NATIONAL MUNICIPAL LEAGUE 51ST ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The Conference

National Municipal League of Thailand 51st Annual Conference was held for three days commencing 20th June in Ambassador City Hotel Jomtien, Pattaya. The meeting brought together more than 2,000 mayors and other municipal officials from over 1,000 municipalities of different levels in Thailand, including the cities (thesaban nakhon), towns (thesaban mueang) and townships (thesaban tambon).

Various issues relating to local government policies and practices and updates were the main topics of the seminar, and the main objective was to create more efficient functioning at the local level of government.

The first day was for participant registration. Upon registration, participants were entitled to a bag with seminar materials, souvenirs and seminar allowance, regardless whether they truly showed up for the meeting!

The conference started on 21st June. There were many participants inside the seminar hall and they were also many hanging around, chatting or visiting the booths outside the hall, or even went out for fun. It seemed to be a rest and relax conference. Many exhibition booths were set up outside the halls. As this is the annual big event gathering all mayors and municipal clerks, the exhibitors did their best to promote their products and making offers to the mayors or other municipal officials. Somebody told me that there must be three important factors for one to do business with the municipalities: firstly, connection; secondly, connection and thirdly, connection too! :)

Conference In Progress/Exhibitor and Conference Ushers

Mayors & Product Promoters/Visiting The Booth

There was also a special session to discuss the issues in Southern Provinces in the evening. The mayors expressed their concern over various problems, for example the security, the development and the budget etc. It was more on a listening and collecting information session.

Like many other mayors, I intended to leave earlier for Bangkok. However, knowing that I like to see shows, my friends persuaded me to stay for the dinner performance. A lot of seminar participants had left but the grand ballroom with 300 tables was still full.

The opening performance was the colorful and sexy ¡§Ah Gua¡¨ show, which Pattaya is popular for and followed by the human puppet show. I only realized that the puppets were real people when I went near the stage to take pictures. The show was marvelous and worth my stay. I ended another of my work and play trip with tiredness and happiness.

Dinner/The Ah Gua Show

The Puppet Show

VISIT ANTI-JUNTA RALLY

I just came back from Bangkok today and I am a little tired. However, after watching the special interview of the ousted Prime Minister Mr. Thaksin in Phoenix TV just now, I decided to write something…

Last year I visited the anti-Thaksin rally site, accompanied by a senior police officer. The scene of the rally still leaps up vividly before my eyes. When I passed through the crowd and stood in the midst of the rally, my tide of thought was rising up and down. There were people chanting, listening to speeches, shouting…booths were set up to sell t-shirts, paintings and other anti-Thaksin related theme products. There were also distribution of banners and provision of free drinks and food for the protestors. To my surprise, the rally seemed commercialized and was more like a carnival. It was indeed a shocking and unforgettable experience.

Today, I am in another rally, the anti-junta rally in Sanam Luang. The crowd apparently significantly less than the rally last year. There were no booths, no free drinks and food, only high-spirit protestors listening to speeches and responding with applause and shouts once in a while. Many of the protestors wore headbands that read “CNS get out”. There were police and security officers standing by to ensure the situation kept under controlled.

One of my friends Rat, who is an architect from Chiang Mai, told us a lot of interesting stories. According to him, after the clash in May 1992, death squads were sent out to liquidate or kill protesters. Police just triggered their guns towards the protestors and his brother was among those who were shot dead. He had personally driven the car towards the police and the police fired at him with many shots but luckily he managed to have a narrow escape.

On the way returning to the hotel by cab, my friends were eager to talk about the political situation in Thailand. It was said that there were many anti-junta people including students and businessmen being arrested in the North, that the small business owners suffered because of no orders, that there were also many soldiers stationed in different areas to be on alert of any sign of disturbance, that there was no media freedom at all currently, there all these were just out of personal jealousy and retaliation, that there are more corruptions going on, the only difference is that it will be corruption with no development. The taxi driver also joined in the conversation, saying that the mafia and drug sellers were currently eager to move because their number one enemy had gone…

I only listened quietly to the elders’ conversation. Like many others, I’d been in this country for some years. There are beauties and faults of this country. It is not better nor worse than my own country, it is just different and I am attached to it, as I see that I will have my life going on here. True or false, the country is being hurt now and I only wish that the country recovers as soon as possible.

During the interview, the words that impressed me the most is that, Mr. Thaksin had said something which made me feel sad. He said he missed his home and his country. I can feel this …only think about it when one day we travel overseas and suddenly we cannot go back to our home...This I totally sympathize with him.

