I’ve just returned from an ASEAN workshop in Kuala Lumpur with the presence of governments’ delegations (meaning men in dark suits). This is my first time witnessing the “we-ASEAN” spirit in action. Very interesting! This ASEAN block of nations is getting more cozy by the day with the official rhetoric of “community” such as in the goal to turn ASEAN into “a community of caring societies” and in the way the different aspects of inter-governmental cooperation are described as “political community”, “economic community” and “socio-cultural community”. Can we say this is a manifestation of local (governmental) wisdom?
Your whimsical photo of the signposts seems to confirm this ASEAN community spirit. It says something like: “At last, we are not so imagined a community any longer. Go a bit further down this road (a mere 1,840-km. drive) and you’ll sure hit the KL Twin Towers!”
One of the reasons for the pervasive Yellow Mondays is because every (royal) government offices (and a number of private companies) throughout the country has issued an “invitation for cooperation” asking their employees to wear yellow shirts everyday from 1-15 June and every monday after that until the end of the year. Yes, you’re right. The Yellow Mondays will continue to be in force till the end of the year.
Ahh, yes, Jakkrit, the Bhutanese prince does seem to have made quite an impact. He appears to be a crown prince with the charisma, and warmth, and the talents, to serve his people.
This story is one to watch, for many reasons. Thanks for bringing it to the blog.
Now the color of yellow is fading a bit while letting the newly popular Prince from Bhutan to be another hit of fever after the King celebration in Thailand. Country’ most popular website Pantip.com showed the most searched word by the on-line surfers at the moment is ‘Bhutan’ This is one of the impact to the Thai right now reported in Bangkok Post today:
Bhutan crown prince tempts Thai visitors
SUJINTANA HEMTASILPA
Thai demand for tour packages to Bhutan has doubled over the past two weeks, thanks in part to the popularity of the country’s charismatic crown prince, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
Visiting the Himalayan country is relatively difficult, due to complicated immigration procedures and high prices set by the Bhutanese government aimed at limiting the number of foreign tourists.
John Watson, the chief executive of Diethelm Travel Asia, one of the few travel agents offering tours to Bhutan, said interest had jumped sharply among Thais to visit Bhutan.
”Before the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King’s accession to the throne, no Thai had ever inquired for information about tour packages to Bhutan,” he said.
But the visit by the Crown Prince has attracted a huge following among Thai women, and has helped generate travellers’ interest in Bhutan.
”[The prince’s] warm personality seems to have inspired many to head to Bhutan,” Mr Watson said.
”Inquiries about our Bhutan trips have doubled from about 75 a month earlier.”
Among all inquiries, half are from Thai customers, with the rest from international travellers, according to Mr Watson.
Anake Srishevachart, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, agreed that Thais’ interest in travelling to Bhutan had increased over recent weeks.
But he noted that Bhutan limited the number of international tourists to 5,000 a year, making it difficult for many people to visit.
”Bhutan tourism may not benefit much from the prince’s popularity in Thailand,” Mr Anake said. ”The reality is that it is very expensive to visit Bhutan, and the high expenses may discourage many Thais from travelling there.”
Air tickets from Bangkok to Bhutan cost at least US$464. In Bhutan, an international visitor is required to pay US$200 a day as a visiting fee. It also takes several weeks to get permission to visit the country from the Bhutanese government.
With these complicated conditions, most Thai travel agents do not consider it economically worthwhile to offer tour packages to the Himalayan kingdom.
In my view I think the King did not try to make Bangkok to be what so called “the sufficient city” since it is obvious that Bangkokians to day are quite removed from what is being sufficient. But what the king has tried to do for more than a decade to Bangkok is to make it just a “livable city”. The royal project to solve the traffic problem is one thing that may not solve all the problem but at least it helped better the real bad situation existed before. The King used to call the traffic in Bangkok as a ‘zero kilometre / hour’. Now the traffic flow is 20 km/h, I guess. That is better, right?
Also the flood control in Bangkok, the idea he got is from woring on different irrigational project in the upcountry ares. ‘Kam Ling’ or the Monkey Cheek project is a good example.
The other thing to think about, and it relateds to the city itself too, is how ‘sufficient economy’ in agricultural sector will help preventing rural people from coming and explioting the capitalism of the capital city. I think the effect of sufficient economy will keep farmers stay with thier roots.
BioDiesel also links the issues of fluctuationof agricultural product and energy shortage together. That is also the the piont where the city and rural problem can, to certain extent, be solved together.
So when we look at how to solve the issues of Bangkok or to make it at least livable, it has to put in the context of national development as a whole. But I don’t think the governer of Bangkok and the Prime Minister see this piont yet.
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Where is Nich?
Happy to report that I am safe and well. And will be back in regular contact soon. New Mandala…Blogging from the most unlikely places since 2006.
NSF
Something completely different!
Great, it looks cool. I put it on my computer and it looks really good. Thanks!
Elephants, environment and poverty.
ice Site. Could use more of these instead of the many trash blogs on the web.
