Giving back and RAKing sans sin…

Christians are really big on the concept of sin. Also quite popular is the atoning for sins by doing good.

Ok, for Catholics, the rosary is supposed to come into it, but I grew into my own way of thinking. By the time I was in my 20′s, giving back had taken over twirling beads (not that I was ever much into jewelry).

Later, RAKing become the craze. And as I’m an impulsive animal, I took to RAKing.

Here’s how it works: “RAKing“ is carrying out a Random Act of Kindness. You’ll feel great for doing it, your recipient will love it, and everyone who reads about it will get a warm fuzzy feeling.

When I started RAKing, it was not about anyone finding out. Hit and run kindness was more like it. But back then, there was *GASP* no Internet. And these days, instead of hiding our intentions, using technology to incite further acts of kindness makes more sense.

Acts of kindess on the Internet can break out most anywhere. The ThaiVisa discussion, Sick Friend, is one recently on my mind.

Making merit comes full circle…

Thailand has its own version of giving back called making merit. And same as in the west, the Thai act of giving usually involves getting something in return. I’ve grown to expect warm and fuzzy feelings and tax breaks. But in Thailand, it also depends on the what as well as the who:

Talen’s Thailand Land of Smiles:

• If you offer rice or any staple food, you will be happy and healthy all through your life.
• If you offer clothing, in your next life, you won’t have a problem with clothing and will also have beautiful skin.
• If you offer candles, flashlight and incense sticks you will have beautiful and bright eyes. Also, in your next life you will not need glasses.
• If you offer a Buddha image, in your following life you will be as beautiful as that image.
• If you offer religious books or donate text books and learning materials for school children, you will be intelligent in your next life.
• If you offer soap, skin lotion or cleansing facilities, you will have nice and beautiful skin.
• If you donate money and materials for constructing buildings in the monastery, you will have a big and beautiful house in your next life.
• If you build bathrooms and toilets for the monastery and help to build public hospitals, you will have a healthy and happy life.
• If you offer toothpicks, toothbrushes and toothpaste, you will have beautiful and strong teeth.
• If you donate blood, kidney or other part of your body, you will have a fit body and vigorous health in your future lives.

During a discussion about Thai sayings and making merit, Benjawan sent over three proverbs from her CD, Speak Like a Thai Vol. 3: Thai Proverbs and Sayings:

บุญมา วาสนาส่ง

bun maa · wâat-sà-năa sòng
With good merit, power and fortune will come.

ทำดีได้ดี ทำชั่วได้ชั่ว

tam dee dâi dee · tam chûa dâi chûa
As ye sow, so shall ye reap.
Literally: Do good get good; do bad get bad.

ให้ทุกข์แก่ท่าน ทุกข์นั้นถึงตัว

hâi túk gàe tâan · túk nán tĕung dtua
What goes around comes around.
Literally: Give others suffering, that suffering comes back to you.

I quite like the full circle concept of it all. Just think about it: If an action is going to come back to bite you in the butt, a positive is better than a negative. Correct?

And (drumroll), referring back to Talen’s post, I quite like the idea of contributing to the education of Thai school children.

Inciting acts of kindness at the SET Foundation…

Last Monday was my birthday. Yeah. Bad timing. I did get the coveted 7D, but when asked what else I could suggest as a gift, I chose giving back to Thai students instead. Reason: Like many westerners, I have plenty of stuff. Also, operating with a ‘something comes in, something needs to go out’ policy makes getting more stuff a challenge (pssst: Anyone on the market for a secondhand KISS?)

Ok. Do you remember back in December, when I wrote about Peter Robinson’s SET Foundation? This post is along the same concept, but for a different season.

When I donated at Christmas, I discovered that 5000 baht will pay for one school semester for a Thai college or uni student. But the problem with the onetime donation is that you give, you feel all warm and fuzzy, and then you forget. I do anyway.

