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from TAT
The generally warm climate of Thailand ensures fertility. So much so that for centuries there was largely no need for farming as most dietary requirements of the small Thai settlements were easily met by what grew naturally. In the Ayutthaya period, when a one million strong settlement arose, the need for cultivation grew, and the art of growing rice, originally marked by ritual and ceremony, developed rapidly. During the past century, Thailand looked to the larger growing global economy, and began to use its naturally rich environment to cultivate crops other than rice. A booming new agro-industry has been the result.
Rice Farming
The types of rice available are as varied as the geography and culture of the Kingdom. Still, the basic growing process, from sprouts in seed beds, to the manual transfer into flooded fields and the careful harvest later, has remained the same for centuries.
Royal Project Foundation establishes a horticultural industry
Twenty-five years ago this foundation was established to aid hilltribes by increasing their income through producing saleable crops. The project was developed to both prevent encroachment on the precious forest as well as prevent the wide growth of poppy which was sometimes used for less-than-auspicious purposes.
Cut flowers are now a major part of the agriculture produced by the hilltribes, a replacement for the poppy, with the Northern region supporting a perfect climate for a wide variety of beautiful blooms, the most famous certainly being the orchid, which is a major export.
The foundation’s research has widely expanded the agricultural products available to the growers, to include many plants not indigenous to Thailand. In Pathum Thani on the outskirts of Bangkok lies Talad Thai, Thailand’s largest wholesale market. Its truly impressive feature is the number of plant products available there not originally indigenous to Thailand. Growers have found that almost any seedling will grow in Thailand’s accepting soil, putting the Kingdom on the road to becoming one of the world’s most diverse commercial growers.
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by Jay Patterson
So you "say" you want to speak Thai. Are you just saying that, or do you really want to become fluent? After nearly a lifetime spent in the Kingdom, our own Jay Patterson, who is not only fluent in Thai but in the many various dialects of the language as well, humorously addresses some of the "poor" excuses many foreigners use for their pitfalls in attempting to speak in the vernacular. The bottom line? There’s no substitute for hard work.
I’m tired of foreigners asking me, ‘How did you ever learn Thai?’ (Foreigners who ask this question often don’t speak their own language very well.)
What can I answer? ‘I was born in this area,’ doesn’t seem to suffice.
They usually continue, ‘Oh, I understand that, but how did you ever learn to read and write it?’
I’ve a killer reply for that one. ‘Hard work.’
This usually shuts people up, but the interlocutor often looks at me as if I’ve given them a very flippant answer.
Isn’t a bit of ability and a lot of hard work the way to learn anything? (I believe Edison made a comment on that.)
Most people have a bit of ability. It’s the ‘hard work’ part that usually snags them.
One of my friends had little ability for foreign languages, but was intelligent and worked like mad. He went to a good Thai language school, listened to the teachers, did all his homework and worked day and night on his Thai. He was speaking decent Thai in 3 months.
He asked me, ‘Do you get the question, "How did you ever learn to speak Thai?’"
‘All the time,’ I told him.
‘Hmm!’
Another way people assuage their guilt is the old chestnut, ‘I’m tone deaf.’
What is my answer for that? ‘Ha!’
A Thai speech pathologist friend and I were talking. He told me about the speech problems Thai children may have.
‘Some speak nasally, some lisp or have problems with R and L’
This sounded reasonable. ‘How about tones?’ I asked.
‘Nope. That isn’t a part of Thai speech pathology. Thai children and adults never have problems producing correct tones.’
‘But some people can’t carry a tune,’ I responded.
‘Singing tunes and producing speech contours are different.’
‘But foreigners always complain about being tone deaf and not being able to produce Thai tones.’
My friend looked at me. ‘Of course there are musically tone deaf people among Thais and westerners. But a westerner, even if tone deaf, produces every tone that exists in Thai language when speaking his or her native language. The problem is not producing tones, but fixing the tone to one word.’
So don’t complain that you’re tone-deaf.
Another great argument; ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter if my tones are wrong. They’ll get it from context.’
This argument is sometimes true, but has many glaring holes in it.
Imagine you are speaking to a Thai taxi driver. He or she asks you if your destination is ‘near’ or ‘far.’
