Non one expects a return to normal once the current crisis ends. Indeed, it’s generally accepted that life in Thailand will be significantly different in the short and even the long term. Some aspects will never be the same again.

So what’s in store for us in this ‘new world’?

It might be quiet now, but Bangkok faces a traffic nightmare in the next few years with the opening of seven giant projects competing for space on our roads.

Because of his expertise and success in directing His Majesty the King’s rainmaking and weather modification operations, Mr Warawut Khanti­yanan is regarded as one of the world’s top scientists in the field.

​As director of the Royal Rainmaking Section of the Bureau of Royal Rainmaking and Agriculture Aviation (BRRAA), Mr Warawut Khantiyanan supervises 500 persons involved in day-to-day operations.
 
Coincidentally, Mr Warawut was born in 1955, the year His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej initiated the concept of royal rainmaking.
 
Under his leadership, the BRRAA has implemented a rainmaking system regarded by foreign experts as one of the most successful anywhere.
 
He remains modest despite the recognition. For instance, you won't see his many diplomas or citations in his office at Kasertsat University in Bangkok.
 
“I have received many commendations, but the greatest honour for me is being granted an audience, on several occasions, with His Majesty the King,” said the 52-year-old director.
 
“The King has called on our team several times. Sometimes we’ve met with him in the field and sometimes in the Royal Palace. He made us understand his policy and how to apply royal rainmaking techniques to solve water shortages. He stressed that rainmaking is an integral part of national water resources management. The King also taught his unit new cloud-seeding techniques.”

by Robin Westley Martin

This iconic song title is of course by The Beatles, a group still loved all over the world, and it’s super appropriate at this particular point in time. The Covid-19 coronavirus has spread across the globe, and we all need a bit of help – with the self-isolation and social distancing rules that are in place we are all feeling a little ‘down’.

The spread of the virus and the death toll continues to grow in Thailand, Europe, the UK, and the US. I sincerely hope that by the time you read this that the turnaround back to the way it was before has begun. And that the infographics showing the daily loss of life and rise in new infections are less harrowing to view, and will follow the course seen in Hubei province, China, where this deadly iteration of coronavirus first surfaced.
For several days now there have been no new infections reported in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak of a pandemic that has spread around the world. Info: by early April there had been more than 1.4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in 183 countries, and more than 84,000 people had died.

The poor and poorly paid in Thailand are being particularly hard hit, as they work from day to day … the money they earn daily is to buy food and other essentials, such as rent for accommodation, and for personal hygiene, about which we are constantly being advised/ordered to … Wash your hands! Sanitise! Wear a mask! … all very well, but what if you can’t even afford a bar of soap, let alone a mask, if you are lucky enough to find one on sale!

All the cash the needy residents of the community earn by selling streetfood or fresh fruit from their little pushcarts has dried up, no one to sell to, and they also run the risk of being fined should they choose to go out; the groups of ‘rubbish-pickers’ that nightly scour the streets and alleyways of Bangkok with their three-wheeled flatbed trolleys looking for bottles, cans, and cardboard that they can recycle; the army of workers in the nightlife entertainment areas: all of these are self-employed,  and receive scant help from the government now that their revenue stream is no more. And this is only the beginning; no one knows how long it might take before we get back to anything approaching pre-pandemic ‘normality’.
 
So who is there to step in, and give whatever help and succour that they can. The charities! It is true that our main priority in this war against the invisible Covid enemy is to take care of our own health and that of our families … but while we are all stuck at home together with our microwave popcorn and Netflix, let’s spare a thought for these charities. They are struggling too, particularly so, as the number of recipients that require their assistance is increasing day by day. In this piece we are going to look at two charities in Thailand, the Mercy Centre / Human Development Foundation, and the Soi Dogs Foundation.  Animals are suffering too, and are even less able to help themselves than their poor and underprivileged human neighbours.

Do you ever play traditional Irish ballads? Lots of 'em, often.

Any difficult audience requests? The most difficult song I play is ‘You'll Never Walk Alone’. Lots of chords! My favorite song is American Pie. Fortunately, just about everyone in the world can sing along to the chorus.

