The ASEAN trip completed on 1st February 2014

I have completed  the ASEAN trips. The last ASEAN country I just visited is Laos. I visited Vientiane and Luang Prabang but mostly I spend in the latter city.
So, the whole ASEAN countries I have visited since 2011 :
 ...Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Philiphine, Thailand (five times), Malaysia (many times, mostly transit here before flying to other countries), Singapore and of course, Indonesia.
My48-page-pasport is almost full and it may need a replacement. Even, it will be expired in 2016.

In addition to ASEAN, I have visited China (twice) and Australia (used to live here).

My next trip will be :...........will tell you later :)

However I have not posted both writings and photos of my last trip to Luang Prabang. I will do it later.
I am quiet busy because.....uhm...can't tell you now...anyway...Good nite!

Travelling to five countries in one month (Part 5)

Some pics of my recent trips in Davao-Manila-Kota Kinabalu-Yangon-Bangkok-Ayutthaya-Chiang Mai-Kuala Lumpur (15 August 2012 - 20 September 2012). I think I have spent so much money for the trip but it is ok...We can't buy happiness, can we?

See the full gallery on Posterous

Travelling to five countries in one month (Part 2)

Here are some of my pics from the recent vacation to Davao-Manila-Kota Kinabalu-Kuala Lumpur-Yangon-Bangkok-Ayuthaya-Chiang Mai (15 August 2012 - 20 September 2012)

Bangkok-Chiang Mai trip Sept 2012 : 20000 bath i never forget

In my last day Bangkok trip 3 days ago, i run out cash, so i went again for the third time to CIMB Thai. I was going to take only 2000 bath and ended up with 20.000 bath instead. I was in rush so i did a mistake by withdrawing too much money coz before i had spent 6000 bath . Now i have 19000 bath left which i have to exchange to idr. I hope the rate is not bad, at least equal to what i got from the cimb thai. It is 322 for 1 bath

Sent from Samsung Mobile

Election promises of Thailand's two main parties

Factbox: Election promises of Thailand's two main parties - Yahoo! News

 

The two main parties contesting Thailand's July 3 parliamentary election have proposed strikingly similar policies that focus heavily on winning over the rural poor, building up infrastructure and other populist measures.

Below are the election promises of the Democrats, who lead the outgoing government coalition, and the main opposition party, Puea Thai:

DEMOCRAT PARTY

Its "Moving Thailand Forward" pledges include:

- Raise daily minimum wage by 25 percent in two years from current levels of 159-221 baht ($5-7), depending on the region, and improve labor skills

- Give land title deeds to 250,000 farmers on state land

- Free universal quality medical treatment and childcare centers in every area

- Twelve electric train lines and high-speed rail links to the north, south and the eastern seaboard

- Extend subsidies on diesel and cooking gas prices, and provide some free electricity for low-income households

- Raise farm incomes by 25 percent through subsidies for fertilizer, with financial guarantees for farm production

- Two-year interest-free mortgages for first-home buyers

- Free education up to 18 years, soft education loans for 250,000 university students, $12 billion approved for a six-year education reform plan.

- Ease financial burden of 1 million small borrowers by extending state refinancing of personal debts owed to non-conventional creditors outside the banking system.

- Expand social safety net to include 25 million farmers and workers, covering illness, disability or death

- Give pension to those over 60 years of age; grant monthly living allowance for elderly people

- Double production of alternative energy, especially solar, turbine and bio-gas

- Expand national 3G broadband networks to link all districts in Thailand

- Anti-drug campaign.

- The Democrats and Puea Thai agree on indefinitely suspending plans for nuclear power in Thailand. Thailand's first nuclear plant had been scheduled for 2020 but plans were frozen after Japan's nuclear disaster.

PUEA THAI PARTY

Policy pledges include:

- Guarantee a uniform daily minimum wage of 300 baht ($10) throughout the country; this would rise to 1,000 baht by 2020.

- Raise salaries of civil servants and state workers

- Universal medical care; patients pay 30 baht ($0.97) per visit

- Credit cards for farmers to buy fertilizer and other things needed for production; rice intervention scheme with a guaranteed 15,000-20,000 baht per tonne for unmilled rice

- Three-year household debt moratorium for those with up to 500,000 baht in debt, focusing on teachers, farmers and civil servants; debt restructuring for those with more than 500,000 baht.

- Starting monthly salary of 15,000 baht ($500) for new university graduates, up from the current 10,640 baht.

