absolutelyBangkok archive · Business & Economics
Originally published Oct. 29, 2008
The proud developing nation of Thailand eagerly tries to convey the impression that the country ranges among the more wealthy, more successful nations. A few glitter fronts and beach panoramas don’t make up though for real life. On the contrary, is Thailand losing ground?
Take the shots below provided by AFP/Getty Images — with one byline saying: “Like other countries in the region, Thailand’s economy is suffering from the global financial crisis, and domestic political turmoil has also sent the stock market tumbling since anti-government protests broke out in late May.” And shown are Bangkok shacks.
What a change of fortune. Suggested Thailand looks more like an African shantytown — and is regarded again as “poor.” Tells the byline of a Bangkok shot: “Aid to poor countries is dwindling as rich ones pump trillions of dollars into their crumbling financial systems, threatening U.N. poverty reduction goals, the founder of the U.N. Millennium Goal Campaign said.”
“A woman cleans peanuts outside her shack in Bangkok on Oct. 28, 2008″ ( source):
“People sit next to a railway track in Bangkok on Oct. 28, 2008″ ( source):
“A man cooks barbecue chicken as a train passes by shack houses in Bangkok on Oct. 28, 2008″ ( source):
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