Anything & Everything About Thailand

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 10 October 2006 :-

Facelift for City Pillar Shrine

The City Pillar Shrine has been closed for its first facelift in 20 years at a cost of Bt6 million.

The Fine Arts Department hoped the makeover would bring about good luck and stability for the country.

Department director-general Arak Sanghitkul said work had started on the two pillars, five goddess sculptures, the mural and landscaping. The work is being subsidised by the Veterans General Foundation.

In 1782, King Rama I had the first City Pillar erected in front of the Grand Palace during the construction of Bangkok as the new capital of Siam. The City Pillar Shrine was reconstructed by King Rama IV.

Arak said the centuries-old pillars had become dilapidated.

Gilding on the eldest pillar had become dirty and the second, last restored 20 years ago, had been rotted by humidity.

"The pillars might suffer more severe damage if they are not urgently repaired," said Arak, adding they would be dried and re-lacquered before new gilding was applied.

The work will be finished by February and is another project marking the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne.

The City Pillar Shrine is a sacred Bangkok landmark. People believe the pillars have made the nation safe and the goddesses residing there guard people and guarantee a pleasant life.

"The renovation of the City Pillar Shrine is believed to create good luck and bring an end to unpleasant situations," said Arak.

People will be allowed to pay homage from outside the shrine.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 11 October 2006 :-

The Mall upbeat about target

The Mall Group, the operator of Siam Paragon and The Emporium department stores, expects combined sales revenue from the two high-end outlets to meet a target of 17 billion baht as the clearer political outlook is lifting consumer confidence. According to Natsamon Vongkittipat, assistant chief marketing officer of The Mall Group, the optimistic forecast was driven in part by the combined total of the two stores of 12.5 billion baht in sales to the end of September. Of the total, 7.6 billion baht was from Siam Paragon, with The Emporium contributing the remainder.

Executives previously expressed concerns that local political uncertainty and the gloomy economy would drive down sales. She said that as the political situation had cleared, tourists would return and begin spending again.

Siam Paragon and the Emporium are popular with expatriates and tourists. Foreign consumers currently account for 40% of the visitors to Siam Paragon and 30% to The Emporium.

The company will focus on attracting more foreign customers, especially from Japan, Korea, Singapore and China, due to their rising figures every year, as well as promoting Siam Paragon as a tourist destination.

She said that more than half of the foreign consumers visiting The Emporium were Japanese.

To boost sales in the buildup to the Christmas holiday, she said the group had earmarked 200 million baht for marketing campaigns. The spending is part of the 700 million baht the group has set aside for marketing promotions for both shopping complexes this year.

Mrs Natsamon said the group expected to generate revenue of at least 4.5 billion baht during the festive season.

Siam Paragon has 150,000 visitors per day on holidays and weekends and 70,000 per day during the week. The Emporium has 40,000 visitors on weekdays and 80,000 on weekends.

She said the company was collaborating with Toyota Motor Thailand and Samitivej Hospital, which treated 51,000 international patients last year, to launch marketing campaigns at the end of this year.

It also plans to team up with international companies on further marketing campaigns to attract more international consumers, she said.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Saturday 21 October 2006 :-

Deputy PM says Suvarnabhumi Airport is embarrassing : AoT ordered to stop thinking of expansion

Deputy Prime Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula took senior Transport Ministry and airport officials to task yesterday for Suvarnabhumi airport's substandard services, which have become a big source of embarrassment for the country.

A lengthy campaign to project it as a world class airport has only brought embarrassment, he said.

Unhappy about the facilities, he has ordered Airports of Thailand (AoT) officials to stop thinking about expanding the airport and instead spend more energy and time over the next six months to make improvements to its services, according to sources at a closed-door meeting yesterday. The airport should first be worthy of praise for its services before any expansion is undertaken, he was quoted as saying.

Suvarnabhumi can currently handle 45 million passengers a year and officials hope to make it the region's biggest once the airport is fully expanded.

M.R. Pridiyathorn blamed the rush to open the airport for its poor services and stressed the need to rebuild its reputation, said the sources.

