J

Jade. As when buying any gemstone and jewelry, use caution, as fakes abound. There are independent gemologists around who can certify whether a jade item you are considering purchasing is genuine, what quality it is, etc. Apparently, genuine jade comes only from highly specific areas.

Ja: "Dear," or something akin to it, used as a form of address; for example, a waitress may ask, "What would you like, Ja?" when taking your order

Jai: "Heart," both literal and metaphorical

Jai Dee: "Good Heart" – i.e., "Good-Hearted"

Jai Dhum: "Black Heart" – i.e. "Black-Hearted"

Jai Raawng: "Hot Heart" – i.e., what we would call "Hot-headed" or "Hot-tempered"

Jai Yen: "Cool Heart" – one of the most important concepts of all in Thailand, this means "Keep Cool" or "Keep Calm," and almost always is advice well taken – and well heeded

Jakarta. The capital city of Indonesia, located about 6 hours by air south of Bangkok. See entry for "Indonesia" above.

Japan. Even after the economic crisis of mid 1997 which swept across Asia and then on around the world, Japan remains the economic powerhouse of East Asia, having, has it does, the world’s second-largest economy. For anyone visiting there, if you don’t already know that it is extremely expensive, you better check your wallet before going! Japan is well-represented in Bangkok. It has – or did, pre-economic crises, at least – the largest single expatriate community in Bangkok, numbering somewhere in the 20-30,000 range (depending on whose figures you read on which day). There are numerous restaurants, karaoke bars, etc. catering to this large, wealthy community. There’s even a supermarket, Fuji Supermarket, open to all (unlike some places, which have signs over their doors saying something along the lines of "Japanese Only," which we take as a slap in the face of our Thai hosts, but that’s another story). Fuji is located tucked away in Sukhumvit Soi 31/1, back in behind Villa Supermarket.

Japan had an imperial presence here during World War II, a historical fact that is a touchy subject with some Thais, understandably so. Thais are fiercely proud with a [sometimes unfortunate] strong streak of nationalism, and like to point out that "Thailand" means "Free Land" and that Thailand, alone among countries in this part of the world, has never suffered colonial status. It is true Thailand was not colonized by Japan during the war. However, Thailand avoided that fate by responding to the Imperial Japanese government’s request that the Thai government of the day "invite" the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces to set up shop in Thailand. The Thai leaders weren’t idiots – the record of Japan’s swift sweep across the entire region was plain to see – so they acquiesced to the request.

Japan is a large trading partner of Thailand’s, as well as a big investor. The still-to-be-completed subway system, for example, is a joint Thai-Japanese undertaking.

Jew. Members of another of the world’s great religions, Judaism, are scarce evident in Thailand. Israel and Thailand do have diplomatic ties. We ourselves have never seen nor heard of a Jewish temple, though know there must be someplace for the few Jews scattered about to gather for worship.

Jewelry. As when buying any gemstone and jewelry, use caution, as fakes abound. There are independent experts around who can certify whether a jewelry item you are considering purchasing is made of the claimed material(s), what quality it is, etc.

Jomtien. Jomtien is a companion town just south of it’s better-known neighbour, Pattaya. Like the latter, it is a beach resort. It is popular with Old Thai Hands because it is less overrun with tourists that Pattaya is, and therefore is quieter and more sedate. Jomtien is about 2 hours south of Bangkok by road. We’ve heard there is a slow, slow "milk-run" train linking the capital to Pattaya that takes several hours. If so, one could take that (and avoid the many deathly hazards of Thai highways) and go on to Jomtien from there.

Judicial System. The judicial system in Thailand does not enjoy a particularly high reputation, though this may change as political reform continues. Powerful locals remain largely above the law; scarce a week goes by without the newspapers running stories of yet another such person defeating the legal system. It also is rather a politicized system, as evidenced by the ease with which local VIP’s avoid prosecution. There is an appellate system. The workings of the judicial system are creaky and torturous, typically taking years to wend their way to the end. Of course, there are exceptions, and certain high-profile cases are rushed through quickly. One feature of the legal system here is that once each year His Majesty the King grants royal pardons and commutations, affecting the statuses of thousands of prisoners, may of whom are freed.

Justice. This is somewhat more difficult to discuss than is the judicial system itself, as people’s notions of justice vary. For instance, in the late 1990’s a police general, according to the numerous media representatives present, had his men take a number of handcuffed and chained drug suspects back into the building where they had been arrested, after which shots rang out. Afterwards, all the suspects were dead, the police claiming the suspects had managed to get free and went for weapons. The bodies were cremated almost immediately, going against law and established procedure, and the structure was torn down. No legal action was taken against any of the police involved -- but many Thais feel that's just fine, reasoning that even if the suspects were innocent (as their survivors claimed, to no avail), then it was just too bad, but better to use overkill than to let real drug dealers and the like off.