social commentary

Different by Design

2009-02-23T17:32:00.001+11:00

Bathroom Design wins awards and builds business by bringing out the best in employees.

By: Valisa Krairiksh

Published: 24/02/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Business

One hardly expects the maker of luxury bathtubs costing as much as 600,000 baht to be a champion of His Majesty the King's sufficiency economy initiative, but that is exactly what Wacharamongkon Benjathanachat says is the key to his success.

‘‘Our creative teams are encouraged to think freely. This builds loyalty. The more we give, the more we get back from our employees,’’ says Mr Wacharamongkon.

His 500 employees at Bathroom Design Co get numerous benefits, which is Mr Wacharamongkon's way of sharing with the people he sees as an integral part of the enterprise.

For example, in the wake of the economic downturn, the company has been unable to raise employees' salaries, but has instead initiated programmes to help them save.

"We make our own herbal drinks so that employees don't have to buy them outside the factories. We raise fish and plant rice fields. Defective bathtubs from the production line are used to grow vegetables. Instead of giving them a 7% raise, I'm teaching them to save 12-15%," said Mr Wacharamongkon, the company's president.

The company was founded in 1997, just as the economic crisis hit, with an initial investment of only 1 million baht, and in 1999 it began to make its own designs to adapt to changing times.

"This financial crisis means we must adapt again. Instead of aiming only for the mid- to high-end market, we must look at the mid- to low-end," he said. "We're aiming at lower prices and better design."

The company was the winner in last year's Design and Innovation Contest (DIC2008) hosted by the National Innovation Agency (NIA).

"We provide grants of up to 5 million baht to small enterprises, and support larger ones how we can. Bathroom Design needed 30 million, so we offered to pay the interest," said NIA director Supachai Lorlowhakarn.

Mr Wacharamongkon is also looking ahead to closer economic and trade integration within Asean. "We already have dealers in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Burma, Laos and Cambodia."

Eard Charuratana, deputy managing director of the company, said the idea of "Made in Thailand" has gained wide acceptance as a quality label within Asia.

About 20% of the company's products are exported, to diverse places such as The Netherlands, the Maldives and the United Arab Emirates.

"Since we aim to be among the top five companies specialising in bathrooms internationally, it is important that our clients have a reason to trust our label. This is why we enter international competitions regularly," said Mr Eard.

Mr Wacharamongkon added that winning awards was "more cost-efficient than advertising" , providing very good, credible and free publicity.

"We don't aim to maximise profits, but rather to optimise them, which is why we treat our employees with respect," he said. "Our creative teams are encouraged to think freely. This builds loyalty. The more we give, the more we get back from our employees."

Universities and companies have bought into Mr Wacharamongkon's business management style. He teaches innovation management and business at several universities, such as Chulalongkorn, Thammasat, Sripatum, Prince of Songkla and Ubon Ratchathani universities, as well as running programmes for Kasikorn and Krung Thai banks.

According to Mr Wacharamongkon, the company owes its success to being focused on what it is good at - making bathtubs - and careful management.

"Being an entrepreneur is not only about profit. We must also maximise happiness in what we do," he said.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/12219/different-by-design

Industry in rut as diamonds lose lustre

2009-02-18T13:30:00.000+11:00

Global demand drop drags down prices

By: VALISA KRAIRIKSH

Published: 18/02/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Business

Thailand's diamond and gemstone trade is in deep trouble with a fall of 20-30% in projected demand this year, similar to the global demand slide, said Chirakitti Tang, president of the Thai Diamond Manufacturers Association. Last year, Thailand exported 36 billion baht worth of diamonds alone. The biggest drops in demand have been in the US market, with a 20% decline in demand, followed by Europe, with a 15% drop.

Asian markets are more resilient, with consumers in Japan consuming 10% fewer diamonds, while only India and China may experience increases in demand. The international diamond trade last year was worth around US$20 billion.

''The [international] market is set to shrink 40-50% as demand decreases and prices plummet. As the industry suffers, banks are calling back loans. This means that jewellers are forced to cut product prices, dragging market prices downhill,'' he said.

''Before September, when the world economy started to crash, the price of diamonds had risen 17%.''

The slowdown could translate to 20% of the highly trained diamond-cutting personnel in Thailand losing their jobs this year.

''There is a high investment in training qualified personnel. Real diamonds have to be used in their schooling, and this costs many hundreds of thousands. Once they have to find new jobs, they are not likely to return to the industry,'' said Mr Chirakitti.

As for the market for coloured gemstones from Thailand, such as rubies and sapphires, the situation has been deteriorating for the past nine years, as the value of goods exported has been declining despite rising export volume.

''Prices are already so low that it's unlikely they will get any lower,'' said Mr Chirakitti.

In 1999, Thai researchers invented a new way of heating gemstones to produce colour. Not all gemstone suppliers disclosed their products were unnaturally coloured, leading to a loss in confidence in Thai gemstone suppliers.

''Over the past six years, 80% of the factories in Chanthaburi have closed down,'' Mr Chirakitti said of the province that is a regional hub for coloured stones.

''The government only wants to look at good news, which is why they only look at the amount of jewellery exports,'' he added.

''If we are going to maintain our 30-year reputation for quality gemstones, the government needs to work with the private sector to correct the perception that Thai gemstones are inferior.

''For those in the industry, we need to ensure that we are transparent about our products. There is nothing wrong with stones that have been coloured. We just need to be open about the process.''

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/11842/industry-in-rut-as-diamonds-lose-lustre

Some 'biodegradable' bags not as green as claimed

2009-02-12T14:20:00.001+11:00

By: VALISA KRAIRIKSH
Published: 12/02/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business

''Oxo-biodegradable'' bags commonly used by big retailers marketing themselves as environmentally friendly in Thailand are under heavy fire overseas. ''If a material is truly biodegradable, it means that micro-organisms can consume and convert them in the environment,'' said Dr Teerawat Teeraphatpornchai, business development manager of Advance Packaging Co Ltd.
An oxo-biodegradable bag is essentially a conventional plastic bag with chemicals added so that it simply breaks down into smaller pieces without being naturally degradable by micro-organisms.
''What's scary about oxo-biodegradable is that when they break down into small pieces, they end up in the soil and water, and thus, in the food chain,'' said Dr Wantanee Chongkum, director of the innovation department of the National Innovation Agency (NIA).
The National Advertising Division in the United States ruled that plastic bags that were oxo-biodegradable could not be marketed as being biodegradable according to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines for the use of environmental marketing claims.
''We have attempted to educate retailers about the potential harm in using them, but the level of awareness remains low. If they don't know, it's excusable. But if they know and continue to use them because it's cheaper, this is unacceptable,'' she continued.
Biodegradable plastic bags are up to four times more expensive than conventional plastic bags. Thus, retailers opt for cheaper oxo-biodegradable bags, which are only around 1.5 times more expensive than conventional bags and are touted by manufacturers as being fully biodegradable.
''Biodegradable plastics are expensive, but their price has dropped in the past 10 years. Their edge over conventional plastics should improve through more effective processes, economy of scale, and increasing competition from new players,'' said Assoc Prof Dr Songsri Kulpreecha of Chulalongkorn University

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/11483/some-biodegradable-bags-not-as-green-as-claimed

Bioplastics need laws and funding

2009-02-12T14:07:00.001+11:00

NIA: Just B70bn could create B200bn return

By: VALISA KRAIRIKSH
Published: 12/02/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business

Crops available locally in abundance, such as cassava, can be used to create plastics with a wide variety of commercial applications.

