Vroeger waren er geen fastfood restaurants inAzië enook geen dikke mensen. Sinds een jaar of vijftien rukken de McDonald’s en KFC’s onstuitbaar op. In een stad als Bangkok kom je ze nu op bijna iedere straathoek tegen. En hun slachtoffers… veel te dikke Thais. Gaat Vietnam ook die kant op?
This week, the parent company of Carl’s Jr. opened the first of 25 burger restaurants planned in Vietnam, as the burger giant moves quickly to add more international locations. Chief executive Andrew F. Puzder said the chain is “happy to introduce real, American-style charbroiled burgers to the (Vietnam) market.” read on>> (more…)
A leading Dutch lawyer has agreed to help defend former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra against terrorism charges related to the recent unrest in Bangkok. Geert-Jan Knoops will also look into whether the Thai government committed human rights abuses when it raided the “red-shirts” protest camp. “My understanding is that Mr Thaksin denies this charge, and it’s my understanding that the facts of the case contradict this allegation. I’ve not seen yet the official arrest warrant for the charges, but apart from all these procedural issues it’s far from clear, on the basis of what evidence, or what facts the Thai government or the Thai prosecution thinks Mr Thaksin was wilfully behind these demonstrations.” The Thai government has allegedly called in Interpol to help try and track Thaksin down. whole story here
Of er in Thailand niet genoeg problemen zijn tussen Thais onderling. Blijken er ook nog Nederlanders rond te lopen die menen zich er mee te moeten bemoeien. Twee landgenoten zijn opgepakt in Chiang Mai in het noorden van Thailand omdat ze betrokken waren bij de rellen. Op een video is te zien dat ze met stenen gooien. Ze zijn gearresteerd door de Thaise politie maar na korte tijd weervrijgelaten.
Vrijgelaten? Waarom nou toch? Waarom deze mensen niet even echt vooruit helpen? Een paar maanden in een Thaise gevangenis had ze een onbetaalbaar inzicht gegeven in wat echt belangrijk is in het leven.
Een woordvoerster van Buitenlandse Zaken bevestigde hierover zondag een bericht van de Wereldomroep. De twee mannen werden donderdag opgepakt bij rellen tussen demonstranten en het leger.
Wat is dit voor volk, vraagt u zich natuurlijk met JdeW af. Wel dit soort volk.
Volgens de Wereldomroep deden de twee mannen in Thailand mee aan een rehabilitatieproject voor drugsverslaafden en andere probleemgevallen. De mannen zouden na hun aanhouding door de politie met een waarschuwing zijn weggestuurd. Vanwege meer incidenten is een van beiden niet meer welkom bij de stichting Creating Balance omdat er zich ook andere incidenten hebben voorgedaan tijdens het vrijwilligerswerk dat de ex-drugsverslaafden doen in Thailand.
The two Dutchmen, aged 44 and 17, who were arrested in Thailand for throwing stones during last week’s riots in the northern city of Chiang Mai, have been released with a warning. Salient detail: they were taking part in a rehabilitation project for people addicted to drugs or other substances.
Ron Gerrits from the Creating Balance Thailand addiction clinic is really angry with his two clients. On the one hand because they haven’t done the name of his clinic any good, and on the other for the two men themselves. Ron says the 44-year-old ex-addict was doing very well in Thailand: he has been clean for two years now and for the last year has been in Thailand. read on>> (more…)
Mei 17th, 2010 at 1:31 pm:
Tot drie uur hadden de redshirts - die het niet eens konden worden over het redelijke compromis (verkiezingen binnen een half jaar) - de kans om het centrum van Bangkok dat ze bezet houden, te verlaten. Als je absoluut wil vechten, stuur dan in ieder geval vrouw en kinderen naar huis, zou je zeggen. Nu is dat gebied ‘life fire zone’ geworden. Er kan met scherp worden geschoten op iedereen die zich daar bevindt.
En dan is er deze video uit Bangkok, net op het internet geplaatst.
