"The Rounds" July 22, 2005

For those of you who bypass the BangkokAtoZ.com home page, where I reported this already a couple days ago, here's the announcement there:

A GREAT activity coming up sponsored by the fine folks a ThaiVisa.com -- a "Thaivisa Member's Meet & Greet Pissup" Friday July 29, 2005" at the Sin Club on Sukhumvit Soi 4 [Soi Nana] for members, guests, and just about anyone else to get together for a night of what promises to be enormous fun!

ThaiVisa.com is the largest general-interest place for foreigners visiting, doing business in, or living in the Kingdom, to the best of my knowledge. There are many discussion threads filled with a ton of good information about everything from buying property to getting visas to announcements of events of interest to the foreign community. Not to mention affiliated services, such as the well-reputed Sunbelt Asia.

Click the graphic below for further information about the upcoming PARTY -- and if you expect to be in Bangkok then, plan on coming on around!

Reading the posts is absolutely free for anyone and registering to be able to comment requires nothing more than a minute or two, and costs absolutely nothing. Join today! (I deliberately put this out of chronological order so as to give this announcement maximum exposure.) [Thursday, July 21, 2005]

Government Issues Emergency
Executive Decree to Address Violence in the Deep South

The Cabinet felt compelled to enact an executive decree yesterday giving the central authorities considerable leeway in responding to continuing sectarian violence in the troubled southernmost provinces of the Kingdom in the wake of the last string of attacks in Yala town.

The decree must receive the authorization of His Majesty the King then be endorsed by the Parliament before becoming fully enacted, though it is expected it will receive Royal and Parliamentarian endorsement as a matter of course.

The situation in the three provinces is as complex as it is troubling, complex in that there's much history of misunderstanding and conflicting aims, troubling in that the victims of the wanton violence have almost all been Thais.

The government says the aim is for authorities to be able to respond to circumstances without imposing martial law, though the decree will give authorities the power to impose curfews, travel restrictions, and to ban publication or broadcast by media deemed to have made public undesirable reports with the potential to inflame the situation at hand.

Given that Thais are unusually open, friendly, and peaceful it's sad that the Kingdom finds itself in this unhappy situation. As an outsider, I'm not really in a position to assess the merits of the decree, though as a friendly observer I hope the government has at least some success in bringing peace to the long-troubled region.

Unfortunately, violence continues in the 3 troubled provinces in the Deep South of Thailand, where the recent emergency decree is in effect; in addition, 4 districts in a neighboring provinces have been placed under the decree.

In an ABAC poll taken after the degree was announced, media reports said that about 70% of Bangkokians and well over 80% of the people in the affected provinces voiced support for the decree. I didn't see any reports of how many people were polled nor what the margin of error was.

There has been considerable concern, even outright opposition, from some quarters. Even Anand Panyarachun, chairman of the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) and a highly respected former Prime Minister has cautioned against overly-hasty implementation of any of the decree's provisions, arguing that government officials tasked to implement them simply aren't ready and are inefficient, according to media reports.

Some NGO's have been quite vocal in their oppositional, as have certain others, such as journalists.

But even some with reservations admit the decree has positive aspects, pointing, for example, to the requirement of a court to use wire taps.

Of direct concern to foreigners visiting the affected areas is that in my opinion it is inadvisable to travel there unless it is absolutely essential. While I have no special inside knowledge, certainly not of any threats made against foreigners since the sharp upturn in violence several weeks ago, it isn't hard to figure out that any place suffering such tensions isn't exactly a first choice of destinations. And that's too bad, since one of the locals' complaints is getting second-rate economic help from any quarter.

In searching for another news item, I ran across a story in today's edition of the mainland's China Daily reporting the launch of China's 2nd budget airline, Spring Airline, in a story headlined "Budget airline makes low-fare take-off" about the carrier's maiden flight yesterday between Shanghai and Yantai (in Shandong Province). I was surprised, as I hadn't known of the first carrier's launch earlier this year, Okay Airline.

The promotional fare for a ride on an Air Bus 320 is US$24 -- compared to normal fares between US$85-120 charged by route competitors. There are tradeoffs, of course; tickets are sold only via the Spring Airline website, and there are no onboard meals, only bottled water. But yesterday's maiden flight took only about an hour, so that's okay.

Backed by Shanghai-based Spring International Travel Service, executives at the airline were said to be hoping the association will help boost passenger loads. (I had to smile when I went to the agency's web site and saw the link for "Fights"!) I searched in vain for the airline's website's URL; it isn't even on the parent company's website.