Thailand has the potential to compete and become a leader in bioplastic production but legislation and funding are needed to boost the scale of production.
"With an investment of 70 billion baht across the bioplastic production chain, we would see a yearly return of 200 billion baht," said Dr Wantanee Chongkum, director of the innovation department of the National Innovation Agency (NIA).
"Compared to other applications, making bioplastic from agricultural goods is the most profitable. Cassava can be made into bioplastic with a return of more than 20 baht per kilogramme, compared to 25 satang for cassava oil. We should be exporting finished products, not raw materials."
Domestically, building the production facilities requires a large amount of investment while the demand for bioplastics in Thailand is still small.
"We are in a research phase. Economic analysis needs to be conducted properly in order to determine the costs of switching from normal plastic to bioplastic," said Dr Wantanee.
In order to spur the growth of the bioplastics industry, suitable policies must be developed.
"We need to implement a policy that is suitable for Thai consumers' behaviour," she said.
For example, many Thais already separate their food waste into plastic bags before discarding it with the trash.
"If these bags were biodegradable, then we could use them for fertiliser production like they do in Japan," she elaborated.
Rising public concern over the effects of global climate change has been an important catalyst for business operators to start using bioplastic, whether to enhance their image or out of genuine concern.
The growing demand could improve the economies of scale for production with the implication that the industry would become more commercially viable.
In fact, large companies such as Nokia, Sony and Mitsubishi are already manufacturing products with bioplastic components as a marketing gimmick.
"Luxury items such as phones, radios and cars can absorb the higher prices of bioplastic, whereas plastic bags cannot," said Somsak Borrisuttanakul, president of the Thai Bioplastic Industry Association. He sees the future of bioplastics shifting away from packaging, where it is now largely concentrated.
Mr Somsak urges the government to invest further in the development of bioplastic, and come up with adequate green policies to diversify and increase the usage of bioplastics in Thailand.
"In Europe, the growth of demand for bioplastics is around 20% per year," said Assoc Prof Dr Songsri Kulpreecha of the Faculty of Science of Chulalongkorn University at a recent seminar on developing the local bioplastics industry.
The university invested 15 million last year and will be investing more than 30 million baht this year in machinery to test bioplastics.
"Ninety-five to 98% of bioplastic packaging produced in Thailand is for direct export. Even within Thailand, sales are mainly to clients who export to companies requiring biodegradable packaging," said Teerawat Teeraphatpornchai, business development manager of Advance Packaging Co Ltd.
Nonetheless, the company, predicting the profitability of the market within five years, has invested five million baht in trial raw materials.
It is considering investing another five million in developing bioplastics with the aim of seeing whether their properties are suitable for the Thai packaging market, such as moisture-resistant and breathable plastics.
While consumers' knowledge centres mainly on packaging and convenience, supermarket customer Darai Thirawat said, "Convenience is important - but if there were two retailers offering the same products in the same mall, but one used biodegradable bags and the other did not, then I would choose the one that offered the biodegradable option.
"It may be a small trend now, but young people will get involved, and eventually, it will become a movement, as in western countries," she added.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/11482/bioplastics-need-laws-and-funding

Bio-Net to spend B300m

2009-02-10T14:25:00.002+11:00

By: VALISA KRAIRIKSH
Published: 10/02/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business

Encouraged by Board of Investment incentives, Bio-Net Asia Ltd has decided to push through its 300-million-baht two-year investment plan for research and development of a second-generation vaccine for pertussis. Better known as the whooping cough, the ailment affects 50 million people and kills 300,000 per year worldwide, placing it amongst the most deadly vaccinable diseases.
Bio-Net Asia's partner, Mahidol University, developed a vaccination that requires five times less dosage of the active ingredient, which could lead to lower production costs.
Normally, it costs 450 to 500 baht per dose, and is currently used only in Europe, North America, Japan and Korea.
''It's definitely a good time to invest. We decided against it five years ago, but thanks to a new category of the BoI, we decided to move operations to Thailand,'' said Dr Pham Hong Thai, the company's joint managing director.
BoI privileges granted to biotech projects include an eight-year waiver of corporate income tax and tariffs on imported machineries.
Bio-Net Asia plans to build a factory that would be able to produce up to 50 million doses of the vaccine per year, 95% of which will be exported, if the research and development phase go according to plan, he said.
''If we develop an efficient means to produce the vaccine, then we'll invest about $US50 million over five years into a production facility,'' he added.
The first generation, known as a whole cell vaccine, is widely used in Thailand but has been out of the market in most industrialised nations due to the gradual increase in harmful side effects incurred with each of the 4-5 doses.
''Because of this, parents usually opt to stop before the series is complete'' he acknowledged.
Current second generation vaccines produced by foreign firms are 'acellular vaccines' while Mahidol developed a 'recombinant acellular vaccine'.

PLASTIC POWER THE NATURAL WAY

2009-02-09T14:13:00.004+11:00

Thai scientists in the forefront of research into highly versatile pullulan fungus
Published: 9/02/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business

You can have your cake and eat it too. It can even be made of plastic, be calorie-free and yet 100% natural and non-toxic. And it might also cure your athlete's foot.

Aureobasidium Pullulans exists in many forms in Thailand, including yellow and pink varieties that haven’t been seen elsewhere.

In fact, you may already have tried it in the form of Cool Mint sheets, or as a coating on foods such as sausages.

When you swallow a capsule of antibiotics, the chances are that you are also swallowing your medicine surrounded by a plastic film - that is, edible plastic produced by a strain of fungus.

"The fungus Aureobasidium Pullulans - or, in short, pullulan - produces the plastic on its own, naturally," explains Asst Prof Dr Hunsa Punnapayak of Chulalongkorn University's faculty of science.

"Pullulan is very good as a diet food additive. It dissolves and passes through the system, but can't be digested by the human body's enzymes," adds lecturer Dr Sehanat Prasongsuk.

Pullulan even has some medicinal properties. Its other features include being biodegradable and entirely non-toxic. It is also flavourless and bars oxygen, meaning that it stores flavours effectively. Because it is water-soluble, it is used in mascaras and creams. As a thermo-plastic, it can be heated and moulded into objects such as children's toys.

"Once it has cooled down, it is no longer water-soluble and becomes durable," says Dr Hunsa.

Making pullulan does not require any agricultural cultivation or fermentation. As a consequence, no more methane, or any more carbon, is created than a living creature naturally releases into the atmosphere. So, essentially, producing pullulan is carbon-neutral.

Because of all these factors, Dr Hunsa and Dr Sehanat set out to discover whether A. Pullulans could be found in Thailand. And not only did they find it, but they found several colours, such as yellow, pink, red, green, brown and black.

"The yellow and pink varieties are the most important findings as these haven't been seen elsewhere," says Dr Hunsa.

The publication of their discovery in 2003 led to a team of scientists from Rutgers University and the United States Department of Agriculture participating in two subsequent studies published in 2005 and 2007.

A couple of companies have already contacted the researchers. A medical company from Michigan wants to use pullulan's anti-fungal properties in developing medication, while a clothing company wants to use the bioplastic to create dust-resistant clothing.