Gisternacht vielen er doden in Bangkok bij gevechten tussen demonstranten die tegen de regering zijn (redshirts) en samenscholende groepen van vooral mensen uit Bangkok (yellowshirts, pinkshirts) die tegen de redshirts zijn. Thanong Khantong schrijft in de Thaise krant The Nation een heel behoorlijke analyse over de tragische toestand in ‘The Land ofSmiles’. Volgens hem is het een gevecht tussen oud en nieuw geld dat in de kern weinig te maken heeft met de claims van de massa’s.
Political upheaval is underway. Most people are confused as to what exactly is going on. Here are my observations:
1. The red shirts are rallying against the 2006 coup. They are staging a modern version of a people’s revolution. They have all three elements necessary for a revolution: A party, mass support and an army. The April 10 clash between red shirts and troops represents the first round of an armed struggle against the government. They are applying pressure with the street rally, via parliamentary means and also through violence. At the same time, a third party is carrying out acts of sabotage almost on a daily basis outside the capital.
2. The red shirts want to amend the Constitution to weaken the monarchy. Dr weng Tojirakarn, one of the red-shirt leaders, admitted the other day that one of the political aspirations of the red shirts is to reduce the Thai monarchy to a similar status to that of Japan, the UK, the Netherlands and others.
3. The chief sponsors of the red shirts are Thaksin Shinawatra, the Pheu Thai Party, the elite, the military and an unnamed militia, the police, big businesses, NGOs and leftists. This movement also appeals to the masses both in Bangkok and upcountry.
4. In essence, the red-shirt phenomenon is a clash between new money and old money for power - which has little to do with the claims of the masses. read on>> (more…)
Vandaag zag ik de oma van een paar van onze scholieren onder een jackfruitboom zitten, op één keer struikelen afstand van het huisje van Joy. Eer ik de moed bijeen had geraapt was oma al naar binnen. Maar het beeld stond op mijn netvlies. In de wetenschap dat ik er achteraf spijt van krijg als ik mijn stoute schoenen zo gauw niet kan vinden, ben ik nu zover dat ik mijn gêne aan de korte broek afveeg. Ik negeerde de tandenontblotende erfhond en stevende op de hut van oma af. Ik vouwde me deemoedig in de traditionele Khmergroet en vroeg in mijn beste Cambodjaans of ik een foto van haar mocht maken… dààr onder de boom… het mocht.
Gisteren schreef JdeW over de oproep van Fox News journalist Brit Hume aan Tiger Woods om zich te bekeren tot het Christendom want dan zal alles vergeven worden. [Joh 20: 23: “Als jullie iemands zonden vergeven, dan zijn ze vergeven; vergeven jullie ze niet, dan zijn ze niet vergeven.”] [JdeW 14: 12: “Kom mensen, duidelijker kan ik het echt niet uitleggen.”]
Nu wordt er zelfs elders op Fox News (fair and balanced, objectief en afgewogen) aandacht aan besteed. Er blijkt namelijk ook in het Boeddhisme een weg naar vergeving te zijn. ‘By achieving the state of being freed from greed, hate and delusion’.
Ter informatie. Tiger heeft een Thaise moeder en wordt gedacht Boeddhist te zijn. Helemaal duidelijk is dat overigens niet want Boeddhisten lopen over het algemeen niet zo te koop met hun geloof. Ook is het een godsdienst die niet, zoals het Christendom en (nog vele graadjes erger) de Islam, in het teken staat van de onderdrukking van de sexualiteit.”
On Fox News Sunday yesterday, Brit Hume offered some candid ecumenical advice to Tiger Woods as he deals with his marriage infidelities:
HUME: He’s said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, “Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.”
This morning, Hume’s colleagues on the Fox Business network decided to do a little digging into his claims. The Don Imus show crew reported that Hume doesn’t quite have his facts straight on Buddhism:
IMUS: Well, we checked this morning and unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately if you are a Buddhist, there is a path to recovery and redemption. Right? Well yes there is. The idea of redemption — nirvana under Buddhism — is achieving the state of being freed from greed, hate, and delusion. read on>> (more…)
Volgens Fox News is het einde van de problemen van Tiger Woods nabij. De beste golfer van de wereld hoeft zich alleen maar aan te sluiten bij de reactionaire Amerikaanse Christenen en alles zal vergeven worden. Tiger heeft een Thaise moeder en wordt gedacht Boedhist te zijn. Helemaal duidelijk is dat overigens niet want Boedhisten lopen over het algemeen niet zo te koop met hun geloof. Ook is het een godsdienst die niet, zoals het christendom en de islam (nog veel erger), in het teken staat van de onderdrukking van de sexualiteit.
