"The Rounds" July 1, 2005

American 4th of July Party Saturday July 2nd at N.I.S.T.

I'd like to remind everyone the American Independence day 4th of July part is this coming Saturday -- tomorrow, by the time I upload this -- at the New International School of Thailand.

I've been there the past 2 years, albeit as a worker -- I'm a "bagman" running around every so often to the various booths collecting their money for safekeeping in a guarded, locked room -- and I can tell you from personal experience it's also a bag of fun! Great food, activities for the kiddies, performances and the like ensure everyone ought to have a great time. And yes, it's welcome to "foreigners!" After all, it's our -- I'm American for any of you who don't know -- celebration of our version of "Let's Get Rid Of the British and The Empire Day." '-)

Of course, given the modern "Special Relationship" between Washington and London, our British and other cousins from the Empire are more than welcome, as are our Thai hosts and our other friends from around the world. (Maybe Osama can safely consider himself uninvited, unless he wants to come to surrender!)

Which leads to my next point that may be of concern to any who have never attended: security. I'm not privy to the details, of course, but I know in broad strokes it is superb, provided by a whole bunch of folks, Thais and otherwise. On that day, I reckon N.I.S.T. is about the safest place conceivable to be outside of a diplomatic compound and any place any member of the revered Royal Family happens to be.

The place is covered with an enormous but utterly unobtrusive security net, all approaches guarded, all directions of potential danger closely monitored. Yes, you have to empty your pockets and go through a metal detector -- but hey, we do that at airports routinely anyway, so that's okay.

As an American, I hope to see my many friends, old and ones I meet that day, at the occasion. [Saturday, June 25, 2005]

* * * * * * * * * *

Foreigners Now Able to Get Loans to Buy Condos

In a remarkably liberal development for a country where people are obsessed with the notion of warding off foreigners from owning property, it reportedly is now possible for all of us foreigners who want to buy up Thailand and take it home with us to get local financing -- for the limited purpose of buying a condominium.

Actually, in fairness, local banks have been quite reasonably reluctant to loan money to foreigners because of the credit risks involved. You would be amazed at how many foreigners come here, run up all sorts of bills -- then take a powder. And they do so, in many cases, not because they're unable to pay their bills: they just don't want to pay, and figure it's unlikely their creditors will come after them.

And that's a valid concern anywhere.

Bangkok Bank has come up with a way to address both the credit worries and foreign demand: it's Singapore branch is lending up to 70% of the purchase price, depending on your income. (Anyone with the slightest familiarity with financial institutions in Singapore know Israel's justly famed Mossad intelligence unit could learn at the feet of the financiers in the island republic. My own home state of Texas has a motto "Don't mess with Texas," but Singapore arguably has greater bragging rights to it!)

Thanks to the fine folks at Thai Visa for letting us know about this development.

Maybe now eager foreign buyers and equally eager Thai sellers can get together to their mutual satisfaction. Kudos to Bangkok Bank for offering this service. [Saturday, July 1, 2005]

* * * * * * * * * *

U.S. Supreme Court Rules Cities Can Seize Private Property on Behalf of Private Developers in Case Likely to Reverberate

A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday [U.S. time] likely to echo not only across America but be closely noticed by governments around the world, given the American influence in many quarters, including, possibly, the Thai government.

In a 5-4 ruling, the Court held a city can condemn property for razing to make way for private development. In previous lower court decisions, which themselves fell on both sides of the issue, a key litmus test in many instances was whether the property a municipality sought to condemn was "blighted."

In this instance, a city government in Connecticut sought the right of imminent domain to raze a working-class neighborhood no one claimed to be blighted in order to make way for private developers to build a commercial area.

The dissent was sharp, itself something bound to be noted.

So what's the concern? No American court ruling has the slightest legal weight in the Kingdom (nor in any other country), of course.

Yet actions by any of the 3 branches of the U.S. government -- the Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Executive -- are regularly cited by other governments in defense of actions those other governments have taken: "Even the U.S. does this."

A Chinese leader, stung a few years ago by a U.S. human rights report by the U.S., famously claimed "the U.S. violates human rights." Of course, his claim completely sidestepped that the American government is the chief defender of human rights for its citizens and visiting foreigners, not the chief offender against those rights -- unlike the mainland Chinese government. (The remark was pre-Guantanamo Bay scandal days, by the way.)

Do I have a personal concern? As a property owner in the U.S., of course I do. I already was troubled by a thankfully failed effort by a small town to annex an area that included a large part of my Mother's small holding, including the part where she nurtures a commercial vegetable garden to supplement her retirement income.

