The Dutch Associations in Thailand

Performance Leon van der Zanden in Bangkok

No matter which country you come from anywhere in the world, there are always Dutch people to be found. That has always been the case, but more than ever these days more and more Dutch people are swarming to all directions of the world. Of course that can be for vacation, but we are going to talk about those people who work abroad or stay there for a longer period of time or even permanently for other reasons.

As soon as a considerable number of Dutch people have settled in a city, region or country and, of course, as soon as a few from that group take the initiative to do so, a Dutch association or club will be established. Look on the internet and you will find dozens in all parts of the world.

Apparently there is a natural need for contact with compatriots in a foreign country. It is not always easy to build a new life in a foreign city with different habits, different language, etc. and contact with already experienced expats can be useful and pleasant.

Dutch association in Bangkok

That also applies to Thailand. Originally, there was only a Dutch association in Bangkok, which was founded in 1941 (!) and still enjoys a thriving existence with now almost 500 members. But more and more Dutch people have discovered Thailand, not only settling in Bangkok, but also elsewhere in the country with concentrations in Hua Hin/Cha-am, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and further across the country.

The Dutch Pattaya Association was founded in 2004; she now has nearly 200 members. Hua Hin/Cha-Am followed in 2008 and now has about 130 members. There was also a Dutch club in Chiang Mai, but it has since died out, but who knows, it may be revived there again. I also know of a rumor that Khon Kaen is also interested in a Dutch association.

That seems to be a fragmentation of one possibly strong Dutch association in Thailand, but then we have to take a look at the composition of the membership and the activities developed. The members of “Bangkok” are mainly (short-stay) expats, who work for Dutch or international companies or in education. The file in the two other associations mainly consists of long-stay expats, say pensioners, supplemented by mostly self-employed entrepreneurs.

All three have a monthly “drinks evening” and a regular “coffee meeting”, where members and new members come into contact with each other while enjoying a snack and a drink. In addition, other activities are organized locally, including Dutch holidays such as King's Day, Sinterklaas and Christmas. The distance between the three cities mentioned is quite large, so it should not be expected that members of one association will visit the other for, for example, the celebration of Sinterklaas.

Pattaya very active

All three associations have a website, where all details are stated, how to become a member, the contribution fee, the regulations, contact addresses, and a Newsletter contains members' stories and planned activities are announced. I will not mention those activities here, but it is remarkable that “Pattaya” is very active with bridge evenings, computer lessons, reading club, dining club, etc.

Of course, the pensioners simply have more time than the working Dutchman in Bangkok, but it is nice that as a Dutchman you maintain nice contacts with compatriots in this way. The websites do mention the link to each other, but the copying of certain announcements, which may also be of interest to Dutch people elsewhere than in their own city, does not happen.

Nevertheless, it would deserve more attention to cooperate with each other and I am referring in particular to the fact that one or the other association succeeds in doing something “cultural” with sometimes cooperation from the Netherlands. For example, I am thinking of the visit of the Dutch national team (sorry, that is not really cultural, but still!), the dance group Blaze, the Beets Brothers, the Swing Fever Band, etc. That apparent lack of cooperation is actually the direct reason for me to make this post.

Queen's Day Dutch Association Pattaya

 Performance Leon van der Zanden

I was struck by it when I attended a performance by the Dutch comedian Leon van der Zanden in Bangkok at the beginning of this month. It is true that he is not well known, but look at his website and you will see that he performs a lot in the Netherlands with great success. The performance was organized by “Bangkok” during a “normal” drinks evening. Leon flew to Thailand with his light and sound technician for this one-off evening.

Of course that is not a cheap joke, but fortunately the chairman said in his introduction that it was not too bad, because there were enough sponsors. KLM, Hotel Anantara, Biking in Bangkok and Heineken were kind enough to cover most of the costs. The evening was well organized with a snack and a drink before and after the performance there was still room for the leftovers of the drink and the food (bitterballen, sausages and fries). Tribute to the Dutch Association in Bangkok.

