[7kitthuptarill]

I truly feel the merchants will benefit in the long run, and as you mention Seeker take care of the true victims. Victims meaning injured and not the possiblity of damaging a P&L statement for a cafe.

You say rose-tinted,yet I mentioned how the media is covering the farang on the beach and the bodies of the children scattered through the debris both. Rose-tinted in the farang getting medical treatment, before a Thai person? As mentioned I am certain it has happened.

Too though I have seen on the news white people who lost their mates because their mate tried to save Thai women & children. I seen the help centers telephones being manned by nearly 100% non-Thai's. I think a very large portion of the outsiders who have been to the hospital's are returning the favor by extending their stays and helping friends.

Then we have the men on the beaches lol, those are quite likely the farang who stay in Thailand year round, and view themselves as above the rest, and spend their weekends in PatPong endulging.

I don't think it is as rose-tinted as you feel for this particular case. CNN interviewed two Frenchmen who saved 12 Thai lives, and spoke highly of them, after they saved the people and one got a cast on his arm, they are helping dig through the ruins in search of survivors, and carrying the dead. The US has no reason at all to speak highly of the French, it is very clear in the media and their protests that they greatly dislike the USA. It was simply unbiased news.

The biased news examples we have are in the USA where the democrats seem to have more control over the media than the republicans. Everytime someone dies in Iraq we get a big update on the news for 6-9 hours lettings us know and then it is on the headlines of the newspapers the next day. Why? Because Bush went to war! That is the only reason, it is not out of regard for human life. If it were then where are the daily tolls on the people murdered by drunk drivers from the night before nation-wide. How many drowned yesterday in the USA? You know that year round in the USA more people drown daily than soldier die in Iraq? How do you drown in January &February? Ohhh forbidden apparently they are to post how many terrorists were taken into custody or killed daily in Iraq. That number is not important it would make it appear as though we are getting to the goal.

Some things are biased, but I really don't think the media coverage has been too far farang. At least it isn't here. But you were talking about Thai media right?

There are many things large and small that silence is truly the answer. A few:

1. Your favorite cousin marries an alcoholic that has been known to smack his girlfriends. Yet you still hug her and tell her you are happy for her, all while being upset at the choice.

2. Your child has a D- on a Science paper you helped her study 2 hours for. Frustrated she wrote answers different from what she answered when she got them correct while studying, you smile and tell her good job.

3. Your wife after 3 children puts on a dress that is too tight... well you know how that ends if you are honest.

How bout bigger?

The Catholic church telling the public the real number of people they have made sign a gag order in exchange for cash, in regards to the priest and their 9 year old son.

The USA being honest with how many illegal aliens reside in this country.

The far Eastern European governments explaining exactly how many nuclear arms they have sold on the black market.

I really think it is a good idea to keep many things undiscussed. Feeling slighted by the very people who will be fixing some of your largest problems is one of them. Not for my sake, but on the larger scale, what kind of world would we be in if everyone had everything disclosed to them. A world of panic and chaos, not too mention even more segragation and rascism than we have now.