"Although the airport and its hardware are considered world class, its facilities are not. This is worrisome and everyone involved must help bring about improvements to the airport because it has been under constant criticism since the day it came into operation," said M.R. Pridiyathorn, who has already used Suvarnabhumi's services three times.

None of the senior officials attending the meeting disagreed with M.R. Pridiyathorn, who is also finance minister, and they promised to quickly get rid of the problems.

Most complaints from travellers have been about insufficient toilets, signs to direct passengers, and a shortage of meeting space, especially at the arrivals lounge.

Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen, his deputy Sansern Wongcha-um and AoT president Chotisak Asapaviriya have all admitted that had the airport's opening been delayed, these problems would not have cropped up. "It's undeniable that the problems resulted from the decision to open the airport too soon when it was not ready," said Mr Chotisak.

The opening of Suvarnabhumi was ordered by the previous government amid warnings that its facilities were not yet ready to offer standard services.

The AoT top executive said the agency had earmarked about 40 million baht to build more toilets inside and outside the terminal by the end of the year.

Fifty toilets will be added outside the airport building and 205 additional toilets will be built inside on the first, second and fourth floors, with some of them occupying areas now being used as the AoT offices, according to Mr Chotisak.

M.R. Pridiyathorn promised to continue a plan of the previous government to build more mass transit lines to transport commuters from residential areas outside Bangkok to the downtown area.

The previous administration picked three lines for construction _ the Red Line from Rangsit to Phaya Thai, the Violet Line from Bang Sue to Bang Yai and the Blue Line route, an expansion of the underground train from Hua Lamphong to Bang Khae and Bang Sue to Tha Phra.

Their future depends on next week's talks, when the deputy premier will assess the benefits of the three routes with key officials at the Transport Ministry, including its minister and deputy, and those from the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority of Thailand and the State Railway of Thailand. But the policy is clear-cut, according to M.R. Pridiyathorn, who wants to see the mass transit lines to end traffic woes in the capital and enable users living in suburban areas to travel to Bangkok within an hour.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Saturday 21 October 2006 :-

Suvit hears international carriers' airport complaints

International airlines have urged Airports of Thailand (AOT) and other state agencies to sort out a host of problems that need urgent attention at Suvarnabhumi Airport, especially as regards security, personal expenses and toilet facilities.
More than 10 airline executives spelled out their gripes to Tourism Minister Suvit Yodmani during their tour of the new facility yesterday.

Sam Lee, city station manager for Singapore Airlines, said AOT should provide more amenities for staff working at the airport, such as canteens, shuttle buses, parking lots as well as security.

"Many employees are going to work at night. They need safety while travelling," he said, adding that workers are also suffering from higher living costs since they moved out to the new airport.

Sarathool Monthienvichienchai, general manager for Thailand, Burma, Vietnam and Nepal at Northwest Airlines, said the public areas were filthy despite being looked after at all times. "I have noticed all the dirty places, from immigration to the gates, rest rooms and parking areas," he said.

Also, the number of restrooms cannot keep up with demand.

The lack of cleanliness at Suvarnabhumi is in stark contrast with its spick-and-span rivals in Singapore and Hong Kong, he added.

Patrick Yueng, regional manager of Cathay Pacific Airways, said the distance between all the gates and immigration made for a long trek for passengers. This might inconvenience travellers.

Having one terminal handling both domestic and international flights makes it difficult to find gates and catch connecting flights.

Chaiwat Jaiyavat, station manager for Austrian Airlines, said AOT must correct its signs and spelling of places and areas not only at the airport, but also along the way in and out of the airport.

"This problem could make tourists confused and get lost," he said.

An executive of Lufthansa Airlines said the airport must prepare more aircraft parking aprons, particularly for the super-jumbos that will be used in the near future.

An executive of China Airlines said city buses should reduce fares between the airport and downtown to help staff with commuting costs.

Suvit said the ministry would work with AOT to solve these problems within two weeks. "One thing we can do now is add 300 more toilets at the new airport."
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Saturday 21 October 2006 :-

Alcohol displays visible to passers-by to be banned

Shops nationwide cannot have displays of alcoholic drinks that can be seen from outside from December 5 onwards, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.

