(Here below is a brief translation of a headline story in today's Thai Rath newspaper)

On May 28, the Culture Ministry received complaints about an American company which had been advertising products by the name 'Philosophy' on the Internet using the Buddha as their logo.

After a bit of investigation, the ministry agreed it was sacrilege to screen an image of the Buddha like this on to inappropriate clothing. The clothing included women’s knickers (similar to g-strings), men’s underpants, dog warmers and women’s spaghetti-style tops - all of which is sold under the guise of a Buddhist Gift Shop.

Many Buddhists, on coming across the website, have been very angry. They have asked the Culture Ministry to take immediate action. They are also confused to why such accounts of sacrilege like this happen so often. In Thailand recently, we have had strip-tease shows at temples and Coyote dancing at funerals etc.. - seems like we have no shame, just like foreigners. It is much wanted that foreigners realize that Buddhism is our national religion and that it is sacrilege to use images of the Buddha is such a way.

There really ought to be a clear law which states that such offenders be punished. We are tired of just hearing the same usual excuse of “Oh, I’m sorry” time and time again.

Our reporters decided to investigate the site for themselves and found that all the items on sale had images of the Buddha. Besides those things as mentioned above, we also found t-shirts, caps, vests, boxer shorts, belts, mugs and bags etc…

Mr Preecha of the Dept of Religion said that the matter will be forwarded to the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Thai Embassy in America etc etc….

The following blog/article was published last Saturday in The Nation newspaper. Here below however, is the original un-edited submission)

(According to Western reporters last year: Bangkok is the world's naughty-nymphet capital)

Ever since the much publicized censorship incidents, it has all been rather enthralling if not actually quite amusing to have been sat at the Internet reading the world’s comments about Thailand. Some of the weird and wonderful perceptions foreigners have of Thailand are made even more extra-ordinary when they are written by folk whose closest real-hand experience of Thailand is buying friend noodles at their local Tom Yum Kung take-away shop.

So, just where do, a lot of these supposed intellectuals get their glorious ideas about Thailand? Quite obviously the media.

Take the infamous John Mark Karr scenario last year. When he was arrested in Thailand, the foreign media were up in arms, declaring Bangkok the pedophile capital of the world. Potential perverts, on the phone booking the quickest flight to Thailand, must have been dribbling at the mouth at the prospect of naughty nymphets waiting to be had at every street corner. As a possible aftermath of this brainwashing, I remember the news not long after of a middle-eastern guy busted for standing half-naked drunk outside a primary school near Jomthien Beach doing an Arabian belly-dance and waving a 100 baht note in the air. I hasten to add however, that any lollypop-lover may be just a trifle disappointed when he realizes that perhaps the Western reports of such everyday activity in Thailand don’t quite live up to his fiendish fantasy.

Leading on from that incident, highly qualified and knowledgeable Western reporters were quick to point out that such immoral business exists in Thailand because of rampant poverty. Now, I am not going to say that such inhumane activity does not exist in Thailand, but it is certainly nothing like what the Western media portrays. As for that poverty lark, well how do you define poverty? If you define it as lack of food, shelter, clean water and clothing, then there is very little poverty in Thailand. If you define poverty as lack of an MP3, new Honda Dream and a flat-screen TV set, yes then there is a lot of poverty in Thailand. But then again, if you define it so, then the West is also full of poverty. By the way, if you had no choice, what kind of poverty would you settle for, a gun-toting Los Angeles slum or a buffalo-ridden remote Isarn village?

(Bar-girls: Enjoying life in the bar. If not, they can get a job in some factory)

And according to the Western media, destitute Thai families from the north and north-east are so undernourished, that unless their young women go seek out some wealthy male company at some fancy tourist destination or a Rachadaphisek massage parlour, they are going to starve to death. After watching a documentary on such ordeals, male tourists are completely perplexed when they witness for themselves these girls who have been supposedly forced into prostitution, clad in brand-new designer label jeans, chatting away on their digi-camera mobiles, whilst laughing away and meticulously applying their make-up like some junior-high girl. Western media forgets to point out that most girls however, from hard-up families, have a choice, they can either engage themselves in after-dark employment or do as the majority do and find a manual job; just the latter doesn’t pay so well.

Working on the Internet, I am often dumbstruck at some of the questions I get asked by potential travelers to Thailand “Steve, can I buy shampoo and toothpaste in Thailand or must I bring my own?” or “Excuse me Steve, if I eat on the street will I get food-poisoning?” “Certainly” I reply “And don’t forget, when traveling north, the only mode of transportation is elephant”

Or how about this one I was told once by a newly arrived backpacker, and I am not joking “I heard that if I wanna score some dope that I should go to the back of any police station and ask some dodgy-looking cop”. Some theatrical foreign reporting of just how easy it is to buy drugs, makes it out that you can, like candy, just pop into any old corner shop and stock up on your favourite illegitimate intoxicants. Or how about drugs and the law enforcers, I have read Internet comments along the lines of this one before “If I get caught with Ganja, how much should I pay the police?” or how about this one for paranoia “What should I do if a policeman plants drugs on me?” Well, a lot of that mentality again evolves from exaggerated foreign reporting of the cops in Thailand. Now, I am not going to say that such corrupt scenarios don’t exist here, because it does, but nothing on the level which it is made out to.

Some of the literature written by some foreigners who have been incarcerated in Thailand is another wayward source of sensationalism. Now, if you used to be a prisoner in Thailand and want to write a book about it, your publisher needs to sell the darned story. It is advised therefore, to just make up a few adventures; popular themes which sell well are ones of wardens with handcuffs indulging in sordid swinging sessions, dog food which is force-fed to new inmates, cunning pregnant cockroaches which crawl into your ears, female pig anatomies for hire and finally there is such an abundance of heroine readily available that if you have enough cash you can shoot up from dawn til dust and no-one’s gonna bat an eyelid. In fact, the Thai judiciary system is portrayed in such a bad light in the West, that if you do get arrested with a few kilos at the airport; simply plead innocent, claim it was all a set up, you were the victim of a brutal beating and shiver-me-timbers your local media and a pompous politician will be on to your plight in no time!

