Siam State of Mind

With the current world cup in South Africa coming to a close, what was your favorite world cup theme song?  Can you even remember the official song for World Cup 2006?  Damn, I can’t even remember who hosted it!  Below is a song that I remember.  Catchy tune and a music video I can’t forget.  I think that this was a breakthrough concept for a music video during that time, and an original idea with a worldly theme.  See if you agree with me.

The Official Video was a bit hard to find, so bear with the backwards captions in the beginning.  DARIO G with “Carnival De Paris”

No football match is complete without Diego! What life he brings to the beautiful game. Finally, the true use of the vuvuzelas. Notice the surprised staff member lurking at the doorway.
WAKA WAKA THIS TIME FOR AFRICA!

Argentina! Argentina! Argentina!

Check this guy out!  You’ll be amazed!

I found this photo off the internet.  Eventhough the aftermath of arson and violence has passed for sometime and Bangkok begins to rebuild, there still is a need for us to remember.  However, we must not dwell on the uprising and the terror, but we should remind ourselves of our selflessness.  Our need to give back to our community.  Many of us grabbed our cleaning supplies to help clear our public streets.  This picture below I believe sums up the true idea that is Thai hospitality.  Being true to the words that its the thought that counts. 

The handwritten sign says:  (Free! Rice + Scrambled Egg)  I love the way that this person took the time to make food, and put it out on the street where people are cleaning the streets can just pick it up and go.  They even took the time to decorate the bag with some national pride.

Thai Generosity and Love for Bangkok

Please read and circulate to as many people as you know.  The truth must be told.  We have been here first hand.  We know and confirm the stories that have been told about the Red Shirts.  We have seen on television their acts of arson, looting, harassment, and abuse.  Most of all, we have experienced in our own lives their concept of urban terrorism. 

Happy Birthday CNN, may wisdom come with age.

Dear Sirs/Madams,

Recently, CNN Thailand Correspondents Dan Rivers and Sarah Snider have made
me seriously reconsider your agency as a source for reliable and accurate
unbiased news. As of this writing, over thousands of CNN’s viewers have
already begun to question the accuracy and dependability of its reporting as
regards events in Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, Iran, etc., in addition to
Bangkok.

As a first-rate global news agency, CNN has an inherent professional duty to
deliver *all sides* of the truth to the global public who have faithfully
and sincerely placed their trust and reliance in you. Your news network, by
its longtime transnational presence and extensive reach, has been put in a
position of trust and care; CNN’s journalists, reporters, and researchers
have a collective responsibility to follow the journalist’s code and ethics
to deliver and present facts from all facets of the story, not merely
one-sided, shallow and sensational half-truths. The magnitude of harm or
potential extent of damage that erroneous and fallacious news reporting can
cause to (and exacerbate), not only a country’s internal state of affairs,
economic well-being, and general international perception, but also the real
lives and livelihood of the innocent and voiceless people of that nation, is
enormous. CNN should not negligently discard its duty of care to the
international populace by reporting single-sided or unverified facts and
distorted truths drawn from superficial research, or display/distribute
biased images which capture only one side of the actual event.

Mr. Rivers and Ms. Snider have NOT done their best under these
life-threatening circumstances because many other foreign correspondents
have done better. All of Mr. Rivers and Ms. Sniders’ quotes and statements
seem to have been solely taken from the anti-government protest leaders or
their followers/sympathizers. Yet, all details about the government’s
position have come from secondary resources. No direct interviews with
government officials have been shown; no interviews or witness statements
from ordinary Bangkok residents or civilians unaffiliated with the
protesters, particularly those who have been harassed by or suffered at the
hands of the protesters, have been circulated.

Why the discrepancy in source of information? Why the failure to report all
of the government’s previous numerous attempts to negotiate or invitations
for protesters to go home? Why no broadcasts shown of the myriad ways the
red protesters have terrorized and harmed innocent civilians by burning
their shops, enclosing burning tyres around apartment buildings, shooting
glass marbles at civilians from high altitudes, attacking civilians in their
cars, and worst of all, obstructing paramedics and ambulances carrying
civilians injured by M79 grenade blasts during the Silom incident of April
24, 2010, thereby resulting in the sole civilian casualty? The entire
timeline of events that have forced the government to take this difficult
stance has been hugely and callously ignored in deference to the red
‘underdogs’.

