An Overview of Thailand, Its Government and People January 17, 2016

I was born and raised on a poor dirt farm in northern British Columbia, here in Canada. One thing that I learned well was this; Never start farming!. Before I start posting pictures from my Thai travels in December 2015, some thoughts about the land once known as Siam. There is no doubt in my mind that the Thai people are the most gentle and accommodating people I have ever met, in all my travels; that includes about 62 countries. This may be due in part to the fact the population is about 85 percent Buddhist. The second fact in my view, is that Thailand along with Vietnam are the most pleasant places to visit for scenery and a different culture. I never want to visit places without getting to know the local people, and understand their view of life. My travel, (after a short rest in Pattaya, south of Bangkok), took me first from Bangkok to the north east up towards Laos. This area at the present time is a drought zone, and the farms, which make up most of the area are all suffering. The people are poor, and there is little hope for those who must remain with their farms. It is from this area, in the far north east that many of the women give up their home life and move down to Bangkok to find work. They leave their children, usually two, with other family members, normally the child's grandmother, and send whatever spare money they make back home. Many go to a massage school, then into the business, which is so popular with tourists, including myself. It was just such a situation, a few days prior to my returning home to Canada that I met Rose. I went near my hotel to a massage parlor, and got the working over prior to my flights home. Rose speaks good English, and I was so impressed that I went for a second massage the evening before I departed. To talk more, we went one morning to a restaurant in a near by food superstore. Rose is one of hundreds from the north, and knows the problems well. With the open borders now for locals from nearby countries, the wage situation is unlikely to change. Rose has two young sons that live with her mother up in the border city of Nong Khai. At the time of my visit, she had been in Bangkok for five months and had not yet been back home. She was planning the 14 hour bus trip for the following week. This is a typical situation, yet, these people never complain, and continue to smile all the time. On May 22, 2014, despite denials to the contrary, the Thai Army chief walked into the Prime Ministers office, gave her a hug and told her to go home, he was taking over. (This is how some have explained what happened). Not one shot was fired!. The military had prepared a new short term Constitution, and as one would expect, it basically told the people to do as they were told, no criticism of the Government, or they would go to jail for defaming the king and his wishes. Since the King had previously declared that it was ok to criticize him, everyone knew the Brass were lying. Today, the military control the press, and the internet, and all aspects of life, demanding obedience and arresting anyone who disagrees. The country is in the worse shape possible, and until the military give up and return to elections, it will continue on that course. The term "Military Intelligence", is an oxymoron!. I will have one more page of background, then some photos.