In the Thai News 22 Feb 09

I was made aware of this in a very excited phonecall from my mother in Bangkok.




Mum: "You know the bridge we cross home every day from town? Rama VIII Bridge?"

Me: "Yes mum?" (what now??- my mum always gets overexcited abou the most random, inconsequent gossip in the news)

Mum: "Someones gone and found a severed head of a farang (white foreigner) hanging from the bridge!!! It was on the front page of Thirath yesterday: picture and all, big news here! saw it when I was going downstairs to call for the gardener."



This is a point I haven been observing throughout my childhood in Bangkok: Thairath is a daily newspaper circulated nationwide in Thailand with a readership of about 45 million people. It might be equivalent to the Daily Mirror of the UK: tabloid as opposed to broadsheet, and due to lack of cenorship laws against the printing of this particular genre of objectionable material (photographs of accident and/or murder scenes) the said newspaper has had at least a decade-long reputation for harbouring the most heinous, stomach-turning photos on its front page. It is delivered every morning right to your breakfast table. Good read indeed.

"BANGKOK: -- The Thai capital was shocked Sunday afternoon when the head of western man of undetermined nationality was found hanging under Bangkok's famous Rama VIII Bridge.

Metropolitan police officers found the head attached by plastic rope dangling under the Rama VIII Bridge. At the roadway level balustrade, police discovered a message written in correction fluid, 'CATH I WANT BUT I CANNOT CAME TO BANGKOK TO BE YOU'.

Police said that the victim's nationality was not yet clear, but suggested that he might be aged between 40-45 years old and that he had been killed less than 16 hours ago.

An investigation is now being carried out at entertainment venues, popular foreign residences and embassies to identify the victim.

-- TNA 2009-02-22 "

Apparently, the police suspect gang-related motives. The police have now found the headless body of the victim in the river.

What does sincerely creep me out, besides the fact that I used to be driven over that bridge daily, was the lack of control over the publication and transmission of grotesque images in the Thai media. There is even a locally distributed magazine titled (interp) Crime Scene that shows non-censored pictures. It seems to have been the traditional front-page marketing strategy for Thairath for years and does not look like there will be much change in the future.

-Oh, the human fascination with others' suffering.

On the other hand, there are strict laws against criticising the monarchy in Thailand. So badly it was death penalty for seven generations up and down the family tree. It is still a VERY sensitive matter to date. There is a public lecture today at SOAS by Giles Ungpakorn on this matter , room G2 730PM








On a semi-related note, the article next to it on the website is about the winners of the National Fil Awards. The actress was my class mate (Rajinibon school 95-98?). She was, back in the day, popular, attention-seeking, and a faboulous singer. Kindof proud of her, another one to add to my list of childhood friends who've done well in life. (Others include Miss Thailand 05?, a few local singers and actresses) Now the question is, which one of these two articles make me more depressed: the severed head? or the fact that my life has turned out to be, well, devoid of fame and glamour! Ah well, still not sure if I want to go to that public lecture this evening though. (I cannot express my views on the subject matter here, for fear of death or retalliation.) Maybe ill make the headlines someday by getting exiled from Thailand!