HUMILIATED TO BE THAI

My beautiful Thai wife and I have just returned from two months in the US where among other things we were arranging for rice sales from Thailand. I was stunned to hear so many negative comments about Thailand especially among the very large Thai community in Los Angeles.

The PM has expressed numerous times his concern for how the world perceives Thailand without realising that it is his own thoughtless comments and actions that are in the forefront of these opinions. Many Thais that I spoke to say they are embarrassed by his lack of diplomatic skills and self-centred pompous attitude.

Did he really say that if the navy does not buy the useless subs, the money would be misappropriated elsewhere? What planet does he live on to think anyone would be in awe of some military hardware he may acquire?

I watched last night as he railed against the press, failing to realise that he may be the problem. He is living in 19th-century Thailand. He may have swapped uniforms for suits, but it has not suddenly made him a more learned and diplomatic person. He is what he is. One Thai lady in Thai Town, USA, said to me she is humiliated to be Thai.

Producer Paul