Hugo Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 UNDIPLOMATIC NOTE British envoy puts record straight on Thai image Published by "THE NATION" on October 20, 2009 Britain's ambassador to Thailand, Quinton Quayle, has offered a contrasting view on Thai society following bold criticism by a predecessor a long time ago who criticised the Kingdom as lacking in culture. Sir Anthony Rumbold, British ambassador to Thailand from 1965 and 1967, said of Thai society: "They have no literature, no painting and only a very odd kind of music; their sculpture, ceramics and dancing are borrowed from others, and their architecture is monotonous and interior decoration hideous. "Nobody can deny that gambling and golf are the chief pleasures of the rich, and that licentiousness is the main pleasure of them all," Rumbold said. Rumbold's statement was in a personal letter to Britain's Foreign Office over four decades ago. It was kept in the UK's National Archives until disclosed recently to the BBC under Freedom of Information. Until 2006, British ambassadors retiring or moving countries traditionally sent a valedictory dispatch to London, offering candid personal assessments of the country in which they had served. In his statement issued Monday, Quayle - ambassador since 2007- said his views towards Thailand were very different from his predecessor of 42 years ago. "Ever since I was first posted to Thailand 30 years ago [as Second Secretary,Political], I have been impressed by the richness of Thai culture, be it art, sculpture, dance, music or literature." All this is embellished by the natural beauty of the landscape and the charm and warmth of the Thai people. The country for me certainly lives up to its brand name "Amazing Thailand," he said. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/read.php?newsid=30114866&keyword=Sir+Anthony+Rumbold Full file at http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/radio4/transcripts/Sir-Anthony-Rumbold.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugo Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 British envoy defends Thailand Wednesday, October 21 05:48 am AFP Britain's ambassador to Thailand has defended the Southeast Asian nation after revelations that a 1960s predecessor believed that Thais have no culture and are all driven by sex. Skip related content Related photos / videos Sir Anthony Rumbold, who served in Bangkok from 1965 to 1967, made some scathing comments ?More Enlarge photo "My own views differ from my predecessor of 42 years ago," British envoy Quinton Quayle, who speaks Thai and has served in his current post for two years, said as he praised "Amazing Thailand". "Ever since I was first posted to Thailand 30 years ago, I have been impressed by the richness of Thai culture, be it art, sculpture, dance, music or literature," Quayle said in a statement. "All this is embellished by the natural beauty of the landscape and the charm and warmth of the Thai people," he added. Thai foreign ministry spokeswoman Vimon Kidchob said the government would not react to the scathing comments of previous ambassador Sir Anthony Rumbold, which were revealed in a BBC radio programme Tuesday. "This is only his personal opinion based on his own prejudices, not an official one," Vimon said. The BBC programme revealed the assessment by Rumbold, who served in Bangkok from 1965 to 1967, delivered in a final dispatch to the foreign office in London before leaving his post. "They have no literature, no painting and only a very odd kind of music; their sculpture, ceramics and dancing are borrowed from others, and their architecture is monotonous and interior decoration hideous," Rumbold wrote. "Nobody can deny that gambling and golf are the chief pleasures of the rich, and that licentiousness is the main pleasure of them all." Rumbold added for good measure: "The general level of intelligence of the Thais is rather low, a good deal lower than ours and much lower than that of the Chinese." Until the foreign office ended the tradition in 2006, departing British ambassadors would give valedictory summaries of their host nation upon leaving the post. The missives were meant to stay confidential. But the BBC used Freedom of Information legislation to obtain brutally frank dispatches from ambassadors for its radio series "Parting Shots". Others were released under a 30-year National Archive rule. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20091021/tod-british-envoy-defends-thailand-6058bda.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandorea Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 A VERY odd kind of ambassador! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetieBabie Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 Dupe http://www.thailandfriends.com/index.php?name=DB_phpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=16093&sid=11f890601803107a37d3367fec0b9c82&&sid=11f890601803107a37d3367fec0b9c82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugo Posted October 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 Dupehttp://www.thailandfriends.com/index.php?name=DB_phpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=16093&sid=11f890601803107a37d3367fec0b9c82&&sid=11f890601803107a37d3367fec0b9c82 Poor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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