ARCHITECT’07-TREATING EYES WITH ICE-CREAM

Every year there are many exhibitions, conventions, fairs and trade shows held in the metropolitan of Bangkok and all these events draw a lot of visitors, both local and international. One of the very popular exhibition held in Bangkok is the annual ARCHITECT EXPO.

Each year, ARCHITECT EXPO draws a lot of trade visitors as well as the public. The exhibition is one that people literally build houses, gardens, swimming pools and other structures and constructions in the hall, in a very creative and attractive way. It is also the annual event whereby the big gun companies showed their products and power, by their size of booth, presentation of products and their girls!

I have been to many different exhibitions in many different countries, and have never seen any shows having so many “fair” ladies –the promotion girls or models. Some of the international trade shows in Bangkok are really open and interesting. Sometimes, they are more like carnivals whereby the exhibitors went all out to attract attention by having clowns, games, band, ladies, musical performance etc.

This year is the third consecutive year that I went to ARCHITECT. This year ARCHITECT’07 (The 21st International Construction & Decoration Technology, Equipments and Materials Exposition and Conference) is having a lot more girls than the previous two. Besides my routine visiting job, I was having fun with my own lot of watching and taking pictures of the surprising number of various promotional ladies - sexy, cute, elegant, wild and all kinds! The ladies of course, would welcome people taking pictures with smiles and poses.

Last year, one of the highlight was a sexy model walking around a big swimming pool, taking off clothes piece by piece slowly, left with bikini…wet herself in the pool.. walked up gracefully….and drawing crazy crowds. This year, while I looked at the setting, I know the company would have similar tricks! I even cast aside my feminine personality :), squeezed my delicate and exquisite body in the crazy crowd and finally climbed up to a higher position whereby I could have a good view…

Despite of some negative remarks of the exhibition culture being unhealthy, the girls were nevertheless pleasing to eyes and therefore as the Chinese says “dance still on, horse still run” !

Amazing Thailand, even in such an exhibition they can treat your eyes with ice-cream! (Chinese saying :))!

TRIP TO PATTANI

After the Chinese New Year bomb blast, despite all the negative response and advice, I decided to go with a “long time no see” hometown friend Phil, to visit Pattani, the Muslim centre of the South.

The night before leaving for Pattani, we were briefed and cautioned by a friend who is a high ranking government official based in Pattani. Having such a lovely moment with his family around at the beautiful beach of Songkhla, our two hours conversation were mostly centered around the situation in Pattani. The description was saddening but interesting and provided us new insights. It was like listening to the life of someone from another planet!

After all the discouraging remarks of our trip to Pattani the next day, I decided to take the risk as Phil promised to take care of me should anything happen . J
I was getting excited and a little uneasy as our car was approaching Pattani. We stopped by a road side stall selling sea coconut. Asking about the situation in Pattani, the trader seemed reserved and reluctant to answer our questions. It was the first time I took the fresh sea coconut and the sea coconut juice, right here in Pattani.

Equipped with a borrowed bullet proof jacket, I left Phil in the car to have a quick tour and take snapshots of the tourist attractions- The beautiful Pattani Central Mosque, The ruined Kru Se Mosque, the Shrine of Chao Mae Lim Ko Nieo.

The Pattani Central Mosque/The ruined and cursed Kru Se Mosque

The Shrine of Chao Mae Lim Ko Nieo at the road side/The closed candle shops


Pattani is popular for its annual Chao Mae Lim Ko Nieo Fair which was to be held in 1-7 March. The annual fair pays homage to the Goddess Cho Mae Lim Ko Nieo with a colourful procession, walking on fire and swimming across the river near Dechanuchit Bridge. According to the traders around, in the past there would be at least 80 to 100 tour buses each day bringing thousands of worshippers to the fair each year. However, there was hardly any bus now.

We also drove around the town to have a feel of the atmosphere. Contrary to what I thought that there would be a lot of Islamic structural buildings, the town seems quite modern and well developed, though a little quiet. It even has more Chinese New Year decorations than in Betong.

The quite Chao Mae Lim Ko Nieo and the quite dried seafood stalls

Pattani town/One of the CNY decorations in the town

The next day before saying good bye to this town, we were attracted by a bird competition crowded with thousands of people with beautiful cage hanging in the big compound area. As usual, I get excited about new things and couldn’t help to join the crowd, asking questions and taking pictures until the driver rang and advised me not to stay too long. Phil told me that I was the only lady among the crowd.

Before coming, Phil assured me that it would be an exciting and unforgettable journey. Indeed it was, but no matter how normal it seems and how exciting the journey, we couldn’t help the feel of uneasiness and tension in our heart. I’d opt not to come again!

One of the bird competition sites