Up to date with the news?

Living in a distant country sometimes results in alienation from one's own roots. That was even stronger a few decades ago. Those who emigrated did so for life, with perhaps a visit to the home country once or twice. That originally went by ship, later by plane. However, the trip between Asia and the Netherlands could also take a few days by DC3 or slightly later types.

Moreover, the emigrants had to save for a long time. Some relatives or acquaintances of my parents who left for America, Canada or Australia in the XNUMXs I have never or only rarely seen again.

How happy can we be with direct flights that take no more than twelve hours before we can set foot on native soil again (whether or not in the cold…). And usually also for a reasonable price, although we often complain about that. China Airlines, EVA Air (both Taiwanese) and KLM maintain a direct connection between Amsterdam and Bangkok. China Airlines and KLM daily, although the former does not always adhere to this.

Nowadays, the internet plays a clear leading role in maintaining contacts with the home front and following the news. We can e-mail, Skype or VoIP for little or nothing, while most news sites are (still?) accessible for free. We also often know the news earlier than at home, due to the time difference.

We don't need it directly from the Thai media. Not only can we hardly read them, if at all, they are also filled with a hefty portion of murder and manslaughter. BTs (Famous Thais) also figure prominently in it, with all their possessions and missteps.

In Bangkok and the surrounding area (and also in Chiang Mai) one of the two English-language daily newspapers, the Nation or the Bangkok Post, can be delivered every morning. Elsewhere in the country these newspapers come later or not at all. The newspapers differ little in the field of international news; they rely on the same news agencies. Both dailies appear seven days a week, often with attractive supplements on tourism, culture, sports or IT. Occasionally there are even articles about Cuba or Dutch football. One newspaper is more pro-government than the other, but the self-censorship of sensitive subjects is noticeable in both media. If you want to stay abreast of Thai news, you can rely on one of the two daily newspapers. Incidentally, it should be mentioned here that large facsimiles are also for sale in busy tourist resorts with reprints of Dutch newspapers of the same morning. However, they are not cheap.

We need it from the TV Thailand not to have. What a worthless mess and then also filled with advertising. The newsreels are worth watching as far as the pictures are concerned, but the advertisements are even on the sets. I won't talk about the soap operas; it's a kind of GTST (Good Thai, Bad Thai…), with a lot of murder and manslaughter. Pistols, knives and (drawing on) cigarettes are 'blocked'. Rapes and domestic violence are allowed. A reflection of the real state of affairs in Thailand?

Fortunately, CNN and BBC, as well as the necessary sports competitions, can be followed via UBC and the accompanying dish, in addition to the Thai networks and a few film channels. And even regularly the bloody ram and throw work in a cage fight. It is annoying that True Move, especially at football matches in the English Barclay league, pollutes the image with all kinds of nonsensical announcements and, of course, advertising. So that the lower part of the game is sometimes impossible to follow. Fortunately, the commentary is in English. That's a happy accident again. For that subscription to UBC I have to pay 1600+ THB monthly. I have to take for granted that I get the necessary repetitions for that price. But if friends, family or acquaintances bring some recent (opinion) weeklies with them when they come to Thailand, I am happy for the first few days afterwards.