Brit Hume: “He is said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of redemption and forgiveness offered by the Christian faith.”
Kijk dat is objectieve en afgewogen journalistiek (fox news: ‘fair and balanced’) waar je wat aan hebt.
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Buddhism is inferior to Christianity when it comes to forgiveness of sins, according to Fox News pundit Brit Hume. Tiger Woods should turn his back on Buddhism and become a Christian to be forgiven for cheating on his wife, Hume told Fox News’ Chris Wallace Sunday.
“The extent to which he can recover seems to me depends on his faith,” said Hume. “He is said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of redemption and forgiveness offered by the Christian faith. My message to Tiger is, ‘Tiger turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.’”
In Phnom Penh in Cambodja werd de kerstborrel voor Nederlandse expats gehouden in het vijfsterren Intercontinental Hotel, aan de Mao Tse Toeng Boulevard. De opkomst was boven verwachting. Gelukkig was de ballroom van het 346 kamers tellende luxehotel gereserveerd. CeesInCambodja was er bij en maakte bovenstaande foto.
“We hebben met de tafelschikking rekening gehouden met een grote toeloop uit Nederland”, vertelde de Nederlandse directeur van het hotel mij, staande aan de borreltafel. “En de catering heb ik afgestemd op de smaak van de gemiddelde blogger; er is kalkoen, er zijn gehaktballen en kroketten, verder beenham, gerookte zalm, soep, heel veel soorten amuses, broodjes en desserts, enfin, kijkt u zelf maar.” Voor de nieuwjaarsborrel trekken we er gewoon een zaal bij, aldus de directie.
Het begon voor Tiger Woods allemaal met een ongelukje en Rachel Uchitel. Daarna meldden zich ook Jaimee Grubbs, Kalika Moquin en Jamie Juungers. En dit weekeinde kwamen er weer twee lieftallige dames bij die beweerden een relatie met Tiger te hebben gehad, Cori Rist en Mindy Lawton. Het kan natuurlijk slechts om geld gaan, maar ik hoop echt voor Tiger dat het allemaal waar is. JdeW moet even denken aan de uitspraak van de toenmalige premier van Thailand, Chavalit Yongchaiyuth. Hem werd gevraagd door een buitenlandse journaliste: “Er wordt gezegd dat u er een minnares (mia noi) op na houdt. Is dat waar?”
Zijn antwoord: “Wie heeft dat beweerd? Dat is een pertinente leugen. Ik heb niet één mia noi’s, ik heb er drie.”
Chavalit is ook daarna nog jaren minister geweest van Thailand.
The golfer’s carefully crafted public persona and his obsessive privacy have been shattered by accusations of infidelity, but Woods is still set to become sport’s first billionaire.
For Tiger Woods, the sight of Meredith Walusek outside his Florida mansion was only the latest in a series of PR nightmares. Dressed in a bikini top decorated with red lipstick kisses, the feisty blonde carried a sign that read: “Tiger! They offered me $500,000 – I’m keeping my mouth shut.” Luckily, Walusek was a fake. She was a local radio host using desperate measures to create publicity. But, as the Tiger Woods scandal continues to unfold, Walusek had also unwittingly gone to the heart of the matter: money. read on here>>
De paspoorten van de, wegens corruptie tot twee jaar gevangenis veroordeelde, ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra van Thailand zijn ongeldig verklaard door de Thaise regering. Toch reist hij zonder problemen de wereld rond. Dit weekeinde was hij nog in Cambodja waar hij werd benoemd tot economisch adviseur. Hoe kan dat?
Wel, volgens de Thaise minister Panich vandaag in de Thaise krant de Nation, gebruikt Thaksin paspoorten die zijn afgegeven door Nicaragua, Uganda en Montenegro. De naam die hij heeft gekozen is: Takki Shinegra.
Nicaragua blijkt hem zelfs een status als speciale ambassadeur te hebben gegeven. Wat de miljardair Thaksin/Takki daar tegenoverstelt is niet bekend.