So when I went to donate this time, I noticed the drop-down menu on SETs paypal button. Sweet. So now I get the warm and fuzzy automatically. Every month.

Also, by selecting monthly, I don’t get a chunk taken out all at once. By spreading the donation over the year, I can give more. And there you have it. Logic, Cat style ;-)

I’m not sure when Benjawan’s birthday is, but she has decided to incite acts of kindness in the direction of the SET Foundation too. How about you?

Enjoy…

Heartfelt wishes to Thailand during these turbulent times…

What a depressing month. Desperate to write about something positive (having had to cancel most of my planned posts), on Monday I sent the below to a smattering of people (apologies if you didn’t receive one):

A request – Those living in Thailand (Thais as well as expats), and those learning Thai, have put an enormous effort (emotional and otherwise) into this country. With this in mind, I’m gathering apolitical quotes for a Wednesday post. The theme: Heartfelt wishes to Thailand during these turbulent times. I’m looking for positive thoughts for Thailand. If you want to join in, I will need the comment in Thai and a translation in English. Thanks!

Right quick, I received lovely thoughts for Thailand back. But when Wednesday came to Bangkok, it came hard (I’m still weepy over it all – and I’m not even the weepy type).

Due to the mood of Thailand, I sent everyone a thanks with a promise to use the sentiments not now but later. When the time is right.

Now, you might remember back when I wrote about Bon in a post, Learn Thai with Bon: First YouTube, now Blogger and Skype. Well, this afternoon I received a timely message from her in reference to my request:

Thank you for the idea, I should say something positive about all this. I made an mp3 named Thailand to the World. Thank you Cat, please keep safe there in BKK. Keep in touch, BON

Sweet :-) Since Bon’s contribution is appropriate to the situation (and with me suffering from a rare loss for words), I’ll share it now, not later.

Note: To read the transliteration from T2E, scroll over the Thai script. And to send more link love Bon’s way, visit her post to listen to the mp3: Thailand to the World.

From Thailand to the World…

ดิฉันเข้าใจว่า กลิ่นยางไหม้ เสียงปืน คนตาย คนบาดเจ็บและความเครียดรอบด้านเป็นประสบการณ์ที่นักท่องเที่ยวทั่วโลกไม่เคยคิดว่าจะเกิดขึ้นในดินแดนยิ้มสยามแห่งนี้ แต่มันได้เกิดขึ้นแล้วโดยที่ไม่มีวันจะเอาคืนได้ เช่นเดียวกับประสบการณ์ร้ายอื่นๆในชีวิตของพวกเราทุกคน ที่หากเราผ่านพ้นมันไปได้ มันจะทำให้เราแข็งแรงขึ้นและเข้าใจโลกมากขึ้น

I understand that the smell of burned rubber, gunshots, death, injured people and the stress all around is the the kind of experience that tourists from all over expected to see in this Land of Smiles, but it happened; we can never take it back. Just as other bad life experiences that we have all faced makes us stronger once we get over them, we understand the world better.

สำหรับผู้รักเมืองไทยไม่ว่าจะเป็นคนไทยหรือชาวต่างชาติ ซึ่งบ้างก็ใช้เวลาเป็นแรมเดือนแรมปี เพื่อที่จะเรียนภาษาไทย เพราะต้องการใช้เป็นเครื่องมือในการเข้าถึงวัฒนธรรมที่งดงามตามธรรมเนียมไทยนั้น สิ่งที่ดิฉันพอจะพูดได้ ก็คือ เมืองไทยที่ร้อนระอุด้วยการแบ่งแยกอยู่นั้นก็คือเมืองไทยที่คุณรู้จักกันมาโดยตลอด และถึงสถานณการณ์จะแย่กว่านี้หรือดีกว่านี้ นี่ก็คือเมืองไทยที่คุณรักมาโดยตลอด เพราะประเทศไทยหมายถึงคนไทย หากพี่น้องของคุณทะเลาะกันคุณคงไม่คิดจะเดินจากพวกเขาไปและไปหาพี่น้องใหม่ที่ดีกว่า เพราะอย่างไรพี่น้องก็คือพี่น้อง นั่นคือเหตุผลว่าทำไม เราเรียกคนแปลกหน้าว่า น้อง พี่ ป้า น้า อา ชาวไทย เป็นครอบครัวใหญ่ ที่มีพ่อและแม่ที่เราบูชาอย่าง พระเจ้าอยู่หัวและสมเด็จพระราชินี