The market has very few competitors. In Thailand, only Hayashibara International Inc is supplying edible films, hard capsules as well as viscosifiers and binders for cosmetics, food products and pharmaceutical products. - Valisa Krairiksh

The research team (from left) Assistant Prof Dr Pongtharin Lotrakul, Assoc Prof Dr Hunsa Punnapaya, and Dr Sehanat Prasongsuk.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/11328/plastic-power-the-natural-way

Agency targets 50 firms

2009-01-27T21:12:00.001+11:00

Published: 27/01/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business

The National Innovation Agency (NIA) expects 50 private companies to apply for funding support from the agency this year, said NIA director Supachai Lorlowhakarn. The state agency was set up to help turn new Thai technology into products by providing financial aid to firms looking to employ innovations in their businesses.

Dr Supachai said this year the agency will focus on green technology, with main targets in bio-business, eco-industry, design and solutions.

The NIA will also move forward this year in encouraging local business operators to rely on Thai, rather than foreign, innovations and technology.

''We want to ensure that there is no cost to companies in trialling Thai innovations, which should prevent investors sourcing technology from overseas,'' said Dr Supachai.

''Thais often believe in western ideas while overlooking themselves. This is one major problem that discourages our talented scientists. We need to change attitudes.''

To achieve its target of 50 applicants, NIA has initiated an innovation ambassador programme, in which 100 academics have been appointed to network between Thai scientists and investors.

He said the investment of 50 million baht in the programme would be justified by the resulting commercial applications. ''This move will help bolster the Thai economy. With our investment of 50 million, we expect to see a 15-fold return to the Thai economy of 750 million baht.

''This is coupled with a 400-million-baht investment from the private sector when the scientists and businessmen find their matches,'' Dr Supachai said.

One ambassador, Wichien Yongmanitchai, professor of microbiology at Kasetsart University, praised the scheme's conversion of scientists into middlemen as their connections can help match researchers with investors.

''As middlemen, and as researchers who own patents on technologies, we get licensing and loyalties. The investors get cheaper local technology. The Thai economy is boosted. It's a win-win situation,'' he said.

Dr Wichien is in charge of a clinical trial that has linked him with three companies researching markets for DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid. This is mainly found in saltwater fish and is important both in the development of children's brains and in reducing cholesterol.

''The product has much potential. The US now has a monopoly on DHA supply. They make Thai importers sign a clause preventing them from producing it. The research will provide local markets with a product that is half the price,'' he said.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/10505/agency-targets-50-firms

Banking on health

2009-01-26T18:03:00.002+11:00

Local specialist firm answers growing demand for banking stem cells as range of treatment applications continues to expand

Published: 26/01/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business

Last year, a 19-month-old Thai boy diagnosed with cerebral palsy became the first person in Asia with the condition to be treated successfully with his own stem cells.

The encouraging outcome might not have been possible unless a stem cell bank had foreseen the value of the medical technology.

Thai StemLife obtains most of its clients through upmarket private hospitals but it hopes to be able to broaden access to the service, says Dr Kostas Papadopoulos, chief operations officer. PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD

As the number of new medical applications grows, so does the business, according to Thai StemLife, the first company in Thailand to have started collecting umbilical cord blood stem cells It was responsible for the safekeeping of the boy's sample.

"The first two years we spent recovering our costs. Now, the company is running clearly at a profit," said Dr Kostas Papadopoulos, chief operations officer of Thai StemLife.

The boy, one of 69 cases of successful treatments using one's own stem cells globally, was one of 48 successful cases in 2008, up from seven in 2004.

Even though public stem-cell banks also exist, it is hard to find exact matches for clients, says Papadopoulos.

"The chances that another person would have matching stem cells are only one in 50,000 for a person of the same ethnicity, one in 100,000 between races, and with mixed races only one in 200,000 of finding a match," he said.

The chance of a sibling's stem cells matching is 25% but one's own stem cells are a 100% match, so stem cell banks foresee rapid growth in the future.

"Last year, we had a 25% increase in the amount of stem cells stored," he said. "For this year, it's possibly too early to say, but we may be expecting a 50% increase from last year as the technology for stem cell banking becomes more well-known to the public."

The business is also connected to the country's birth rate. Currently, the market size is 6,000 per year representing only around 1% of the country's births. However, with competitors seeking a share of the Thai market, it would appear that the market is set to grow.

In Singapore and Malaysia, stem cells are currently collected in 20% of births. In Malaysia, this represents a market size of 100,000 per year.

Thai StemLife hoped to fund expansion and new facility development by listing on the Stock Exchange of Thailand next year. It declined to give financial figures, but Dr Papadopoulos, its market share in umbilical cord banking was 90% in Thailand, and it is also the sole adult stem cell banking provider.

Competitors include Stem Cell for Life, Cryoviva, Cordlife and Thai Health Baby in the local market.

The company's main marketing channel is private hospitals, where 95% of its clients find its service. They include Bumrungrad, Samitivej, BNH, Bangkok, Phayathai, Vejthanee or Vibhavadi.

"About 70% of my patients opt to bank their cord blood at present," says Dr Poonsak Waikwamdee, chief medical officer at Sukhumvit Maternity Clinic. Many of his patients give birth at Bumrungrad, where around 30% of new mothers bank their cord blood.

The service is not cheap, at 40,000 baht for collection and 6,000 a year for 21 years for storage, or 130,000 in total. But the company is exploring ways to increase access. "I'm a huge proponent of equal access to health care," says Dr Papadopoulos. "At 6,000 baht per year, the service would be available to all."

The company also conducts clinical and epidemiological research, including an ongoing study on diabetic ulcers. There are three new studies - on heart disease under the auspices of the National Innovation Agency, Type 2 Diabetes with overseas investors, and of cerebral palsy, he said.

In the US alone, there are about 3,500 ongoing studies into the applications of adult, cord and blood stem cells.

Currently, stem cells can be used legitimately in bone marrow transplants to treat some 70 diseases, although there has been some controversy over hospitals offering unaccredited treatments.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/10445/banking-on-health

Good ideas hailed

2009-01-23T15:06:00.000+11:00

Published: 23/01/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business

INNOVATION: The Thai winners of the Asian Idea to Product (I2P) competition held last month in Bangkok will be heading to the United States for the global round of the competition.

The competition brings MBA students and lab researchers together to develop business plans for technical innovation. The Thai team will present its leptospirosis testing kit business plan at the University of Texas on Oct 30-31.

Leptospirosis, also known as Weil's disease, is normally transmitted from mice to humans, usually from contaminated water. According to the World Health Organisation, there are 10 or more infections per 100,000 people per year in the humid tropics.

"One reason people aren't testing for leptospirosis is because it takes too long, though it causes the deaths of hundreds of Thais per year," said Tanaphat Laohansit, a member of the team. "the new test kit will help shorten the time and process."

One distributor has already contacted the team expressing interest in the product. Currently in the clinical trial phase, the product could reach the market by the third quarter of this year if all goes well.

(Only in print edition)

Thailand urged to join pact

2009-01-23T15:00:00.001+11:00

Published: 23/01/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business

Thailand is being encouraged to join the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) as one of the leading players in renewables in Southeast Asia, said Hanns Schumacher, the German Ambassador to Thailand.

Dr Schumacher said that Irena was being set up in collaboration with other European countries as a driving force in the international community to develop greener renewable energies to replace mainstream sources.

He said that more than 60 countries were now working together toward the organisation's founding, with tasks, objectives and structure already agreed upon.

"We hope that Thailand will sign the statute. It has been an active member in the preparation of Irena," said Dr Schumacher.