Thaksin’s new name is not Frank Sinatra but Takki Shinegra. When Thailand’s exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra bought Manchester City, the fans named him Frank, as in Frank Sinatra. But that’s not the name the runaway has used in new passports issued by Nicaragua, Uganda and Montenegro. Thai minister Panich said today that Thaksin’s name has been changed to ‘Takki Shinegra’.
Phuket - Twenty Miss Belgium 2010 contestants began an eight-day stay on Phuket today at the Cape Panwa Hotel and Spa. The beauty pageant finalists are in Phuket by invitation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand and will be taking part in photo and video shoots, kayaking and Thai cooking classes around the island.
Rechts Amerika is in alle staten over de buiging van Barack Obama voor de Japanse keizer. Amerikanen buigen voor niemand, dat is hun houding, en zeker de president niet. Gezegd moet worden, het is wel een hele diepe buiging van de belangrijkste man op deze planeet, de president van de Verenigde Staten, voor een relikwie uit het verleden.
Hoe ver moet je gaan in het je aanpassen aan wat in een ander land respectvol is maar in je eigen land ongebruikelijk.
Ik breng even het voorval in herinnering van het favoriete dochtertje van een vroegere Thaise koning. Ze ging varen in de vijver bij het paleis en het bootje sloeg om. Er stond uiteraard veel personeel bij het water maar niemand stak een hand uit.
Niemand schoot te hulp. Ze verdronk.
In Thailand is het verboden de koning en de leden van zijn gezin aan te raken.
Fox goes on the warpath over a bow
Fox News is beating up on president Obama after his bow while meeting the Emperor of Japan…but apparently they forgot their history, because President Obama is not the first President to make such a bow.
Watch above a montage of Fox’s absurd attacks, along with the video and images they ignored. As noted in the video, not only did Presidents Nixon and Eisenhower bow to foreign leaders (Nixon to the Emperor of Japan, Eisenhower to Charles De Gaulle), but President Bush actually held hands with and kissed Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah.
Of course, those simple facts didn’t stop Fox (including Karl Rove) from jumping in on the Obama-bashing action, once again proving that when it comes to Fox, news has nothing to do with it. read on>> (more…)
Cor Verhoef, Bangkok – “Cor, volgende week is er een driedaags symposium aangaande ‘The Future of Education and Leadership in South East Asia’ en daar gaan jij en ik naartoe. Ik ben altijd al gefascineerd geweest door dingen die niet bestaan.”
Met deze woorden kondigde Chester, mijn baas, ons nakende bezoek aan het Queen Sirikit National Convention Center aan.
“Wie zijn de sprekers?”
“Ah, niet de minste, kijk maar eens even, niemand minder dan…”
De spreker onderaan wekte mijn nieuwsgierigheid:
“Doctor, doctor, doctor, doctor, give me some clues, I’ve got a bad case of loving you”, begon zich spontaan in mijn bovenkamer af te spelen. Ach, sommige mensen sparen Dinky Toys, anderen PhD’s, wat staat voor “Pile High and Deep.”
Het symposium bleek een drukbezocht gebeuren. Educatoren uit alle uithoeken van de planeet, inclusief een twaalftal katholieke nonnen, waren naar het symposium gestroomd om antwoorden te vinden op simpele vragen als; ‘why does the Thai education system suck?’
Eigenlijk wist ik het antwoord al: (more…)
De overgrootmoeder van mijn kinderen is nog heel vief. Zo vief dat ze graag eens mee wilde naar Nederland. Om een paspoort aan te vragen had de 81-jarige een geboortebewijs nodig. Echter, haar geboorte is nooit officieel geregistreerd. Dat kwam begin vorige eeuw nog wel eens voor in Thailand, is haar verklaring.
Gelukkig was de beambte bij het bureau voor paspoorten erg behulpzaam.
Ze zei: “Een getekende verklaring van de dokter die de bevalling heeft gedaan volstaat.”
After some months of silence Phapaya - a Thai girl working in Dubai - is writing again for drasties. How is she doing now that she is about one year away from home?