Mr. Rivers and Ms. Snider’s choice of sensational vocabulary and terminology
in every newscast or news report, and choice of images to broadcast, has
resulted in law-abiding soldiers and the heavily-pressured Thai government
being painted in a negative, harsh, and oppressive light, whereas the
genuinely violent and law-breaking arm of the anti-government protesters -
who are directly responsible for overt acts of aggression not only against
armed soldiers but also against helpless, unarmed civilians and law-abiding
apolitical residents of this once blooming metropolis (and whose actions
under American law would by now be classified as terrorist activities) – are
portrayed as righteous freedom fighters deserving of worldwide sympathy and
support. This has mislead the various international Human Rights watchdogs
to believe the Thai government are sending trigger-happy soldiers out to
ruthlessly murder unarmed civilians without just cause.

As a current resident of “war zone” Bangkok who has experienced the effect
of the Red protests first hand and is living in a state of constant terror
and anxiety as to whether her family, friends, and home would get bombed or
attacked by the hardcore anti-government vigilantes/paramilitary forces – I
appeal to CNN’s professional integrity to critically investigate and
scrutinize the misinformed news reporting of your above-named
correspondents. If they are incapable of obtaining genuine, authentic facts
from any other source except the Red Protest leaders and red-sympathizing
Thai translators or acquaintances, or from fellow non-Thai-speaking
journalists who are similarly ignorant of Thai language, culture, history,
and society, then perhaps CNN should consider reassigning field
correspondents to Thailand.

I implore and urge you to please take serious action to correct or reverse
the grave injustice that has been done to the Thai nation, her government,
and the majority of law-abiding Thai citizens and expatriate residents by
having endorsed and widely circulated poorly researched and misrepresented
news coverage of the current ongoing political unrest and escalating
violence in Thailand.

Copies of this open letter have also been distributed to other local as well
as international news media and social networks for public information.
Please feel free to contact me further should you require any additional
concrete and reputable evidence in substantiation and corroboration of my
complaints and claims stated hereinabove.

Thank you.
Yours faithfully,

Napas Na Pombejra, B.A., LL.B. (Lond.)
Bangkok, Thailand
May 17, 2010

Bangkok Governor thanks everyone / by เท่ง หงส์แดง

Bangkok Begins to Heal

Days after the anti-government arsonists tried to burn down Bangkok, residents of our city came together in the thousands and began what we called, “Bangkok Clean Up Day”  Our community, with their own cleaning supplies, gloves, masks, and free will, joined together and began rebuilding what the Red shirts so desperately wanted to destroy.  Thai People helping the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority city sweepers clean the roads, remove graffiti from the walls, and clearing garbage.  We are very fortunate to have people that care enough about where they live, that they are willing to put their safety aside for the greater image of Thailand.  Those who were not able to help, generously gave free food and drinks throughout the day.

We are also fortunate to have dedicated photographers to took pictures of the events as they unfolded to help us remember what it felt like to do good.  Enjoy these heartwarming photos.  While we will always remember, we must begin to heal.

I do not take credit for any of the photos posted here.

Please click on this click to see more photos:  http://www.pantip.com/cafe/chalermthai/topic/A9287047/A9287047.html

Chidlom Intersection / by mr_spurs

Front of Central Chidlom / by mr_spurs

Langsuan Road / by mr_spurs

Handing out masks and water at Central World / by mr_spurs

Street Cleaning in front of Gaysorn / by mr_spurs

Street Cleaning at Lumpini Park / by Felice Friday

Cleaning road signs / by danielle doggi

For King and Country

I do not own this photo.  If anyone knows who took this picture, then please let me know.  I would like to give this photographer credit and put his/her name alongside their picture.

The following pictures were taken from the website:  http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/crackdown_in_bangkok.html

I do not own these pictures, nor do I take any credit for them.  I want those of you who visit my website to see with your own eyes, what the Renegade Red Shirts have done and what they are still capable of doing.  Minutes after the Red Shirt leaders announced on stage that will be surrendering to the authorities, hundreds of red shirt protestors began setting fire to places around the city, causing widespread panic and fear among Thais.  Do Not Believe all that you see on CNN.  What they are showing you is not the entire story.

Thick black smoke billows through the air near the Red Shirt encampment on Wednesday May 19, 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E )

Smoke billows from fires in a commercial area of Bangkok where Red Shirt demonstrators had their camp on May 19, 2010. (MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images)

A statue and a torn Thai national flag remain in front of Bangkok's Central World shopping mall, May 19, 2010. (REUTERS/Adrees Latif)

Smoke rises from fires burning in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday May 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)