FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Dang Danang, let’s get Trump in Pattaya

Dang Danang, let’s get Trump in Pattaya

Re: “Vietnam says it wants to host Trump-Kim summit”, AseanPlus, January 10.

It is dismaying to note that, once again, the junta ruling Thailand is missing a chance to host a Trump-Kim summit. It dropped the ball by not even submitting a bid to host the first one, which went to Singapore. In terms of both profits and publicity, the island-state reaped a bonanza from that event.
Now Vietnam is edging us out by bidding to host the summit in Danang. Thailand has many venues superior to Danang. Among other advantages, we have the mountains of Chiang Mai, the beaches of Phuket and the shopping malls of Bangkok.
Best of all, we have the multifarious charms of Pattaya, with its dynamic mix of cultures and its wealth of entertainment and sporting activities, all flourishing in an idyllic setting of clear skies, pristine beaches and pellucid waters. Pattaya has attractions that would appeal especially to President Trump, who would quickly become an ardent fan, especially if he leaves Melania in Bangkok for the shopping. 
A summit anywhere in Thailand would give the junta a superb opportunity to strut its stuff upon the world stage. Significantly, it would showcase the largely unappreciated benefits of military rule. Let’s face it, folks: the civilised world has always had an irrational bias against military dictatorships. The glare of international publicity would tear aside this dark veil of bigotry and reveal to the startled world the benign results – our happy farmers, our smiling vendors, our contented Muslims in the far South, our urban commuters serenely practising meditation amid the traffic jams.
So let’s have the junta bid to hold the Trump-Kim summit in Thailand. Thus the glory that is already ours will shine even more brightly before the dazzled world.
A Juntaphile

nationthailand