The word for ‘near’ is klai, with a falling tone. The word for ‘far’ is klai, with a flat tone. You’re talking about distance, and the only difference is the tone. How can one expect a taxi driver to get that from ‘context.’
Most people tend to make noises that tones should not be such a ‘big issue.’ But in the above case, the tone is the whole issue.
This is not to say that other nationalities are not linguistically ethnocentric. I was having a conversation with a Thai taxi driver. He asked me if I could speak phaasaa Farang. (Technically this means ‘European language’, but to Thais, phaasaa Farang means English, as all Europeans speak English. Don’t they?)
When I told him I could, he said, ‘But isn’t Thai so much easier? We don’t make all those strange hissing sounds. We just speak normally.’
Thais find the spitting labials and dentals of English unpronounceable, and a bit uncivilised.
The Thai language does not have released word endings, so the following words sound exactly alike to non-English speaking Thais.
Rice, right, rights, lice, lye, lime, rhyme, Reich, light, rye.
‘How silly!’ thinks the westerner. ‘They’re totally different.’
They sure are. So are Thai tones.
Just think how much easier Thai is than English. Thai only has 5 tones in the central area, six in the northern and most Isan dialects, and seven in the dialects of Roi-Et and the southern provinces.
English has at least 42 different ‘tones’ or ‘pitch contours’.
The difference is our tones express feeling and Thai tones express meaning.
‘But I just can’t get the concept; there’s nothing like it in English!’ is another excuse.
Wrong.
Think of the word ‘entrance’ which means ‘a place to enter’ and ‘entrance’, which means to put someone ‘under a spell’. ‘Content’ which means ‘that which is contained’ and ‘content’ which means ‘tranquilly happy’. The only difference between them is the pitch contour. If someone pronounces them incorrectly, you are confused.
Does that help?
Last ditch excuses; ‘I just don’t have the time.’ ‘I have a PILC meeting’ ‘I have to go to Rotary.’ These are usually trotted out after all other excuses are exhausted.
The worst excuse of all; ‘Well, I think it’s really more important for Thai people to learn English, as it is an ‘international’ language. I’m accomplishing much more by speaking English to them.’
Sure.
This is sinking pretty low. Why do most Thai people with basic English skills say ‘Yesterday, I go’? Because foreigners assume they have no intellect and don’t help them with a friendly correction.
The usual response; ‘Yeah, but it’s easier. Who wants to spend all the time teaching English?’ This excuse usually comes from those people who think ‘Thais should learn English.’
It’s so wonderful hearing a Thai say, ‘YOU! WHERE YOU GO!’ They think they are being polite. None of the people who think ‘Thais should learn English’ has ever corrected them. The foreigner purposely speaks his or her own language incorrectly, ‘helping’ no-one to learn anything.
I am not criticising people for not learning Thai. I’m just tired of hearing people saying, ‘Gee, I’d love to be able to speak Thai really well.’
If you really did, you would.
The most valid reason for not learning Thai came from a good friend.
‘No, I don’t want to learn Thai. I’m too @#% lazy to do it.’
That was the most valid reason I’ve heard yet. Very refreshing.
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by Elfi
Shelley-Mae and Wood, both of Thai Nationality, form "The Duo Nostalgia", the new musicians at the coffee shop of the Century Pattaya Hotel.
Shelley-Mae, though half American, has the typical beauty of a Thai woman and also the sweetness. Her voice fits perfectly to her looks. With her sweet and soft voice she is definitely the main attraction for the male customers. Since about eight years ago, she has been performing music and touring around Thailand. Yet, besides singing, she is, despite her age, a good businesswoman, having her own boutiques.
Wood, the male part of the duo, plays keyboards and sings. Many times he chooses songs from Elvis Presley and he knows why. His voice is almost like that of Elvis. Wood has more than 20 years experience singing, starting at US bases all over Thailand. Of course, he has also been around and there is almost no place or town where he hasn’t performed.
The two have been singing together for only a few months, but it seems they have both found their equal partner. Their voices fit very well together and, at the same time, complement the Oldies they sing. Sure, they can play and sing almost everything from Pop to Rock and to the hottest songs, but their love belongs to the Oldies.