However, they can still display alcoholic drinks inside.

Thawat Sunthracharn, director-general of the Public Health Ministry's Disease Control Department, noted that the alcohol industry was subject to less strict restrictions than those imposed on tobacco companies.

Cigarette packs cannot be displayed at all, but the display of alcoholic drinks in shops, convenience stores and groceries will continue to be legal as long as passers-by cannot see it from outside.

"The measure is not aimed at preventing regular drinkers from drinking, but to block the increase of new drinkers - especially teenagers," Thawat said.

Thawat said the ministry would finalise details of the restrictions on alcohol advertising and announce these nationwide by December 3.

"Manufacturers, retailers and state officials who enforce the law might be confused about what's allowed and disallowed, so we will clarify everything before the ban takes effect," said Thawat.

FDA deputy secretary-general Manit Arunakul said alcohol advertisements on banners and billboards placed in public view will be prohibited. Advertising banners placed in front of shops must also be moved inside.

Manit said "sexy" drink promoters would be allowed to work as long as there is no logo of alcoholic products on their clothing.

Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla yesterday insisted the proposed Alcohol Control Act sent back by the Cabinet for reassessment would be enforced before the New Year as it was aimed at reducing the death toll from road accidents during the long weekend.

Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Kosit Panpiemras will chair a meeting of the working group set up by the Cabinet to discuss the Act next Tuesday. The main issue to be reconsidered will be the minimum legal age to buy alcohol, initially specified at 25.

"The minimum age will be lowered to under 25, but the exact age will be decided by the working group," said Mongkol.

"It could be 21, 20 or 18 years," said Thawat. "Thai people graduate at about 22 and have the right to vote at 18. It might be too much if those people have no right to buy a drink."
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Monday 23 October 2006 :-

Webcam extension of foreigners' stays okayed

The Immigration Bureau has launched a new service which allows foreign nationals to request the extension of their stay through an internet web camera.

Surapol Thanakoses, commander of the Bangkok immigration police, said on Saturday the service was introduced to make it more convenient for foreigners, particularly businessmen, to reach the bureau.

Insisting the service would not breach security regulations, he said foreigners would have to identify themselves and answer questions put before them by immigration officers through a web-accessible camera before receiving the extension.

The webcam project, piloted last month, has so far attracted 19 users and encountered no problems. Its official launch took place on Friday.

Pol Maj-Gen Surapol said his bureau is also providing mobile services and sending its officers to renew the work permits of foreign employees if requested by a company.

The new service will help save foreign nationals the hassle of making the trip to the bureau.

But the bureau is only making its mobile services available on condition that the company involved must have at least 80 foreign workers lined up for renewal.

If the company has more than 10 foreign employees, it could book an appointment with the bureau through its "pre-queue" service via e-mail, he said. Pol Maj-Gen Surapol said the company should also e-mail its foreign employees' profiles in advance so that officers could prepare renewal documents and set a date for its employees to obtain the papers.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 25 October 2006 :-

Drinking age in Thailand to be raised to 20

Thailand's Cabinet Tuesday decided to raise the threshold making the legal age for liquor consumption to be age 20 and to complete the process to enforce the new regulation along with the total ban on liquor commercials by November 2006.

Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla said the Cabinet discussed the legal drinking age, which was originally pondered to be 25, and decided on 20

The Disease Control Department will work out details of the draft Alcoholic Beverage Consumption Control Act before seeking Cabinet approval. After Cabinet endorsement, the draft will be sent to the Council of State and the whole process which leads to enforcement of this new rule should be completed by November, according to Dr. Mongkol.

Apart from setting the drinking age, the Cabinet also discussed complaints about the impact of the Food and Drug Administration's order banning liquor advertisements around the clock that will result in a Bt200 million revenue loss to the state.

Dr. Mongkol said the Cabinet is of the view that advertising revenue from the alcoholic drink sector is neither significant nor sustainable. The Cabinet is pondering a possible solution in the form of increasing the so-called 'sin tax' – doubling the collection of "health promotion" duties on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages from the current rate of two per cent to four per cent.

