Your Say

 |  April 30, 2009


Your say is an open forum for you the reader to express your opinions. Write to: editor@chiangmaicitylife.com, subject: Your say. Letters can be on any subject and priority will be given to letters under 200 words. Letters may be edited for clarity or conciseness. Name and contact details must be supplied.

Banking on Thailand for Retirement

Chiang Mai is certainly beautiful and the people are lovely, and this magnificent magazine just makes it all so much better. However the government needs to get its act together if they want to encourage quality retirees. Have they or readers checked the Malaysia My Second Home program? Freehold property with no strings attached, an immediate 10 year renewable visa, tax free income earned from outside Malaysia and banked in that country, the list goes on. Check out Youtube by calling up MM2H.
James Williamson

The Poster Boy

I like to read the occasional poster stuck on a telephone pole, but they seem to be being replaced by ‘saturation’ advertising…hundreds of the same posters along a street…five of the same stuck on the telephone box, three on the next power pole, two on the next pole, three on the red post box, and so on along the street. Some stick on lettering (feeding someone ego) others traditional posters. Western style, ugly visual pollution appearing on Chiang Mai streets. After seeing that someone had written a large ‘tag’, with a black marker on a white Wat/Temple wall, copying one of the prevalent stick on lettering seen around town, I had had enough.
I brought some white paint, and painted over the black lettering on the Wat wall. Then I decided to clean up the street I walk up and down each day, and over sprayed the posters (which can’t be easily taken off).
These are our streets, I ask everyone to take pride in them. Stop the increasing pollution by taking positive action…take them down as you see them. Clean the streets you walk up and down of this visually polluting trend, that way out whole town will be nicer again. Quick, persistent removal is a tested remedy.
Perhaps we can set aside special places, where posters can be stuck up, and viewed by people who, like me, don’t mind reading the occasional few.
David Ryan

On a Mission

As a great fan and regular reader of Citylife I was surprised to read this article and the inference it makes that Christian Missionaries are so wonderful.
As a European Buddhist I have to say I found a number of the comments somewhat biased and misleading.
Christian missionaries by the definition of the name are here first and foremost to convert people of less fortunate means to their own religion. My belief is that local people including the hilltribe people should be left to their own culture and beliefs.
Furthermore the comment that ‘The majority of Thais have remained stubbornly Buddhist’ leads me to believe the author believes they are wrong! Like many other foreigners living here I love Thailand for its culture and people. Much of this is down to the Buddhist and animist traditions which need to be cherished.
Best regards,
Roger Snell
Chiang Mai

No Longer Popular

I am Thai and always visit the south, Koh Chang, Phuket, Samui, Phang Ngan, so many fun places. Every time I used to go people would ask me where I am from and I would proudly say “Jiang Mai jao!” Always they would smile at me and either answer, “I love Chiang Mai and I have been there and enjoyed it”, or “I have never been but would love to go”. This time, over Songkran, I went to Krabi and was again asked the question. When I smiled and gave them my standard answer, instead of smiles, I noticed frowns. After a few times, I had to add another phrase to my sentence, “Jiang Mai jao, but I don’t like Thaksin”. The smile would then be returned to me. It is so sad for all of us that our beloved city’s reputation is being destroyed because of one man.
Sad Lanna girl

Desperately Seeking Sibud

In your editorial [April 2009], did you mention that Sibud is single? She sounds better than any of those women one sees on dating web sites! If she is interested in a bald, fairly lacking in finance, beer guzzling but big hearted guy, give her my email address!
Annonymous

Letter from a Loyal Tourist

It breaks my heart to see Thailand so divided the way it is. I am a frequent visitor and always spend a couple of weeks in Chiang Mai at the beginning of each year. For the first time in longer than I can remember, we cancelled our trip. In hindsight I realised that it was a stupid knee-jerk reaction and that I should have known Thai people better and that tourists wouldn’t be harmed. I just want to wish your beautiful people peace and happiness and I promise to come back next year and do my small tiny bit to help your tourism economy which is surely suffering big time.
Susan Velts

The Price of Being Farang?
Thought that you and your readers might be amused by the attached photo of the prices at the Museum of World Insects on Sirimankalajarn Road.
Regards
David

Marvellous Model
As a long time fan of Citylife I want to applaud you on your excellent cover model for this [April 2009] month. My male friends and I look forward to seeing many such models on your cover. The skimpier the better!
Happy Dave

Up Close with Close Up
Every month I turn to Jeremy Sameulson’s Tii Naa pages first in anticipation of seeing his close up portraits. He manages to convey in one shot so much about the person behind the personality or is it the personality behind the person? Whatever. Mantak Chia, Roy Hudson and Kamin Lertchaiprasert are my personal favourites. The beauty queen wasn’t bad either.
Tom Wells