Any music you’d like to play but doesn’t work with local audiences? Just about anything I play will work at one time or another. The song ‘Taxi’ by Harry Chapin is one of my favorites but it's long and not a lot of people here know it. An expat from the US who I knew for a couple of years, but had never seen me play, came into the pub and requested Taxi. I played it. He said, "That's impressive". He left and never came to see me play again, even though he lived in the neighborhood.
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Ever faced hecklers? Love 'em!
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Best compliment you’ve ever received as a musician? Someone once gave me a hundred dollar bill. Another time a group of people were sitting at the back of the pub all evening. When I finished one of guys came to the stage and said, "That was really good. Where's your iPad or your tablet?". I said I don't have one. He said, "You can't just KNOW ALL those songs."
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When not performing, how do you relax? This is a family magazine.

​​What’s next for you? If I survive the plague... during normal times I'm at The Australian Pub on Sukhumvit, Soi 11 every Tuesday, 9 to midnight. The Clubhouse, Sukhumvit Soi 23 the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month from 8 to 11 pm. Weekends at Father Ted's Irish Pub in Hua Hin.

Chef in focus CHEF PHILIPP MAUS
Prior to his appointment at Amari Watergate, Maus held the title of Executive Chef for prestigious hotel chains in Thailand and Vietnam since 2009. In total, he has almost 20 years of experience in the hospitality and gastronomy industries, including Italian, Chinese and Thai, and managed team members from all over the world, bringing a wealth of international experience to Amari Watergate.
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“It is a great privilege to take this position,” said Maus. “Amari Watergate is a recognised address on Bangkok’s dining scene for its excellent venues offering a unique approach to world cuisine and interior design. I am looking forward to maintaining the quality of service and cooking that guests already know and love, as well as guiding the team to reach new goals of passion and creativity in their work.”

Since he renounced the title of Bangkok’s massage parlour king and began running for elected office, Chuwit Kamolvisit has added more than a little drama to the front page and the nightly news.

​Dubbed as controversial and a maverick, the super-rich massage parlour king turned-politician Chuwit Kamolvisit made front-page headlines again on July 25, 2006 when he carried food and drinks to the three election commissioners sentenced to four years in jail by the Criminal Court. His presence led to a noisy quarrel with supporters of the commissioners and a charge of contempt of court, for which he was given a one-month suspended sentence by the Criminal Court. Mr Chuwit is no stranger to scandals; he became a household name after exposing police corruption in 2003. The media frenzy has subsided, but he continues to attract attention from the local and foreign press.
 
Anyone who meets him face-to-face must be impressed by his charisma and straightforward views about politics, corruption, his business – and himself. But Mr Chuwit apparently feels remorse for some of his past; he has sold the six luxurious massage parlours.
 
Everyone knows what the words “massage parlour” really stand for and what transpires inside such establishments. Says Mr Chuwit: “The customers come to the place like that not because we have a comfortable sofa or good decorations, but because of the girls.”
 
His 360-degree makeover, from a “sinner” to an “angel”, must have impressed the voters who gave him third place in the Bangkok Governor election in 2004, and a year later elected him as a member of Parliament. 

​Background: I was born on July 26, 1946 at twenty past midnight at 82 Ridley Street, Leicester. My father had been a POW (Prisoner of War) in Stalag 18 at Wolfsberg for over four years, my sister having been born in 1940, so along came Gale.
 
How was life back then?
I did not realise when I was young but we were quite poor monetary wise (no bathroom, outside toilet until I was 22!) but my childhood was filled with love and care and I was never hungry. We were encouraged to read and write and regular trips to the local library were made.
 
I passed the 11-plus as had my sister before me and also my brother who was born in 1957 when my parents were considered OLD (44 and 46!)
 
Family today: 
I really felt the distance when our sister Pat died 16 years ago aged 64 but me and my brother, Mark Merrill, have a very strong bond despite the 10 years difference! I am very blessed with my family as well as my in-laws!
 
How did you end up in Thailand? 
The opportunity to come here for three years when we were both 50 seemed wonderful as we expected to earn a fortune and return home rich! LITTLE DID WE KNOW!! The company my husband Michael worked for wanted to open a representative office in the Far East Asia as sales were increasing but no one predicted the devastating financial crash in 1997!
 
Michael was Regional Manager and I was Assistant Regional Manager (general dogs-body) and worked for six years until the firm was sold to GE and I was ousted – not allowed to work downline of my spouse!! Their loss!
 
What about your children? 
Jane and Andrew came with us to Thailand but the timing was not good for them and they both went back to live in Leicester, our home town. It was very traumatic for us all but we have weathered the storm and we are all fairly ‘normal’.
 