To address potential constraints in implementing the law, Dr. Mongkol said the Public Health Ministry will invite the private sector and all stakeholders to discuss enforcement.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday 25 October 2006 :-

Sacred 224-year-old City Pillar gets first face-lift in 20 years

Standing at the centre of Thailand's spiritual sanctuary for more than 200 years and visited by around 1,000 worshippers each day, the City Pillar is now undergoing its first grand renovation in 20 years.

"The 224-year-old pillar has become dilapidated. We can't let this sacred pillar deteriorate like this, so a face-lift is needed now," said Lamom Kongsuwan, director of the Bangkok City Pillar Shrine.

The shrine is operated by the War Veterans Organisation, which has overseen it since 1984.

"We want people to feel fresh when they come to worship and see no spots on their sacred pillar," Lamom said.

The City Pillar Shrine was declared a national historic site in 1975, so experts from the Fine Arts Department must oversee the renovation, and every step of its progress will be reported to His Majesty the King.

The project includes both City Pillars (the second was added by King Mongkut), the shrine pavilion, the statues of guardian spirits and the wall mural in the guardian spirits pavilion. It has a budget of Bt6 million. The area around the shrine is being landscaped at a cost of Bt11 million.

Worshippers have played an important role in the renovation as the budget comes from donations made at the shrine, Lamom said.

The City Pillar Shrine is believed to bring the Kingdom safety, happiness and prosperity. Worshipping the Pillar is thought to rid bad luck, increase good fortune and enhance virtue.

The shrine, situated outside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha near the Defence Ministry building, has incredible symbolic significance as it marks the founding of the capital.

In 1782, King Rama I had the first City Pillar erected in front of the Grand Palace during Bangkok's construction as the new capital of Siam. The City Pillar Shrine was reconstructed by King Rama IV, who added another pillar to the original.

The pillars were last renovated in 1986.

"Gilding on the older pillar had become dirty, while the second was covered with metal in the last restoration 20 years ago and has been corroded by humidity," said Fine Arts Department director general Arak Sanghitkul.

Arak said the pillars would be dried and re-lacquered before new gilding was applied. The metal covering the second pillar will be removed before gilding.

The renovation had originally been scheduled for completion at the end of this month, but work has been halted since the recent political crisis, Lamom said.

"Before the coup, some former political figures ordered an urgent break to the restoration. They believed that the scaffold and blind covering the Pillar caused misfortune to the city," she said, refusing to give names.

Arak said the work would be finished by February.

The City Pillar has been tied to beliefs about the country's stability for centuries, and it is not uncommon to see country leaders, especially military commanders, worshipping at the site.

Shrine officers count the number of daily visitors through the sales of the set of sacrifices: lotus flowers, joss sticks, a candle, gold leaf, colourful fabric and a bottle of oil for filling the lucky lamps.

The daily proceeds are between Bt40,000 and Bt80,000 during the week and over Bt100,000 on weekends. This means more than 1,000 worshippers a day, not including those who bring their own flowers.

Bangkok resident Vilai Sukprasitpridi, 69, who paid homage to the shrine yesterday despite it being closed for renovation, said she believes the City Pillar spirit guards the country and all Thai families.

"I have visited the shrine since I was young, and nowadays my daughter brings me here," she said. "Every time I come, I have always returned home consoled."

Besides renovations to the sacred construction, Lamom said she hoped to systemise flower-vendors outside the shrine who are now a gang who overcharge first-time visitors. Police and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration officers had failed to take action against the vendors, Lamom said. The gang attacked a former shrine director when he tried to drive them out.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

History of City Pillar

King Rama I, the founding monarch of the Chakri Dynasty, commanded the installation of the City Pillar to be held on April 21, 1782, which was a Sunday, the 10th day of the waxing moon.

The City Pillar was placed at an auspicious location in the heart of Bangkok, then called "Krung Rattanakosin-intra-ayothaya".