Well, you have to understand that Thai people are not as fond of living in other countries as the Dutch. In fact, no one in the world is.
Normally I am not a person who will feel lonely easily. Before when I heard my friends say ‘ummm I feel so lonely’, I would never understand. There’s a lot people around you, at work, at the apartment, how can you feel lonely… that’s impossible… and I always laughed at friends who said so.
Today I suddenly feel so so lonely, unreasonable. It’s weird… or am I being alone too much? Or am I getting old? I keep asking all these question but I don’t really want an answer for myself. I just don’t want to feel this way. I hate it. Maybe I feel like this because I didn’t go to work today. It’s a free day. So, get up late… lazy… washing, cleaning, watch movie, and shop for my own food.
Anyway I have better things to do. I shouldn’t feel upset about being lonely. I should write about it and so try to entertain myself and the reader.
But that will come next week…
Geel is de kleur van het Thaise koningshuis. Oranje is de kleur van het Nederlands koningshuis en al sinds vierhonderd jaar onderhouden beide goede betrekkingen met elkaar. In 1604 kwam de VOC voor het eerst in Thailand en in 1607 zond de Thaise koning Ekathotsarot al een eerste missie naar Nederland. De Siamese gezanten werden ontvangen door prins Maurits. Zijn verre nazaat koning Bhumibol Adulyadej krijgt nu eindelijk erkenning voor de goede verhoudingen met Nederland. Er is een gele tulpenbol naar hem vernoemt: Bhumibol. De bol is een schepping van Klaas Koedijk die voor de benaming officieel toestemming kreeg van koning Bhumibol.
Bangkok Post - Royal Bloom -His Majesty the King has allowed a Dutch farmer to use his name, “King Bhumibol”, for a new tulip species.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Wimol Kidchob said the Office of His Majesty’s Principal Private Secretary informed the ministry the King had allowed Klaas Koedijk, a Dutch farmer and owner of FA.P. Koeddiik & Zn company, to use his name for the tulip.
Mr Koedijk had asked for His Majesty’s permission to name the tulip after him because of the impression he was left with from the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of His Majesty’s accession to the throne in 2006, when the Thai people united to show their loyalty. see the tulip here>> (more…)
BANGKOK, The Irrawaddy — An American man imprisoned in Burma for sneaking into the home of detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi flew out of the country Sunday after a visiting US senator won his release.
John Yettaw of Falcon, Missouri, arrived in Bangkok on a US government plane with Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, who secured his freedom Saturday with a plea to Burma’s ruling military junta. Webb’s visit to Burma was the first by a member of the US Congress in more than a decade, and could presage a new approach by Washington toward the military government, which it has shunned. read on here>> (more…)
YANGON, Myanmar - The New York Times — Some people from this country despair at the rigid choreography of what might be called the Myanmar diplomatic minuet. United Nations interlocutors come and go, declaring that the moment is at hand for the military junta to release the endlessly prosecuted Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, but the generals do not budge.
Over the weekend, it was Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, who, despite the weight of his personal intervention, failed to secure so much as a chat with Asia’s most famous political prisoner, much less any concessions.
The fact that Mr. Ban emerged empty-handed after his two-day visit that ended Saturday provides the strongest evidence yet that a different approach is overdue, analysts of Myanmar said.
Rather than tying negotiations, not to mention sanctions, to the treatment of just one figure, say policy analysts, humanitarian workers and exiles, the world should engage the junta on a broad range of economic, humanitarian and ethnic issues that will return electoral politics to its rightful place as one concern among many. They admit that borders on heresy, considering Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi’s virtual beatification in the West, but they consider it a shift she would readily accept given her lifelong commitment to solving Myanmar’s problems. read on here>> (more…)
In Thailand worden de meest lugubere foto’s van misdrijven gepubliceerd. En als ze de dader hebben, wordt ook een foto van hem gepubliceerd, met naam en zonder balkje. Vaak wordt de dader door de politie gedwongen de misdaad opnieuw na te spelen mèt het slachtoffer. Daarbij worden foto’s gemaakt die precies laten zien wat er is gebeurd die vervolgens worden gepubliceerd. Er zijn altijd wel foto’s beschikbaar voor de voorpagina’s want Thailand heeft een zeer hoge moordratio, ruim acht keer hoger dan in Nederland.
