Alien Thoughts

20 Nov 2014
This government is beginning to get up my nose. Why can’t they stick to what they do best?  Like barging into TV stations and telling them what they can and cannot show.  And then saying they don’t do censorship.  Or resurrecting a xenophobic rewrite of the Foreign Business Act that will stop these filthy foreigners from controlling their own investments.  And then buggering off to international meetings and telling foreigners that we just love your filthy money so please keep investing here. 
12 Nov 2014
The music and political worlds went into shock yesterday when the International Violin Competition Executive (known by its French acronym VICE) banned Thai Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha from all international violin competitions for four years.  The ban follows an investigation that revealed ‘irregularities’ into the way Gen Prayut was invited to participate in the prestigious Paganini Competition held last year. 
5 Nov 2014
Khun Jod Lukplasaenmon.  You are an advisor to the Prime Minister. Yes.  Yes, I am. And so you give advice to the Prime Minister. Well, we try.  There’s a team of us, you see.  But the PM is a very intelligent man, you know. Is he? Oh yes, a tremendous intellect.  So sometimes he doesn’t need our advice.  Most of the time, in fact. I see.  So this campaign against corruption, was it something that you advised?  Or perhaps …
29 Oct 2014
The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security has drafted a Gender Equality Bill, to be sent for consideration by the blatantly gender-unequal Cabinet and then for enactment by the similarly gender-biased National Legislative Assembly. Its proponents are touting its progressive characteristics.  For the first time, it mentions a gender other than male and female. Whoopee.
21 Oct 2014
The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is a bit of military flummery that nominally provides security for the monarch but in reality keeps the tourist dollars flowing.  The sight of humans imitating automatons in ridiculous hats attracts the gawping attention of those in need of regular trivial mental stimulation. At 6 pm every evening a similar change-over occurs in police stations around the country.  This attracts no attention at all and the mechanics of it are unknown to the general public.  But perhaps they should be.
15 Oct 2014
Perhaps this is what comes of appointing an Air Chief Marshal as Minister of Transport.  If the General formerly known as Prayuth Chan-ocha had chosen an Admiral, I don’t think the idea of raising the three oldest bridges over the Chao Phraya would ever have seen the light of day. 
7 Oct 2014
A recent comment on the New Mandala blog said of the Pheu Thai rice-pledging scheme: ‘It stripped wealth out of Thailand to about 800 billion baht, on a criminally stupid rice scheme and maybe another similar amount to the Thaksin and cronies.’ OK, you have to excuse the ‘and cronies’ stuff.  The poor dears who make comments of this ilk seem obligated to use such flaming language.  I am beginning to suspect they have a programme on their computers that waves red flags if they fail to include ‘crony’ or ‘clone’ or ‘fugitive from justice’ or the like. 
1 Oct 2014
The study tour by Election Commission officials to observe the recent Scottish referendum on independence has been widely criticized.  Some have noted that the Election Commission has not shown itself to be overly keen on organizing elections in this country, so why the interest in other countries? 
24 Sep 2014
It doesn’t work.  I’ve tried and tried, but it just doesn’t work. *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     * Excuse me, but could I have my fare back please? What?
15 Sep 2014
Educational reform is going to be tricky.  I mean, where to start? The Office of the Vocational Education Commission or OVEC (sibling to Basic Ed or OBEC and Higher Ed or OHEC) (stop giggling there; if they hadn’t called it that it would be Further Ed) (OK you may laugh now) has already had to start its reform by recalling its Basic Mathematics textbooks.  Or more accurately the covers.
10 Sep 2014
The captain of Thai industry was interested to see the results of Thailand’s education reform.  Hearing that a fast-tracked ‘model student’ had applied for employment at his firm, he decided to conduct the interview himself.  Thai businesses have long complained that the products of the Thai education system are virtually unemployable, lacking the skills necessary for the modern economy.  The CEO was eager to see the results of the NCPO-inspired reform of the schooling system in developing the kind of graduates that the corporate sector required.
3 Sep 2014
The decision by the Royal Thai Army to charge Pornpen Khongkachonkiet and the Cross Cultural Foundation with criminal defamation is in line with similar charges brought earlier by the Royal Thai Navy against Phuketwan online newspaper.  It also heralds a slew of similar prosecutions which critics say are designed to silence any criticism of the governing military junta and the government they have installed.

Pages

Subscribe to Alien Thoughts