Energy Minister Wannarat Channukul said the country was committed to supporting the development of renewable energy such as solar energy and other forms.

A feasibility study on building a nuclear power plant is also ongoing.

Thailand is now working on the 15- year renewable energy development plan, which requires a budget for the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency of 15.6 billion baht through 2022.

Through price incentives, Thailand aims to increase the country's renewable energy share to 8% of all energy used in 2011 and reduce 42,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases emissions.

Dr Schumacher said that apart from Thailand, regional neighbours such as Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, and India will be signing on as members at Irena's inaugural conference to take place in Bonn, Germany next week.

"China has not signed," he added, "but we are currently in the process of convincing them."

Once established, Irena will provide advice on financial, technical and structural issues related to switching to renewable energy to member states as it hopes to see this as a scientific pool to which only committed members will have access.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/10252/thailand-urged-to-join-pact

PRG uses innovation to expand to nutrient rice

2009-01-23T14:55:00.001+11:00

Published: 23/01/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business

Patum Rice Mill and Granary (PRG), a SET-listed rice trader and exporter, is expanding from commodity-based to value-added products, focusing on nutrient rice, supported by the National Innovation Agency. A new subsidiary, Inno Food Co, has been set up by PRG with initial capital of five million baht to produce and distribute nutra-GABA (Gamma aminobutyric acid) rice.

The managing director of Inno Food, Somboon Thitinun, said the company obtained help from the NIA by matching it with Mahidol and Kasetsart universities to develop the new nutrient rice to serve a niche market.

Research shows that GABA can help reduce the risk of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, Mr Somboon said.

He declined to disclose the investment cost but said the company expected a profit margin at least 10% on its sales per year.

Rut Subniran, the chairman of the PRG executive board, said earlier that the niche GABA rice product was projected to sell about 100 tonnes per year, a small amount when compared with the 100,000 tonnes Pathum sells.

Mr Somboon said the company's market survey showed that Thai people wanted more nutritional rice but it also had to taste good _ close to regular Hom Mali _ so GABA rice was developed to serve this market need.

The target market for the product is upper- and middle-income consumers who don't mind paying 200 baht per kilogramme or about eight to 10 times more than the price of conventional Hom Mali.

He is confident that the market response will be good as the company has joined with MBK Food Co, the distributor of the popular Mah Boon Krong rice brand, to help create a marketing strategy for GABA.

It was also allowed to use the MBK brand to help build brand awareness among local market.

''In spite of the economic downturn, I don't think Thai people will stop eating rice. As well, our rice is quite niche, we make it for people with health concerns and high purchasing power. I think our product has a bright prospect,'' Mr Somboon said.

He added that Inno Food also planned to produce new high-nutrient food and beverage products, particularly instant healthy foods and ready-to-eat meals.

PRG shares closed yesterday on the Stock Exchange at 33 baht, unchanged, in light trade worth 7,000 baht.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/10254/prg-uses-innovation-to-expand-to-nutrient-rice

Thai CEOs look on the dark side

2009-01-06T15:20:00.000+11:00

The pessimism of Thai CEOs has reached record levels with global economic woes and local political instability, according to an international business report by Grant Thornton.

The survey across 36 economies found that the -63% despondency score of Thailand's business leaders was topped only by corporate sadsacks in Spain and Japan, with values of -65% and -85%, respectively. The survey was conducted in early December, right after the airport closures, when national gloom hit an all-time low.

Although the 2007 credit crisis failed to dent the sunny outlook of Thai CEOs, their optimism has since vanished. Over 2008 their mood plunged from +30% to -34%, and it is now hitting an all-time low, according to Peter Walker, partner of Grant Thornton business consulting in Thailand.

Along with the CEOs in 33 of the 36 economies surveyed, Thai bosses list fading consumer demand as far outweighing all their other worries.

Yet CEOs elsewhere often stayed positive despite this concern. Directors in Botswana, India, Brazil and the Philippines topped the chart with values over +50% as "emerging economies realise that it [the global slowdown] could offer real opportunities".

Thailand's neighbours, including Asean members and China, also shared a positive outlook.

Mature economies like the US (-34%) and the European Union (-38%) were overwhelmingly negative, while trading blocs with emerging economies like Latin America (+11%) and Asia Pacific (+3%) looked on the bright side.

Overall, CEOs around the world are at their bleakest since the survey was launched in 2003. Pessimists also outweighed optimists for the first time, resulting in an overall balance of -16%. The dubious honour of the biggest mood swing went to Hong Kong executives, whose confidence plummeted from +81% to -49%.

Mr Walker advises CEOs and politicians in Thailand to provide "strong and clear leadership". He suggested that politicians spur consumer spending and the economy with infrastructure investments, while CEOs should defend their businesses in the short term but develop strategies for the long term.

"Businesses that make smart moves now will emerge as the leaders of the future. In the not-so-distant future, the economy will recover and a new commercial environment will emerge, but it could look very different to the current one," he said.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics /9216/thai-ceos-look-on-the-dark-side

Published: 6/01/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business

Not strictly social... two essays on linguistics

2006-10-17T01:12:00.000+10:00

Interactional Model of L2 Acquisition

With age, many of our skills to learn develop - learning maths, learning history, critical thinking, singing. Why not language? Several authors (Johnson and Newport 1991; Birdsong and Molis 2001; Chomsky, 1968; Lenneberg 1967) that ascribe to the view that the language learning faculty is a part of the brain separate to others hold that this faculty deteriorates over time and that language is no longer attainable to adult-like proficiency primarily because of this deterioration. Lenneberg (1967) showed that whilst young children engaged their entire mind in the language learning process, lateralisation into one hemisphere occurred by the onset of puberty. Krashen (1973) shows evidence that lateralization occurs by the age of 5. Yet, there is clear evidence to show that younger learners of language acquire language much faster and are more able to acquire native-like proficiency (Schwartz 1992, 1999; Johnson and Newport 1991; Birdsong and Molis 2001; Huang and Hatch 1978; Butterworth and Hatch 1978).

Ellis (1994:248-9) outlines the features of 'caretaker talk', or what Thiessen (2005) calls Infant Directed Speech - slower speech and clearer and simpler linguistic forms, such as content words, and gestures. Also, there are many interactional cues that concentrate purely on the momentary context, confirmation and repetition. Thus, in this view, learning is aided by communication and interaction, and relies on the input, as opposed to an innate faculty, for attainment of language.

...read more

Communicative Competency or Miss-set Parameters?

Data showing differences between child language and adult language, errors made by children and universal features of child language spawn heated debate between the supporters of Universal Grammar (UG) and Usage- or Experience- Based (EB) Theories. Discussion around UG and of EB, as well as the reformulation of what it is that both theories demand in terms of explanation from the other is familiar territory in the current literature.

Consistently, claims are made by one camp or the other of new data that cannot be explained in terms of the other theory. In this paper, I will examine language data that one researcher, Stephen Crain, suggests is inexplicable by means other than postulating the UG hypothesis. He suggests this because, as he puts it "...experience-based approaches to language acquisition contend that child language matches the input, with non-adult forms being simply less articulated versions of forms produced by adults. (2006:1)"

...read more

Retrospective Democracy: An Asian Way of Doing Things

2006-10-11T19:21:00.000+10:00

I attended a seminar in the Monash Asia institute today, conducted by another luk krueng like myself, a Ms. Virginie Andre.