The cross-road of a region?
Hi Nick,
I’ve just returned from an ASEAN workshop in Kuala Lumpur with the presence of governments’ delegations (meaning men in dark suits). This is my first time witnessing the “we-ASEAN” spirit in action. Very interesting! This ASEAN block of nations is getting more cozy by the day with the official rhetoric of “community” such as in the goal to turn ASEAN into “a community of caring societies” and in the way the different aspects of inter-governmental cooperation are described as “political community”, “economic community” and “socio-cultural community”. Can we say this is a manifestation of local (governmental) wisdom?
Your whimsical photo of the signposts seems to confirm this ASEAN community spirit. It says something like: “At last, we are not so imagined a community any longer. Go a bit further down this road (a mere 1,840-km. drive) and you’ll sure hit the KL Twin Towers!”
Monday = Yellow
Varaporn,
Thanks for pointing out the existence of this “invitation”. I look forward to the many yellow Mondays to come.
NSF
Monday = Yellow
One of the reasons for the pervasive Yellow Mondays is because every (royal) government offices (and a number of private companies) throughout the country has issued an “invitation for cooperation” asking their employees to wear yellow shirts everyday from 1-15 June and every monday after that until the end of the year. Yes, you’re right. The Yellow Mondays will continue to be in force till the end of the year.
Yellow Fever
Ahh, yes, Jakkrit, the Bhutanese prince does seem to have made quite an impact. He appears to be a crown prince with the charisma, and warmth, and the talents, to serve his people.
This story is one to watch, for many reasons. Thanks for bringing it to the blog.
Yellow Fever
Post-Yellow Fever!!
Now the color of yellow is fading a bit while letting the newly popular Prince from Bhutan to be another hit of fever after the King celebration in Thailand. Country’ most popular website Pantip.com showed the most searched word by the on-line surfers at the moment is ‘Bhutan’ This is one of the impact to the Thai right now reported in Bangkok Post today:
Bhutan crown prince tempts Thai visitors
SUJINTANA HEMTASILPA
Thai demand for tour packages to Bhutan has doubled over the past two weeks, thanks in part to the popularity of the country’s charismatic crown prince, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
Visiting the Himalayan country is relatively difficult, due to complicated immigration procedures and high prices set by the Bhutanese government aimed at limiting the number of foreign tourists.
John Watson, the chief executive of Diethelm Travel Asia, one of the few travel agents offering tours to Bhutan, said interest had jumped sharply among Thais to visit Bhutan.
”Before the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King’s accession to the throne, no Thai had ever inquired for information about tour packages to Bhutan,” he said.
But the visit by the Crown Prince has attracted a huge following among Thai women, and has helped generate travellers’ interest in Bhutan.
”[The prince’s] warm personality seems to have inspired many to head to Bhutan,” Mr Watson said.
”Inquiries about our Bhutan trips have doubled from about 75 a month earlier.”
Among all inquiries, half are from Thai customers, with the rest from international travellers, according to Mr Watson.
Anake Srishevachart, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, agreed that Thais’ interest in travelling to Bhutan had increased over recent weeks.
But he noted that Bhutan limited the number of international tourists to 5,000 a year, making it difficult for many people to visit.
”Bhutan tourism may not benefit much from the prince’s popularity in Thailand,” Mr Anake said. ”The reality is that it is very expensive to visit Bhutan, and the high expenses may discourage many Thais from travelling there.”
Air tickets from Bangkok to Bhutan cost at least US$464. In Bhutan, an international visitor is required to pay US$200 a day as a visiting fee. It also takes several weeks to get permission to visit the country from the Bhutanese government.
With these complicated conditions, most Thai travel agents do not consider it economically worthwhile to offer tour packages to the Himalayan kingdom.
Sufficiency in the City
In my view I think the King did not try to make Bangkok to be what so called “the sufficient city” since it is obvious that Bangkokians to day are quite removed from what is being sufficient. But what the king has tried to do for more than a decade to Bangkok is to make it just a “livable city”. The royal project to solve the traffic problem is one thing that may not solve all the problem but at least it helped better the real bad situation existed before. The King used to call the traffic in Bangkok as a ‘zero kilometre / hour’. Now the traffic flow is 20 km/h, I guess. That is better, right?
Also the flood control in Bangkok, the idea he got is from woring on different irrigational project in the upcountry ares. ‘Kam Ling’ or the Monkey Cheek project is a good example.
The other thing to think about, and it relateds to the city itself too, is how ‘sufficient economy’ in agricultural sector will help preventing rural people from coming and explioting the capitalism of the capital city. I think the effect of sufficient economy will keep farmers stay with thier roots.
BioDiesel also links the issues of fluctuationof agricultural product and energy shortage together. That is also the the piont where the city and rural problem can, to certain extent, be solved together.
So when we look at how to solve the issues of Bangkok or to make it at least livable, it has to put in the context of national development as a whole. But I don’t think the governer of Bangkok and the Prime Minister see this piont yet.