This latest ruling by the Court make it far easier cities across the country to seize such property -- potentially for the private benefit of friends of members of city councilors, mayors, and others -- and even those government officials themselves.

My and my Sister's small ranch adjoins our Mother's property, and a substantial portion of it is within immediate reach of the city's annexation authority, an authority limited by the distance granted a city can extend its city limits per year, but that's small comfort since it would take only 2 or 3 years to suck in the lot.

Though I'm an American, this is one U.S. Supreme Court decision I utterly oppose -- and would oppose even were I not to own a single grain of American soil. [Sunday, June 26, 2005]

* * * * * * * * * *

Bangkok Fares Well in Global Cost-of-Living Survey

CNN has carried a story "World's most expensive cities" reporting a worldwide survey by Mercer Human Resources Consulting of 144 cities in terms of their cost of living.

Bangkok ranked a very respectable -- even enviable -- 125th, 1 below Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and 1 above Tunis, Tunisia.

Of the 17 cities surveyed in East Asia -- meaning, for my purposes, from China south and Burma east, excluding Australia and New Zealand -- Bangkok ranked 15th, ahead of only Tianjin, China (131st) and Manila, The Philippines (143rd).

Here are the 17 cities in East Asia, as I define it above, from most to least expensive:

City		Rank
Tokyo		1
Osaka		2
Seoul		5
Hongkong		9
Beijing		19
Taipei		29
Shanghai		30
Singapore		34
Hanoi		50
Ho Chi Minh City		56
Shenzhen		63
Guangzhou		65
Jakarta		71
Kuala Lumpur		117
Bangkok		125
Tianjin		131
Manila		143

If you're really interested in Mercer's research, you can order their books, a global one and a country-specific series. But raid your savings account beforehand: your first copy of the global one will set you back a cool US$1,000 (additional copies just under US$500)!

It'll be interesting to see how Bangkok ranks next time, given the current slow decline in value of the Thai baht against the U.S. dollar (and some other major currencies) versus soaring property prices. [Friday, June 24, 2005]

* * * * * * * * * *

Ministry of Education Seeking Guns for Teachers in South

It's a sad day when people involved in educating a nation's children find themselves in a situation giving them good reason to be armed.

That day has come to the Deep South of Thailand, were violence purportedly perpetrated by separatists continues apace with injuries and deaths occurring almost daily in the troubled region.

Though of the total number of people killed as of this past Saturday includes "only" about 2 dozen teachers, the Ministry of Education is said to be seeking sources of cheap but reliable handguns to make available to teachers, as buying new ones involves time, tedious paperwork, and great expense. (Imported firearms are amazingly expensive here.)

I taught 1 semester as a student teacher in the 1970's, have a secondary-level teaching certificate in English and history, and taught at university level for many years in the U.S., China, Macau, and Thailand. Prior to taking up university teaching in 1981, I worked a brief while as a police officer and a much longer while in private security, and was almost always armed when on duty. While I enjoyed the work in many ways, the constant tension was wearing, and when an unexpected chance to enter the teaching profession came out of the blue, I leapt at it, in part because I wouldn't have to carry a gun and be suspicious of everyone 24/7.

I'm reasonably sure most other teachers didn't enter the field with the thought they would find themselves needing to be armed in carrying out their duties. And I feel sorry for those teachers who, in the wake of the injuries and deaths suffered by their colleagues, now feel compelled to have personal firearms. Obviously, officials in the Ministry of Education are of the same mind, since they're leading the way to arm teachers as quickly and inexpensively as possible.

In neither of the news stories I read is there any mention of firearms training for teachers, something the Ministry of Education needs to address. A person untrained is a danger to him or herself as well as to others. In fact, a single training course alone is not enough, no matter how excellent is is; people need to practice regularly and standards for qualifying should be established. People in the military, police departments, and security agencies public and private normally have to go through scheduled re-qualification firing courses then, if the person fails to re-qualify, through another training stint until he can qualify again.

Even with training, it can be difficult to remain calm when confronted with a clear and present danger. (And yes, I've been there, done that, and can assure you it's downright difficult to remain cool and collected.)

Ministry officials have already been urging teachers in the violence-plagued South never to travel alone, and, ideally, to travel with military or police personnel. That suggestion is one teachers are well-advised to follow.

Of course, the ideal solution is for peace to return, removing the reason for arming teachers in the first place.

Yes, it's a sad day indeed. . . .

Sources:
Bangkok Post: "Teachers to get guns for self-defence"
TNA: "Second hand guns for southern teachers"

[Monday, June 27, 2005]

* * * * * * * * * *

In reading an extensive story about the vast Siam Paragon development on Rama I Road near its intersection with Phaholyothin Road in The Nation headlined "Costs soar, but Siam Paragon on course for Nov 1 opening," I was rather startled when I came to the section about the aquarium the complex will house.

