Happy Sunday, Bangkok!
Another busy week in the Land of Smiles, with many netizens getting their knickers in a twist over the 5,000 baht punishment of My Mate Nate, the YouTuber who notoriously flattened a bunch of coins on some Bangkok train tracks last week. Also announced this week was the news of a celebration of the completion of Wat Arun’s lengthy renovations at the end of this year. Finally!
Let’s see what else has been entertaining and enraging Bangkok this week.
Post Contents
News
German expat confesses to girlfriend’s murder in Phuket
Last week saw the gruesome discovery of Pischa Nampadung’s dead body in the Phuket jungle, with her German boyfriend the primary suspect. Nico Papke has reportedly now confessed to her murder, telling police that he apparently strangled her after an argument about her relationship with another man. After realizing she had died in the altercation, he stayed in the room with her body for another 2 nights before she began to decompose, hence why he dumped her body in the jungle.
American man found hanged in Pattaya condo
Another tragedy this week, with 54-year old Anthony Matthew Klang found hanging from a wardrobe door in his Pattaya condo by his Thai girlfriend. The American had apparently been complaining about financial difficulties.
List of ‘Thai only’ occupations may be relaxed for foreign workers
Thailand is known for its list of occupations which are reserved for Thai nationals only — including such careers as auctioneering, diamond cutting, hairdressing, agriculture and more — but this week a labor official hinted that this may be relaxed in the near future, in a bid to attract more foreign investors and workers.
There is still an intention to ensure that finding employment for native Thais is not made any harder.
Blogs
Why black men should travel to Thailand
Ignore the white guys that tell you Thailand is racist, screams this blog, come find paradise in Thailand, all ye black men!
It’s worth noting that this was originally published back in May of this year, but has been lighting up social media this week for some reason.
While some of the ten reasons seem perfectly valid reasons for black guys to come to Thailand, some are a tad dodgy, including this one: Thai women are more submissive than American women. The author supports this by saying, “Thai women don’t have the same legal support system as American women do. You are free to express yourself as the leader without worrying about legal threats of violence from Thai women.”
Yikes.
The uphill battle to make a difference while teaching in Thailand
An interesting post on the Ajarn blog this week about how it can sometimes feel like a journey of insurmountable obstacles when trying to make a difference during your time teaching English in Thailand. The major takeaway? There’s little you can do about crap textbooks and kids that don’t want to learn, so just get on with the job in hand.
Answers from the TAT about why some tourists have been denied entry
Richard Barrow has published a short Q&A session he had with the Tourism Authority of Thailand on why there have been news reports recently of people with valid tourist visas being denied entry into the Kingdom. This confirms that tourists are expected to have a certain amount of cash on them if questioned at immigration, and that it is in the officer’s discretion to choose who is asked to show cash.
Forum Threads
Why does Thailand tolerate animal cruelty?
A Redditor asks the Thailand subreddit why the Buddhists of Thailand appear to tolerate the apparent many cases of animal cruelty in the country — from the elephant trade to the puppy farms. An interesting discussion ensues about the reality of animal rights in poor countries, the way people care for homeless dogs and cats here, and an inability to distinguish between cruelty and charity.
How do you justify living away from your family
An interesting discussion on Thaivisa this week on the compromises we make and what we leave behind when we move to Thailand. There’s a particular emphasis here on leaving elderly parents, with commenters seemingly split between people happy to be away from their family, those that have ‘done their time’ caring for their parents and those that struggle with the consequences of their decisions.
New Bangkok Film
Twenty-two years old, with a first class honours degree and forty-eight grand in student loans, Emily Davidson’s sick and tired of being told she’s part of the ‘Snowflake Generation,’ accused of having unrealistic expectations and an over-inflated sense of their own importance.
There’s no easy route into political journalism – she has to make a splash– starting at the bottom of the heap – South-East Asia, where poverty and the drugs trade are endemic.
Her journey takes her to Bangkok, where the darkest side of Asia and western capitalism collide in spectacular fashion. Daeng is the street-wise local who promises to guide her through the underbelly of Thai society and deliver the perfect coup de grace for her film. It’s a ride that challenges all of Emily’s preconceptions – and delivers a terrifying lesson. It’s almost impossible to get that close to a big story without becoming a part of it.
CRAZY MEDICINE is a short film based on a story by Matt Carrell, directed by Richie Moore and produced by James Newman, who will be showing the film tonight, 8pm Sunday 23rd July at the Live Lounge, Sukhumvit soi 13 (above the Sportsman bar.) All invited.
YouTube
Meanwhile, on the Facebook Bangkok expat group, things get more and more absurd. And people are “teaching” him how to use the plates. 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/FYeMXCBYAx
— Nianne Hendricks (@niannelynn) July 20, 2017
Hear me roar 🐯 pic.twitter.com/UzZvgunqdp
— Shellman 4.0 (@NeilShelley) July 18, 2017
And you thought having a dog day was bad? :D
Somewhere in #Phuket pic.twitter.com/bEzN8N6IWl— Willy Thuan (@willythuan) July 19, 2017
Bit of rain in Pattaya last night pic.twitter.com/yzBeSvwrfk
— Ian (@iamKohChang) July 20, 2017
Now I’m sure thousands will flow on to the Purple Line to go enjoy the wonders of Bangkok’s northwestern outskirts. https://t.co/7Xak7Vattt
— David Luekens (@DavidLuekens) July 20, 2017
I spent 10 min behind a #BKK bus during heavy traffic and now I have stage four lung cancer.
— Carlos C. (@chabokken) July 20, 2017
And that’s been the Week On Sukhumvit — see you next time!
Featured image is photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