For those who love Thailand, Thais or foreigners who spend months and years learning Thai language so they can use it as a tool to really get into the rich and beautiful culture of Thailand: the one thing I can say is that the Thailand that is burning of division is the Thailand that you’ve always known. Whether the situation will get better or worse, this is the Thailand that you’ve been loving because Thailand is Thai people. If your siblings quarrel, you wouldn’t just cut them out and go find new brothers and sisters because whatever happens we are siblings. The reason why we Thai people call each other sister, brother, aunt, uncle. We are one big family, we have parents we worship over our lives, the king and the queen.

เมื่อวานฉันนั่งฟังเสน์หลวงปู่ชา ท่านกล่าวว่า มะม่วงอ่อนลูกเล็ก ก็คือมะม่วงที่กำลังจะแก่และกลายเป็นลูกใหญ่ มะม่วงสุกงอมก็เคยเป็นมะม่วงอ่อนเล็กมาก่อน แต่มันก็คือมะม่วงลูกเดียวกัน เป็นสัจธรรมค่ะที่ สิ่งต่างๆเปลี่ยนแปลงอยู่ตลอด ไม่ว่าจะเป็นประเทศไทยหรือประเทศไหนๆในโลก แม้กระทั่งตัวเราเองก็ต้องเปลี่ยนแปลงในแบบที่ควบคุมไม่ได้ โลกก็เป็นแบบนี้ เมื่อประเทศไทยที่เคยสุขสงบ กลายเป็นประเทศไทยที่วุ่นวาย สะท้อนความจริงของโลก ว่านี่อาจไม่ใช่ความวุ่นวายครั้งสุดท้ายที่เมืองไทย ตะวันออกกลาง หรือที่อื่นๆในโลกต้องเผชิญ แต่การเปลี่ยนแปลงจะเกิดขึ้นอีก และเกิดขึ้นต่อไปอย่างไม่มีวันจบสิ้น ขอให้ประเทศไทยได้ภาพสะท้อนความจริงของชีวิต ให้ความจริงนี้ได้เข้าถึงแก่นใจคนทั่วโลก ให้ดูแลใจของตัวเองและของกันและกันไม่ว่าที่ไหน และเมื่อไร

Yesterday I listened to Luangpu Cha’s dharma talk. He said that the small raw green mango is the mango that will grow into the big ripe yellow mango. The big ripe yellow mango is the result of growing the small raw green mango…. It is still the same mango.

The truth is that things change all the time whether it’s Thailand or any other country in the world or even our own selves; changing uncontrollably. This is life.

Let Thailand that was once peaceful turned into turbulent Thailand reflect the truth of the world. That this is not going to be the last turbulence in Thailand or in the Middle East or in other places on the face of the earth. There will be more change again… and again with no ends.

Let Thailand reflect the truth of life, let this truth touch the core of people’s hearts around the world so that we know to take care of our own hearts and each other, whenever, wherever.

Bon Ratta,
Learn Thai the Bon’s way | Jaideetv
YouTube: Learn Thai the Bon’s way | Facebook: Learn Thai the Bon’s Way

Bangkok don’t cry…

Wait! Bon’s not done yet. While at her site, I found this too: Bangkok don’t cry.

Dear friends in Bangkok, this song was written on 19th May 2010, when it all happened, this song is to reflect what you go through. Enjoy.

Thank you Bon. And HUGS back. Hugs to everyone.