The Siam Ocean World, according to the reporters, "will be the largest aquarium in the southern hemisphere [my emphasis], with more than 400 species of aquatic life and 30,000 fish." I was entirely unaware of this planetary event until now. Did the Earth's poles switch -- literally -- overnight?

I really am just having a little fun with Khun Nida Asawanipont and Khun Thanong Khanthong, the reporters who wrote the piece. Having made many an error even after proofreading with what I thought was meticulous care, I know far better than I ever wished to know just how easy it is to let an error slip by, especially when you're tired.

Fun aside, this complex looks set to change the face of Bangkok, and not just in shopping and entertainment, as it also will include a serviced-apartment complex and a 5-star hotel.

For one thing, the Siam Paragon will be to most shopping complexes what a double-the-everything Burger King Whopper™ is to an ordinary burger, weighing in at 550,000 square meters. That equals a square roughly 2.3 kilometers long on each side. (Put another way, it'll be, in round terms, about 5.5 million square feet, or nearly 1½ miles on each side.)

An example of potential changes is the Skytrain's Siam Station from its current 60,000 passengers each day to about 150,000 per day once the complex is open. That could be goods news for the operators of the Skytrain, unless the increased traffic at the Siam Station pulls passengers away from other stations.

Another example is that the center itself will accommodate up to 100,000 people per day.

The property has the additional prestige of being located on a 52-rai (about 20.8 acres/8.3 hectares owned by universally admired and respected Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The developers behind the project must be confident in the economy, as costs have risen from an original 6 billion baht to 14 billion baht, serious money in anybody's book. Further, there is serious competition in that there are a number of nearby major shopping complexes, and one doesn't have to go very far afield beyond those to find numerous other ones.

The soft opening is slated for November 1, 2005, with the official launch set for December 9th. [Monday, June 27, 2005]

In a series of proposed radical changes to the regulations governing the operation of private schools, the Ministry of Education wants to aid such schools, according to a story in today's Bangkok Post headlined "Schools to have right to set own fees."

From the owners' viewpoint, no doubt the proposals to remove limits on the tuition fees they can charge and to allow the schools to offer short courses to the general public will win major praise, the the ministry also proposes to set up a committee to receive complaints about unfairly high rates. From an educational point of view, a major double benefit will be the unfettering use of foreign teachers and foreign teaching materials in the 4 areas of mathematics, English, science, and computer science. From foreign teachers' point of view, the ministry's proposal to streamline visa and work permit application procedures will make life much easier for them.

Another proposal is to allow kindergartens in high-rise condominiums, after screening of the buildings. Under current regulations, a kindergarten can be in no building more than 2 floors tall. Yet we live in an urban, high-rise environment. This would ease demands on parents and, perhaps, even ease traffic congestion a little, something always high on everyone's wish list here. (Or is it "fantasy list"???)

The story is silent on the question of private specialty schools, such as the ubiquitous language schools that abound in the capital. However, there's a a slight implication they are; Deputy Education Minister Rung Kaewdaeng is quoted as saying "Foreign teachers will no longer have to work under the cover of a tourist visa." In my own experience, the only teachers who do that are those at language schools.

The Deputy Minister was very frank about the fact there are many criticisms of domestic educational materials, something to which I can attest. That is not to say all local materials are inferior, as they certainly are not. But in some areas, they genuinely are; most local English-language textbooks I've seen ranged from barely adequate -- with improvisation, that is -- to the utterly unacceptable.

One thing the changes in regulations cannot in themselves bring about is to improve the standard of teaching. Again, not all aspects of local teaching methods are inferior -- in fact, we in the U.S. could take a page from the Asian book about requiring students to amass an appreciable amount of knowledge they can call up on demand. However, just as we fall short on putting facts into students' minds, Asians fall short of teaching students how to reason (thus the insistence on multiple-choice exams and other academic tasks of a similar nature).

I can give an admittedly extreme example. At one university I where I taught here in Asia, I gave my students a break one day in the middle of their once-a-week 3-hour drama class. During the break, I stood outside and idly started listening to the English Conversation 101 class next door. (The classrooms weren't air-conditioned, and it was a warm time of the year, so the classroom door was open.) Much to my amazement, the local teaching the class was speaking 100% in the vernacular; in the 15 minutes I listened, I never heard a student speak nor a single syllable of English at all. When I later asked some of those students how their class was going, they poured their hearts out, saying the teacher refused to allow any student to speak, even to ask a question in the local language. Further, the teacher was reading to them in the vernacular about English conversation.