Firstly, I'm delighted to find that I'm not the only one who acknowledges that HM Bhumibol Adulyadej has more of a guiding role in Thai politics than the general public will admit. I won't comment further on that, though!

What I did find interesting was the way she argued that the coup was democratic. In retrospect, 84% of the Thai population showed support for the coup.

Her argument was that before the events that occurred, there was a general feeling that Thaksin had to go. The various opposition (PAD, Democrats, Academics, etc.) had exhausted all conventional democratic means to oust the vote-buying prime minister, and, as she put it, were left with the options of assissination or coup.

So was it democratic? Well, it seems that atleast in retrospect, it certainly was a landslide victory in favour of coup d'etat.

Right now, what is to be seen is whether the revived talk in peace negotiations in the South will amount to anything, or whether this is simply another political means to gain support for the movement. Like Virginie, I'm hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel soon.

A Place for Bilinguals: Personal Identity as a Social Construct

2006-09-19T14:41:00.000+10:00

“[T]he question about different selves, often eschewed by the academic establishment, is nevertheless relevant to the lives of many individuals who speak more than one language.”

Educational Reform in Southern Thailand - A Sociolinguistic Look

2006-05-26T09:04:00.001+10:00

"On nationalistic theory… the purpose of education is not to transmit knowledge, traditional wisdom, and the ways devised by a society for attending to the common concerns; its purpose rather is wholly political, to bend the will of the young to the will of the nation."

-Kedourie, Elie (1960)

Download paper from here

Media Scrapbook

2006-04-23T13:01:00.000+10:00

The Importance of Linguistic Parity.

1. Neil DeVotta (2004), “Ethnic nationalism and Indo-Sri Lanka relations” in South Asian Journal, 6/2004

Neil DeVotta gives a historical and political background to the current ethnic conflict between the Tamils and Sinhalese of Sri Lanka, citing one of the reasons for this conflict as being a linguistic one.

When Sri Lanka was liberated, English became the national language. However, very soon, DeVotta maintains, language became a political tool and the politicians of Sri Lanka found victory by lobbying the vast Sinhalese cultural and linguistic majority exclusively. Despite belonging to one nation, it is clear, as Clyne, M. argues: “Cultural identity takes precedence over national identity” (1992, p.455)

So in this article, we see an issue of social stratification of language raised. Tamil became the ‘low’ language, with those of Tamil backgrounds often denied educations and jobs.

This development, over time, “legitimised the Tamil demand for increased autonomy”, and violated what is considered by many people in the world what is considered a human right: “The right of people to exist, to practice and reproduce their own language and culture should be inalienable.” (Nettle and Romaine, 2000 p.173)

2. TamilNet (2005), “Sinhala-Only for President”, TamilNet, December 06, 2005

TamilNet, a news site dedicated to Tamil issues and an apparent supporter of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), has reported on a speech by president Mahinda Rajapakse, claiming he “declared … that as a matter of policy he will address all important events in Sinhala … He pointed out that “Sinhala was his Mother tongue.”

Underlying this article is a sense of Tamil resentment at their language being dismissed as substandard. Notably, the article makes reference to English, “There would, however, be a translator, he said, who would translate what he says into the English language.” It is also stressed that the Sinhala and English usage would be matters of policy. However, there is no reference to Tamil, further marginalizing the language.

The article reports that Mahinda Rajapakse was “elected with the overwhelming backing of the Sinhala people, particularly the nationalist voters”, implying that they are being unfairly treated as an ethnic minority. Again, as Nettle and Romaine argue, “Democracy is severely limited when people can not use their own languages” (2000 p.173).

3. TamilNet (2004), “India to declare Tamil as classical language”, TamilNet, September 18, 2004

Perhaps as a response to the seemingly overt exclusion of Tamil culture and language in Sri Lanka, Tamil media promotes their own culture and literature fervently. As Heller, Monica noted, “Not only [do] differences in language practices get perceived as exclusionary, they [contribute] to active rivalries.” (1991, p.181)

Tamil, the root of many Dravidian languages, is a factor that links the Tamil minority of Sri Lanka to Tamil Nadu in India. “Smaller groups (e.g., Malaysian and Singaporean speakers of Tamil…) need the “protection” of the dominant centre” (Clyne, Michael 1992, p.461)

This ties in to a point Neil DeVotta stresses in his article – that the Tamil the minority of Sri Lanka derives part of its strength from the power the Tamil population of India exerts on Indian politics, which in turn exerts a huge amount of pressure on the government of Sri Lanka.

That “the declaration merely recognises a fact known about Tamil and will not create a new status for the language” is heavily stressed in the article. The writer also ponders “In trying to discern why Tamil has not been recognized as a classical language, I can see only a political reason”. This is not exclusively a Tamil issue. Nettle and Romaine state of American and British press “The negative attitude to multilingualism … reflects more of the dominant class’s resentment of any form of knowledge or organization they do not control than any real problems associated with it.” (2000, p.173)

4. Noor, F.A., Dr. 2005 Interview: Dr Wan Kadir Che Man, “Insensitivity has inflamed the troubles in the South” in The Nation, Nation Multimedia, June 23, 2005

A Muslim academic asks plainly “Why should we Malays assimilate to Thai culture, learn the Thai language, eat and dress like the Thais when we are in fact living in our own territory and the homeland of our fathers and forefathers?”, asking the same question that the linguistic ‘other’ groups ask, and expressing a similar sentiment found in Heller, Monica’s study: “[The language] is a symbol of colonial oppression…” (1999, p.140) and that “the [dominant] group is foreign and strange, … who’s practices make no sense, or worse, threaten … sense of identity.” (p. 160).

He warns that although ten years ago the Muslim population were nationalists, “today the resurgence of Islam worldwide gives the separatist movement a more religious flavour, and we see the Islamists working closer with the nationalists.” Here, religion and language have gone hand in hand: “Arabic is a symbol of ‘shared Arabness’ that all nations using it converge to the same standard norms which are not the property of any of them” (Clyne, Michael 1992, p.461)

5. The Nation 2005 “SOLUTIONS FOR STRIFE: Schools in South to teach Yawi” Nation Multimedia, Bangkok, August 06, 2005

Some members of the Thai parliament apparently are introducing some ‘progressive’ ideas. Chatu-ron Chaisang said “he would push through a proposal to have Malay language incorporated in the curriculum of public schools in the troubled South, saying this reflected the needs of the local community.”

It would be a positive attempt by a large ethnic majority to recognize a disgruntled minority group if such a proposal went though. The writer of the article questions the motivation for this move, saying “The move comes amid a spate of violence that has rocked the region over the past 19 months and increased tensions between the Buddhists and Muslims.”

If people are not accorded the due respect their language and culture deserve, they may end up concluding, as did the young subjects of Heller, Monica’s study “that the only sensible explanation for what [is] happening to them [is] racism, whether overt or systemic.”

Letter to the Editor:

Re: The Nation 2005 “SOLUTIONS FOR STRIFE: Schools in South to teach Yawi” Nation Multimedia, Bangkok, August 06, 2005

Thailand, similar to Sri Lanka in theological demographic – with a majority Buddhist population and minority Muslim population concentrated territorially and divided ethnically (CIA World Fact Book 2000) – can not afford to follow in the footsteps of its South Asian counterpart.

