CityNews – “Why you stay here now. Get out!”… “I think Thailand not peaceful for a long time when Farang come to my country.”
Random Stock Photo: A foreign teacher teaching in Thailand
These are some of the things written to David Chisholm during a conversation with a senior University lecturer with whom Chisholm, an Irish expatriate teaching English in Thailand, had thought he was on friendly terms with.
The lecturer, whose name we cannot publish due to libel concerns, is a senior lecturer in the Biotechnology department at one of Chiang Mai’s biggest universities. She is currently just finishing up her PhD, according to Chisholm, and is highly respected at the university.
The recent online conversation Chisholm had with the person in question was sent to CityNews this morning. Part of it is below. We have not corrected the grammar and spelling in the comments:
Chisholm: “Khun ******, I would like to know if your comments on my Facebook page like “Farang is not good” and “Why you stay here now. Get out!” and “This is my country. Don’t be so nosy!” are meant to be serious or are you joking?”
******: “Serious, very serious. In fact, I hate forienge for a long time. You come to my country for use my resource. You is not mean Dave but forienge.”
Chisholm: “Please explain how I use your resources and why you hate me.”
******: “You used English for excuse to imperialism. Haha, you stay in Thailand now. That’s right. You eat my rice. You stay on my land. You used my water river. Why you don’t go back? If your country is better than Thailand. Why you stay here for getting a little money. Why? Please ask yourself. I hate forienge people.
Chisholm: “You eat my rice – And I pay for it. You stay on my land – I stay here and pay rent to Thai people for living here. I can never own land in Thailand. You used my water river – I pay for that too. Why you don’t go back? Because I have been living here for seven years, working and paying tax, trying to help students to improve at English so they can have a better future.
I’m very sorry that you feel this way. It makes me very sad to hear how you really feel in your heart.
******: “Don’t pay for this if you go back. I don’t want forience money that pay for this. But i am very happy that forienge not saty in my home. You pay a little bit when compared with your country.
Please, told your friend that more Thai people think like this. You catch our job.”
Chisholm told CityNews that he was shocked to read her comments and how she views foreigners in Thailand. “These comments were not made by an uneducated person,” said Chisholm, “They are from a very well-educated person who works in a university, who I have worked with before and have had lunch with. I have helped her with English classes for her students and I never suspected that she harboured such hatred for foreigners. I am absolutely stunned by this ignorance and racism.”
In a later conversation Chisholm added that he hoped, “this is not representative of **** as a whole but of one individual,” in spite of her statement that many Thai people feel the same as she.
“This woman is not only a racist but she is dangerously placed to influence young minds at **** University and she should not be,” Chisholm concluded.