Yes. Enjoy…

WLT is Thai blog of the month at Thailand Voice…

Paknam Web hosts a massive amount of Thai learning resources, so it is no stranger to me. Just cruise through my post, Learn Thai on the Paknam Web Network, to see what I mean.

And Thailand Voice just happens to be a part of the Paknam Network: We are on the Internet every day looking for quality articles and blogs about Thailand. We will post extracts from new stories twice a day.

Each month Richard Barrow (the driving force behind PWN) selects a blog with for a Thai Blog of the Month award. Wise Kwai was the first recipient of the award. In his gracious post, he explains how Thailand Voice works:

Generated by the Thai Blog Search engine, Thailand Voice presents the various posts in clean and clear excerpts with thumbnail images and links to the full posts on their respective host websites. It’s beautiful the way it works. Subscribe to the RSS feed and reading about Thailand is a snap.

That was April. And now May is my turn:

The Thailand Voice Award for “Blog of the Month” goes to Catherine Wentworth’s Women Learning Thai… and some men too ;-) for her contribution to learners of the Thai language by providing them with numerous resources and moral support over the past few years.

Thanks Richard :-)

Ah, while I have you here… Richard’s latest blog is Using an iPhone in Thailand. I have an iPhone series in the wings (written, just waiting), so you will be hearing more about Richard’s new venture then.

And now a few more words…

May has turned into a promotional month for WLT. I didn’t plan it, it just happened. First, there is the award from Thailand Voice. And coming next is the run up to Lexiophiles Top 100 Language Blogs for 2010.

Last year WLT was included in Lexiophiles Top 100 Language Blogs for 2009. WLT placed in the top 100, but only just: Final Results: Top 100 Language Blogs 2009. As I was involved last year, WLT was automaticall included for 2010. The voting starts on May 12th, so I’ll give you a nudge IF I make it to the final round.

And there is just one more thing… I’ve been advised to create a Facebook account for WLT. You can see it at Women Learning Thai… and some men too ;-). It’s handy as blog posts suck into FB, then automatically appear on my twitter account. Following directions, I’ve also added a FB Friends banner to my sidebar (now slowing making its way further up). If you’d like to do whatever it is FB friends do, please join WLT too.

Enjoy…

Topic: Thailand. Understanding Thailand’s political crisis…

During my research for an earlier post, Staying Safe in Thailand: Streetwise Advice + Twitter, Newley Purnell introduced me to his grand new site: Topic: Thailand. Understanding Thailand’s political crisis.

Now, I love world history, but I haven’t always been fond of politics (or does my fondness stop at politicians instead?) And while I have read books on Thailand, as well as poked around a few Thai political blogs, I’m not clued in on how Thailand got from Thaksin, to where it stands now.

And after spending a month plus wading through seas of Yellows, then Reds, then Pinks and multi-colours, I seriously want to know more about the politics of Thailand.

Newley’s TopicThailand.com suits my aims:

TopicThailand.com was created by me, Newley Purnell. I’m an American freelance journalist who lives in Bangkok.

Given the complexity of Thailand’s political situation, I wanted to create a site that provides context and background information to help explain what’s happening here.

Haven’t been much of a political book hound…

Back in 2008 I did compile a shortlist of must-have books on Thailand, but the list does not cover the present political crisis. For that, I’m going with Newley’s advice:

The books I’ve linked to from TopicThailand.com are designed to put Thailand’s current political instability in context. In fact, that’s the aim of the entire site* — I wanted to help explain, in my own small way, what the current turbulence is all about.

The news media — understandably — focuses on the story of the moment. The most recent violence; the most recent speeches; the newest quotes, etc. And while this is, obviously, necessary for following the events, it can leave some folks confused, and lacking background info and analysis. (I also link to new developments when they come about, but the focus of TopicThailand is more on analysis and other big-picture items.)