The demands of the Malay population are not outrageous, especially given that there seems to be overt discrimination in the availability of school curricula. Chatu-ron Chaisang mentions that Chinese language curricula will also be considered for the three north-easternmost states of Thailand. What he fails to mention is that in the southern provinces of Jala, Patani and Narathiwat, there are already several schools that offer curricula in Chinese, as well as one entirely Chinese school per province (Noor, F.A. 2005).

Although the Malay ethnicity in Thailand is smaller in number than the Chinese, in these three provinces (CIA World Fact Book 2000), they are a clear majority. If linguistic determination is one of the factors that sparked off violence in Sri Lanka, why should Thailand repeat these mistakes?

Last Sunday’s elections show, again, that while the governing TRT party has wide support in the Northern provinces, they are hugely unpopular in the South. TRT ran uncontested in all of Thailand, due to the election boycott by other parties. Out of the 76 constituencies in Thailand, 31 of the TRT’s ‘one-horse candidates’ failed to meet the constitutional demand for 20% of the votes. 30 of these were in the South. (The Nation, 03 April 2006)

Obviously, it would be naïve to declare that the cause for conflict is simply a linguistic one. However, it would also be a testimony to the blindness of our Kingdom should we ignore the basic request for linguistic parity by our Southern citizens.

References

CIA World Fact Book 2006, Central Intelligence Agency, USA, viewed 03 April 2006,

Clyne, M. 1992, ‘Epilogue’ in Pluricentric Languages: Differing Norms in Different Nations, Mouton, de Greyter

DeVotta, N. 2004, ‘Ethnic nationalism and Indo-Sri Lanka relations’ in South Asian Journal, Lahore, Pakistan, viewed 30 March, 2006,

The Nation 2005 ‘SOLUTIONS FOR STRIFE: Schools in South to teach Yawi’,
Nation Multimedia, Bangkok, August 06, 2005,

The Nation 2006 ‘31 Thai Rak Thai one-horse candidates fail: unofficial results’,
Nation Multimedia, Bangkok, April 03, 2006,

Nettle, D., & Romaine, S. 2000, ‘Language Rights and Human Rights’ in Vanishing Voices, Oxford University Press, New York

Noor, F.A., Dr. 2005 Interview: Dr Wan Kadir Che Man, ‘Insensitivity has inflamed the troubles in the South’ in The Nation, Nation Multimedia, Bangkok, June 23, 2005,

TamilNet 2005, ‘Sinhala-Only for President’, TamilNet, December 06, 2005, viewed 31 March, 2006,

TamilNet 2004, ‘India to declare Tamil as classical language’, TamilNet, September 18, 2004

Letter to the editor of the Nation

2005-12-15T13:06:00.000+11:00

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Published on December 15, 2005

Pointing out society’s shortcomings can be done without stereotyping

Re: “Thaksin alone is not powerful enough to cause society’s ills”, Letters, December 13.

I concur that it is certainly short-sighted and shallow to blame one person for all of society’s ills. However, I have not gotten the impression that anyone – let alone everyone – is doing so, as Frank G Anderson suggests. Naturally, Thaksin, as prime minister and head of the Thai Rak Thai Party, will be the focus of most of the attacks. This does not mean, however, that anyone truly believes he is the spawn of evil in Thai society.

The author turns around and blames everything on Thai society. However, by calling Thai society “unethical, selfish and greedy”, the only thing the author really highlights is his own patronising attitude towards Thais. First, he believes that Thais have all been duped en masse into believing that one man can somehow be the root of all ills. Second, by highlighting that everyone is to blame – “teachers, students, politicians, monks, community leaders and followers” – he has managed to stereotype an entire nation.

Does the author not also, as he put it, “blame everyone else for [his] problems”? I am suggesting that stereotyping is discriminatory, and that in itself is a problem. Is this patronising attitude of the author truly the fault of the citizens of Thailand?

He also refers to Thais as being short-sighted by nature and that this attitude is what causes society’s ills. Perhaps it has not occurred to the author from his perch that he, too, is a member of society as long as he resides in Thailand.

Valisa

Bangkok

More overt discrimination against international students

2005-09-26T11:27:00.000+10:00

It seems that international students and other concerned organisations have made an impact on Nelson to have him worried about the services that should be provided to international students. But the move he has made to allow universities to charge international students fees ‘under the table’ is anything but a productive change.

NLC, NUS and CAPA have been vehemently voicing out against VSU. I have feared that the legislation as is, would already allow for a wedge to be placed between international students and local students. As the legislation stands, the university is required to provide certain services for international students. The legislation has merely been vague as to who would be providing the resources for those services. I’ve been of the opinion that if the bill is silent on where the money is to come from, the university CAN and WILL charge international students a fee for the compulsory services. This would potentially cause a situation where international and local students are overtly differentiated and separated in an obvious manner. Institutionalised discrimination – call it what you will, but it’s a reality. I recall debating this issue with another member of NLC, who claimed that they certainly wouldn’t be stupid enough to drive a wedge between local and international students that way.

This aforementioned discussion took place at a VSU debate in Swinburne University about 2 months ago. Apart from making the usual commentaries about services and the network of clubs and societies that are the general arguments against international students about VSU, I also stated my opinion that VSU will bring Australian universities into an era of open discrimination. Can you imagine what it would feel like being an Australian student in a university, needing help with essay writing skills and being denied them because your student ID didn’t have ‘international student’ written on it? My views were received with a few raised eyebrows then, but now?

It’s as though my worst nightmare has become a reality. I feared the worst when the legislation didn’t specify where the money for these services was to come from. I don’t have to fear it now. I KNOW it’s coming out of my pocket, and the pockets of my fellow international students.

So what’s the way forward for an organisation like NLC? It seems likely that the legislation will go through. It seems unfair – and not to mention, a hotbed for discrimination – if we are to be the only ones receiving services that local students also require. But it also seems to be taking the concept of the ‘international cashcow’ to an all new level if not only are we essentially funding the HECS places of local students (read: international students bring high levels of revenue into Australia and to universities – and the government keeps cutting funding to universities) but also the services on campus. Do we defend our own and open the gateway to overt institutionalised discrimination? Or do we become good Samaritans and pour our own money into providing services to local students when the government of Victorian and New South Wales don’t even see fit to allow for public transport concession for international students?

It seems that either way, international students are set for a few more injustices on their palate.

Letter to a Newspaper in Bangkok

2005-06-26T03:01:00.000+10:00

Dear Nation,

I'm a Thai International Student studying a degree in Law and Liberal Arts in Australia. For the past three months, it's been time to study and I was hoping, perhaps somewhat idealistically, that the political situation in Thailand would miraculously improve during my self-imposed oblivion from home news. How wrong I was.

I find it shocking to hear that the elected Thai MPs would be so oblivious to the very people that elected them, claiming openly "I'm ready to face public condemnation but I really had to do it". It really makes me wonder why I excercised my vote in the last elections.

I may have not supported the ruling party, but I would like to believe that whichever party is in power has the interests of the citizens at heart. I'd like to be able to say that my government supports me, or atleast majority of the society. However, I feel increasingly as though it's the citizens giving to the representatives and not the other way around, as it should be.

Hearing news of politicians "committing suicide" or radio showhosts being thrown off the air is disheartening. If I were to listen to my Singaporean friends here in Australia, I would feel that a paternalistic government is justified. I can see where the Singaporean's are coming from, though. They may have an openly undemocratic government - but atleast they can barter with their citizens "Democracy or succesful economy - you choose." There's not much pretense of democratic elections. But TRT cannot even offer economic stability to their citizens. As far as it looks, the way the government has spent money, the economy looks more like a glossy soap bubble, floating around ready to burst.

