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"The Rounds"
A Wonderful Tale of Life in Thailand . . . Boeing to Halt In-flight Internet Service U.S. Executive Branch Beleaguered Over Treatment of War Detainees "Arab Town" Set to Be Built in Bangkok Possible Bomb Plot to Kill P.M. Stopped More about News Story Claiming Washington Square Is a Center for People Seeking Sex with Children Major Breakthrough in Stem Cell Research May Have Major Implications for Thailand's Medical Industry Sports Schedule for The Office and Mojos Asia Books Opening Discount Book Store American Citizen Service Unit in Phuket Next Month Ever Hear Jo Jo Sing Here -- in 1963? * * * * * * * * * * Just a reminder you can sign-up for free to receive the BangkokAtoZ.com Updates (plain text) e-mail to always know when I add something new to the site or modify it in some important way. A great way to be sure YOU don't miss something of interest, best of all is that this service is absolutely FREE! * * * * * * * * * * A Wonderful Tale of Life in Thailand . . . It's all too seldom a writer has warrant to mess up his own self-imposed chronological order of presentation of stories, but this is one of those times. An extremely dear friend of mine, an American about 60 years old, married a most lovely Thai lady a few years ago, a gal roughly half his age. And they've made it. Part of the stuff she brought to the marriage is a darling biological daughter whose age is still denominated by a single digit. My friends -- and the wife is now included in that definition; actually, she has been for a good long while -- decided it would be a good idea for Papa to formally adopt Daughter. When Mr. Buddy told me the plan, I wasn't hopeful. A few years ago I received an impassioned plea via e-mail from a couple claiming to be from the U.S. how in the world they could adopt a child here, unable, so they said, to conceive a child themselves. Moved by their apparent desperate sincerity, and realizing I didn't know the first thing about such matters, I went a few extra miles trying to find out just what the score is for foreigners wishing to adopt in the Kingdom. Sadly, the stuff with which I was able to come up, come up with from Thai government sources, Thai and foreign adoption agencies, and foreign missions here was extremely discouraging, but I finally replied to the couple they had a better chance of becoming ice cubes and surviving a thousand years in Hell than they did adopting a Thai national. Mr. Buddy's and his wife's experience this week greatly, and happily, contradicts that notion. The daughter's household registration, and, hence, the source of her legal identification is from well outside Bangkok. My friends the couple learned there was a lawyer in the proper jurisdiction with an excellent track record in assisting couples in just this matter. Not cheaply, mind you, but successfully. Having had the daughter with them quite some time already, Mr. Buddy loving her madly, they decided to go for the gold. About a month ago, the man and wife traveled to Daughter's official home province and initiated the process. The lawyer told them he was confident of success -- and within thirty days at that. Yeah, right. Oftentimes getting a simple repair job done takes longer than that. And here was a guy, a foreigner, with a Thai wife half his age, wanting to adopt her child as his own. 'Course, none of us said anything discouraging, and the community crossed its collective fingers. And you know what? Despite the stories we all had heard, things went, as Thai Airways publicity folks would put it, smooth as silk. The child welfare department's people were thorough, but ultimately gave my friends no grief, allowing the case to move forward to a family court. At the start of this week, my buddy, his wife, and the gal who was at that moment solely his wife's daughter met with Mr. Attorney immediately prior to going to court. Mr. Attorney did an excellent job of playing the part of a stern judge, questioning each of the three in turn, thereby giving all of them a valuable warm-up for the real McCoy. Then came the moment of truth in the court, a panel of three somewhat stern judges presiding, with a couple of other never-identified people in attendance (and who ultimately took part in the proceedings). The questioning was, my buddy told me early Thursday afternoon, extensive. Some of it was clearly aimed at establishing the legitimacy of his and his wife's relationship, such as "When and where did you meet?" -- a question directed at both of them individually. Daughter was asked such matters as "What is your 'Daddy's' name?" and "Does he ever take you anywhere?" [The latter was clearly intended to determine whether he has a healthy social interaction with the Lass.] We often hear of how the Thai legal system is stacked against foreigners, and in some cases that appears to be true. But Mr. Buddy, sometimes shedding tears of joy, told me his tale of judicial kindness, courtesy, and compassion. [Fact be known, I was reduced to quiet tears more than once, and hell, I was only listening to a drama played out far away, days before. More truth be known, I'm battling the pleased tears even now, at 1:40 A.M., as I write.] No secret where this tale is going. At the end of the day, my friend told me, the chief magistrate made a statement in Thai some scores of words long -- my friend doesn't speak Thai more than the wee bit most of us do, so couldn't understand -- then switched to a much more concise statement in English: "We consent." Yeah, there are documents still to be processed, t's to be crossed and i's to be dotted, but as of that moment, my friend, who has no children of his biological own, became, legally, a father. He