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Song-Krang1
Throughout the world, New Year is celebrated,
But not on the same date.
By the Gregorian calendar calculated.
Anno Domini also rate.
The Luna year according to new moon,
Important dates are set
Thus in April “Songkrang” boon
And everyone gets wet!
Water being the staff of life
Thus used for Blessings.
Baptising without strife,
Genuine gesturings.
On this day the elders are honoured.
Holy water poured over hands.
Up North, more fun conjured,
With “Dum-Hua” and local bands.
“Dum-Hua” means bowing the head
In humbleness true.
Benediction is then said
To each in turn, on clue.
May the staff of Pattaya Mail
Have a happy day.
You’ll get wet without fail,
But Blessings with you stay.
1 The author of this poem, whose Thai is fluent, is using this spelling to
imitate the way Westerners usually mis-pronounce the word. Editor.
As Discovery goes, so go the subscribers
Dear Sir:
The cable provider for the Discovery Channel made announcements, on air,
twice an hour for many weeks, that the signal would be encrypted on midnight
of March 31st. The subscribers were aware of this. Sophon Cable ignored it.
Now we have lost the Discovery Channel. The service on Sophon is tawdry, but
this episode shows how truly bumbling the company is.
We in Pattaya are not given a choice, and the company has that ‘We don’t
care, we don’t have to’, attitude.
But this shows that people at Sophon are truly not technologically
up-to-date. One telephone call to the provider (which is toll free) and the
signal would be unscrambled.
Could the Pattaya Mail wake up the person who changes the pirated VDO tapes
played on the ‘service’.
They might not be in charge of administration. But, even if asleep, they’re
at the office and could make the one phone call necessary to get back this
worthwhile channel.
Sincerely,
A gadfly
Motorcyclists,
good and bad
Dear Sir,
Anyone enjoying the Woodland freebie on Friday 11th would have been unwise
to use the motorcycle taxis lurking around the car park.
Being stuck in the traffic, I was able to witness 7 of the drivers drinking
whiskey from the bottle, under the gaze of two of Pattaya’s finest. Eh?!
On a lighter not, driven up the highway today, I was stopped by a
motorcyclist. I stepped out of my car, prepared to whatever, only to be
shown that my brake lights were inoperative. The motorcyclist not only
brought this to my attention, he fixed them and refused my offer of payment.
My point is briefly, even amongst Pattaya’s crazy motorcycle brigade, there
is the odd shining knight. More than can be said for the Farangs who burn up
the strip, endangering everyone in the vicinity.
An after thought, regarding the rental company’s parking problem. Why not
put them all onto the car park by the pier and make them pay per unit
parked?
P. Davies
Some more thoughts on child labour
Mr. Editor:
My thoughts on child labour. I am not an expert or qualified in any official
office, thus my ideas on child labour maybe all bunkum. Through the years,
looking around, reading and listening, I do not think that child labour is a
bad thing, unless of course the conditions where they work are bad...long
hours with-out rest, un-hygenic, poor light, pollution, etc.
The economy being at a low stage, with prices of necessary goods going up
yearly, it is obvious that to keep alive and healthy, a family has to use
their work-power in order to obtain cash to buy food.
Education is of course the best thing money can buy but of what use, if
after graduation there is not job open for you?
In some countries, with a degree from university in-hand, the zealous have
to be contented by getting some cash for mowing lawns around the community,
while the lazy ones stay on the “Dole”. The example of the Stone-cutter in
India is so true (Child Labour and UNICEF, Vol. V. No. 10). In fact I had
the same experience some years ago when my son returned from abroad with a
Master’s Degree in engineering and could not find a suitable job relating to
his degree.
Bangladesh is another example, that by dismissing child labour, through
necessity, the child has to find work in more hazardous conditions or
prostitution.
The teen age is the most confusing time of a human, as they are neither
children nor adults. Therefore in my mind, for those who need, I think any
job is better than selling their bodies or theft. No job well done is
menial, be it cleaning the toilets, sweeping roads, dustmen, cleaning drains
etc. Therefore, be truly interested the welfare of children, as they are our
most valuable natural resources.
Sincerely,
(A. Humane)
PS I “Here, Here” to Mr. Keller’s letter from Hawaii.
To “Tore Sands...“Serves you right!” You should know better than to enter a
coffee shop, dressed for the sharks and fishes, but no mermaid for you to
entice!
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Could boxing be
fixed?
The Editor, Pattaya Mail:
There is a saying in the Boxing world ‘Saved by the Bell”, but in Thailand,
you are more likely if you are a Thai boxer to be saved by crooked judges.
A fine example of this was last night’s WBU title bout between Thai
Champion, Sawatchai Nakhonluang and Mexican challenger Everado Morales.
Morales clearly won the bout.
In a title bout, the challenger must clearly win and in this bout that was
accomplished by master boxer Morales. It goes to show , if you don’t knock
out your opponent in boxing in Thailand, you always lose.
The three so-called judges, 2 from the USA and one from Canada, must have
been recruited in a Pat-Pong bar as they showed no knowledge of boxing.
Let’s hope the return bout, if there is one, has better judging and is held
in Mexico City.
Sincerely,
Don Morrison
Canada
Sophon losing channels
Sir:
Maybe you can help us out with Sophon Cable. They sign you on with the idea
of 30 channels, 24 hours. With any luck at all we can only get 24 channels
at anytime, day or night. Letters get no response. Telephone calls, no one
knows and the one that is supposed to know is in Bangkok. With an office
visit, no-one knows a thing and speaks little or no English.
Now Discovery Channel is gone. The one that knows anything is the collector,
he is on time each month.
Maybe a check, by one or more of your staff could come up with some results.
Your help with this would be appreciated.
A Faithful Reader.
Shaky Pete
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