- Free tablet computers for about 800,000 new school children each year. Puea Thai says these would cost 5,000 baht ($160) each and operate with open-source software.

- Corporate tax cut from 30 percent to 23 percent in first year, 20 percent in second year

- Tax cuts for buyers of first homes and first cars

- A flat 20 baht fare for all 10 mass transit rail lines in Bangkok

- Promote Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport as regional hub

- High-speed rail lines linking key cities in the north, northeast, east and upper south regions. Trains to link with outskirts of Bangkok and eastern tourism, industrial hubs

- Annual rural village development funds of between 300,000 and two million baht for each of Thailand's 73,000 villages.

- Monthly welfare allowance of 600 baht for elderly citizens of over 60, rising to 700 baht at 70, 800 baht at 80, and 1,000 baht at 90

- Free Wi-Fi and Internet connections in public places.

- Build 30-km (18-mile) anti-flooding levees to protect Bangkok and satellite towns from tide surges around the Gulf of Thailand

- Special administrative status for southern Muslim provinces

- Campaign to wipe out illicit drugs ($1 = 30.805 Thai Baht)

(Compiled by Martin Petty, Vithoon Amorn and Orathai Sriring; Editing by Alan Raybould)

 

Kisruh Monarki dan Krisis Thailand

THAILAND yang sering dijuluki sebagai negara penuh senyum itu, ternyata menyimpan banyak masalah, khususnya terkait dengan korupsi dan tindakan represif negara. Setidaknya laporan  jurnalis ternama George Marshall yang sudah bekerja di Thailand selama 17 tahun itu, mengungkapkan sejumlah tindakan penyelewangan pemerintah dan pihak kerajaan. Menurut Marshall, Thailand tidak layak tidak layak disebut negara demokratis, tetapi negara otoriter dan opresif. Karena kebebasan pers di negara itu dikekang habis-habisan, tidak heran,  jika negara gajah putih ini menyimpan banyak rahasia  Pencitraan Thailand sebagai negara demokratis adalah tidak tepat karena pada faktanya, negara ini justru terbelakang dalam menerapkan azas kebebasan berpendapat yang jadi pilar penting dalam kehidupan demokrasi.

Akibat tulisan kritiknya itu, Marshall harus mengundurkan diri pekerjaannya sebagai wakil kepala biro Reuters di Bangkok sejak Mei lalu. Sangat disayangkan, kantor berita sekelas Reuters memilih untuk tunduk pada aturan yang represif terhadap pers itu.

Selama ini, tindakan negatif anggota kerajaan tidak pernah tersiar karena  hukum setempat dibuat sedemikian rupa untuk menangkal keboborokan monarki terungkap kepada publik. Salah satunya adalah undang-undang yang melarang pemberitaan buruk terhadap sejumlah anggota keluarga kerajaan, yaitu Raja Bhumibol, Ratu Sirikit dan Putra Mahkota Pangeran  Vajiralongkorn. Bagi pelanggar, hukumannya adalah 15 tahun penjara. Sudah banyak jurnalis dan akademisi yang harus dipenjara dan kehilangan pekerjaannya karena berani mengkritik pemerintahan dan keluarga kerajaan. Di antara mereka yang vokal menyuarkan kebenaran ini adalah Professor Giles Ungpakorn, yang kini hidup sebagai pelarian di Inggris untuk menghindari hukuman penjara akibat mengkritik keluarga kerajaan.  Bahkan, jurnalis senior Reuters Andrew Marshall pun harus kehilangan pekerjaannya senagai wakil kepala biro Reuters di Thailand karena menulis berita mengenai penyelewengan anggota monarki Thailand. Sejak 1 Juni 2011, pemerintah Thailand mencap Marshall sebagai kriminal. Pria plontos yang kini mejadi penulis lepas itu mengatakan, dia tidak menyesal menuliskan laporan soal kebobrokan monarki Thailand. "Saya sudah tahu dari awal bahwa tulisan saya ini sangat berisiko. Saya juga paham dengan sikap Reuters yang menolak memuat laporan saya soal kerajaan itu, " kata Marshall baru-baru ini dalam tulisan opini yang dimuat media daring Inggris "Independent".
Menurut Marshall yang sudah bekerja di Reuters selama 17 tahun in, dia lebih memilih kehilangan pekerjaan dan dimusuhi teman-temannya daripada harus menutup kebenaran. "Sebagai jurnalis, saya punya kewajiban moral untuk mengungkapkan kebenaran," kata Marshall menambahkan.
Memang sangat disayangkan, kantor berita sebesar Reuters pun takut dengan penerapan hukum itu dan memilih untuk mematuhinya. Sejumlah pihak menyebutkan, Reuters melakukan itu karena tidak ingin terdepak dari negara tersebut. Apalagi jumlah jurnalis lokal yang direkrut Reuters mencapai 1.000 orang. Jadi, mereka sangat berhati-hati dalam memberitakan keluarga kerajaan. Mungkin, kepentingan ekonomis yang besar telah membuat Reuters tega tidak memuat laporan Marshall.