(Above pic of recovering drug-addict in Thailand and according to reports, drugs can be found as simply as candy)

Besides rampant nymphets and narcotics, another extremely unpleasant element in Thailand is the horrendous Farang mafia. According to reports, pitiable Pattaya is plagued by extremely dangerous scores of German mafia, Italian Mafia, Israeli mafia, Timbuktu mafia and the most dangerous of all, the awe inspiring Russian mafia. Before you shiver in your pants however, let me recall the tale of supposed Russian mafia a few years ago. After robbing a bank, the gangsters made their dash in an instantly bought speed boat and revved it out to sea - Koh Samui bound. Unfortunately however, the hoodlums had failed to realize that such devices need a tank full of petrol and thus one hour later they were witnessed by the entire nation being paraded live in front of the live news cameras wearing nowt but their Y-fronts.

The Thai press, in regards to exaggerated reports of Farang mafia and criminal gangs, are just as bad though. Some of the stories which have made the Thai language press over the past couple of years have been almost laughable. As a Middle-Easterner, whatever you do, do not get caught over-staying your visa, or we will be waking up to possibilities of prominent Al-Qaeda presence on Thai soil. As an Englishman, if you get caught managing a pub without a proper visa, by geez you could be wanted by Interpol as belonging to some terrifying international ‘Milwall Mafioso Mobster’ gang.

Some seedy foreign publications must have their own squad of Thai-English translators or spectacular first-hand reporters at their beck and call too, as within no time, they also will be reporting similar tales of sordid syndicates – members of which are as organized as some cost-saving Thai B-Movie production.

And, how about democracy? We have read and heard, especially from countries like The Land of Uncle Sam that true democracy doesn’t exist in Thailand. I advise therefore, to follow in the golden footsteps of such fantastic nations and call immediately a free and fair election. An election just like theirs, where propaganda, money, big-business and religion have no influence whatsoever on the outcome of the vote. Wonderful lands, where prostitution and drugs are hard to come by, few nymphet-dealers and foreign gangsters who stalk the streets. And finally, all their citizens are devoid of financial hardships.

When I was younger, I once sat on the jury of a murder trial. It lasted for about seven days. I had always been fascinated by courtroom dramas and after watching “Twelve Angry Men” I fancied myself as Head Juror. Alas, I was only 19 at the time and no-one voted me for that position. Although it was a serious case, I did enjoy my time listening to the arguments of the prosecution and defence. The evidence was overwhelming and I think we all knew what the verdict would be quite early on in the case. On the final day, we were sent to deliberate the verdict just before lunch. There wasn’t really much to discuss and I think we could have gone back in straight away with a guilty verdict. However, out of respect for the accused, we decided we should at least put on a show of having a deep and meaningful discussion. We were also hungry and decided to order the free lunch and give our verdict after we had sufficiently rested.

In Thailand, the Courts of Justice don’t quite work in the same way. In the Criminal Courts, there are always at least two judges and no jury. Although it may seem to be unfair not being judged by a panel of your peers. I think it is probably better if amateurs, like myself, didn’t have so much of a say in the lives of the accused. But then, that leaves a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of the judges. A few days ago I was in court for the trial of a defendent who had been accused of attempted murder. This was a Westerner who was being put on trial in a foreign land. Everything was conducted in Thai. At the beginning of the case, there was a discussion between the judges and the defence team as to whether there should be translations for the defendent during the trial. The judge was of the opinion that it would slow the proceedings down too much and asked the lawyer to only translate what she felt was necessary. Really, John was lucky to have a lawyer that spoke English. Another prisoner that I spoke to said he couldn’t afford his own lawyer. So, the court appointed one for free ,who unfortunately didn’t speak any English. He said there was a court interpreter, but all he said was “You, come here. Sit down. Stand up. Sign here” etc. Other than that, he had no idea what was going on or even how much time he was sentenced to. In fact, he was the last to know.

The courtroom wasn’t very large. There were probably about six or so of these rooms on this floor alone. At the front was the raised platform where the judges sat. Above them is a portrait of H.M. The King. Below it is the symbol of the court, a downward pointing dagger with scales balancing on it. In front of the bench sat the court clerk. On the judges right was the table for the prosecution. On the left was the table for the defense. In the middle of the room, facing the judges bench, was the chair and table for the witness. The room was roughly split in half with a low railing. Behind this were the benches where members of the public and interested parties sat. In Thailand, courts are usually open to the public. So, in theory, if you are respectfully dressed, you could go and watch a trial. Just remember no cameras are allowed and you should turn off your mobile phone.

At about 9.35 a.m., John was escorted into the courtroom by a policeman. He was barefoot and chained at the ankles. A piece of string was attached to the chains which enabled him to pick them off the floor as he hobbled along. The policeman told him to sit down on the front bench next to where I was sitting. I asked him whether he remembered me and he said “yes” but he didn’t remember my name.  While we were waiting for the judges to arrive, I tried to have a conversation with him. I asked some general questions about the food at the prison as well as the number of prisoners in his cell. He wasn’t very responsive and it was clear that he didn’t really understand what was going on. It was like he had retreated within himself. He didn’t really know what had happened at the airport when he was arrested. He told me that the British Embassy were hopeless and that they hadn’t visited him. I told him that they had been to see him at least four times. He then said he didn’t remember. This wasn’t an act. This guy needed serious medical help. I also noticed that his forehead seemed to be swollen. I asked whether he had been hit, but he said he didn’t know. The lawyer said she would ask the prison to do a proper medical. It might not be anything. However, if it is not treated, it could be life threatening. I am not a medical expert, but pressure on the front of the brain like this could explain to his memory lapses and his general demeanor.