called a few of us upon departing the court, and SMS'ed others. There are a whole lot of happy Squaronian and other friends on his, his wife's, and HIS LOVELY DAUGHTER'S behalf. And more than one of us drawn up reconsidering whether or not fairness at the hands of the Thai judiciary isn't something we can reasonably expect, should matters come to that, after all. . . . Happy Life to My Friends. And a heartfelt "Thank you" to the court. [Friday, August 25, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Boeing to Halt In-flight Internet Service Aerospace giant Boeing has announced plans to end it's satellite-based in-flight Internet service, which it called "Connexion," after only a few airlines signed up for it even after six years. That's a shame. But I'm not surprised; the cost of the service is exorbitant at US$10/thirty minutes or US$30/flight. Consider this: right here in Bangkok I can get dial-up Internet service for as little as US$5.30/fifteen days -- and in fact, the every time but once during the lengthy period I used the service turned out to be at least seventeen days, sometimes as long as nineteen or twenty days. Or consider this: the ADSL Internet service I'm using this very moment runs me less than US$17/month. I reckon there's few people short of POTUS -- the President of the United States -- who have a compelling enough need for Internet access during even a long-haul flight to warrant spending such ridiculous sums as Boeing's Connexion set one back. The same is true regarding in-flight telephone calls. I remember on one flight between Tokyo and Los Angeles I toyed with the idea of calling someone in my family to say I was going to arrive in Dallas late, owing to a flight delay that happened at Narita Airport outside the Japanese capital. I quickly abandoned that idea when the stewardess warned me it would set me back a cool US$4/minute to make the call, as I could make the same call with ample lead time from LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) for far less. Market forces likely will eventually ensure that in-flight Internet access and telephone calls will become available at reasonable rates. One indicator of the power of such forces is found right here in Thailand in the mobile phone and phone calling markets. Even a "cheap" mobile phone cost at least US$800 or so when I arrived in 1994, and a call to the U.S. during the daytime on weekdays ran upwards of US$4/minute. Today a phone with far more bells and whistles than its expensive ancestor can be had for less than US$80, and a phone-to-phone call from here to the U.S. costs just THB5.00/minute, or a little over US$.13/minute (using the CAT prefix "009" to call, which routes over the Internet). Computer-to-computer "telephone calls" are free using services such as Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Skype, while computer-to-telephone calls can run as little as 1.9 U.S. cents per minute from Thailand to the U.S. Airline and aircraft manufacturers or anyone else interested in offering in-flight Internet and telephone services are going to have to get real -- and get with the program -- in regards to pricing. It'll happen, though all of us might have to have the patience of a Job before it does happen. [Sunday, August 20, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Beleaguered Over Treatment of War Detainees The U.S. has been subject to intense international scrutiny over its handling of people detained in its fight in the "war on terror." U.S. President George Bush and U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in particular are widely regarded as milking Congressional authority for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to invoke powers above the law and Congressional oversight. "So," you ask, "what's that got to do with Thailand?" Well, nothing, at least not directly. But the U.S. is often looked to as a model for the what-to-do's and the what-not-to-do's. And if a U.S. president can ignore the law and congressional -- here, parliamentary -- oversight, then a Thai prime minister can be justified in his actions, such as Prime Minister's ordering a crackdown on illegal drugs a few years ago, a "war on drugs" that cost well over 2,000 lives, lives lost, in some cases, in debated circumstances. Now a lower court ruling in the U.S. has ordered the NSA (National Security Agency), one of the government's most secretive departments, to cease monitoring international phone calls between someone in the U.S. and a suspected terrorist. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a body blow to the Administration's plan to set up special tribunals to try detainees in the U.S. military's detention facility in Guantanamo Bay (in Cuba) when it declared such tribunals to be in violation of U.S. civilian law, the U.S. Code of Military Justice, and the Geneva Convention -- though the court to leave open the possibility of such tribunals if -- and only if -- they were approved by the U.S. Congress. It's a tough call, and I'm glad I'm not in any position to have to decide one way or the other. On the one hand, like any sane person I don't want to give any leeway to those bastards intent on blowing up planes, trains, and subway station or flying airliners into office towers or any other such people. On the other hand, I don't want my government to have free rein to do as it damn well pleases, the Constitution, the law, and the Congress be damned. You think this is irrelevant to Thailand? Think again. I have Thai friends who supported the government's war on drugs, some of whom defended it on grounds of the U.S. executive branch's fine disregard of U.S. and international law and of the Geneva Convention, arguing that since the U.S.'s actions