What I wondered and what actually surprised me was that Leon van der Zanden did not perform in Pattaya or Hua Hin. Apparently there is no or at least little mutual consultation about each other's activities and that is a pity. Even an announcement of Leon's performance in Bangkok was missing from Pattaya and Hua Hin. I knew about the performance because I happen to know Leon personally. I initially asked him if he wanted to perform only once, but that was not the case. If they had arranged it, he would have been happy to give a performance in the other two cities.

It was high time to get to know the three associations and I sent an E-mail to the chairmen with the request to go into more detail about my alleged lack of cooperation. All three were kind enough to provide explanations, which – in short – amount to this:

Han Rademaker (Bangkok): “In a number of conversations with the chairmen of the other associations, I tried to organize some kind of cooperation, but unfortunately we did not succeed and I have therefore discontinued those attempts.”

Mar van der Marel (Hua Hin/Cha-am): “I have been working for three years to achieve more cooperation with the other Dutch associations in Thailand. I started with Bangkok because I want to set realistic goals and Bangkok is geographically closer to Hua Hin/Cha-am than Pattaya, which would make regular conversations easier. Closer cooperation also meant that the Dutch associations would be a more interesting discussion partner for sponsors.

Last year a new board for the Dutch Association came to Bangkok. Of course I brought up the collaboration again. They seemed interested, but rightly put “putting their own house in order” as their first priority. Nevertheless, together with “Pattaya” there have been a number of conversations.

With regard to the performance of Leon van de Zanden, I can also report that on August 14, I sent an e-mail to the chairman of the Dutch Association in Bangkok asking if we could still order tickets… Unfortunately, no response was received . The Dutch associations Bangkok, Pattaya and Hua Hin/Cha-am do keep each other informed of their respective activities, but there is – unfortunately – no question of real cooperation”.

Hub van Zanten (Pattaya): “After a turbulent time last year with numerous administrative problems, the association has entered calmer waters since 1 January with a new board. After a usual quiet period in the summer months, we are now preparing for the coming season and next Lustrum year.

Our website has now been given a new look and we have a Facebook account. At the administrative level, we are still looking for an official who wants to do 'Public Relations'. It is becoming increasingly clear that there is a need for more professionalism in our communication to members via mailings, the website, Facebook and beyond to the press, to advertisers, sponsors and other authorities. The lack of this function within the board is partly the reason that we have not paid any attention to the presentation of Leon van der Zanden. Otherwise it would have been mentioned on our website and/or Magazine, which is the intention in itself.

Regarding the cooperation of our associations. That is and remains difficult, not because we would like it or not, but it turns out to be difficult in practice. My experience is that the members and board members of “Bangkok” are very different from those in “Pattaya” or “Hua Hin/Cha-am”. In Bangkok mostly expatriates with families or single businessmen. The sponsors of “Bangkok” are themselves members of the association and see each other at business drinks at the Embassy and at the NTCC (Netherlands Thai Chamber of Commerce).

The associations in Pattaya and Hua Hin/Cha-am, on the other hand, are much more similar. Our membership base is very varied in composition and background, many retirees with a much lower average income level.  

The chairmen do see each other every now and then, but regular board changes make it difficult to build a consistent form of consultation. In addition, the chairmen are supposed to represent the interests of their own members, while those members have nothing to do with members of the other associations. In short, the differences and literally distances are too great for close cooperation.”

Partnerships

Management problems, distance, difference in membership and self-interest are just about the keywords that stand in the way of good cooperation. I do understand that, as long as it concerns local activities. For larger events, which are organized by one of the associations and where sponsorship is indispensable, I recommend closer cooperation. It is in the interest of everyone, the members and the sponsors, that a performance by, for example, a Dutch artist takes place in all three places and perhaps elsewhere in Thailand.

Proposal

We will see if this article somehow contributes to more consultation with each other. To demonstrate this, I have a proposal for the three presidents. The annual report of "Hua Hin/Cha-am" mentions Karin Bloemen, who wants to perform in Pattaya in December, provided that this is arranged and sufficient sponsors are found. Chairmen, put your heads together and jointly arrange for Karin to perform with a dazzling show not only in Pattaya, but also in Hua Hin and Bangkok.