Jane returned and lived and worked in Thailand for over 12 years where she met and married her German husband, Henning Hegeler, and they have given us two beautiful granddaughters, Isabel and Mia. Andrew has visited often but prefers to live in UK.
 
British or Thai food? 
I love Thai food but never cook it – why would I when it is so readily available and delicious? At home I cook traditional British meals but one of our favourite places to eat out is at The Londoner on Pattanakarn Road where the quality is consistent with good service too!
 
What don’t you like about Bangkok?  
Traffic is one of my pet hates as I seem to spend a great deal of my time in the back of a taxi – thank goodness for my Iphone. I drove around in my own car for the first 13 years so I know when the taxi drivers take me on the scenic routes! There is so much construction everywhere and it breaks my heart to see the older and historical buildings being replaced by a chunk of concrete. So many of our favourite places have either gone or been modernised when the character disappears too. I really wonder if Bangkok has a Planning Department with all the shopping malls and condos built and being built. It is sad and scary to me!

Alan Parkhouse is one of the most respected senior journalists in the region. Fellow writer Scott Murray recently caught up with ‘Parkie’ to talk about his many experiences in a long and eventful career.

Alan Parkhouse is one of the most respected senior journalists in the region. Fellow writer Scott Murray recently caught up with ‘Parkie’ to talk about his many experiences in a long and eventful career.
 
Alan was born in Brisbane, Australia, in 1954. He grew up in Grafton, a town of about 30,000, in northern New South Wales. He left Grafton High School at 15 to start an apprenticeship as a hand and machine compositor, or hot metal printer, at the Daily Examiner, Grafton’s local newspaper since 1859. Later, he went on to the Sydney Graphic Arts College as part of his apprenticeship.
 
Otherwise, he studied at the school of hard knocks. Alan switched to journalism in the 1980s and became the editor of two suburban papers in Sydney before moving to the bigger national dailies. He has worked in newspapers in Australia, Thailand, England, Cambodia and Hong Kong. As well as the two suburban newspapers in Sydney, and he has been the editor-in-chief of The Phnom Penh Post and Khmer Times in Cambodia and the acting editor of the Sunday Bangkok Post roughly 10 times while the editor was on holidays. 

The DSI was established in October 2002 primarily to create a strong, proactive law enforcement agency that would focus on national security and also transnational and organized crime.
 
Pol Gen Sombat has been director-general of the DSI since his move from the Royal Thai Police in January 2004. The DSI now has only one office in Bangkok but there are plans to expand to other regions of the country. “We have got here many highly qualified officers chosen from the ranks of police, customs and revenue departments, as well as prosecutors, accountants and lawyers from a variety of other government departments.”
 
Pol Gen Sombat said that the biggest problem for the DSI is training. “Some of our recruits don’t know how to investigate, so we have to train them. We have a close relationship with foreign investigation experts in the United States, the United Kingdom and several other countries. They come here to instruct our officers,” he revealed.
 
Pol Gen Sombat dismissed a criticism that was rife in the agency’s early days: “Some officials didn’t like the DSI because they thought it overlaps other agencies. They still had an old working culture mindset. Things are better now and we cooperate very well.”
 
He also admitted that in the beginning some officers thought that they were better than other law enforcement people because they were selected to the DSI, but that situation has also been resolved.
 
Pol Gen Sombat highlighted two controversial cases currently being investigated by the DSI. First, the disappearance of human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaichit, who had defended several suspects in connection with the violence in the restive South and who went missing on March 12, 2004. The second case was the murder of environmentalist Charoen Wat-aksorn, who was gunned down on June 21, 2004 after testifying before a Senate committee about attempts by some influential people to grab public land. He was instrumental in pressuring the government to scrap plans to build the Bo Nok power plant in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
 
Pol Gen Sombat is well aware that the handling of both cases has received a great deal of attention, and criticism, from local and foreign media as well as human rights organisations.
 
“I can assure you that everyone at the DSI is doing their utmost to solve both cases,” he said.
 
The DSI was assigned to investigate the Somchai case about five months ago because it was a priority case that the police were having difficulties with.
 
“I am really trying to solve this case and I am confident that we will succeed. But a lack of evidence makes the investigation very difficult. You see, Somchai’s body has not even been found yet.”
 
As for Mr Charoen, he added, “we have arrested several people, but his wife is not quite happy and still wants us to arrest more. We have no evidence on which to do so, and this has disappointed her. We work according to the evidence, and not because of pressure from any party. We do our best but we have to follow laws, regulations and to respect human rights.”