were justified (so they claimed) then the Thaksin administrations actions were also justified. I don't mean to make any judgment one way or the other regarding Thailand's war on drugs -- that's the business of Thai nationals. I mean only to say my country's action sometimes influences the opinions of people beyond the U.S. [Sunday, August 20, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Talk about a tempest in a teapot. The International Astronomical Union is scheduled to hold a vote this week on just what, precisely, is the definition of the word "planet." The proposal under consideration not only would leave Pluto as a planet (which some astronomers don't consider it to be) but also, for instance, would make Pluto and its moon Charon a double planet because they rotate around a center of gravity not in the center of either (unlike Earth's moon, whose orbit centers on the Earth's center of gravity). It also would change the definition of Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, back to planet -- as it was initially labeled soon after it's discovery in 1801. Oh, for the days of childhood, when things were simple! The solar system had nine planets. And a handful of moons, relatively speaking, compared to the scads of moons floating around today. The universe way back when was a serene, orderly affair. Under the new definition, the solar system would immediately gain three new planets, with the possibility of others later. One candidate that's been under consideration for awhile lies far beyond Pluto. Not a place to go to get a nice tan since the Sun is merely a bright star that far out. Science is serious stuff, and scientists are serious people. But sometimes their debates bring a wry smile even to people such as me, a huge fan of astronomy, space flight, etc. Meanwhile, I think I'll stick with the comfortable notion of nine planets, though I have to concede there are far many more moons than anyone knew back in the 50's, when I first became fascinated with the night-time sky. . . . [Sunday, August 20, 2006] Late note: Well, Pluto lost, and no longer is "officially" a planet, and the Solar System is now reduced to eight planets. I think -- the story I read was silent about the aforementioned three new candidates. Seems Pluto and its moon Charon [or fellow planetoid, if you prefer] haven't vacuumed up enough space debris in their orbit to satisfy astronomers it/they really qualify to be deemed "planet/planets." Shoot. Here I am, 55 years old, and having to adjust to a whole new definition of the "local neighborhood". . . . Sigh. [Friday, August 25, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * "Arab Town" Set to Be Built in Bangkok A friend alerted me to a brief news story about plans for a local realty company and some Middle Easterners to build a "purpose-built" [whatever that means] "Arab town" somewhere here in Bangkok, the exact location not disclosed. The plan apparently is to build a US$160,000 2-million-square-feet multipurpose facility, including residential space. More and more Arabs are moving to Asia, especially Malaysia, because they feel more welcome in this part of the world than they do in the U.S. and Europe owing to concerns about terrorism. They're undoubtedly right. And I imagine they could expand the list to include places such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. I personally don't know any Middle Easterners, Arab or otherwise, here in Bangkok, though there is a substantial Middle Eastern presence, as well-evidenced by the predominance of Middle Easterners around the Sukhumvit Road-Sukhumvit Soi 3 area, where there are very many shops of every description catering to the Middle Eastern market. The report is so short on hard data it's hard to know what to make of it. What is a "purpose-built Arab town" anyway? Has anyone ever heard of, say, a "purpose-built European town" or anything like that? It bothers me the way the story is presented, focusing as it does on the ethnic identity of the target market. It would have been enough to say the plan is to build a place with the wishes and needs of Arabs seeking to live in Bangkok in mind. Too often we who aren't Arab and not Muslims forget that not all Arabs, not all Muslims, are terrorists. Yes, the silence from the "Arab street" (as it pleases the media to so call it) is disturbing, at the very least, and arguably reprehensible regarding terrorist activities. But it's worth remembering that a whole lot of people don't get at all worked up by distant events. I haven't heard of demonstrators taking to the streets in the U.S. or Europe, for instance, protesting violence in places such as Sudan. Given the ongoing troubles in Thailand's Deep South (regarding which a senior Thai army general has raised the specter of communist activity), it will be surprising if this new development doesn't raise at lease some controversy here. And that's unfortunate. [Sunday, August 20, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Possible Bomb Plot to Kill P.M. Stopped A bomb in a car was intercepted near Prime Minister Thaksin's private residence yesterday. Police arrested the driver, an Army lieutenant who is said to be the official driver of a senior general in the ISOC, the Kingdom's internal security agency. Thaksin ordered the general removed from his position yesterday afternoon. The general denies any involvement. Apparently there are some differing opinions about whether the bomb was meant to be used against the Prime Minister, though at this early date -- I'm writing this a little after 6:00 A.M. -- it's not clear, at least to me, what those differences are. The media is reporting police experts said the bomb material was enough to completely devastate anyone