So just what is the government looking to give back to us?

A ranting, idealistic and disillusioned young voter,

-Fon

2005-04-01T23:26:00.000+10:00

"This signifies that the country’s economy is sailing into choppy waters. Investment, both private and public, must succeed in revving up economic activity, otherwise the whole economy will lose steam. What the average Thai can do is watch the money in his or her pocket. Saving is the way to ensure security in this precarious time."

The Nation, 01/04/05

Is it necessarily smart to save in Thai Baht, though?

for the editorial, click here

Change of heart?

2005-04-01T03:44:00.000+10:00

"Thaksin yesterday confirmed for the first time that he would not pursue his earlier stated policy of keeping development funds from communities deemed sympathetic to insurgents. He admitted the controversial policy, which would have divided the region into three different colour-coded zones, was a knee-jerk reaction. He urged all sides to forget the matter."

So what brought about this change of heart? Interesting development... will definitely follow this one! Well... he's definitely been getting a lot of pressure...

"The behaviour and conduct of these officials, said the lawmakers, had further alienated the local Muslim community from the country as a whole and made them feel like second-class citizens.

Abhisit said Thaksin’s “simplistic” perception of the violence in the South had misled the public into thinking the problem could be solved with a simple solution.

I'm glad that attention is finally being paid to this issue. Simplistic, indeed... or, as I mentioned in my previous post, political and ideological as opposed to 'simplistic'?

Personally, I feel that the response was anything but simplistic. Make no mistake. A hardened and succesful politician does not make simplistic mistakes. I think it's more like he thought nobody would mind, given the current "political climate", the killing of a few "muslim rebels" here and there. I mean, after all, there's a lot of bad feeling about islamic groups out there, regardless of their motives. Thank goodness there are also agencies interested in human rights out there that aren't focusing on religious and political prejudice.

Quotes from "The Nation", 31/04/05

“We cannot let bygones be bygones . . . life is not a game like golf or chess to be renewed when the game is over, life cannot be brought back after death . . . Life cannot be reborn but we can deliver justice to rehabilitate the damage,” he said.

-Chuan Leekpai

Let's hope that justice is done.

A left wing Thai party? Finally?

2005-03-31T04:18:00.000+10:00

‘Peace’ party set up

<> Published on Mar 24, 2005
The Nation

A new political party is being formed to promote peace, equality and social justice.

The People’s Front Party has about 50 founding members that comprise workers from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), labour leaders, villagers and academics, activist Giles Ungphakorn said yesterday.

The decision to form the party was made on Saturday, following a meeting of civic representatives in Bangkok.

The party’s charter is being drafted under the guidelines that all members are equal and all members can be held accountable by impeachment, Giles said.

The party is expected to solicit financial contributions from members and NGOs and will not rely on capitalist support, he said.

He outlined tentative party policies that oppose trade liberalisation, free-trade agreements and privatisation.

Other party platforms include the cancellation of value-added tax, a non-violent approach to solving southern unrest, a progressive-tax levy aimed at ensuring economic parity, and the promotion of the labour movement.

I can't say that I agree to every policy brought up here - especially not the bit about policies that oppose free-trade agreements... I think opposing free-trade agreements is opposing the developing of a country's economy. Larger economies have, throughout history, swallowed up smaller economies - and each nation (by nation I do not mean country, necessarily, but a unified group of people) has had to go through a painful process. In the end, however, the benefits of being able to trade freely with one's neighbours far outweighs the costs. What, I find, people need to do is not to oppose the idea of a free-trade agreement in itself, but rather, more attention needs to be focused on the complications that do arise. Safeguards need to be implemented so that larger economies aren't taking unfair advantage. However, stopping free trade is not a solution. At best, it is a short-term and short-sighted "quick-fix"

That said, what I think of "capitalist funding" is much the same. I believe in a network provided by society. A capitalist system may support the enterprising egotistic businessman, but does it allow him to ever stumble? Why did I say he is egotistic? He doesn't believe he can fall. Last time I spoke to a self-proclaimed capitalist, a couple days ago, he said, "I have to think to the future. I need to look after my parents. I need to look after my children, my grandchildren. So, I must admit, I've got to be a capitalist"

The short-sightedness simply astounds me. Yes. You may get rich in the next ten years. You may even make enough money in this lifetime to ensure the prosperity of the next few generations. But you might not. What can better ensure the safety of all your future generations than to support a system that provides down the line regardless of whether or not your family has succeeded in hoarding all your hard-earned wealth? Why not live in the comfort of knowing that you can be sure your great-grandchildren will receive a publicly-funded education and not rely on your trust-fund?

As a nation, people can think in the future-tense. As a nation, people can plan for the future. As an individual, you fall alone.

****

Just an interesting quote:

"Thaksin is only beginning to discover that the weaker the opposition gets, the more rebellious the factions within the ruling party will become."

-Sutichai Yoon, The Nation

There's somewhere around 20 political parties in Thailand now...

and poor Mr. Thaksin is now going to have to deal with his own party building opposition, as if this half-formed socialist party were not to deal with already.

On the one side, a contempt for capitalism. On the other, a lust for power. Both contending for HIS position.

peace or politics?

2005-03-31T04:01:00.000+10:00

Over the past 14 months, more than 600 people have been killed in the South

"Governor elections in the restive, predominantly Muslim South are needed to help promote peace and human rights."

-Vitit Muntarbhorn, Chulalongkorn University law professor, March 23, 2005

This is how it's meant to be done!

A BUDDHIST MONK and an Islamic religious teacher register their attendance at a conference on reconciliation efforts for the troubled South at Prince of Songkhla University's Pattani campus yesterday. The meeting was attended by about 70 people from the public and private sectors.

courtesy of "The Nation"

Which just goes to show... how much regard does the prime minister have for the people of the south? Current maps of Thailand's political map show a democratic south and a TRT north. Is Thaksin going to show more regard for the human rights of the people of the south now? No - and the motive is as much political as discriminatory. His stated intentions are to forcefully end the 'rebellion' in the south. Is it a rebellion? As far as I can tell, it's not - it's the oppression of a handful of people who want to be allowed freedom to practice their religious beliefs. It's not right to bomb schools and temples. But what led them to do that? Why has the response been to pull out the heavy artillery to kill the mouse? A vast majority of Thais do not approve of the action taken by the Thai government on the Southern provinces. Or rather... should I say, the vast majority of Thai people who would have a clue, or access to news! After all... it's easy for the TRT to convince the majority of the nation that it's a good idea to March in with a lot of soldiers and kill all the 'islamic rebels' that they find - when they own all the media! Who are they really targeting, though? It seems as though young islamic students are getting the brunt of things. Not political, they say? It sounds to me like a blatant right wing attack on left-wing politics.

USER PAYS IS NOT DEMOCRATIC

2005-03-23T19:27:00.000+11:00

I’d like to pose a counter argument for anyone who says that the most democratic form of student union governance is in a ‘user pays’ system.

Most students make use of their student union’s services – whether it be in the form of a soccer club or childcare services or lounge. There are students that don’t utilize the services at all – true, but is this enough to justify that those who do use and need student services will be at a disadvantage, especially when this group is the majority?

The system of governance of a student union right now can be best described as a Social Democracy. Everyone chips in so that there is an abundance of services available and a support network whenever there is a need.

A user-pays system benefits very few people.