Shortly later, the two judges arrived through their private entrance at the front of the court. No-one announced their arrival, but everyone stood up anyway. They wore a black robe with a dark velvet edging around the neck and down the front. People didn’t wai the judges, but bowed instead. The public prosecutor was sat on my left. I recognized her instantly as she was also in Gor’s trial. The first day was reserved for the prosecution. The burden of proof rests on the prosecution and she has to prove the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. In the morning, she called three witnesses: the victim, the arresting officer and a witness to the crime. Each one was called forward where they then put their hands together in a prayer like gestured and promised to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. As in Western courts, the prosecutor asked a series of questions and then the defence were allowed to cross examine. However, there were some notable differences.

In Western courts, there would be a stenographer who would make a record of everything that was said. However, in Thailand, this is left up to the judge. In front of him was a tape recorder. This wasn’t to record the witness. What happened is that after the witness had answered the question, the judge would then paraphrase what he had just said. But, he didn’t do this for everything. Only what he deemed to be relevant. During the cross-examination, I could see the defence lawyer pausing before he asked each question so that the judge could have time to record the answer. However, sometimes the judge didn’t bother to record anything which obviously annoyed the defence. He just told them to ask the next question. The witness had said he was in hospital for four days. However, under cross examination, he said he was only in ICU for the first day. The judge didn’t record that.

I also noticed that the judges participated more in the questioning of the witness. Sometimes they asked questions that they felt the prosecutor should have asked. Or a question to clarify an answer. Like in my previous trial, the prosecutor sometimes left the courtroom during cross-examination. Although there were two judges, there was only one lead judge. The other was there as support. Every now and then he would change tapes and the court clerk would then take this to type up. At the start of each tape he would record something and then quickly rewind it to see if it recorded properly. The last witness of the morning was supposed to be the doctor. However, he didn’t turn up which seemed to annoy the judges. After a few phone calls, they decided to postpone the next trial date. The prosecution were supposed to finish on this day and then the following week the defence team would have their turn. But, as the doctor couldn’t come the trial was put off for just over two weeks.

It is doubtful that the verdict will be read out on that day. From previous experience, I would say it would take them two to three weeks before they set a date for the verdict to be read. By about 12 p.m., the court clerk had finished typing up the testimonials from the witnesses. These were then read out in court. Each witness was then asked if what had been read was a true account. They said it was. Then each relevant party had to sign these statements. At first John didn’t want to sign this document. It was all written in Thai. He said that he was being framed and didn’t want to be a part of all this. The lawyer managed to persuade him in the end by saying that he was only signing to witness this document. Not to say what was written was the truth.

It is really difficult to say which way this case will go. It was good that the witnesses contradicted themselves over certain details. I think it was also in the favour of the defence that the police hadn’t collected the video from the surveillance cameras. Which is strange as the police decided to charge him with the more serious crime of attempted murder. The defence will argue that it should be bodily harm which carries a sentence of no more than two years. I will be going to court again next month in order to give morale support to John. I will also let you know the verdict which will probably be announced at the end of June. Obviously, as this is an on-going case, I will not give any exact details of the case, nor the names of the people involved.

Samut Prakan Criminal Court

Recently, I found myself back at the Samut Prakan Criminal Court. This is now my third time in a Thai court. I am not trying to make a habit out of it, but Gor keeps asking me to help out foreigners who find themselves in trouble with the law. This time it was a British national who had been accused of attempted murder. I will call him John as this is an ongoing case. This guy arrived in Samut Prakan Central Prison in early October of last year. Gor was the person who interviewed him that first day and took down his particulars. Without going into too many details, John was arrested at the airport after getting into a fight with a waiter. John was in a deep depression due to problems with his ex-girlfriend. He had also been robbed of all his possessions a few days earlier. He was now on his way home. He had been drinking heavily when he got into an argument with the waiter. He picked up a knife from the counter and stabbed the waiter in the chest. The wound wasn’t fatal but the waiter spent four days in hospital. Later that night, John was arrested by the police and taken to prison.

I had been to see John a couple of times at the prison after Gor had told me that he was worried about his mental health. I was quite frankly shocked when I first saw him. He didn’t make eye contact with me and seemed very unresponsive to my questions. He just kept saying that he was framed and that he wanted me to contact the British Embassy to get him out of there. At that point he said he had been there a month and that the embassy didn’t know he was there. I didn’t know the details of his case at that time. I felt it best not to ask. I wasn’t there to judge him. Just to see if there was anything I could do to help. I promised him that I would ring the embassy. On the way out, I bought him some food in the prison shop as well as some cigarettes.

When I got home I immediately rang the British Embassy. I asked to be put through to the office that dealt with British nationals in Thai prisons. A guy called Jeff Mitchell picked up the phone. I told him that I wanted to report a British national who was in Samut Prakan Central Prison. “Oh you mean John?”, he said. It turned out that they knew all about him and had already been to visit him several times. Jeff was very helpful though obviously he couldn’t give me any details of the case. I said that I didn’t want to know, but was only ringing because I was concerned about his mental health. I told him that I thought he should be having medical treatment. Jeff said that they were aware and were doing everything in their power to help him. He said that on his third visit that John didn’t even remember who he was. At the end of our conversation, I felt assured that the British Embassy were doing some excellent work in looking after John. Before I said goodbye, I asked for the email address of John’s father as I wanted to let him know that I had visited his son and that he was basically alright.