So the links to the books are designed to offer people a way to delve a bit deeper. After all, what’s happening in Thailand now looks much different when you’re familiar with the history of Thailand’s political workings.

*As I say on the About page, the idea for a site designed to offer context for a big issue isn’t new. I have been inspired by TheMoneyMeltdown.com, Matt Thompson’s site about the sub-prime financial crisis.

And that’s exactly what I need: knowledge about Thailand’s political workings.

Books about Thai politics and society…

While my political stash is thin, thanks to Danny from DCO, I do have a few of the books listed on TopicThailand.com: A History of Thailand, Thaksin, and Thailand: A Short History. To get the rest I contacted Danny as he’s brilliant at sourcing books in this huge city (Bangkok).

Thailand still has a thriving English language publishing business covering not just this country but the neighbouring countries where rules on what can be published are far more restrictive. To pick out just two publishers, Silkworm Books and White Lotus have dared to publish contentious books on politics in Thailand.

So in addition to Newley’s list, I have a few more:

The Boys in Black (white lotus), by Professor Desmond Ball.

I came across this one in a Bangkok Post article: The boys in black, Thailand’s dangerous, dark influence. As it seems relevant to the times, I’ve added it here.

Are a disbanded group of specialist military rangers the shadowy figures operating in the current conflict? Here is a look at the history of the country’s hunter-fighters, a group of trained killers.

Another political book in my bookcase is Red vrs Yellow, by Nick Nostitz.

Red vs. Yellow, Volume 1: Thailand’s crisis of identity describes, both in photos and in text, the political turmoil and violent street protests that took place during the first elected administration in Thailand after the 2006/2007 coup period, its government led by the PPP (People Power Party) a place holder party of the TRT (Thai Rak Thai) which had been ousted by the military coup.

I might be a political lightweight, but with the resources on Newley’s TopicThailand.com, I’m well on way my to understanding what makes Thailand tick.

Enjoy…

Red Shirts, pink shirts, yellow shirts… or no shirts…

With Thailand’s political skuffles deepening, I’ve had daily rethinks about the contents of my posts. You see, there are three weeks + of product reviews waiting in the wings. And understandably, no one wants their feature to go live during a time of bloodshed.

Boggles the mind really.

Because when I started blogging, I never thought that second-guessing Thais killing Thais would be a needed skill-set.

With the aim of avoiding the wrong subject matter, or (heaven help me) tripping over a political gaffe, I’ve had to start paying special attention to twitter: Staying Safe in Thailand: Streetwise Advice + Twitter.

But even with twitter alerts, around two weeks ago I missed the boat. Just. Before I could get my intended post live, the Red Shirts preempted my talking point by throwing off their shirts (more on this later). The yellows (pinks?) did a switcheroo too.

Sure, I could have rewritten the darn thing but, but the momentum of the moment was gone.

The loss of momentum is happening a lot in Thailand lately too. Thai politicians start talking about peace, and then POOF! All gone.

I’m not any colour. Just a farang who loves Thailand…

Ok, since I’m playing the waiting game, I decided to rewrite my former post. Apologies in advance. Due to my growing disillusionment over the political situation in Thailand, the original spirit is lacking.

Anyway… here we go…

Several weeks back I overheard a condo guard telling another that I was a เสื้อ แดง /sêua daeng/ (red shirt). His assumption might have come from my early drive to photograph the Red Shirts. Or possibly from my taxi driver proudly telling one and all that, yeah, ฝรั่ง เสื้อ แดง /fà-ràng sêua daeng/. No matter.

When talking to Kaewmala about her post The Reigning Vocabulary of Thai Colored Politics, we got onto the subject of neutral expats and the themed shirts of the time: Red, Pink, Yellow, and Multi-coloured.

I threw out an idea for a catchy slogan, but Kaewmala’s (no surprises there) was the keeper:

ไม่ ใช่เ สื้อ สี ใด

mâi châi sêua sĕe dai
Not any shirt colour.