The Pillar was made from a Chaiyaphruk tree and the horoscope of the city was placed in its hollow. The Pillar, lacquered and gilded, stands 274 centimetres above ground and sits 200 centimetres underground.

In 1852, King Rama IV commanded the old Pillar to be replaced with a new one. The King also tied the new city horoscope to his birth horoscope so that the country and people under royal protection would prosper forever.

In the reign of King Rama V, the monarch commanded a grand renovation of the city's landscape in which many new official places and roads were constructed. This displaced five important shrines housing the city's guardian spirits.

Statues of the spirits - Phra Sua Muang, Phra Song Muang, Phra Kanchaisri, Chao Chettakhup and Chao Hoklong - were relocated to the City Pillar Shrine.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Friday 27 October 2006 :-

FDA waters down ban on alcohol ads

Agency decides to allow commercials without brand names or logos of products to give industry some leeway

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday radically toned down its "total ban" on alcohol advertising by permitting 24-hour indirect TV commercials that carry the name of alcohol companies without showing brand and logo of particular alcoholic drinks.

The agency said some exceptions were essential to give the alcohol industry more room to manoeuvre.

Apart from the initial exemption for foreign live telecasts and imported newspapers and magazines, the new rules include any form of advertising, both on TV and local print media, that does not carry the brand name or logo of alcoholic products.

The name of an alcohol company is allowed to appear as a sponsor of a TV programme without time restriction, for example, as long as it is not the same name as the alcohol product, said Manit Arunaku, the acting secretary-general of the FDA.

If an alcohol company makes other products, such as drinking water, and uses the same logo, advertising for the non-alcohol product is allowed only if the logo is in a different colour, he said.

As for the controversial use of attractive girls for sales promotions at bars and restaurants, Manit said that will still be allowed as long as their dresses do not bear the brand or logo of the product they represent.

The use of colour to represent a product in any form of media, including bar decorations, TV commercials or "sexy girl" uniforms is also allowed.

As for alcohol displays at convenience stores, department stores and bars, the law will not be as strict as the ban on cigarette advertising, Manit said.

Only displays of alcohol products blatantly promoted by advertising will be regarded as a violation of the alcohol ban.

While broadening the exemptions to the restrictions on alcohol advertising, the FDA said it would not alter the punishment.

From November 3 on, any violation of the ban will be prosecuted without warning, Manit said. The penalty includes a maximum three-month jail term and a maximum fine of Bt30,000.

Dr Tairjing Siriphanich, the secretary-general of the Don't Drive Drunk Foundation, accepted the FDA's more flexible approach.

"I don't support alcohol advertising myself, but I do support the FDA's flexibility in this case," Tairjing said. If the new ban was too extreme it would have an adverse affect and drive alcohol companies underground, he said.

"If they are left with no choices, who knows? What if they turn to spending their advertising budget on a price war instead? That would lead to even higher consumption of alcohol," he said.

A source from a beverage company said his firm was confused by the FDA's decision to permit corporate image ads as this wasn't what alcohol companies had requested from the state agency. He said the industry had only wanted the FDA to enforce its ban on alcohol advertisements impartially and not create "double standards".

Witawat Jayapani, president of the Advertising Association of Thailand, said he was surprised with the FDA about why it toned down the ad ban order. He added every progress of the order including this wasn't opened for alcohol players to give opinions.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Sunday 29 October 2006 :-

Extended smoking ban begins Dec 29, 2006

The Minister of Public Health confirmed on Saturday that anti-smoking laws will be widely extended on Dec 29, 2006 to take in almost all public areas and additional private rooms.

Mongkol Na Songkhla, the minister, kicked off a new anti-smoking campaign focussing on the danger of the second-hand smoke on close family members.

He told reporters at the event he had ordered aggressive enforcement of new laws which extend the ban on smoking, with violators facing an on-the-spot fine of 2,000 baht.

The new ban extends no-smoking areas to more public places, but also includes public areas not currently covered.