When I first moved to China in 1985 (for what I expected to be a 1-year stay) there was exactly one airline: CAAC, the acronym also of the country's agency governing air travel, the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Though the communist giant was already several years into experimenting with the late paramount leader Deng Xiao Ping's "Open Policy" -- better known in the West as his "Open Door Policy" -- I never dreamed how rapidly things would change. Back then, air travel was expensive, even at the discount rates I was eligible to receive as an instructor at a state-owned university (the only kind back then). And the cabins both physically and in terms of service made even Western economy flights of the day look positively luxurious! And destinations were far fewer than today.

With more and more Thais traveling to China, the increasing number of airlines serving more and more destinations is welcome. True, this airline isn't flying to foreign destinations (yet), but there are plenty of international carriers that serve the country, including those from the mainland. And the Thailand-China business links are growing by leaps and bounds as well.

Anyway -- it's an interesting development I'll be watching. [Tuesday, July 19, 2005]

ICE: In Case of Emergency Contact Numbers

I just read a story in The Washington Post reporting an idea so obvious it practically hurts: putting emergency contact numbers in your mobile phone contact book so if you are sick, injured, or dead emergency personnel can know whom you wish to be contacted.

"'ICE' Cell Phone Plan Would Help Rescuers" reports that a British paramedic came up with the idea of prefacing a person's name in your contact list with the acronym "ICE." Even in countries where English is the dominant language, the acronym likely will take some time to catch on. But even here in Thailand [and other non-English-speaking countries] we can record information to give emergency service personnel some idea whom they need to contact. How about something along the lines of "My Sister," "My Doctor," "My Insurance," and "My Attorney"? Later, if the acronym ICE becomes as ubiquitous as, say, "9/11" has become, we could change the entry to include the acronym -- "ICE Sister," "ICE Doctor," ICE Insurance," and "ICE Attorney."

I already carry a card with my own ICE info on it. But what if I'm incapacitated and my wallet is gone, for whatever reason? Yes, I'm registered at the U.S. embassy here, and my next-of-kin info is recorded there. But my local emergency contact numbers are not. It would take quite a bit of time for the local emergency services to figure out to call the embassy, get the information, call my next of kin in America, get my local emergency contact numbers, then start calling them, much more time than if they could simply scroll through my mobile phone's contact list and see those numbers right off.

I've just entered the appropriate numbers in my own mobile phone, and I urge each and every one of you to do the same -- wherever you are. [Thursday, July 21, 2005]

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International Rugby Competition Comes to Phuket

The Phuket Gazette has a story bound to be of great interest to fans of the rough-n'-tumble sport of rugby about an international tournament being held in Phuket August 6-14, 2005.

The intriguingly named "80-80 International Rugby Tournament" is reported on in the popular paper's story "Phuket to host first 80-80 international rugby tournament." The name comes from the requirement that all players must weigh no more than 80 kilograms (176 pounds) at the beginning of the season, though somewhat confusingly, the story also says players can't weigh more than 85 kilograms (187 pounds) during the tournament.

There will be powerhouse representation from Australia, which will lend interest to the event. A team of International Rugby Union personnel will be there to observe and record the event for international broadcast later. I was surprised that a decision hasn't made whether to broadcast the event here in Thailand, surprised because the sport is popular among Thais.

Almost as an aside the report mentions that the competition was originally set to take place here in Bangkok, but the tourism authorities decided to hold it in Phuket in the wake of last year's tsunami to try to help the ravaged economy there. I applaud the authorities for taking such a step. While the whole country suffered in one way or another from the after-effects of the tsunami, putting direct economic benefits into one area hurt more than most merits loud applause.

Anyway, rugby lovers take note of the upcoming event. [Thursday, July 21, 2005]

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More Activities Planned to Benefit Various Southern Areas

Today's edition of the Bangkok Post has a story outlining other events for a bit later this year to benefit Phuket, Krabi, and nearby areas.

"Concert planned to attract Japanese visitors" is primarily about a concert the Japan office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand is working out to be held in November of this year. Four major Japanese performers will visit the island and not charge for their services.

Japanese visitors constitute one of the larger groups of tourists visiting the Kingdom each year, and this event is meant to draw some of them back to the area, particularly families with children and women.

The article doesn't indicate what will be done from any proceeds the concert brings in, but even if none of the money will go towards charity, Japanese are often high-end tourists, spending freely. If the organizers succeed in attracting their targeted 3,000 Japanese tourists to the event, Phuket and the surrounding area certainly will benefit. Further, not only Japanese like Japanese performers, so, presumably, at least some of the people attending the concert will be of other nationalities. Even budget travelers will spend some money locally on food, hotels, and local transport, at the very least.

The end of the article reports on a separate event planned for Phuket and Krabi for August-October, 2005, a "Beach Queen Thailand 2005" contest sponsored by Thai Airways International. Drawing contestants in the 18-25 age group from all over the world, the winner will receive a prize of US$10,000. Since such contests are as popular here as they are elsewhere, this should bring economic benefits to the 2 resort areas and their vicinities.