แค่ ฝรั่ง รัก ไทย

kâe fà-ràng rák tai
Just a farang who loves Thai(land)

ไม่ใช่เสื้อสีใด แค่ฝรั่งรักไทย has a lovely lilt to it, yes?

At MBK, the gal behind the t-shirt counter gave the slogan a thumbs up and a smile. Returning home, my condo manager did as well. But when I flashed my t-shirted teddy at my Thai teacher, she came close to bursting into tears.

Khun Phairo explained how distraught she’s become over the violence and tension in her country; over Thais killing Thais. She went on to say that she wants everyone to stop the killing and hatred. And she wants it NOW!

I do too. And we are not alone.

Disdain. Disgust. Vitriol. Violence. Hatred. Suspicion. Ill Will. Paranoia. These are what fill the air and are spreading like viruses in Thailand at the moment.

No wonder I’ve been feeling so ill of late with headaches that would not go away – not a normal occurrence for me. But it’s not a normal time in the Land of Smiles. What a misnomer now: “Land of Smiles.” It feels more like “Land of Hate.”

The transformation of the Thai national character from a gentle and friendly people to a tribe of venomous and bloodthirsty misanthropes was so swift and drastic as to stagger even the most sober person.

Go ahead and read the rest of Kaewmala’s post: Harmony and Hate: The Strange Thai Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As usual, it’s quality.

Political resources to cruise…

Kaewmala’s post on the ongoing Thai political situation is a classic, so please pass it around:

The Reigning Vocabulary of Thai Colored Politics: I have compiled a set of Thai vocabulary in the current political discourse (วาทกรรมการเมือง waa-thá-kam kaan-mueaang) frequently used by protesters of various colors, government officials, mainstream media, and commentators of all stripes in new media platforms.

Some expressions have been around for some time, others are new. Some are official, formal concepts and terms, others are new concoctions and slang.

The ThaiVisa Thai Forum is getting into it as well: The Thai Political Word Thread.

New Mandala has several posts on Thai signs: “Thailand want ยุบสภา”: Red signs in English and PAD’s last day at Government House.

On a similar subject is my previous post: Red Shirts in Bangkok: Signs of the Time.

Saving this bit for last…

If you can read Thai, Kaewmala twittered:

A baby step: Sensible Yellows & Reds get together & talk on Facebook เหลืองรู้ทันอำมาตย์ แดงไม่เอาทักษิณ:

So now we have Thais talking to Thais. And on Facebook of all things. It’s a good start, right?

Enjoy…

What’s going on with Thai politics…

Some westerners in Thailand see the Red Shirts as an inconvenient pain in the butt (but so are volcanoes). Others feel that the Red Shirts have a valid point (a number of Pink Shirts believe that too). To top it off, knowledgeable expats plugged into the mainstream of Thai politics cover the full spectrum of Thai colours.

But politically savvy or no, what most people want is to get on with their lives. As safely as they can.

As a curious resident in Bangkok, I’ve been known to rub Red shoulders and a few Pink ones as well. But when all that rubbing broke out in a rash of danger, I stepped back.

No, I am not hiding out on my sofa. I’m (mostly) staying away from the designated Red Shirt areas. That’s it.

Newley Purnell, a freelance journalist in Bangkok, describes the situation spot on:

People who live in my apartment building are still coming and going to work. Vendors on the street are still serving soups and noodles. The motorcycle taxi drivers are still delivering people to and fro. But people seem more and more, worried about how everything will end.

Some Thai people on my street support the reds, and sport red bandannas now. Others tell me that the protests are crazy, and that they wish the reds would go away. But no one wants to see violence.

Unfortunately, that’s already happened.

Keeping safe in Thailand…

Now, I’m not streetwise, but I do depend on commonsense. And not being streetwise, I went looking for outside advice about safety in Thailand. My search led me to those covering Thailand’s news: Journalists, photographers, photojournalists, and an aspiring filmmaker. All on twitter.