Since that time, I have been in contact with John’s parents quite a few times. Both by email and telephone. They gave me some background information which helped me understand what caused John’s present condition. I then passed this information on to Gor who said that he would try and look out for him. But, he said that it is difficult to help someone who refuses to help himself. A few months later, I was at the prison visiting an American who had just been incarcerated for passport problems. During our conversation I asked him about John. He then told me that his condition was getting worse. He said that everyone was trying to help him. They had to literally force him to do everything from eating to taking a shower. I had sent him some English novels, but John just couldn’t concentrate on anything. Earlier this month, John’s lawyer went to visit him in prison but he refused to come out. Gor had to literally drag him there. In the end he only agreed to go when Gor bribed him with some cigarettes and said that he would go with him.

The Thai courts are very busy and sometimes it can be up to a year before people go to court. John’s lawyer tried to rush this case because of the circumstances of John being far from home. They were hoping for an April date, but in the end they were given a date towards the end of May. John’s father had already been over here in Thailand during that first month he was arrested. But he was unable to go for the court trial as his mother was ill and had been in hospital. So, I promised him that I would go to represent him in the court and also to give John some morale support. That is why this week I found myself back in the criminal court. I won’t call myself an expert, but I am now starting to know my way around the place. Maybe too much. Everyone already knows me at the prison. Now it is going to be like that here at the courthouse.

The sound of sirens announced the arrival of the prison bus shortly before 9 a.m.. It backed into the holding area and the prisoners, who were chained at the ankles, hobbled down from the bus. I hadn’t seen John for a while so I wasn’t sure if he would recognize me. I pushed my way to the front of the crowd of relations who were waiting to see their loved ones. John was the eighth person off the bus. I called out his name and he looked over to me and nodded. At least there was some recognition. Inside I met up with John’s lawyer. His father had already told her that I would be coming and so she was looking out for me. She spoke excellent English and she filled me in with the details of what would happen on this day. She said that she had just gone in to see John and was able to ring his parents so that he could speak briefly. We then went up to one of the courtrooms on the second floor.

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I will give you a description of what happened in court in part two. I will also try and give some background information to the Thai court system. The intention of these blogs is to help people understand the process in case they ever find themselves in this situation. After listening to the stories of some foreign prisoners, I believe that any one of us could so easily find ourselves in their position. So, before we judge them, lets please see what we can do to help them. At the moment, Gor has said that it would be good if people could send English novels as there is nothing for the foreigners to do day and night. For more details, please visit our sister blogs at www.ThaiPrisonLife.com.

A shopping mall in Bangkok

I have used the BTS Sky Train in Bangkok many times. It is very convenient for me and goes to many destinations that I am interested in. On the other hand, I feel like an awestruck tourist when I travel the MRT Subway (also known as the Bangkok Metro). Compared to the sky train, I find the underground electric train to be less crowded and quieter though equally clean. However, I don’t think that the stations are as useful to tourists. Or are they? At present there are 18 stations along a route that covers only 20 kilometers. There are plans to extend the network to several hundred kilometers. But, the eventual completion will take many years. In the meantime, I want to give you some ideas of places you can visit. I will give you a tentative list today and then over the coming weeks I will explore the subway and give you more details on what there is to see.

1. Hua Lamphong Station – Exit 2 takes you right into the railway station of the same name. This is convenient for people wanting to catch a train north, south, east and northeast. This is also on the eastern edge of Chinatown. About ten minutes from here is Wat Traimit with the impressive Golden Buddha.

2. Sam Yan – Leave by Exit 2 for Sam Yen Market and the Snake Farm.

3. Silom – This has an interchange with the Sala Daeng BTS station. There are also many hotels and shopping malls nearby. For example Central and Robinson. The Patpong night market is not far. Take Exit 1 if you want to get some fresh air in Lumphini Park.

4. Lumphini – The park is also close to this station. Take Exit 3 for direct access to the popular Suan Luan Night Bazzaar (sadly to close one of these days). The Lumphini boxing stadium is not too far away.

5. Khlong Toei – This area is famous for the slums. It is also home to Bangkok Post!

6. Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre – Exit 3 takes you straight into the convention center. I come here often for the book fairs and holiday fairs. Parking is terrible so I like to come by MRT.

7. Sukhumwit – This has a direct access to the Asok BTS station. Not too far from shopping malls such as Robinson and Times Square. Exit 1 will take you close to The Siam Society.

8. Phetchaburi – Not much of interest here. I will have to go and take a look myself.

9. Phra Ram 9 – This is convenient for the large shopping mall at Fortune Tower and IT Mall.

10. Thailand Cultural Centre – There is a large Robinson here as well as Carrefour and Home Pro. The Cultural Centre is not far away. I visited there a few years ago and they had an interesting museum.

11. Huai Khwang – A number of major hotels but not much else.

12. Sutthisan – There is a night market here not far from the station.

13. Ratchadapisek – Not much here for tourists.

14. Lat Phrao – No, don’t get off here for the famous shopping mall!

15. Phahon Yothin – Exit 3 is a short walk to the popular Central Lat Phrao shopping mall. I quite like this mall. Sofitel Central Plaza is not much further.

16. Chatuchak Park – This is the interchange station for Mo Chit BTS. Chatuchak Park and Queen Sirikit Park is close by. The famous weekend market is also a short walk. In the area is also the Railway Museum and the Kids Discovery Center.

17. Kamphaeng Phet – This station is more convenient for the weekend market. Use Exit 2. The Farmer’s Fruit and Vegetable market is on the opposite side of the road.

18. Bang Sue – This is the last stop. Here you will find Bang Sue Railway Station.

There is probably more places of interest than that. I will get my walking shoes on and bring you some more reports soon. The cost for the MRT is about 15 baht per stop. So that will cost me 270 baht if I decide to get off at every stop. To go from one end to the other without stopping costs 39 baht. You can buy a one day pass for 120 baht.