and anything within thirty or forty meters of the blast -- including structures -- and to be capable of causing damage within a radius of about one kilometer. In other words, the potential for a huge, deadly attack was there. One curious detail to emerge in the media is that police apparently found a Thai Rak Thai party jacket at the private residence of the arrested lieutenant. Thai Rak Thai is the Prime Minister's party. This is an unfortunate development to say the least, escalating tensions, and not just in the political arena. Some media reports indicate concerns, for instance, in the business community about the incident, and an uncertain business climate is just about the last thing the Kingdom needs at this juncture. Let's hope the authorities get to the bottom of this quickly and that there are no other such incidents. Later news -- same day: Thaksin has announced there were four military officers involved in the plot against him, but the media say he gave no details. [Friday, August 25, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * More about News Story Claiming Washington Square Is a Center for People Seeking Sex with Children Since posting my first-ever, single-topic edition of "The Rounds" earlier this week, I was able to track the story down to a video report on Fax News Network. I can't provide a link because it came up as a javascript item, but the link is -- or was, anyway -- about halfway down the left side of the homepage. It's completely off the wall once journalist Rudi Bakhtiar (whom I had never seen or heard of before) went off on a tangent from the actual story about the Karr murder case. I still am shaking my head in disbelief she said the "painter bars" -- Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, and Monet, all on Sukhumvit Soi 33 -- are in Washington Square, which simply is not the case. Far greater disbelief comes from her claim people go to those bars for sex with children as young as young as four or five. And yet even more unbelievable still is her claim that Bangkok is a natural place for a paedophile to run. I don't think we Americans would like it if, say, someone accused of murder here in some sensational case fled to a U.S. city with a high murder rate -- and then for the Thai media to trumpet it's "natural" for a murderer to flee to said city. Pure, unadulterated poppycock. You can bet your booties reaction has been heated, swift, and widespread. I myself wrote a hot, lengthy, scathing e-mail to Fox News right after I viewed the video, which I watched twice to make sure I was hearing rightly. Just look at any Bangkok- or Thailand related discussion board if you want to see for yourself. Some posters in discussion groups have taken Thai officials to task for not raising holy hell with the U.S., but what, really, can they do? [Friday, August 25, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Cell Research May Have Major Implications for Thailand's Medical Industry There are widespread reports of a breakthrough in stem cell research that may ease -- but not yet eliminate -- ethical concerns associated in the minds of many, especially in the U.S., where it highly controversial and arouses great passions on all sides. Previously, very early-stage embryos were destroyed by the process to grow stem cell lines, the embryos spare ones left over from IVF [in-vitro fertilization] and ones which have been destroyed anyway. Despite the fact the spare embryos are destroyed, many people deeply oppose the technology, based on the argument the embryo could have grown into a person. The breakthrough is imperfect. The research team was able to grow only two lines of stem cells from 91 samples, and many of the original embryos -- but not all -- survived just fine. Those two issues will no doubt come under intense scrutiny by researchers seeking to up the success rate and eliminate destroying the embryos. So what's any of this got to do with Thailand? I just recently learned that the Kingdom is apparently a global player in the development and use of this technology, a role fueled by the widespread use of couples wanting children but having trouble conceiving them visit various clinics and hospitals around the Kingdom that offer fertility services. And if the remaining obstacles can be overcome, even if countries where the research is banned [read: the U.S. in particular] legalize it, Thailand will remain a leading destination for people seeking such help due in large measure to its far lower costs for medical care than are the norm in developed countries in the West. And I would hazard to guess that some people currently opposed to the whole idea will change their minds once the obstacles are overcome -- becoming potential users of the technology themselves. I personally hope the remaining obstacles can be overcome, as stem cells offer the greatest hope for replacing damage to tissues as a result of degenerative diseases. Several other researchers in the field cautioned for no one to get too excited just yet, given the remain barriers, and in any case, the whole field has been much harder to crack than scientists originally expected, so there's no way of knowing how long it will be before a non-controversial method of extracting stem cells from embryos will be available. This isn't a final solution, but it sure is a huge leap forward. [Friday, August 25, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * The Nation has a story in today's edition headlined "Local travel Falling Short" reporting that domestic tourism is down from forecasts. The paper says the drop is the result of flooding (especially in the North), fuel price rises, and the months-long political turmoil. On the other hand, the same story reports that