The atmosphere at the coffee shop of the Century Pattaya Hotel has drastically changed since the two began performing. Now, sitting there and listening to the music gives one the feeling of being at home in one’s own living room - the interior of the coffee shop plays an important part in that homey feeling - listening to soft, sweet music, which is not too loud. This kind of background music gives people the chance to talk to each other while dining without having to scream at each other. A very comfortable and cozy ambience indeed.
But Grace Lau, General Manager of the Century Pattaya Hotel, has always had the right feel for what people look for. Since she became in charge of the hotel, Grace has been the initiator of all the good changes there.
Her Sunday Champagne Brunches are famous in town and now she has had the great idea to add musical entertainment to the coffee shop during the evenings. Grace never gets tired of new inventions. Right now she is planning a completely new concept for the coffee shop. So far, we don’t want to give away the surprise; we only want to mention that her idea about this concept is very unique and stunning. As soon as we know more details, we will inform our readership.
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British Chamber to hold dinner discussion
The British Chamber of Commerce Eastern Seaboard will hold a dinner panel discussion on the Thai economy at the Dusit Resort Pattaya on Monday, March 9th beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Guest speakers include Jeremy Stewardson, BCCB Chairman; Ralph Kugler, BCCB Vice Chairman; and Alan Craig, BCCB Vice Chairman.
This panel discussion on the Thai economy follows a similar successful event held exclusively for BCCB members in December. It is an ideal opportunity for senior executives of Eastern Seaboard-based companies to discuss current economic issues with the recently elected BCCB Chairman and Vice Chairmen.
Chairman Jerry Stewardson is Managing Director of Jones Lang Wootton, real estate and property consultants. Vice Chairman Ralph Kugler is Chairman of Unilever Thai Holdings Ltd., manufacturer/distributor of consumer and industrial products. Vice Chairman Alan Craig is Managing Director of Survive in Asia Ltd., business continuity and disaster recovery planning consultants.
The cost of the dinner is Baht 600 net per person including soft drinks (purchase of other drinks is on personal account). Wine is not included in the price but the hotel has kindly agreed to waive their corkage fee should you wish to bring your own.
This dinner immediately follows a one-day conference at the Dusit Resort Pattaya on Restructuring and Work Outs in Thailand organised by the Leadership Management Research Centre (LMRC).
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Message from the Ambassador of India
In this 51st year of India’s Independence I extend my greetings to all Indian nationals and people of Indian origin resident in the Kingdom of Thailand as well as to the countless friends of India among the Thai people. The more than two thousand year old ties between Thailand and India have been sustained not only by culture and religion but, important though not always recorded, economic and trade exchanges. In modern times these exchanges have multiplied and shown every sign of strengthening. Relations between India and Thailand have grown and these relations have subsisted in spite of transitory problems in one country or the other, for on the scale of two thousand and more years transitory problems can only be distractions. At this moment when so much is being written about economic difficulties in the Kingdom of Thailand or about the uncertainties of the outcome of the forthcoming elections in India, it is important to reaffirm our faith in the present and the future of relations between the Kingdom of Thailand and India. I invite all the readers of Pattaya Mail to join me in wishing these relations a bright future.
R. K. Rai
Ambassador of India
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Third Edition of A Guide to Living in Pattaya and Rayong launched
by Suzanne Dooley
The third edition of the popular and successful A Guide to Living in Pattaya and Rayong was launched on Wednesday, February 18th at the Redemptorist Vocational School. The book was jointly launched by Chantal Colmant from the Pattaya International Ladies Club and Fr. Patrick Morrissey, Director of the school.
This handy guide has a bright cover, clear layout, some beautiful colour photos and three hundred and thirty-five pages packed with useful information. It also offers the added bonus of two large, clear, colourful, double-sided maps. These maps, with artwork by Chuck Pringle, are probably some of the most detailed maps of Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard currently available for general use.
This new edition of the guide was compiled over a twelve month period by a team of volunteers from The Pattaya International Ladies Club, led by Chantal Colmant. This follows the launching of their first guide in 1993 and the second one in 1995. All proceeds from the book go to local charities.
Chantal explains, "The production of this Guide encapsulates the raison d’etre of the Pattaya International Ladies Club. Our first aim is to help newcomers to settle in. The purpose of the book is to do exactly this.