 

Nearly 150 years ago, King Rama IV abolished a long standing law that treated women as cattle. Up until 1867, husbands and fathers were allowed to buy and sell women without their consent. The King announced that from this date, women were allowed to choose their own husbands. He also said that women weren’t possessions and couldn’t be sold as slaves without their consent. Despite all of this time passing, Thai culture, and more importantly, Thai law, do not see women as equal to men. In particular, a fight is continuing at the moment regarding marital rape. In front of me I have a copy of the Thai Penal Code. It is Section 276 that many people argue that should be changed. This is what it says:

Whoever has sexual intercourse with a woman, who is not his wife, against her will, by threatening by any means whatsoever, by doing any act of violence, by taking advantage of the woman being in the condition of inability to resist, or by causing the woman to mistake him for the other person, shall be punished with imprisonment of four to twenty years and a fine of Bt8,000 to Bt40,000.

What is so wrong here are the words “who is not his wife”. Social activists want this part deleted for good reason as it basically gives permission to husbands to rape their wives as they please without having to worry about consequences. A wife could be separated from her husband and living elsewhere. But he can come and rape her at any time with the full blessing of the law. There is nothing she can do to stop him. Divorce laws in Thailand don’t treat each party equally. If a man has an affair with another women or sleeps with a prostitute his wife cannot use this as a reason to divorce. However, if she sleeps with another man, then he can divorce her with no problem. The only way she can divorce her husband is if he agrees or if he has another women who he supports as if she is his wife. The same goes for engaged couples who are not even married. If the woman has an affair with another man, then her future husband can sue her and that other man for damages. But, it is perfectly alright by law for him to have an affair during their engagement.

This attitude towards women is so embodied into Thai society that it is difficult to change. But, it must change if women are to be protected and to be treated as equals. Things are certainly moving. Women can now keep their family name when they marry. They also hold more important posts today compared to just a few years ago. But, changes are coming at a slow pace. This amendment to the law is being put to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) at the moment but unfortunately it is facing delays because of the drafting of the new Constitution and the present political climate. Although Section 276 is pretty bad, I think they also need to look at one of the clauses of Section 277 as well. This talks about sexual intercourse with a girl not yet over fifteen years of age. This is the clause that I find shocking:

“If the offender being the man commits against the girl over thirteen but not yet over fifteen years of age with her consent and the court grants such man and girl to marry together afterwards, the offender shall not be punished for such offense. If the Court grants them to marry together during the time the offender is imprisoned, the Court shall release such offender.”

This is so distasteful. Who in their right mind would later marry someone who had just raped them? The problem here is that it is open to abuse. The parents of the girl could come to some kind of monetary agreement with the offender. For example, if he paid them a certain amount of money then he would then be allowed to marry their daughter. If the girl is less than fifteen she is certainly not going to be able to have any say in this matter. I really hope that the NLA will take a close look at this clause at the same time. I know what their argument is going to be. They will say that the girl has already been ‘damaged” and that as she has already lost her virginity no other man would want to marry her. So, if the offender agrees, then they should be allowed to marry for the sake of the girl. That argument is so wrong. It again treats women (and girls) as if they are possessions. It is like nothing has progressed in the last 150 years. Let’s hope that the NLS can set things right sooner rather than later.

The Thai newspapers have been full lately of supposed Jatukham amulet miracles. Here below is a brief translation of today's sensational headline story. Courtesy of the Thai Rath newspaper

On the second day of the latest Jatukham ceremony at a temple in Chumphon province the place was heaving with Jatukham followers. Devotees included famous monks and movie stars. Among all these folk were well-known actress ‘Yart Yart-thip’ the ex-girlfriend of Mr Thaksin’s son, Phanthongthae. Her mother also came.

At 2:19pm, just when Miss Yart-thip was taking part (above pic right), an unbelievable thing happened. The sky which had been bright all day suddenly turned dark and through the clouds a holy image of Rahu appeared! Everyone was amazed and most people present believed the miracle was the work of Jatukham.
At the same time, the crowds were so excited by the Jatukham ceremony that there was a huge frenzy to purchase a Jatukham amulet priced 200 - 39,000 baht.
Miss Yart-thip said that she had never before come to Chumphorn province but came this time because of her belief in the super powers of Jatukham.

Besides just the ‘Jatukham Cloud/Yart-thip’ miracle another one also happened the day before. On the first day of the ceremony, the organizers invited lots of important government officials and movie stars including Miss Jui – Woratya (above pic top left). Then, just when Jui was playing with the holy water a Grade 12 student took a photograph with his digital camera. After, when the student inspected the photo he was flabbergasted to see a sign of Jatukham appearing on her head, another miracle! Miss Jui utterly shocked, said that she had only read of such miracles before in the local newspapers and never believed that such a holy thing would happen to her.
The promoters, on seeing the photograph, immediately asked for a copy.

(From yesterday's Thai Rath, another Jatukham cloud miracle!)

On the same day, our reporters went to Kanchanaburi province to meet up with Mr Decha - a very big politician for many decades. Their intent was to ask him about a supposed Jatukham miracle which happened at the funeral of a 72 year-old man he had been present at. The story goes that when a relative of the deceased took a photo of the dead body a sign of Jatukham amazingly appeared on the body’s jacket. Mr Decha told the reporters that the story was absolutely true and called for the photo-taking relative to bring a copy. He also said that Jatukham was really holy and everyone who had one was to ‘think good and do good’.

Mr Chin, the younger brother of the deceased, told our reporters that his elder brother, a devout Buddhist, had always because of his deep faith, blessed his Jatukham amulet. In his will too, he had divided up all his amulets to family and friends.

