I WAS invited to speak in Thailand a few years back. One was in the Bangkok in Thammasat University and the other one was up north, in Chiang Mai University. My Thai hosts were lovely, taking me to various tourist spots and offering me different regional cuisine to taste. The streets were well maintained, except every now and then, you see some elephants roaming in the highways.
Thailand has become an increasingly popular destination for tourists from all over the world. In fact, about 36 million tourists visited Thailand in 2017, compared to only 6.6 million tourists that visited the Philippines, that same year, according to the Philippine Department of Tourism website. The large number of tourists who visited Thailand in 2017 translated to a hefty US$56 billion (close to PHP 3 trillion) of revenue.
As a major economic source, Thailand has invested heavily on tourism. They even used their limited English language skills, as a tourist attraction. Upon arrival, it was easy to navigate the taxi line in the airport, and my taxi ride to my hotel was uneventful. Facilities (like comfort rooms, security railings, etc.) in their tourist spots were close or even better than the facilities in the United States (US).
One rule that I was made aware by my Thai friends even before leaving the US was not to engage in any discussion about the Thai monarchy, Thailand has very strict laws with serious penalties about disrespecting their king, either by insulting him or defacing his images, such as accidentally stepping on a bank note. These acts can result in up to 15 years in prison.
I was also told to be careful where you spit out your chewing gum, as throwing it on the ground could merit a huge fine (about PHP 27 thousand) and even a jail sentence. I am glad I don’t chew gum.
After my speaking engagements, a Filipino college friend who has worked in Bangkok for more than 10 years, took me to a resort in Ko Samet. While waiting for the van to take us to the ferry, I saw young Thai college students, in red shirts, silently raising their fists in the air, while congregating in one of the parks in Bangkok. They were quickly dispersed by men in uniform.
My college friend educated me about the political meaning of wearing red and yellow shirts in Thailand.
The red-shirts are members of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), with loyalty to the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by the military during a coup in 2006. Red shirt members are mainly rural workers from outside Bangkok. Recently, the red-shirt ranks now include students, left-wing activists and some business people who see attempts by the urban and military elite to control Thai politics as a threat to democracy.
The yellow shirts are members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), composed of a loose group of royalists, ultra-nationalists, and the urban middle class. They were behind the huge street protests that led up to the military coup of September 2006. Thailand continues to be under military rule, but the government recently announced that a general election will be help in November 2018.
This game of colors also resonates in Philippine politics. In fact, the Philippine Commission on Elections implemented a color-coding system during the 2016 Presidential elections. This color-coding situation in the Philippine is worsening. People have been color coded for expressing opinions, in a way to silence them. Absolutely, non-productive, especially if we want to stay as a democratic nation. What the Philippines need at this time is unity to tackle tough issues Segregating and demonizing people by colors will not tackle poverty, a fragile security, or an eroding democracy.