"Our second goal is to work positively in the local community by helping local charities. We are currently sponsoring twelve handicapped students at the Redemptorist Vocational School for the Disabled and helping other charities with the proceeds from our last edition."
Indeed, one of the highlights of the book launch was a very moving speech of thanks given by Egaraat Amekboon, 22, one of the students sponsored by PILC. Egaraat comes form the east of Thailand and has polio. He is confined to a wheelchair, but thanks to the generosity of the PILC he has nearly completed a two year Computer Science course.
The Principal of the Vocational School, Mr. Suporntum Mongkolsawadi, who is wheelchair bound, also thanked the people who worked so hard on the guide. In a tour around the school to meet students in classes, he spoke of the immense problems facing the disabled in Thailand.
"This school is but the tip of an iceberg. We have three to four million handicapped people in Thailand. Only about seven percent of these people have any type of education at all."
This book will undoubtedly be very successful in providing money to help the disabled, as it is so attractively presented, well written and informative. It should sell well as it will prove to be an invaluable guide for expats living in the area.
Succinct information is provided about medical services, schools, restaurants, transportation, household matters, sporting activities and sight seeing, to name some of the areas covered. In addition it has a yellow section of Emergency and Useful numbers and an Index.
If you have ever lived on the Eastern Seaboard and wondered, "Where do I get it?" then this book is for you. If you ever wonder, "Where is it?" then these maps will be indispensable. Both temporary and permanent residents, the newly arrived and those who have lived here a while, will find information of interest in this guide. It is written with the young, the retired, the single, the married and families in mind.
Copies are available at the Pattaya Orphanage on Sukhumvit km 144. P.O. Box 15, Pattaya 20150. Phone 428717. Fax 423467. Copies from the Orphanage are 350 bt. The Guide is also for sale at Big C, Foodland, Best and Friendship supermarkets, Bookazine and DK Books at various prices.
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Divers bend together for reef clean-up
On a warm Saturday afternoon in February, the members of the Gulf of Siam Divers Society, the "GSSDS", along with a band of enthusiastic divers, snorklers and helpers, set off for Koh Hin Khaow in the Koh Rin group of islands. This group of people was setting out to clean up the coral reef of the island in their continuing war against pollution, net fishing and general damaging of the corals, leading to further destruction of a natural heritage of Thailand.
The intention of the "GSSDS", the dive shops of Pattaya that have joined together, is to promote safe diving and ongoing environmental work in the ocean. The group consists of the following shops: Aquatics Diving, Dave’s Diver’s Den, Elite Divers, Mermaid’s Diving, Paradise Divers, Scubatek, Seafari Diving Center, Sunshine Divers, Koh Samed Diving and Ihtiander Diving, as well as some independent instructors from Pattaya and Bangkok.
The boats left the South Pattaya pier at 0900 for the 1 1/2 hour ride out to the island. The perfect weather both above and below the water and the enthusiasm of the divers and their helpers ensured an enjoyable, successful day. The divers entered the water at about 1100, returning at frequent intervals to the boat, laden with garbage, throughout the next 1 1/2 hours. After that, a lunch break was enjoyed (no beer, sorry) by all, and again at 1400 the divers were ready to return to their task.
The boats returned to Pattaya at 1700, where they were met by willing helpers from the Pattaya City Cleaning Department. They helped load the collected garbage, consisting mainly of fishing nets that had snagged on to the corals, old tyres, rusted metal frames and plastic, into the waiting garbage truck.
All the participants went off to clean up themselves, before congregating at a local restaurant to enjoy a BBQ meal and some well earned ice-cold beers.
The amount of refuse collected was a credit to the participants in the clean-up, the fact that this group of concerned citizens volunteered their time and effort to clean up the environment around Pattaya, should be an example to others.
The "GSSDS" are planning to hold another clean-up on the 26th of April. So make a note of this date and contact any of the dive shops mentioned if you would like to get involved in this very worthwhile clean-up operation. Remember that tourism is vital to Pattaya and Thailand, clean oceans and pristine coral reefs are a legacy that we can leave for our children and for future visitors to our lovely kingdom. Make the effort and join the Clean-up.
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Copyright © 1998 Pattaya Mail Publishing
Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: ptymail@loxinfo.co.th
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