(Notes: In March of this year, the Thai Rath earned 4,518,000 baht from Jatukham advertisements. Source: Nielsen Media Research)

Before I continue my travel tales to 西双版纳 XiShuangBanNa, it will be good to understand a bit on the Dai minorities in China

Dai is one of the 56 moniroties in China and they mostly reside in Yunnan Province. Although they are officially recognized as a single people by the Chinese state, these Tai people form several distinct cultural and linguistic groups. Most Dai people are living near Myanmar, Thailand (although separated by Myanmar and Laos), and Vietnam (Map).

Dai Lue ไทลื้อ(SipSongPanNa Dai)
Dai Lue culturally is close to Northen Thailand in the area that used to be part of Lanna kingdom. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dai_people

Tai Lue in Thailand
In Thailand there are Tai Lue in many provinces of the upper regions of Northern Thailand; these provinces are:
-Chiang Rai: Mae Sai, Chiang Khong and Chiang Saen districts (a portion fled to Chiang Rung at the outbreak of the Ayuthian-Burman War)
-Chiang Mai: Samoeng and Doi Saket districts
-Nan: Tha Wang Pha, Pua, Chiang Klang and Thung Chang districts (the greatest number, fleeing from the Saiyaburi and Sipsongpanna regions)
-Phayao: Chiang Muan and Chiang Kham districts (many in number)
-Lampang: Mueang Lampang and Mae Tha districts
-Lamphun: Mueang Lamphun and Ban Thi districts

The seat of Thai Lue autonomous county is on Jinghong (景洪）or Chiang Rung. Chiang Rai, Chiang Rung (China), Chiangtung (Kengtung in Myanmar) used to be 3 very important cities during the rule of King Mengrai the great of Lanna kingdom. Lanna means million (Lan) padi fields (Na). Mekong river is known in China as LanCang 澜沧 which means million (Lan) Chang (elephant).

I have attended a Cultural show in JingHong entitled "a night at Lancang river" and I will write about it later.

Dai Nue or Northern Dai ไทยเหนือ
This Dai people live in the autonomous county of "DeHong Dai people and JingPo people (JingPo is known as Kachin in Myanmar)" 德宏傣族景颇族自治州". The language is a variant of Dai Language.

There is a International border crossing into Myanmar near Ruili 瑞丽 town. The Ruili River is one of the three major tributaries of the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar.

Dai Dam or Black Dai ไทดำ
Dai Dam lives the Yuanjiang Hani, Yi, and Dai Autonomous County Autonomous County (Yuánjiāng Hānízú Yízú Dǎizú Zìzhìxiàn 元江哈尼族彝族傣族自治县), of which Yuanjiang is the capital. YuanJiang known as Red River (HongHe 红河) in Vietnam and passes through Hanoi (meaning "city" inside river) into Gulf of Tonkin.

Other Dai
Other groups of Dai people scattered in China are Dǎibēng, Dǎiduān ไทขาว, Dǎiyǎ ไทหย่า, and Dǎiyǒu.

Note:
While every effort is made to ensure that accuracy of the information, the writer should not be held accountable for secondary information sources which need further research and verifications.

In Thailand, it is never a light matter when you do anything. Thai people like to consult the astrology charts in order to find an auspicious time to do something important. This can be anything from the day of your wedding to the time a new car can arrive at your home. The day and time for starting to build your house is also important. A special ceremony is arranged for erecting the first pillar or foundation stone of your house. Yesterday I had the honour to attend the ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone for the Paknam Tower. This is going to be a massive, 139 metre high tower with some amazing views of Bangkok and the Gulf of Thailand. There will also be restaurants, shops, museum and library.

Although Thai people are mainly Buddhists, ceremonies like this one are conducted by Brahmin priests dressed in white. In the above picture, a priest is asking for forgiveness from the guardian spirit of the land. He is also asking permission to build on this land. In front of him you can see the offering for the guardian spirits. Although this ceremony is mainly Brahmin, nine monks were also invited to do some chanting. Local dignitaries also offered food to the monks which enabled them to make merit for this event. I suppose in some ways this is like doubling your chances that the construction of this tower will pass smoothly.

According to Thai astrology, there are three days of the week when you should never start construction of a building. These are Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday. For the Paknam Tower, everything was done by the book. The day they picked was Friday 18th May 2007. The time for the actual laying of the foundation stone (see picture above) was also set for exactly 2.19 p.m. The number "nine" is considered auspicious by Thai people as it sounds like the Thai word for "progress". Everything is done in multiples of nine. There were nine monks and nine different kinds of food offerings for them. In the picture on the right, you can see a close-up of the astrology chart for the tower.

As well as the marble foundation stone, nine symbolic bricks are also used during the ceremony. Three made of gold, three made of silver and three made of an alloy. In the picture on the right, you can see nine symbolic pegs made of nine different types of wood. In addition to these items, there were jasmine garlands, flowers with popped rice and one baht coins which were all used during the ceremony.

Once the conch had been blown and the small drums banged, it was time for the foundation laying ceremony to begin. In this first picture, Khun Anuwat Methiwibunwut, the Governor of Samut Prakan Province, can be seen hammering one of the pegs into the sifted sand. Each of the dignitries then took turns hamering the other pegs into place.

Next came some cement. In this picture, Khun Watana, an elder statesman of Samut Prakan, is doing the honours. Again, everyone took turns.

In this final picture, you can see that the nine bricks have already been layed in a star pattern above where the pegs had been driven into the sand. More cement was then poured on top. Then, all of the senior dignitaries, (the person second from the left is Khun Chonsawat who is the Mayor of our city) placed the marble foundation stone onto the symbolic bricks. Following this, they then took turns to sprinkle flowers and coins onto the marble slab. Once the main ceremony was over, the local people, who had been patiently watching everything, were allowed to come forward and to also sprinkle some flowers and coins.