Ik kan u verzekeren dat als je dat ritueel eenmaal hebt meegemaakt, je dat nooit weer hoeft te zien. Ik zag eens hoe er met het lijk van een meisje van acht jaar werd gesleept. Een buurjongen van twaalf - die haar uit afgunst om een fiets had vermoord - werd gedwongen te demonstreren wat hij precies met haar had gedaan. Ook die foto’s werden gepubliceerd.
Dat is voor een belangrijk deel sensatiezucht maar voor een ander deel - zo verklaart de Thaise politie het - een manier om onontwikkelde mensen te laten zien wat er precies is gebeurd en dat de dader is gepakt. Zodat iedereen weet dat het recht zal zegevieren en lynchpartijen worden voorkomen.
Op vrijdag werd een foto van het lijk van de naakte David Carradine gepubliceerd door Thai Rath, de grootste krant van Thailand. De door de Kungfu-serie bekend geworden Carradine stierf in een hotelkamer in Bangkok hangend aan een touw in een klerenkast. GeenStijl heeft die foto ook gevonden en vandaag gepubliceerd op haar site. Uiteraard om lynchpartijen door onontwikkelde mensen te voorkomen. Als u de foto wilt zien kan dat hier.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————– Carradine mystery deepens, family seeks FBI help
BANGKOK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The family of actor David Carradine has asked U.S. authorities to help unravel the mystery of his death, amid conflicting reports about how his body was found hanging naked in a Bangkok hotel.
Mark Geragos, a Los Angeles attorney who represented Carradine’s brother, Keith Carradine, said on Saturday the family has contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and filed a formal request to have the FBI contact authorities in Thailand for further information. read on here>> (more…)
When my sister was nine years old, one day she came home with a bruise on her leg.
The teacher had hit her. My dad was furious and went to school next day to ask why. The teacher said my sister couldn’t read the words he had written on the black board.
My father couldn’t believe it, because my sister is a very bright girl. My dad returned home and asked his eldest daugther. She then told dad that she could read every word in Thai language for years already but that she actually couldn’t see what the teacher had written on the black board, whilst the teacher thought she couldn’t read the words. But she was to shy to say so…
I can only imagine how hard it was for my parents at the time to realise that their daughter was getting blind. I think that at that point mom and dad planned to have me. My dad and my sister spent two years in Bangkok trying to get my sister well, while I was growing quietly. Unfortunately luck was not on our side. When they came back home, my sister was totally blind.
Since then every day has been a beautiful day for my sister, she just can’t see it! Well, I would love to give it one more try, but if that doesn’t work out, I will just be spending the rest of my life with my sister just the way she is. Actually there’s nothing to worry about, as she can rely on herself, she can cook and she has her own grocery shop, which my brother built onto our house for her. What’s special is that she is her own cashier. I’m so proud of her!
That’s the reason why I smile when I think back on my life. I think I came a long way from where I started, but I have never forgotten where I came from.
There are still so many things to write about: other parts of my life, things I see here and things I have not mentioned. I will make it up to you in the next episode.
Life is good.
When you have read the story from last week, about me working twelve hours a day many days a week, you might think I have a pretty tough life here in Dubai. But really I’m doing fine! I believe that I won’t be leading this kind of life forever. I’m just working for a better future and all this will help me to achieve this better future. Well, I’m still trying to look at the bright side again, being an extremely positive person! Seriously, I am glad that I am who I am. And I’m quite happy where I am right now.
Every time I look back on my life and see how far I’ve come, I always smile. I was born in the countryside in a poor family in a small province in Thailand, not far from the border with Cambodia. My mom and dad are farmers and they had planned to have two kids. They had my older sister and my older brother. Things seemed to be perfect.
But then when my sister was nearly ten years old, she came home one day with a bruise on her legs, because the teacher had hit her. My dad was furious and went to school next day to ask why. The teacher said my sister couldn’t read the words he had written on the black board.
