Thais Demand the Arrest of a Foreigner for Cutting Down a Tree

Thai people are very proud that they have never been colonized. So, whenever a white foreigner comes in and starts taking over the place they can get a bit agitated. Sometimes for a good reason. In this case, a group of about five unknown foreigners are being criticized for cutting down a large branch of a tree on Koh Phangan. From the series of pictures, it would seem that they were clearing an area for a paragliding business. What isn’t known is whether this is private land or it belongs to a national park. Nor is it known if its a Thai run paragliding business or a foreign one. Nevertheless, the group of foreigners have come under a lot of criticism on popular Thai forum Pantip.com (see here). According to a report in the Bangkok Post, many of them are demanding for authorities to track down these foreigners and arrest them. Personally, I think this is a bit like the kettle calling the pot black. Many locals on Koh Phangan and other islands are not exactly well-known for being environmentally friendly.  But, if these foreigners are indeed illegally chopping down trees in a national park then I am all for them to be prosecuted. Let’s just wait to find out the full story first.

Source: Bangkok Post

9 thoughts on “Thais Demand the Arrest of a Foreigner for Cutting Down a Tree

  • September 21, 2012 at 10:49 am
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    Supposedly, the owner of the land where this tree and branch sits gave permission to the farangs to saw off the branch. Meanwhile throughout the forests of Thailand, Laos, Burma and Cambodia, Thai entrepreneurs continue their 24/7 harvesting of ancient teak, mahogany, and other valuable hardwoods without any Thais getting the least bit upset.

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    • September 21, 2012 at 6:36 pm
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      Do you have a source for that? But I am not surprised if it was true.

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  • September 18, 2012 at 5:45 pm
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    And I must have studied in the wrong sKool then 55555

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  • September 18, 2012 at 5:28 pm
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    Aside from having been conquered by the Khmer Empire, Burma and the Japanese in WW II, the geographic space known as Thailand has been colonized also by a small group of elite residing in Bangkok who control the Thailand Army and own a great deal of the land in Thailand, and in addition, colonized economically by a small group of extremely wealthy descendents of immigrants to Thailand from southern and southwest China who first arrived in force 2 to 3 generations ago.

    So while it is correct to say that all textbooks used in Thailand schools state that “Thailand has never been colonized”, that statement is really referring only to the French/British colonial period in SE Asia, and otherwise is just mandatory indoctrination into historical myth, not an actual statement of fact.

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  • September 18, 2012 at 4:58 pm
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    Thailand was never colonized. Correct. This is because the name Thailand (Prathet Thai) only came into existence on the 23rd of June 1939. Before that, it was known as Siam. And before that, it was known by a collection of many multiple names. They are the Kingdom of Ayudtthaya, Kingdom of Lopburi, Kingdom of Chenla, Kingdom of Nan, and so on, just to name a few. The very notion of countries, and country borders only came about upon the arrival/invention of Passports. And that, was simply not so long ago.

    So, if Prathet Thai was never colonized, then how come this entry in WIki is allowed to go unaltered?
    It reads:
    “… On 8 December 1941, in concert with the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces invaded and occupied Thailand. Ananda Mahidol was away from the country and Pridi Phanomyong served as regent in his absence. From 24 January 1942, occupied Thailand became a formal ally of the Empire of Japan and a member of the Axis. Under Plaek Pibulsonggram, Thailand declared war on the Allied powers…”

    The above quote is an extract from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ananda_Mahidol

    There is an entire WIki entry dedicated to the topic of Japan conquering Thailand alone.
    It can be found as an independent entry here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_occupation_of_Thailand

    So, I guess some could argue along the terms conquered, occupied, and colonized.
    But that would be mere semantics, if you ask me. (am sure no one’s gonna ask me though)

    Still on the topic of conquered, most of geographical Thailand was certainly conquered by Angkor from the years 900AD till 1200AD. The evidence for that are all the Khmer ruins which dot geographical Thailand. They stretch from Kanchanaburi till most of Isaan, especially along the Dongrek region; including the disputed Khao Prak Wihan.

    Have a look at this entry if you’re still not convinced:
    Pay extra attention to the map on the right side.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Empire

    Add to that, Burma, or specifically Bago conquered all of geographical Thailand from the years 1558 till 1773. Anyone who’s watched Suriyothai, or any of the King Naresuan epics would definitely be able to nod in agreement.

    So, was Thailand ever colonized? Conquered? Occupied? or just decided to willingly cede it’s Land, wealth and resources to incoming Barbarians ? … with a smile of course 🙂

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    • September 18, 2012 at 5:18 pm
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      Well, according to school text books it was never colonized and so it must be true then 🙂

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    • September 21, 2012 at 3:06 pm
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      thank you Michael to inform about what they don’t know , i feel not alone to try to explain the true story about this think , and yes racism and fascism =stupid

      they should know!!! , and they should say thank you to french and American army to help them and pouch the Japan army out off Thailand , to not be slave off japan and fredom country!!

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  • September 18, 2012 at 4:38 pm
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    I hope that they have work permits. Doing a job that a Thai can do is a big no no!

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  • September 18, 2012 at 4:30 pm
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    If these foreigners just had asked a few thai guys to do this job, no one would have noticed anything…
    for a few 100 baht the rock would be cleared, protected land or not, As you said the locals are not that environment friendly and will do a lot for some money and booze.

    These foreigners show very clearly that they are ignorant of local customs and feelings. I don’t like the sight of it, as a foreigner. And I would feel similar if it was in Greece or Italy.

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