Thailand’s headlines this week seem to have been dominated by various stories all relating to ‘Farangs Misbehaving In The Land Of Smiles’.
First we had the girl who plunged her parents into serious credit card debt after a bad motorcycle accident in Phuket, then the girl denied entry after using her passport as loo roll, followed by the shocking story of the US teacher who allegedly travelled to the Kingdom in order to abuse young boys. Sadly, the week also saw the tragic death of Darel Davenport, owner of the Dollhouse, who accidentally fell from his condo building.
But there’s always a lighter side in Bangkok – here’s the best of the news, blogs, discussions and social media stories from the week…
News
Thai journalist nominated for Freedom of Expression Awards 2016
Pravit Rojanaphruk, former reporter at the Nation and now working for Khaosod English has been nominated for the prestigious Freedom of Expression Awards 2016 in the journalism category. Pravit was arrested and interrogated in 2015 for a series of tweets criticising the government and has been an outspoken critic of the lèse majesté law.
Did this student steal his neighbour’s cat, kill it and then display its skeleton in a museum?
In one of the week’s more WTF stories, a Kasetsart University student has come under fire from animal rights activists for claiming on social media that a cat skeleton in the university museum is actually one he stole from a neighbour and killed for a class assignment. There are so many questions here that we’re just going to leave the story at this juncture.
Farang’s assumed ‘innocent’ visit to a Thai ATM becomes a meme
The years-old image of the older Western gentleman visiting an ATM in Thailand accompanied by two young, female ‘heavies’ has entered the global zeitgeist once again, sparking a meme. While the intentions of the original man and his, er, friends is unknown, the meme – of people being watched at ATMs – is going viral.
Blogs
Overly verbose journalism grad waxes lyrical on the Khao San Road
Linked to on Twitter as ‘an alternative guide to Bangkok for the wayward traveller’, this blog is actually just an incredibly normal, run-of-the-mill account of a few nights on Khao San with an intermediary trip to Sukhumvit. Sure, we came for the clickbait title, but we stayed for the bombastically flowery description. Exhibit A:
Walking along Khaosan Road for the first time in an evening brings a myriad of thoughts, sounds and smells. As you manipulate the drunken throng of people transposing between bars, the various vendors sense the naivety of a newbie and flock to sell their wares.
You’ll have to excuse us now; we’re just off to transpose between a few bars for a bit.
Brilliantly colourful Chinese New Year photos in Bangkok
Does exactly what it says on the tin: a photo diary of the gorgeous colours of Bangkok’s CNY.
On the recommendation of her mother, blogger visits ping pong show
This blog more or less delivered on its title – The Power Of The Pussy. Slovenian blogger Peet talks about her experiences at a Patpong ping pong show which she visited on the advice of her mother, “a coy and timid pediatrician well into her fifties,” who had visited Bangkok a few months before.
Forum Discussions
Can anyone actually recite the Thai alphabet?
The consensus on this Reddit thread is essentially the full alphabet is too long and hard to be correctly recited, let alone for it to be recited in the correct order. Worringly, parents with young kids seem to be the only ones with the know-how.
And in case you thought it was just the foreigners struggling…
When Farang men have a problem with Farang women…
Another classic Thaivisa thread again this week with one poster asking about the trope that is a certain subsection of Thailand’s male expats looking on their female equivalents with something approaching disdain. Some users refute the issue entirely, others blame the women, while a few clued up users reckon it may be said males projecting the disappointments of their past onto the western women they come across in Thailand.
Youtube
Discussing the economy in Nana Plaza
Tweets
Meanwhile, at the hair salon pic.twitter.com/WCEYmCINgs
— Stickboy Bangkok (@StickboyBangkok) February 13, 2016
#ThailandOnly Trash collection truck playing with fire on Thonglor… At the newly opened 72 mall. pic.twitter.com/EXRUbByNf8
— Free Mind (@FreeMindTH) February 13, 2016
Featured image was submitted to Reddit from Imgur