My father couldn’t believe it, because my sister is a very bright girl. My dad returned home and asked his eldest daugther. She then told dad that she could read every word in Thai language for years already but that she actually couldn’t see what the teacher had written on the black board, whilst the teacher thought she couldn’t read the words. But she was to shy to say so…
As far as the lifestyle here in Dubai concerned, the rich are extremely rich and the poor are extremely poor. You can see the most expensive cars drive past Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or African people sitting in the street waiting for someone to hire them to carry heavy stuff just for a small amount of money.
My boss is a HR Manager and the other, even bigger, boss is Senior HR manager. None of them is from Dubai. Both of them told me not to expect any luxury lifestyle here, because we are all here to work for the money. He advised me to save as much money as I can, so as to continue my studies or to do whatever I want to do back home, not here.
So here goes a description of my life here in Dubai:
My accommodation is shared with another seven Thai and Philippine girls. I walk to work and bring my own lunch every working day. I never did this in Thailand but here ninety percent of the people who work in my office do. That is to say, all the staff apart from the managers. I have one day off a week, which is Friday. But then most Fridays I work overtime. Working till late at night is a regular circumstance anywhay. There are many days in a week that I work twelve hours or more. That is also the reason I cannot comment so much on drasties and why it is difficult for me to respond right away to people who have read my story. Of course at work I cannot use a computer for personal use ever.
However, I still have just a little time for myself. I go out with friends, I go jogging so that I can exercise and at the same time get to know the place a bit better, and I watch DVD movies. Shopping is not prohibited but I should not do that so much. I mainly shop for food. No, it’s even worse: I only shop for food, this must be the worse part of my life in Dubai!
Most of the office workers here in Dubai are Philippine. Most of the people working in restaurants are Philippines. Dubai rules are that local people come first no matter what, then come the rich, then come the ordinary people like you and me. But they are pretty respectful to ladies. I was surprised to see that when I was in a queue at immigration on entering Dubai, ladies would be helped first no matter how long the queue was. On my second day, I wanted to take a bus and I was the last one in the queue but all those men opened the way for me. That’s nice, it makes me feel like princess and I love it. Even though I can’t imagine a real princess ever taking a public bus, it’s fine for me!
Another time, when I was on the last one of the queue in the bank, the bank clerk asked me to get to the front to take care of my transfer bill. I felt good, yet a little embarrassed because all those people had been waiting a lot longer than me, but me being a woman, I got to go first. Hopefully I will not get too used to this, I will have to go back to Thailand once.
However, it’s not all ‘nice’ in this Peaceful Muslim society. Behind the veil there are still bad things going on. I talked to one of the locals, who is quite nice and he told me that many Asian ladies come to Dubai looking for a rich local man to marry. They haven’t got a clue of what Muslim life is all about, but as soon as they meet a local, they will try to be ‘the one’ for him. Unfortunately there is usually no ‘Happy End’. Some girls get pregnant, have an illegal abortion and die because of complications. Not all Muslims are nice guys. Most of the girls were cheated. Once you sleep with one of them, there is nothing exciting about you anymore for this man. I think this story makes sense and not only for Muslims; I would say it could happen anywhere on earth.
I myself think it’s unpleasant to have to share your husband with another 4 or even 7 other ladies (may be more), but that’s the Muslim way of life. I do respect that, but I would never ever follow that rule myself, unless a new rule is established that if a man can have 4 up to 7 wives, then a woman can also have 4 up to 7 husbands. Then I might be willing to reconsider. I think this would be the death of me if I dared to say this out loud in the presence of a Muslim…
Thai Rath, April 19, 2009
Bloodshed shooting attack aimed at Sondhi - Surgery operation undergone
Life bidding [”He bets his life,” C-in-C Anupong Paojinda’s quotation that he bets his life there were no deaths caused by the army crackdown on Red Shirts.] Update: Sondhi Limthongkul is out of danger.
You might say I am a Thai woman on my way to building my very own career. Not just because of the job but also because I get to travel a lot and meet so many different people. I don’t expect to be a rich woman once I finish this one year working in Dubai. All I hope to get out of this experience is exactly that: ‘experience’.
Of course I do need the money as well; I’d love to have more for my old mom, my old dad and my blind sister and for paying off my own debt, but I have only just started. So far there is nothing much to complain about.