As of Dec 29, the law forbids smoking in transportation terminals, public parks, bus stops, sports stadiums, hotel lobbies, and traditional massage parlours. Health police "will take immediate action against violators," the minister said.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Thursday 2 November 2006 :-

Skytrain fares to go up five baht on Dec 1, 2006

Skytrain fares will increase by five baht from Dec 1 onwards to absorb rising operations costs, Bangkok Mass Transit Corp (BTS) officials said yesterday.

However, BTS executives insist the new fares will not affect long-distance passengers as the price ceiling of 40 baht will remain unchanged.

Under the new rates, passengers will be charged 15 baht as a minimum fare and have to pay five baht more for every two stations they travel.

But the maximum fare of 40-baht set by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will not be changed, said Anat Abhabirama, an adviser to BTS which runs the skytrain services.

Mr Anat said the fare hikes were deemed necessary in the face of rising operations costs, but defended the increases saying it was the first time the company had raised its fares since the transit system was launched in 1999.

The 23 kilometres of elevated rail runs from Taksin bridge to Mor Chit in northern Bangkok and to Onnuj in eastern Bangkok, serving an estimated 430,000 passengers a day.

The company is also in the process of expanding the skytrain routes with a 2.2 kilometre extension from Taksin bridge to Taksin Intersection in Thonburi and a 5.25 kilometre extension from Onnuj to Sukhumvit Soi 107 (Soi Baring).
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 3 November 2006 :-

Thai schoolgirls 'selling sex for easy money'

Young schoolgirls have been selling sex during school term breaks to earn pocket money to play online games and buy luxury items, investigators have found.

The Crimes against Children, Juvenile and Women Suppression Division (CCSD) recently said that sex services were offered by girls as young as 12 during the school holiday last month.

It claimed scores of young schoolgirls, including those in lower high school and commercial colleges, took up prostitution for the easy money, so they could buy mobile phones, clothes and accessories and play online games.

Pol Maj Uthen Nuipin, an inspector from the CCSD sub-division 1, said some girls in Bangkok had left home over the school break last month to stay with friends and offered sex for money, with motorcycle taxi drivers acting as go-betweens.

He said some parents thought their daughters had gone missing, prompting police to search for them.

The officers discovered the girls were selling themselves and making between 1,500 and 3,000 baht each.

Pol Maj Uthen said he interviewed a 12-year-old girl who had sex with her boyfriend and thought she could now pocket some cash from sleeping with men for money.

He insisted that those who paid for such sexual services would face three to 15 years in jail or be fined 6,000 to 30,000 baht, or both, no matter if the minor was willing or not.

A 13-year-old schoolgirl in Mathayom 2 said she bought the newest models of mobile phones with the money she was paid for sex.

She was arrested on Nov 1, together with her customer, in Prawet district.

Pol Maj Uthen said his agency would speed up joint cooperation with relevant agencies to draw up a long-term solution to the problem before the next school summer break.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Thursday 9 November 2006 :-

Group of men forcefully demolish stalls in Chatuchak Market

Dozens of police are reinforced into Chatuchak weekend market after some 120 men armed with batons and big knives forcefully demolished hundreds of stalls in the market on Thursday morning. The men wore T-shirt with the word "police" on them.

The men briefly clashed with vendors of the stalls who rushed into the sites after learning of the demolition. The sites belong to the State Railway Authority.

Cursing and yelling at each other, both sides claimed that they had official documents to prove their actions. Some vendors were seen throwing bricks and stones at the men who shouted back and threatened to assault the vendors.

There are still unclear how many were injured during the incident.

The men reportedly started the demolition at about 4pm and continued until 7pm. They claimed that they had court order allowing them to knock down the stalls.

A woman identified herself only as Apinya claimed that she represented a developer company that has ownership over the area and is allowed to demolition works.

The vendors also showed court documents that suspend any demolition works pending trial on ownership of the areas.