Berdasarkan data, aplikasi hukum yang mengekang kebebasan pers ini merupakan yang terburuk sedunia. Akibat implementasi hukum jadi-jadian tersebut, masyarakat Thailand tidak pernah mengetahui apa yang terjadi di lingkungan monarki Thailand. Padahal, seperti dilaporkan Wikileaks tiga bulan lalu, monarki Thailand dibawah kepemimpinan Raja Bhumibol selama 62 tahun terakhir ini,  melakukan banyak penyelewengan. Dalam tulisan terbarunya di majalah Time, hal itu kembali diungkapkan Marshall. Menurut dia, Thailand saat ini sedang 'sakit" akibat ulah sejumlah anggota monarki. Begitu banyak kebohongan yang disembunyikan keluarga kerajaan dari publik Thailand yang selama ini begitu menghormati mereka.
Meski selama ini monarki Thailand menjadi perekat yang telah berhasil menjauhkan negara itu dari konflik saudara, tetapi pada faktanya, seperti juga diungkap Wikileaks, kondisi monarki Thailand saat ini diambang krisis. Bahkan, monarki ternacam perpevahan yang ujung-ujungnya dapat memicu konflik baru di Thailand. Apalagi, menjelang pemilu 3 Juli mendatang, situasi panas di kerajaan akan semakin menjerumuskan Thailand dalam situasi yang yang tidak menentu.
Laporan Wikileaks dua hari lalu  menyebutkan, pemilu Thailand dua minggu mendatang akan memicu konflik baru di negara tersebut.Apalagi, ada indikasi telah terjadinay friksi antar anggota keluarga kerajaan. Jurnalis Brian Rex menuliskan bahwa ada ketidaksepahaman antara Raja dan Ratu Thailand. Konflik diantara keduanya sudah terjadi bertahun-tahun. Sirikit pun dilaporkan tidak lagi berkomuniaksi dengan suaminya. Dalam hal ini, Sirikit memiliki pandangan politis yang berbeda dengan suaminya. Suaminya selama ini sering digambarkan sebagai sosok yang apolitis sehinga memilih utnuk tidak campur tangah jauh dalam masalah politik. Sementara istrinya, dalam bebearapa tahun etrakhir ini, teaptnya sejak 2008, justru menunjukkan sikap yang bertentangan. Dia tidak sungkan-sungkan menunjukkan simpatinya kepada kelompok Kaus Kuning. Banyak pihak yang menyesalkan sikapnya yang ikut campur dalam politik Thailand.
Sikap Ratu yang nyeleneh inilah yang mebuat banyak pihak khawatir pemilu mendatang akan berakhir dengan konflik. Apalagi hasil jajak pendapat yang dipublikasikan Universitas Bangkok menyebutkan, adik perempuan Thaksin Shinawatra itu berpeluang memang dalam pemilu mendatang.

Menonjolnya pengaruh Ratu Sirikit ini telah menyebabkan eksistensi Raja Bhumibol Adulyadej memudar. Kesehatannya yang  sangat rapuh juga menjadi salah satu faktor, peranan raja berusia 83 tahun itu tidak lagi begitu kuat. Bahkan banyak pihak yanga memperkirakan umurnya sudah tidak panjang lagi. Suksesi pun sudah ramai dibicarakan. Selama ini ada dua calon. Pertama, Putra Mahkota Pangeran Vajiralongkorn yang sosoknya sangat tidak populer akibat perilakunya yang suka perempuan dan obat-obatan terlarang. Kedua, anak perempuan Bhumibol dan Sirikit, Putri Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, yang memang sangat populer di kalangan masyarakat Thailand.
Perpecahan antara Sirikit dan suaminya akan dapat semakin merunyamkan suksesi dan hasil pemilu mendatang.  Apalagi diketahui Putra Mahkota sanagt berambisi untuk menggantikan ayahnya. Padahal,secara kualitas, dia tidak punya keahlian memimpin dan karisma yang dimiliki ayahnya. Laporan Wikileaks menyebutkan, anak pertama Bhumibol itu memiliki temparemen kasar. Tidak heran, banyak warga Thailand tidak suka dengan sosok pria playboy yang sudah menikah tiga kali itu.