I always try to look at the bright side of it all, because working on an international assignment means that I am away from home and that’s something that I’m not happy about. Some friends said that it’s sad to have to be so far away from home, just to get a little bit more money, but I don’t feel sad; in fact I feel smart.
Let’s talk about Dubai. I always imagined that Dubai was a quiet, peaceful place, where most of the people came only for business. A Muslim country, so everyone, especially women, always had to cover themselves, etc.
When I arrived I found that Dubai was nice, not as nice as I imagined, but nice. And its culture is open; if you’re not a Muslim, you don’t have to follow the rules of covering yourself, even as a lady. You just have to respect their culture.
I’ve looked at the Code of Conduct that has been given me and I have to say it is not that different from real life in Thailand. That is, life away from the tourist places.
Frankly I don’t feel like I am abroad, I almost feel like I am in Thailand with the only difference that I have to speak English, that’s all.
Onze Phapaya uit Thailand, die vanuit Dubai wekelijks bericht over het leven van een expat daar, wijst er vandaag op: de nieuwe Code of Conduct die sinds maart in Dubai van kracht is. Dit zijn dus de normen & waarden waar Phapaya zich aan heeft te houden. Wij lichten er even uit wat voor toeristen en de op dit moment ietwat eenzame Phapaya van belang is.
Public display of affection: Warning or fine, in case of severe affection breach can lead to jail and/or deportation (1.4).
Dancing is forbidden in public places (1.5).
Hier volgt een samenvatting van de overtredingen en de straffen. Verderop een toelichting.
Appendix I: Offence and penalty table: Public display of affection: Warning or fine, in case of severe breach jail a/o deportation. Alcohol consumption outside designated areas: Fine or jail. Buying alcohol without,an alcohol ficence: Fine or jail. Drive under the effect of alcohol/drugs: Fine, jail a/o deportation, car confiscation. Drug consumption or possession: Fine, jail and deportation. Lack of respect for Islam’s customs and symbols: Fine, jail and deportation. Lack of respect for other religions’ customs and symbols: Fine or jail. Vulgar language: Fine or jail. Littering and spitting: Warning or fine. Pet fouling public areas: Warning or fine. Damaging public facilities: fine. Disrespect for environment: Warning or fine.
The Dubai Code of Conduct.
A new Code of Conduct for citizens, residents and vistors to Dubai has been issued by the Executive Committee under the guidance of Sheikh Hamdan (Sheikh Mohammed’s son). This is not a definitive summary, just a few high (and low) lights: 1. Social Ethics.
1.4 - Displays of public affection among couples - whether married or not - in public places does not fit the local customs and culture. Holding hands for a married couple is tolerated but kissing and petting are considered an offence to public decency. Public displays of affection, as well as sexual harassment or randomly addressing women in public places is liable to be punishable by imprisonment or deportation. There are also new clothing rules and a person can be refused entry to a government building if their clothing is considered immodest. 1.5 - Dancing is forbidden in public places. read on here>> (more…)
I’ve been in Dubai for one and a half month now and time’s passed in a wink. As the saying goes: time flies when you’re having fun! In my case, it’s not a matter of fun, merely of pieces falling into place.
The fact that I left my country Thailand is not the main issue here; I have travelled a lot and studied abroad. This time the reason for leaving was a job, which is an entirely different ballgame.
The first thing my boss told me is that my job is complicated. I found out quite soon that the job isn’t that hard to do, but great care is required because I’m dealing with the company’s money. At the moment, I’m also doing a senior’s job, she’s on holiday, but I will have to continue doing her job even after she returns. Big Bosses love to look at reports because they don’t really have to do any of the work themselves; they just make decisions and demand reports, more reports and then some more reports. I hope that the reports are OK for now, because I’m exhausted.
Then again my boss asked me how fluent my Chinese is; he wants me to act as an interpreter for the Chinese contractor. This job expansion also includes written Chinese translations. Actually my Chinese is not of an advanced level but I’m giving it my best shot, can’t do much more than that, can I?
I’m just sorry that there are only 24 hours in a day. However, if and when I get through the first year alive, it will be the best work experience ever…
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Vooruitgang bestaat niet, en dat is maar goed ook, want zoals het is, is het al erg genoeg.
Gerard Reve