After police intervention, both sides agree to go to Bang Sue police station to discuss about the incident.--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[Suchinda]

KatoeyLover69 you are a fucker. Waste bandwith cutting and pasting news we can get on internet anyway. Save your time and ours.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Thursday 16 November 2006 :-

Cross-cultural marriages - Foreign husbands bring big changes to Isaan

Somtam is out and hamburgers are in as more Northeast women adopt husbands' customs, according to a survey of the cultural impact of increasing Thai-Westerner marriages

Many Thai women in the Northeast who have married foreigners are now keener on eating pizzas and hamburgers than somtam and prefer celebrating Western holidays like Christmas and Valentine's Day to traditional Thai holidays, a Khon Kaen University study has found.

Cross-cultural marriages have caused major social changes in the Northeast, including less family participation in community activities, the study - released yesterday - said.

A mix of various aspects of the two cultures was on the rise, the study found. It cited the example of many Thai wives now being keener on eating Western food and almost forgetting somtam - the region's popular papaya salad dish.

The head of the study, Asst Prof Supawatanakorn Wongtha-nawasu of the university's Faculty of Nursing, said her team interviewed 231 Thai wives in Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Roi Et and found that foreign son-in-laws had caused the community-oriented Northeasterners to become the more individualistic and give less attention to social interaction.

Cross-cultural couples had less interaction with neighbours because foreign husbands faced language and cultural obstacles, while the wives tried to adjust by becoming "farang" rather than helping their husbands to be more 'Thai', Supawatanakorn said.

Thai culture in these families was thus overshadowed by Western culture, with the families' own consent, due to the pride of having foreign sons-in-law, she said.

The researchers also found most wives interviewed were either not interested or less enthusiastic about traditional Thai holidays - such as Buddhist Lent and Makha Bucha Day - compared with Western holidays like Christmas Day or Valentine's Day.

"In some Khon Kaen villages, with dozens of women marrying farangs, Christmas Day is no different from the movies with real traditional Christmas celebrations, while many Northeastern festivals were forgotten," the academic said.

On the other hand, many foreign husbands enjoyed celebrating the Songkran festival but did not understand the tradition and meaning behind it, she said.

The wives still ate somtam, which they grew up eating, but also ate pizza, hamburgers or fried chicken as a symbol of their adjustment to Western culture.

Many ended up eating both local and Western dishes, while their husbands found it harder to adjust to local food and stuck more to Western food.

Supawatanakorn said that since the wives found it more convenient to cook once for all family members including their husbands, Northeastern food - especially somtam with fermented fish - had gradually disappeared from their meals, she said.

The study found that most Northeastern Thai women married to foreigners were over 30, with an average age of 35, and had education below secondary level. More than 70 per cent had previously wed and divorced Thai husbands and most had one child from the first marriage.

Supawatanakorn said most wives saw their cross-cultural marriage as turning over a new leaf.

The average age of farang husbands was 50, and most came from Germany, Britain and Scandinavia. A fourth of those over 60 had brought their retirement funds to settle down with Thai wives who took care of them, Supawatanakorn said.

The foreign husbands had an average income of Bt60,000 a month, but most of their wives didn't know their husband's work or educational background. The wives were mainly interested in whether their husbands had enough money to support the family, she said.

The study also found that Isaan families whose members had married foreigners had changed their views on choosing spouses. From the traditional practice of parents choosing spouses for their children, the decision is now made by the individual and is based mainly on economic security. Some women agreed to marry foreigners they had never met before the wedding day as they felt that if the man had money, the villagers would eventually accept and respect them.

With the obvious increase in wealth of wives married to farang, due to their husbands' financial support, some 90 per cent of residents surveyed said they wanted their daughters to marry foreigners, Supawatanakorn said.

Some girls told the researchers they were prepared to fly overseas to marry a foreigner when they grew up.

Cross-cultural marriages were also supported by the older generation as these couples took care of their own children instead of placing the burden on the grandparents, or could afford nannies.

However, the cross-cultural marriage weakened the children's language skills as parents spoke to them in a mix of Thai and English, which confused the kids and made them less fluent in the Thai language, she said.

The children's English skills were limited to basic daily communication due to the parents' limited educational background or a less stimulating social environment.

In areas with many farang residents there was the phenomenon of shops putting up signs for their goods in Thai and English and of English being spoken between vendors and husbands, Supawatanakorn said.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork