Blog Project 1: Thailand

The Darker side Of Thailand's Grueling National Sport, Muay Thai

Even though Muay Thai is famous national sport in Thailand, it has negative effects on young boys for their health and atmosphere by struggling in inferior environment.

Most of the boys who start this sport have very young age and they have to endure excessive and brutal training which will be not good for their growth in future. Also, they are usually from poor family, so they seek for success in the sport entertainment by becoming a star player of Muay Thai. However, their training environment is not appropriate for training sports, which means very dangerous and insanitary. For those reasons, Muay Thai should be regulated by government for keeping better condition in training system for young boys.

This article was sad, because it showed that dark side of sport entertainment in developing country, young boys who are struggling in that environment and their hopeless situation. Becoming the sport star is unique way to get out from the poor in Thailand and that is the reason why lots of boys had to struggle with brutal training. However, they don't have lots of money to train in proper environment, they have to endure the inferior environment. After all, only the few people can become real sport star in future and the other boys who did not become successful had to live with health and mental problem which caused by excessive training in young age. Therefore, government should make some regulations that at least secure the minimum proper environment for boys who are training Muay Thai.

SOURCE: Rao, Malika. "The Darker side of Thailand's Grueling National Sport, Muay Thai", The Huffington Post, 25 June 2014. Web. 29 June 2014

For more information, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/25/muay-thai-young-boys_n_5518168.html

With Military in Control, Gloom Begins to Lift for Thailand's Economy

Thailand's economy starts to recover hardly at first from the day that military's coup occurred, because the conflict of coup caused the plunge of fiscal spending and investment difficulties. Even the growth rate of economy raised to 2.3%, Thailand should endure much longer hard time to return stability after the political confusion. These violent situations scared away foreign tourists and decreased the fiscal spending. Also, it caused sharp declines in consumption and investment. To recover all these difficulties, Thailand needs more time to settle down political situation.

I read lots of articles about emergency in Thailand which caused by political conflict, and it will be bad for Thailand because it will decrease tourist consumers, basic profitability and give negative image of country. As these times Thailand is unstable and in the dangerous situation, lots of people canceled their travel plan to Thailand and it will decrease the financial revenue in tour business. Insecurity in politics also has negative effect on native person by lowering the general profitability of every industry. Also, coup in Thailand gives image with dangerous and unsettled country where democracy is weak. To get rid of these negative effects, political confusion should be arranged as soon as possible. 

SOURCE: Chaichalearmmongkol, Nopparat. "With Military in Control, Gloom Begins to Lift for Thailand's Economy", the Wall Street Journal, 25 June 2014. Web. 29 June 2014

For more information, http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2014/06/25/with-military-in-control-gloom-begins-to-lift-for-thailands-economy/

Cambodian workers face uncertainty after fleeing Thailand

Workers who came from Cambodia suffered from instability in Thailand because of difficulties in getting a job, insufficient money and prejudices from native. As most of them are undocumented Cambodian workers, it is really hard to get a job in proper way by avoiding governments' inspection. Also, they had financial difficulties, because they spent most of money to broker who helped smuggle in Thailand. Not only those living problems, Thailand people perceive the Cambodians as security threat and treat them with prejudices. These are the reasons that settling in the Thailand for Cambodians become harder and harder.

This article was sad to read, because it is very hard to make specific resolution for Cambodian workers regarding the native people's antipathy, government's policy and mass exodus of Cambodian recently. Because of prejudice, Thailand people will not turn to generous position to migration of Cambodian. Government cannot become generous either, because those undocumented workers confuse the accounting of census of workers in Thailand. To make matters worse, after the military coup, the number of fleeing people from Cambodia increased again who are not legally documented. Even Cambodian people who migrated to Thailand have increased, internal situation is not positive to them and it will cause the problems between Thailand and Cambodia relationship.

SOURCE: Barron, Laignee. "Cambodian workers face uncertainty after fleeing Thailand", Deutsche Welle, 23 June 2014. Web. 29 June 2014

For more information, http://www.dw.de/cambodian-workers-face-uncertainty-after-fleeing-thailand/a-17730135








Trafficked into Slavery on Thai trawlers to catch food for prawn

Thailand which is major exporting country for seafood to US, UK and EU had severe human right problem by trafficking and exploiting labors to catch the "trash fish" to feed the farmed prawns and was blamed by other countries. As the seafood demand in Thailand is huge including export for western country, the use of trafficked labor is systematic in the Thai fishing industry and most of the labors are migrants from Burma or Cambodia. After they are sold by broker with extremely low price, it is very hard to escape from the fish boat and they have to endure inferior environment with violent and brutal treatment. After revealing of the improper exploiting of slavery in fish boat in worldwide, some human right associations blamed the Thai government who didn't try to prevent human trafficking actively and even are complicit with corruption by using the slavery industry for bribery. After all, because Thailand is one of the world's largest fishing industries, the slavery for low price of seafood is not easy to prevent and social issues related to this problem will not stop either.

I read this article thinking about what will be the proper solutions of this problem from export foreign countries, Thai government and human right associations. In foreign countries such as UK and US, they can regulate the import of seafood with global retailers by giving them responsibility of implementing social audit of seafood suppliers. Thai government should make legal actions by admitting the fish trade only for registered boats and try to get rid of brokers. Human right associations also should try to help people who are suffering from ruthless slavery with inferior conditions in Thailand. All those people who are related in fish industry should work together to solve this problem.

SOURCE: Hodal, Kate. "Trafficked into slavery on Thai trawlers to catch food for prawns", the guardian, 10 June 2014. Web. 29 June 2014

For more information, http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jun/10/-sp-migrant-workers-new-life-enslaved-thai-fishing