I had spotted two exact copies of this foundation stone made of marble. So, I presume that this one will be covered in cement and then the second one will be placed on show once the building has been completed. But, presumably in the exact same spot. As soon as all of the seating and tents have been cleared, I will go back to take a closer look. Over the coming months and years, I will be bringing you progress reports of this building. The Paknam Tower is actually being built on the site of the Old Paknam Prison. You can read more about the preparation for this day over on our sister blogs at ThaiPrisonLife.com.

Every year there are many exhibitions, conventions, fairs and trade shows held in the metropolitan of Bangkok and all these events draw a lot of visitors, both local and international. One of the very popular exhibition held in Bangkok is the annual ARCHITECT EXPO.

Each year, ARCHITECT EXPO draws a lot of trade visitors as well as the public. The exhibition is one that people literally build houses, gardens, swimming pools and other structures and constructions in the hall, in a very creative and attractive way. It is also the annual event whereby the big gun companies showed their products and power, by their size of booth, presentation of products and their girls!

I have been to many different exhibitions in many different countries, and have never seen any shows having so many “fair” ladies –the promotion girls or models. Some of the international trade shows in Bangkok are really open and interesting. Sometimes, they are more like carnivals whereby the exhibitors went all out to attract attention by having clowns, games, band, ladies, musical performance etc.

This year is the third consecutive year that I went to ARCHITECT. This year ARCHITECT’07 (The 21st International Construction & Decoration Technology, Equipments and Materials Exposition and Conference) is having a lot more girls than the previous two. Besides my routine visiting job, I was having fun with my own lot of watching and taking pictures of the surprising number of various promotional ladies - sexy, cute, elegant, wild and all kinds! The ladies of course, would welcome people taking pictures with smiles and poses.

Last year, one of the highlight was a sexy model walking around a big swimming pool, taking off clothes piece by piece slowly, left with bikini…wet herself in the pool.. walked up gracefully….and drawing crazy crowds. This year, while I looked at the setting, I know the company would have similar tricks! I even cast aside my feminine personality :), squeezed my delicate and exquisite body in the crazy crowd and finally climbed up to a higher position whereby I could have a good view…

Despite of some negative remarks of the exhibition culture being unhealthy, the girls were nevertheless pleasing to eyes and therefore as the Chinese says “dance still on, horse still run” !

Amazing Thailand, even in such an exhibition they can treat your eyes with ice-cream! (Chinese saying :))

(The following extract is taken from the above book)

One of my fave hobbies when I get into Bangkok is to search around for golden-oldie books which are hard to come buy on the shelves of DK or Asia books. A few months back, I came across this one published in America 39 years ago. A sordid first-hand account into Bangkok’s raunchy night-life. The book was supposedly written by a reporter called Andrew Harris but according to a very reliable source, it is a pseudonym for another well-known Asian based author.

Anyway, at the end of the book is an 'actual' dialogue. It is between a Farang reporter and Gen Prapas about the current Farang/girls/bars/massage scene. If you don’t know, Gen Prapas goes down in modern Thai history as one of the ‘strongest’ soldiers that has ever led the country. A close colleague of former dictator FM Thanom, he was at the time of this book the Minister of Interior and Deputy Prime Minister. What he says in this interview gives an idea to the mentality of the folk back then in regards to Farangs and Thai women and 'hooligansim' etc etc... Have a read and enjoy.....

Reporter: It has often be said that the number of bars and massage parlours contribute to juvenile delinquency. What do you think, sir?
Gen. Prapas: That’s not true. We need more of this kind of service.
Reporter: As matters are, already you see one of these places everywhere you turn.
Gen. Prapas: That’s an exaggeration.
Reporter: We have also heard that it’s detrimental to the economy and making everyone a spendthrift.
Gen Prapas: That’s not right. These places are good for the country economically. Bars nightclubs and massage parlours are for Farangs who can afford such services. You can avoid being a spendthrift by avoiding such places, like I do.
Reporter: I don’t go because they are so expensive.
Gen Prapas: Bluff it, just tell them that you are broke.

The reporter next asks the general about half Thai/Farang kids.

Reporter: Have you heard that there are fair-haired children who have been on sale in Nakhorn Ratchasima - Korat (locality of a large US air-base) at about two hundred to three hundred baht?
Gen Prapas: Never heard such a thing. If anybody bought one, bring it here (Ministry of Interior) so we can bring legal action. There should be no problem with these children, whatever the colour of their hair.
Reporter: Why?
Gen Prapas: Because they are by-products

The reporter next asks the intelligent general about Farangs marrying Thai girls!

Reporter; Do you think marriages between Thai girls and Farang should be registered in embassies?
Gen Prapas: There is no need to register in the embassy. It is far easier to go to the district office and register by paying a fee. But this is a minor matter. I have not heard of many cases. Many of the couples find an easier way out, or so I have been told by an American friend. They go to hotels or motels and when the Farang is asleep the girls swipes him clean, pants and all.

The reporter next asks the ever-wise general about highly suspect claims of rape.

Reporter: Acts of rape seem to be on the increase in hotels, especially at the Vieng Nuea Hotel. Why is that hotel still open?
Gen Prapas: Don’t blame the hotels, because it is their way of earning a living. It is my thought that if a girl goes with a man to a hotel then she ought to know what will happen to her.
Reporter: Did you not used to go there yourself?
Gen Prapas: Never, it is not necessary for me to go there.
Reporter: What have you instructed about handling hooliganism?
Gen Prapas: I have instructed the police that if there are cases of rape reported, they should not always charge the suspected person as a hooligan. Thorough investigation should be made of the suspect – of his behaviour, of his occupation, of his living conditions and whether he was previously charged with criminal acts. Cases of hooliganism have caused much trouble for decent men who only want to seek happiness and their own pleasure.

One thing Old Patong had plenty of[some say too many of]are dogs!

