5th June 2014

No one smiles in The Land of Smiles anymore.

Next week, Tuesday 10^th June, I will return to Saigon.  Over the years I have come to this city via Bangkok where I would spend a few days visiting friends and get my Vietnam visa.  Thailand in general and Bangkok in particular is a place I have come to love.  It is a great city full of wonderful shops, department stores, markets and lovely people.

But alas, my beloved Bangkok is being torn apart; riven with hatred by rival groups causing the army to step in and enforce martial law.  The effect of all this will be like a stone being thrown into a pond.  It will send a damaging ripple throughout the entire economy not the least of which will be their tourism industry upon which the country relies so much.   Millions on the poverty line who rely on tourism for their meagre income will be further disadvantaged perhaps causing even more unrest. 

I do not know who is right and who is wrong in this conflict but I do know this:  The Thais are wonderful, gentle people with a generous spirit.  My fervent hope is that sooner rather than later, wise heads will prevail and this great country will return once more to becoming what we know it to be…“The Land of Smiles”.

My latest book, “The Last Tuk Tuk to Bang Na” is set in Thailand.