Let's hope these and other such events will help revive tourism in Thailand's southern resort areas, helping restore the local people's livelihoods lost in the aftermath of last year's tsunami. [Monday, July11, 2005]

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Private-Home Sales Facing a Nosedive This Year

My earlier articles about the suffering home property market were largely based on personal observation and anecdotal evidence, but The Nation has a story in today's edition bound to be bad news for sellers headlined "Home sales expected to fall 22% this year."

While the article doesn't say, specifically, if the figures are for Greater Bangkok or a larger area, from the numbers I'm guessing it is indeed about just the metropolitan area. Over 15,000 fewer homes are expected to be sold this year than were bought last year, the 22% fall mentioned in the story's headline.

The item contains an even more startling figure: the drop in sales in baht terms -- down almost exactly 33%, a drop of over 80 billion baht. It also mentions delays in marketing plans by a large number of builders.

Somewhere I read that the one bright spot might be at the market's lower end, which is expected to pick up some, as I recall. (I don't remember where I read that.)

Higher energy costs are blamed for the free-fall.

On the larger canvas, maybe the expected slowdown will prove beneficial. Prices were skyrocketing beyond all reason, but with the market now being a buyers' one, I hazard to say they surely will at least moderate in their rise if not actually go down. Given that consumer debt burden is of considerable concern, it would be good if consumers don't end up financially overextended.

I believe the economy is more likely to continue an overall downward trend in at least the near term -- I keep remembering the lead-up to the 1997 economic crisis that started in Thailand then raced across the region. In that sense, I sure hope I'm proven completely wrong by future developments. On the other hand, from the narrower perspective of a potential buyer, maybe it will turn out to be a good idea to wait awhile to see how things shake out.

An ancient Chinese curse is "May you live in interesting times." And these sure are "interesting" times, indeed. . . . [Thursday, July 21, 2005]

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Fifteen years old when the American television series "Star Trek" debuted in 1966, I was a huge fan right from the very first episode. While I enjoyed the films (especially the first) and the spin-offs, it was the original show I most enjoyed.

I was saddened to log onto the Internet this morning see that James "Scotty" Doohan, the actor who immortalized his fictional character, chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise Lieutenant Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott. As happened with others in the series, Doohan became forever indelibly stamped with the image of the crusty engineer.

Though the phrase "Beam me up, Scotty" is identified with Doohan's character, I was surprised to read in more than one source that none of the other characters gave the order in quite that way, the closest being identified as William Shatner's character, Captain Kirk, saying, "Scotty, beam me up."

Be that as it may, the phrase has entered the English language and won't be disappearing along with Doohan.

Though "Star Trek" doesn't have near the cult status here as it does in the West, especially (of course) in the U.S., I have seen young people with various T-shirts and the like with some image from the entire range of "Star Trek" episodes, movies, and episodes of spin-offs.

Fittingly, and following in the path of series' late creator Gene Roddenberry, Doohan requested his remains be cremated and a bit of the ashes sent into orbit around the Earth, a service provided by a private firm in Houston, Texas, Space Services, Inc. His ashes reportedly will be launched sometime in the next few months. Contained in an aluminum container, eventually the ashes and the container will be burned up when the container's orbit decays and brings the "space vessel" back into Earth's atmosphere.

Fans of the actor wish him well as Doohan himself beams up into Space, the Final Frontier.

The Bangkok Wine Society will be having a wine-tasting on Monday, August 8th. Thai wines will be served and finger snacks available.

Though I haven't been to one of the events hosted by the Bangkok Wine Society, I plan to make this one, especially as it will be right in my neighborhood at Livingstone's Steak House on Sukhumvit Soi 33. I was at the venue for the grand opening in its former incarnation of the same name but which offered African cuisine, as idea that apparently didn't catch on. But the physical facility is quite attractive.

I know practically nothing about wines, but friends who do assure me some of the Kingdom's wine can hold their own quite nicely against comparable wines from elsewhere, and since it'll be such wines on offer at this event, I'll be interested in sampling some local fruit of the vine.

In case you can't get to the "Next Event" page above, let me mention the event is 6:30 P.M.-8:30 P.m.; reservations can be made by sending the request -- don't forget to say for how may people! -- to:

The restaurant is easy to reach. Coming from Sukhumvit road, it's on your left past the Novotel Hotel maybe 50 meters. There's a large sign on Sukhumvit Soi 33 itself, though you have to turn into a short driveway and walk a few meters to the entrance. It's a stylish, open-air affair that includes a boutique hotel and a swimming pool.

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