Dilaporkan, rakyat Thailand lebih menyukai sosok Putri Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Raja Bhumibol pun lebih merestui putrinya itu untuk menjadi penerus tahta kerajaan. "Saya punya empat anak, tetapi hanya dia yang benar-benar membumi. Dia tidak pernah menikah tetapi memiliki jutaan anak," kata Bhumibol dalam obrolannya dengan sejumlah diplomat AS di Thailand, seperti dibocorkan Wikileaks.
Melihat begitu kompleksnya perpecahan anggota keluarga kerajaan Thailand, tidak heran, banyak pengamat memprediksi, politisasi monarki Thailand oleh Ratu Sirikit itu, juga akan menyebabkan Thailand dilanda krisis baru. Penulis Eric John bahkan menyebutkan, politisasi kerajaan oleh Sirikit akan menjadi bumerang bagi keluarga monarki itu sendiri. Apakah ini berarti, sistem monarki Thailand akan berakhir.Masih terlalu dini untuk menjawabnya. Namun, yang pasti, kisruh monarki telah membuat gejolak politik Thailand semakin memanas.  (Huminca)***

Tranquillity and turmoil in Thailand

| Matthew Phillips | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

The Thai new year is one of the highlights of the tourist calendar and has for two years now been marred with violence in Bangkok. This year that violence was some of the worst in the country's history and it was tourists on Khao San Road, the backpacking hub of south-east Asia, who had front row seats.

The crisis is clearly far from over, and yet there is little tourists can do other than try and get back to their holiday. Last Sunday afternoon, one journalist surveying the damage tweeted that 50 metres from where people were killed, tourists were watching the Blackburn v Manchester United match.

It would be unfair to ask tourists to think too hard about Thailand's problems; they are, after all, on holiday. Yet, whether they realise it or not, tourists are not just spectators to the political turmoil. All sides in this conflict use tourism as a weapon to achieve their aims. The decision of the Yellow Shirts to close the airport in 2008 was an audacious move, designed for maximum impact. As of yet, the Reds have not targeted tourism so explicitly, but that might well be changing.

The fact that the Reds have continued their protest, despite suffering the losses they did, shows how determined they are. Also, as they become more desperate, it makes sense that they will attempt to put pressure on the government through directly targeting the economy. This week the protest site moved from the area close to Khao San, to Ratchaprasong, the main shopping district and a stone's throw from the city's major hotels.

With tourism accounting for approximately 6.5% of Thailand's economy, the finance minister is now saying that the protests could drop growth by two percentage points as occupancy rates at hotels in Bangkok fall to only 30%. Groups representing the tourism industry are urging the government and the protesters to "join hands to solve the problem".

While such facts and figures must strike fear into those working in the industry, they are also being used as one of the most legitimate ways to reprimand the protesters. Unlike other industries which can get back to normal after political unrest, tourism relies upon a country's reputation. In Thailand, tourism developed during the cold war, when the country was regarded as an oasis of peace on a troubled continent. The idea that Thai society lived in harmony was itself commodified as a reason to visit the country. Since then, foreigners have often been used in state media as a device from which to view this pleasant society. And in recent years campaigns to urge against violence have from time to time asked the question, what will the foreigners think?

These messages work. Radio talk shows often have phone-ins about what foreigners think of the Thai people asserting the fact that Thais are good-natured and kind toward their guests. Also, normal Red Shirts are very conscious of embracing foreign guests. Last month, when a foreigner arrived to give blood to the Red Shirt campaign, what was most notable was the elation on the faces of those around. The woman taking the blood wanted to be sure a video was taken so that the Yellow Shirts would see that they too had the support of the foreign community.

But the problem for the protesters, whether they are Red or Yellow, is that statements about how good-natured they are, or should be, must not get in the way of achieving their aims. Particularly with the largely rural Red Shirts, these protests are in many ways fighting to break the very stereotypes with which they are labelled. They are asserting that they are not subservient and happy with the status quo, but active members of the political system.

Tourists who travel to Thailand for an "authentic" experience of local culture will continue to find it in guest houses and beach bars. But, while the best advice might be to stay in those bubbles, it is inevitable that they will increasingly be drawn into the reality of what is happening on the streets.