The first question I asked was: Besides telling everyone to stay home, what safety tips do you have for those in Bangkok?

Andrew Marshall, British author and journalist | web: Andrew Marshall | twitter: @Journotopia

My advice is pretty obvious. Stay well away from the main protest site, which includes not only the shopping and business district of Rajaprasong, but also the upper part of Silom Road and (sadly) Lumphini Park. Also, stay away from all demos elsewhere in the city, whether they are staged by red-shirts or by the increasing number of protesters who publicly oppose them.

I am still recommending my family and friends to come to Bangkok and Thailand. Those who have already booked holidays shouldn’t change their plans, especially if they’re passing through town to other Thai destinations. But they should keep an eye on their trusted news sources, because things can change quickly.

John Le Fevre, photojournalist | web: Photo_journ | twitter: @photo_journ

Well I guess the best advice I can gave is to view comments coming from either camp with a degree of skepticism and to keep an open mind. The often quoted comment by the government and many expats that this rally is solely about returning Thaksin Shinawatra to power and restoring his fortune is probably the greatest piece of misinformation bandied about.

Many of the protesters I have spoken to really couldn’t care less about Thaksin or his millions, but what they are concerned about is the future of their children and grand-children. The lack of opportunity, the lack of equality, the poor medical and education opportunities in the rural areas. While many have a soft spot for Thaksin, it’s because he’s the only PM Thailand has had who ever gave the rural poor anything.

I think the best advice is that things are not always as they might at first seem. There are more players in the game than just the red-shirts, yellow-shirts and the government. The situation is rapidly deteriorating as these other players become more active. From what we’ve seen the yellow-shirts and people opposing the red-shirts are more prone to violence than the red-shirts and some of these factions are not at all concerned about who they target, or who gets in their way.

Terry Fredrickson, journalist | web: Reading the Bangkok Post | twitter: @terryfrd

With the most of the city and country functioning normally and the potential for violence largely confined to the rally sites, I’d say the average person has little chance of death or injury. Find out where the various parties are rallying and avoid them, especially in the evening and at night. This has become more important now that rpgs have entered the equation.

Tony Joh, aspiring filmmaker | web: Thai Faq.com | twitter: @thaifaq

This may sound silly but my suggestion to anyone who does go down to the protest area is to slap on their big Thai smile. At every protest I’ve been I haven’t had a single person not return a smile when I smiled at them first. Even the most dodgy looking guys standing guard in the early morning hours warmed up to me after I smiled first. I found it to be a key icebreaker for me, especially as my knowledge of the Thai language is limited.

Richard Barrow, photographer, journalist, and more | web: mythailandblog.com | twitter @RichardBarrow | twitter archives

Travel advisories from various Western Countries suggest that you stay away from protest sites and large gatherings. That is very good advice. It may feel like a temple fair at times but it can quickly change into something far more sinister if the police or army decide to start a crackdown while you are there.

Richard, you’ve done a fair bit of running around Bangkok, covering the political events. Having witnessed the demonstrations firsthand, what are your concerns?

I am concerned that we have now entered a new and more worrying phase in the protests. The stakes are getting higher and the leaders are getting desperate for a result soon.

I have said before that I have taken pictures at both the yellow shirt and red shirt rally sites and that the Reds win hands down for everything. It doesn’t mean that I support them, it just means that those yellow shirt guards really scared me. I personally witnessed yellow guards beat up people walking by that they thought were spies.

However, from what I have seen recently, the Reds are now going down that same road. If they do, then they will start to lose a lot of support. As far as the threat of a civil war goes, I still say it is unlikely, but, the chances of it happening is far higher at this moment than in the last many years of Thai history.

Is it safe to travel in Thailand at the moment?

I have seen nothing but white sandy beaches and Thai smiles the last few days in Thailand. The only Reds that I have seen are foreign tourists who have been out in the sun too long. Thailand is a big place and if you are coming here on holiday then it is easy to avoid Bangkok and just go straight to the beaches or up north to Chiang Mai.