international arrivals for the first six months or the year, up a very healthy 26% over the same period last year, with a corresponding boost in international tourists' spending. Maybe the fact fuel prices have fallen a bit recently (and are set to fall more in the near future) will help stem the loss. Also, flooding seems to be easing -- finally -- in some areas, though very many others continue to suffer. In any case, I imagine the large increase in the arrival of international tourists will help offset the much smaller losses, losses both in number of people traveling domestically and in the amount generated by domestic tourists. Also, once the general election is over (whenever that turns out to be), presumably stability will return and people in Thailand (including foreign residents) will be more comfortable with in-country travel. There's one aspect the story doesn't address, one I'd be willing to bet has considerable impact of foreigners on travel: the lack of language skills. A large percentage of foreigners here speak English (even if often as a second language), Japanese, and Chinese, for example, but not Thai. How many taxi drivers have you encountered who spoke any of the three? In smaller hotels, eateries, shops, etc., especially upcountry but even right here in Bangkok, I doubt anyone has met very many Thais even minimally proficient in any of the major languages spoken by visitors to the Kingdom. Anyway, I was a little surprised by the headline, but after reading the story, it makes sense -- unfortunately. [Friday, August 25, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Sports Schedule for The Office and Mojos And here it is, with no further ado:
By the way, The Office Bar & Grill has a completely revised website for those of you interested. There's a nice map -- except it has Van Gogh where Degas is, and Degas is an important landmark for those unfamiliar with the area since it fronts directly onto Soi 33, from which one access The Office (and Mojos). [Friday, August 25, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Asia Books Opening Discount Book Store Asia Books is a major local chain of book stores, which stores scattered all around Bangkok. I got an e-mail press release from them:
The stores offer a wide selection of English-language titles, including magazines and newspapers. In a related development, an earlier press release I got announced a new Asia Books store in open in the popular Central World shopping mall, but since it's operational, I see no need to reproduce that release here. [Friday, August 25, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Another Press Release -- for Jazz Lovers
I also got the press release below
from AMI Entertainment announcing what promises to be a great concert at Siam
Paragon early next month: AM - great double treat for real jazz people - for the first time in Thailand "Jazz Pianist of the Year 1999, 2000 & 2002" (Down Beat Readers Poll)BRAD MEHLDAU Trio BRAD MEHLDAU (Piano) Larry Grenadier (Bass) Jeff Ballard (Drums, Percussion) "Universally admired as one of the most adventurous pianists to arrive on the Jazz scene in years" (The Los Angeles Times)Friday, 8 September 2006 at 8 pm doors open at 7 pm with supporting act GIANNI MARINUCCI Quartet at the reception hall (Hall 1)ROYAL PARAGON HALL (5th Floor SIAM PARAGON)Tickets at 800, 1500 & 2200 Baht are available at Thai Ticket Master Call Center: 0-2262 3456For more information visit www.amithailand.comI'm not familiar with either the piano performer nor the quartet, but the press clips sure seem to rate both as top-notch. Jazz lovers make a note on your calendar. [Thursday, August 17, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * American Citizen Service Unit in Phuket Next Month
Hmm. This week's column is
turning into a list of announcements, but's the way the cards fell -- so be it!
And here it is:
Note the requirement to bring a photocopy of your passport photo identification page if you need an application for a new passport AND if you need to get extra pages added to your passport. Those are new requirements to me -- and I got extra pages under a month ago, although at the ACS Unit in Phnom Penh, not here. Also note there will be no Consular Reports of Births during consular visits around the Kingdom. [Friday, August 25, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Ever Hear Jo Jo Sing Here -- in 1963? Have had several inquiries recently from someone looking for information on a Filipina singer back in 1963, decades before my time, so I don't know anything about her. Part of the problem the inquirer doesn't remember just where she performed. He first said the Officers' Club, the "maybe a USO club," and in the latest e-mail the Cococabana? Has anyone out there in cyberspace ever heard of her and have any information about her post-1963? I've asked around several people whose time goes back as a year or two after 1963, but none of them recalls ever hearing of her, let alone actually hearing her sing. If you can shed any light on the gal, please e-mail me and I'll pass it on. [Friday, August 25, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Enough for one go . . . Until next time -- Mekhong Kurt
E-mail Change Notification Sign-up Sign-up here for e-mail notification when I add or change something on the site. Just go to the sign-up page. * * * * * * * * * * Where Is *Your* Name??? 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! * * * * * * * * * * Where is *Your* "Traveler's Tale"???
Got a "Traveler's Tale"?
-- send me a line! Just send me a *query* note at * * * * * * * * * * Linking to BangkokAtoZ.com 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:
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