Even in the earliest days of Old Patong, 1979 when we first stepped upon the pristine beaches of Ao Patong, there were already a pack of dogs running up and down the beach from sun-up til sunset, when these "wild" dogs ALL found a home mostly under or ON the feet of EVERYONE that sat in a bar, restaurant, cafe or even lean-back lounge chair on the beach!

As the heat built up from the day, chasing the large water buffalo heard[carabao?]from the jungle/paddy behind the beach 1-3kilometers away, the pack of dogs would nip at huge beasts, trying to herd them, but often a buffalo horn would pick one of the offenders in the ribs and you'd hear a loud yelp as the dog flew through the sky 20 meters...

Natually, every shop/bar/kiosk/bungalow/hotel had "their" own dog,some two or three dogs, with an assortment of cats, lizards, monkeys, and birds. These "pets" somehow would wander off during the day to nose around anything that moved or didn't move up and down the stretches of Ao Patong.

The muslim village on the northern Kalim end of Patong Beach had a vicious pack of hounds that were a constant torment to the many motorcycle riders/passengers as they turned south onto the beach road from the Wat road. You'd see the motorbikes speeding up as they'd slide sideways around that corner, no one drove slow there, course in Old Patong or maybe ANYWHERE in the Kingdom, no one drove slow ever, be it for 100 miles or 100 meters, full throttle was and is the only way anyone ever drove.

Going east or west on Soi Bangla[Bar Road]you'd encounter a dog running out at full speed from some side shop or alley at YOUR motorbike!

One such occasion unfortunately happened when Dave was slowly cruising back from Phuket town where he'd put his order in for the next days supplies, often emptying a few Singhas, David would stop every 100 meters to "cool off" from the hot sun and learn what the "coconut telegraph" in that area knew of.

Dave, former Hells Angels, now riding a 175cc Honda Twin with the required "007" custom tail pipes, could be heard rumble by, maybe 100 meters ahead of him actually being there!

Well, the local dogs also knew this sound, as a mater of fact, they knew ALL the sounds of every bike/trike/samlor/tuktuk/baht buse/delivery truck and sometimes even bicycles and walkers shuffling by.

As Dave made the turn from Soi Bangla[Bar Road]to the beachfront road, two of Old Patongs mangiest attacked Dave, bit his right leg and knocked him from the bike! A crowd from Ladas Bar came over to watch the action, David was livid by this time, the two dogs barking, snarling and nipping at Dave as he tried to get up, he already had his knife out and was swinging at the nearest dog, when Lada started screaming that it was HER pet,etc,etc,etc,

Dave was having nothing of and grabbed the dog with the intention of cutting it's head off and taking it to the nearby hospital to test for rabies.

Lada yelled like crazy and the crowd quickly grabbed the two dogs and ran off when them east on Soi Bangla[Bar Road]while Dave and Lada hurled insults at each other for the next 5 minutes.

Lada kept yelling "pasad, pasad" at David.

Finally, someone offer a cold beer to Dave and he gulped it down, saddled up and drove the remaining kilometer to Thai Garden where he cussed and yelled about everything Thai for the next two hours.

Dao got the "real" booze from his room, imported Gin and Dave sat sullenly at his table while the girls tended to his bleeding calf.

Dave never ended up leaving the bar that night, never went to the local hospital to get the rabies shots,etc, he just did like he did every day, he drank til the sun came up, shortly after this event, the locals started calling David, "Crazy Dave"!

ps: although we resided in the Kingdom for a decade, never once did we gaze upon the famous "Siamese Cat", ALL the cats we saw were calicos/spotted/some all black or all white, and ALL these cats had one thing in common" someone had broken/cutoff their tails"!!! We had heard that this was some type of voodoo the cats without tails were said to be harmless, but those with tails, which we never saw, were supposedly evil...does anyone know what I'm talk'n bout?

Over at our sister blogs at BangkokScams.com, someone recently sent us a report of a scam that they experienced at the Bangkok train station at Hua Lamphong. This station is a major terminal that serves lines to the north, northeast, east and south of Thailand. We were told that last year he was scammed by a Thai person that told him that there were no seats left on the train and that he would be better off going by coach. He was then taken to a nearby travel agents. I decided to do some undercover work and I drove into Bangkok yesterday to see if I could duplicate this scam. Time had passed and I wanted to know if the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) or the State Railway of Thailand had clamped down on this scam or not.

I walked into the station from the side entrance. I had a daypack to give the impression that I was going on a short trip somewhere. I decided my destination would be Surat Thani. I wandered around a bit looking lost to see if I could get any nibbles. Nothing. On the far side of the concourse was a large information booth that looked official. I decided to go over there and ask for a timetable for the train. I felt that I needed more props. Next to the counter there was a sign that warned people in English not to trust anyone that came up to you to sell tickets. It was starting to look like maybe that the local authorities were actually doing something about the scams here after all. But, I decided to persevere. I continued to wander around in circles looking lost and confused. I glanced down at the timetable and then up at the ticket booths.

Finally I got a bite. A guy came up to me with an official looking i.d. card around his neck that said “Tourist Information”. He asked in good English where I was going. I said Surat Thani. He then asked where I would go next. I said Koh Samui. Then I kicked myself. I had pronounced it with a Thai accent. I should have said “ko” as in “low”. He continued to give me advice but didn’t offer to buy me tickets or anything. No sign of a scam but this guy was being too helpful to be true. Out of the corner of my eye I could see other scammers lurking but they were keeping their distance. I decided to leave and approach the station again from a different direction.

Around the front of the station I had better luck. I spotted three Thai ladies working the farang crowd. Around their neck they were wearing i.d. cards. It wasn’t long before I was approached and she asked me where I was going. I repeated my story. She told me that she worked for the Tourist Authority of Thailand, she flashed me the official logo, and said she would take me to the travel agents to buy the train ticket. She took me around the side of the station where I could see a row of shops all with the words “TAT” on banners. One even said “Lonely Planet”