Who to watch? Who to read? Who to follow?…

When I want real news in Bangkok, I don’t grab a newspaper or turn on the TV. I head to twitter instead. To stay current with recent Thai events, I keep an eye on twitter’s realtime results for #redshirts.

For instant Thai-to-English translations on twitter, Terry Fredrickson (@terryfrd) and Tulsathit Taptim (editor) from the Nation (@tulsathit) are the guys to follow. And when the Red Shirt leaders are speaking from their stage, you can bet either Terry, Tulsathit, or both are there. Translating. When PM Abhisit is giving a speech, ditto. And what one doesn’t catch, the other does. Fabulous.

I asked Terry: Some of the translations from the Red Shirt stage are quite the eye-openers. Which ones stand out the most?

What you hear on the red stage is classic indoctrination — the same talking points repeated ad nauseum and virtually all red-shirt supporters can repeat them.

On the positive side, there is that constant exhortation to protest peacefully and most reds take this seriously.

On the negative side is the constant demonization of the opposition and the fictional aristocracy (amataya). Dr Weng repeatedly condemning Abhisit as being worse than Hitler or even Pol Pot is way beyond the pale. Weng would likely have been executed under either government.

This type of talk makes eventually reconciliation all the more difficult and a fair election in the short term almost impossible.

Terry, do you have any plans to compile the translated speeches for future viewing?

I’ve never thought about compiling any of this. The translations are pretty rough because you have to absorb what is being said, type it quickly (not that easy for me) while keeping up what is being said next. The language from the stage is not so bad because there are frequent pauses for applause, but interviews and announcements can be tough. Abhisit, for example, can go a mile a minute when he gets worked up.
 
I do a lot with the red stage because I think it is important — and very interesting — to see what is being said and to be aware of what the red leaders say they are going to do next, so people can be prepared.

Terry and Tulsathit, thank you for your fabulous service to the expat community in Thailand (and out). A special thanks also goes to Newley Purnell, Andrew Marshall, John Le Fevre, Tony Joh, and Richard Barrow for their reporting, as well as helpful advice on weathering the present situation.

Psst… Terry was interviewed on WLT: Successful Thai Language Learners: Terry Fredrickson.

Thai politics on twitter…

Below are a few people to follow for political news and views on Thailand’s latest kerfluffle. I’m not a political twitter expert, so please add your favourites in the comments or send me an email. Both will do.

• Andrew Hurd: @AndrewHurd
• Andrew Marshall: @Journotopia
• Andrew Spooner: @andrewspooner
• Bangkok: @bangkok
• BangkokDan: @BangkokDan
• Bangkok Post: @BPbreakingnews
• Bangkok Pundit: @bangkokpundit
• Federico Ferrara: @KhiKwai
• Flo: @vaitor
• John Le Fevre: @photo_journ
• MCOT English News: @MCOTEnglishnews
• New Mandala: @newmandala
• Newley Purnell: @newley
• Nuthatai Chotechuang: @nuthatai
• Patrick Winn: @BKKApologist
• Richard Barrow: @RichardBarrow
• Eric: @thaicam
• Thailand Voice: @ThailandVoice
• The Nation: @nationnews
• Tri Kanchanadul: @tri26
• Veena T: @veen_NT

Note: You can even follow Abhisit(@PM_Abhisit) and Thaksin (@Thaksinlive). I don’t.

A few websites to follow too…

There are many websites that discuss Thai politics. Some are blocked, others are not. Due to tonight’s time constraints, I won’t list everything here (not right away, anyway).

But I will take the time to mention Newley Purnell’s new site on Thai politics: Topic: Thailand Understanding Thailand’s political crisis.

And I just have to mention my ‘ole favourite: 2Bangkok.com.

It looks like twitter is heating up on the subject of clashes on Silom, so I gotta go…

Enjoy…