Look at a country like Finland. It’s a Social Democracy. The nation votes every four years to maintain a system whereby they pay very high taxes and in return, are covered for all the ups and downs that life may throw at them. Just because some people don’t believe that they are going to need free education, free healthcare and social benefits doesn’t mean that they don’t have to pay taxes. It’s a society – and because the overwhelming majority see the benefits of having a system where they are supported, all members of that society must pay.

A user-pays system would cut funding to the student union. Services such as discount books, student lounges, representation, tutoring, etc, would have to cut, and perhaps drastically – so, in effect, those who chose to join their student union would be getting much less value for the money they put in.

Democracy? How is it democratic that the minority is indulged and majority disadvantaged? It’s nice to think that everyone can do as they want – and that should be allowed – but when one’s actions affect others, it is not morally justifiable to act according to one’s whims. Otherwise, why would a country need a system of government? Why hold elections and choose these systems of governance if individuals can still follow any set of rules they wish to?

American University of Cairo

2005-01-21T11:55:00.000+11:00

“We almost burned down the house.”

The experiences of an international student initiating his stay in Cairo are certainly different to those of on starting in Australia. “We bought a new shisha. Then we fired it up and were drinking ‘aquavit’. When we woke up in the morning, we found a piece of coal had fallen off the pipe and burned through a stack of newspapers.”

Perhaps it is time for a little bit of explanation. A ‘shisha’ is a water pipe of the kind employed by many Arabic cultures for the smoking of tobacco. ‘Aquavit’ is a homegrown brand of Norwegian vodka.

Roger Bruland, perhaps a slightly shy Scandinavian, jokes, upon the completion of this interview: “I’m going to get deported!”

International students arriving in Australia feel as though they are faced with a jungle of bureaucracy upon arrival here. However, this is nothing compared to the problems faced by international students in Cairo, Egypt.

For example, one necessity in dealing with the process of acquiring an international student visa here is (no kidding!) 15 passport photos. This is a modest amount, considering that the international student here has to run to about 20 government offices to acquire that visa. Then, it’s a matter of whether or not the official like you – you can get anywhere between three months to one year on your student visa. It makes one practically crave the hellishly straightforward Australian system. It’s no wonder that most international students here opt to remain on a tourist visa that can be renewed monthly for no more than 10 Egyptian pounds (less than AUD$1). The other option is to get it renewed through the university, where the standard is a 6-month visa. Somehow, the system seems reminiscent of Russian roulette!

Egypt, under what, by international standards, is a country under a dictatorial style of governance, is nonetheless, like its international counterparts, seeking to capitalise on international education.

Currently, around 20% of the students studying at the American University of Cairo are international students. The University of Cairo, however, is a much more popular destination, catering to a very large population of students from neighbouring Middle Eastern countries.

Orientations for international students at AUC are an entirely different process to that experienced by Australian International Students. As in Australia, most students don’t remember much from their hectic orientations. However, the lessons that are learned are quite different. “Kissing on campus is against the regulations, as is covering the face. Two girls were expelled last year for covering their face at university.”

Security is also a large issue covered during orientations. When he first arrived here, Roger went on holiday to the seaside town of Dahab. Not so far from where he was staying, a youth camp was bombed by the same groups implicated in the Hilton bombings. “Even youth culture is targeted”.

Censorship is a particular headache – especially for postgraduate students. In 1998 alone, 200 books were banned by the Egyptian government. As a result, a ‘copy shop’ culture has developed in Cairo, with lecturers pointing students to the next-door point to obtain illegal texts for the sake of education.

Perhaps it is this flagrant disregard for the law that makes Egypt an international centre for human rights and forced migration studies, along with South Africa. Censorship by the government can be quite random, but Roger has noted that it is generally texts concerning non-proliferation and those critical of the government that are the main target for nationwide bans.

Despite the hazards of bureaucracy, it seems that Roger, a PhD student in political science, has chosen the right place for his academics – a “region in turmoil after the Iraq war.’

My comments on prejudice.

2004-09-23T18:01:00.000+10:00

This is what I wrote for my editorial, but I didn't write in my blog today, so it'll get a double life:

Put a STOP to prejudice

Once upon a time when I was six years old and moving to Ethiopia with my family, I held an inconsistent set of beliefs. I’m not saying that all my beliefs are consistent today, but what I believed then was an example of the absurd. I believed:

a) that Africa is one big desert
b) that there is no vegetation in Africa
c) that there are no cars
d) that the sky is cruel and cloudless, and that the sun is scorching
e) that all people in Africa live in trees, and so would my family

When we arrived in Ethiopia, the first thing I noticed were all the beautiful flowers lining the car-filled roads, the clear blue sky, and the smiling people (who did not live in trees!). Happily, I rid myself of those images quick-smart as we settled into living in the beautiful city of Adis Ababa in the year 1989. After that, moving to Zambia, then Kazakhstan, then Vietnam, Finland, Spain, and finally, to Australia, has been an experience happily free of twisted preconceptions.

I don’t know. Blame discovery channel. National Geographic. All those documentaries that focus on all the negative or quirky aspects of countries that aren’t thoroughly westernised. Whatever the cause, it’s painting a rather twisted view of the world.

Now, I’ll do myself a favour and forgive my preconceived notion and prejudice. After all, I was only six years old, and quite impressionable. What I don’t understand is how adults in this day and age fail to think for themselves and truly believe that all Africans are starving, or that all of Malaysia is just coconuts and beaches (Hello! These places all have an airport! How do you think all those visitors got there? An airport surrounded by beaches and huts, or by starving children??! And hey, they might not show it on the doco, but the camera crew is staying in the nearest five star hotel!)

Now surely, this is going to raise a few controversial eyebrows, but honestly, I think prejudice and racism is more inbuilt into a lot of people than they really want to admit. You’ve got the real, outspoken racists, who will openly tell you that their own race, skin colour and culture is supreme and greet you with nothing more than a series of taunts. Luckily, this has been a slowly dieing group from the days of Martin Luther King, Jr. to those of Nelson Mandela. However, the fight is not over. People may be too scared to voice their prejudices, but that doesn’t mean they are not there.

Here are a few questions I’ve been asked in the past few months, by educated adults:

1. “Are there proper hospitals in India?” (asked by a doctor!)
2. “So how do you get clean water when you are in Thailand?”
3. “Is it all ice and polar bears and in Finland?”
4. “Were there lions and giraffes in your backyard?” (I kid you not!)
5. “So how was living in all those countries, was it bad compared to Australia? It must be so nice for you living in a first world country now.”

So here’s my two cents worth at dispelling some myths:

1. India is known to have some of the best doctors and best hospitals in the world.
2. From the tap, or the supermarket.
3. Yes, in the winter. Perhaps in the zoo. And all the houses are built from ice.
4. Sure, but the dogs ate them. And I hate it when the rhinos tear up the flowerbeds. And the monkeys get jammed in the air-conditioning. Doh!
5. Is there some sort of objective measure of good that all countries are measure against? How can one country honestly be ‘bad’? What makes one country ‘better’ than another? Just as all people are different, so are countries. What I enjoy, you dislike. There are no definitive ‘good’ or ‘bad’ people or places.

Oy! People! Pick up a book! Cultural tolerance? Such a thing wouldn’t be necessary if we’d all make an effort to educate ourselves. Human understanding is what this world needs. Learn a little about your neighbours and maybe we can finally stop bring so ignorant.