Those students finished the semester not at all prepared to enter the follow-on course.

All that aside, as an educator, I hope the appropriate authorities approve the proposed changes. Local students can only benefit -- the most important goal -- as can teachers and owners. [Monday, June 27, 2005]

Thai Airways is imposing a 200-baht fuel surcharge on domestic flights beginning today.

The surcharge is for a one-way flight; an additional 200-baht surcharge is added for a round-trip flight. As practically everyone knows, the dramatic rise in fuel prices has forced Thai and other airlines to use these charges to keep up with rising operating expenses, or at least to soften their impact. The airline was already charging fuel surcharges for international flights, US$15 for regional flights (including the Middle East) and US$25 for flights to the rest of its international destinations, including Australia and New Zealand.

I haven't flown recently, but I imagine other Thailand-operated airlines operating domestically will be adding similar surcharges -- if they aren't already doing so. [Friday, July 1, 2005]

An update on the visa service provided by Jack Total Golf is in order, as that service has expanded.

The outfit runs a luxury bus service to Poi Pet, Cambodia (opposite Aranyapathet in Thailand), and has for quite some time now. I recently learned the company has put a second daily bus into service.

Now there are 2 buses 6 days a week making the run, one departing at 5:30 A.M., the other at 7:00 A.M. On Mondays there is only the 7:00 A.M. bus. Here are the schedules for the 2 buses:

5:30 Bus (Tue.-Sat.)	7:00 Bus (Every Day)
Leave Bangkok at 5:30 A.M.	Leave Bangkok at 7:30 A.M.
Arrive Poi Pet 9:00 A.M.	Arrive Poi Pet 10:30 A.M.
Depart Poi Pet 10:00 A.M.	Depart Poi Pet 12:30 P.M.
Arrive Bangkok 1:30 P.M.	Arrive Bangkok 4:00 P.M.

The cost of the trip is 2,000 baht -- and that includes the 1,000 baht it costs for a visa for Cambodia. Friends who've taken the 7:00 A.M. bus have told me it also includes a Cambodian-Thai buffet lunch just over the border. I don't know about the 5:30 A.M. bus, though given the price is the same, I assume there is some sort of arrangement for a breakfast or brunch during the hour in Poi Pet.

The staff take care of taking your paperwork and passport through Immigration. When you re-enter Thailand, you will receive a visa-on-arrival, good for most people for 30 days, though a few countries' nationals receive shorter ones. There are even a few countries whose nationals aren't eligible for visas on arrivals at all, so check on your eligibility before making a trip to the border (no matter how you make the trip).

Friends say the bus is very comfortable, with soft seats, good air-conditioning, soft drinks, and an onboard television (videos) service -- in English and Japanese.

One friend asked about the possibility of taking the bus to Poi Pet then, instead of returning on the same bus that day, if he could travel in Cambodia for however many days then catch a return bus when he exited Cambodia back into Thailand. A staff member told him he could do that, if he saved his ticket and understood he couldn't be assured a seat if the bus happened to be full.

The departure point in Bangkok is just west of Sukhumvit Soi 12, opposite Sukhumvit Soi 15. The buses depart promptly, so it's a good idea to get there at least 15 or 20 minutes early to buy your ticket and get your visa application for Cambodia. Make a reservation 2 or 3 days before the date you want to go.

Jack Total Golf
212/18 Sukhumvit Plaza, 3rd Floor (but wait at the street)
Sukhumvit Soi 12
Khlong Toey
Bangkok 10110 Thailand
02-251-1946, 01-581-1619 (English), 01-518-2247 (Japanese)

Sign-up here for e-mail notification when I add or change something on the site. Just go to the sign-up page.

So you've been a slacker and still haven't signed up for the free BangkokAtoZ.com Updates Mailing List??? ;-) Well, get with the program and sign up right now to be notified via e-mail whenever we add something to the site -- that way, you don't even have to visit the Updates Page to see if there's anything new -- we'll let you know by e-mail. If you want to sign up, just go to the sign-up page. I'm pleased to say that more and more of you are signing up, and I urge all of you not to hesitate!

If anyone reading this has a website and want to link it to BangkokAtoZ.com, you can copy-and-paste the banner and text link below into your site; they are live links to this site's homepage:

I'll appreciate an e-mail telling me the URL of where you placed it. If you want me to put a link on BangkokAtoZ.com for your site, do tell me where you have placed our link, and I'll give you a link in a comparable position, of the same nature (i.e., banner-for-banner, text-for-text).