peaceful and open-minded man, trying to find a harmonious solution to the Tibetan issue by non-violent means and dialogue, in the interests of both Tibetan and Chinese peoples, according to Buddhist principles. He is not asking for independence, but for a genuine autonomy in the frame of the Chinese constitution. He is advocating for the rights of his people and the protection of the unique Tibetan civilisation, today threatened by the Chinese military occupation. Opening the door to the Tibetan leader would be an honour for the Kingdom, contributing at the same time to a much-needed reconciliation between the two sides, especially at a moment when Thailand tables its candidacy for the UN Human rights Council.
JC Solal
Bangkok
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Rural economies are under the GDP radar
Burin's letter today uses GDP statistics to demonstrate that Thailand has vastly more poor people in the agricultural sector than Malaysia. I've seen this argument several times before, and although it sounds convincing, it is impossible to be so clear cut in a country like Thailand.
As in Burin's letter, statistics like these are often used to claim that Thaksin's cash handouts to poor people were an important social policy innovation. However, GDP and average income levels, while broadly indicative of social problems in Western societies, where taxes and data on every citizen's real annual income are collected, cannot be applied to Thailand's agricultural sector, where the vast majority of incomes and expenses go entirely unreported.
The fact is that much of Thailand's rural economy still depends to a very large extent on rural self-sufficiency. Rice crops, fruit and vegetables are grown, harvested, and consumed locally among families and within the villages that grow them; only the excess is channelled to market. Much also of the wider village market economy is entirely cash based, with no transaction reporting to government. In actual fact, there is here a wealth of un-monetised activity that glides beneath the radar of GDP and income statistics. Money, when it is available, is used to purchase consumer goods: Pickup trucks, motorcycles, mobile phones, TVs, entertainment and alcohol - items that are generally far out of reach of most poor people in, for example, Burma.
Jonathan W Peter
Pathum Thani
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Make life easier for long-stay tourists
When a nation like Thailand is ambitiously trying to increase it's world profile and at the same time increase its economy, it can't afford to overlook anything.
In Canada there are hundreds of thousands of seniors who are known as "Snow Birds", which means they spend four to five months escaping the harsh winter. Mexico and the Southern US have been the main destinations, but Mexico isn't exactly safe any more.
Thailand could easily launch a Canadian marketing programme to advertise the advantage of wintering in this fabulous country. It is cheaper here than Canada, Mexico or the US. Thai Air is associated with Air Canada and could offer "Snow Bird" fares. Travel ads in Canada illustrating accommodation, shopping, restaurants, beaches etc, would attract an ever-growing influx of Canadians for the winter months. It would be necessary to create a "Snow Bird" visa, as people do hate to do visa runs and leave the country for an hour and re-enter. This practice is very irritating to tourists wishing to spend time and thousands of tourist dollars in Thailand.
Florida spends a lot targeting Snow Birds from Canada, so if the US finds it worthwhile, so to should Thailand.
It all increases economic growth, international profile, imports and exports, and would have a domino effect on the growth Thailand is looking for.
I was booked here for two months but am leaving early rather than leave the country and come back. Someone else will benefit from the balance of my vacation funds. I'd rather just stay here and wish it was more convenient.
Tim Devlin
Toronto
