Gap between rich and poor is getting bigger
The world watched the political crisis unfold in April in Bangkok. Red shirt leaders have been detained but rockets and bombs are still being used (most recently on Sunday night in Nonthaburi on an army installation site). The Abhisit Vejjajiva government is preparing to introduce a mass of populist and social-welfare measures to win voters before the next election, scheduled for next year.
The problem of poverty in rural areas in Thailand is deepening. Well-to-do families in Thailand, like most countries in the world, have every access to education, proper health services, excellent professional career opportunities. In contrast, the shortage of food and under eating in village families produces crippling problems such as physical deformity and fatigue (insufficient protein can stunt growth, retard mental development as well as affect overall health).
Many students in our program in impoversihed areas such as in Nakhon Phanom that borders Laos lack the required protein intake (approx 40 grams daily). Thai officials report 1.2 million students are malnourished (8.9 million students at about 32,100 schools in Thailand).
Northeast Thai families don’t earn sufficient income. Monsoon rains are crucial for rice every year, but the annual harvest cannot provide enough to properly feed and maintain a family for the year. Young family members must relocate to Bangkok or another major urban center to provide income.
Poverty in rural Thailand is absolutely shocking. However, Thais coming to Bangkok or Pattaya for work are mostly caught up in dreadful work environments and exploited, and remain away from their children (at home with grandparents) for around 10 months of the year.
The media reported the crisis in Bangkok. I would like to see the media report the entire situation in Thailand, from the villages and desperate poverty destroying countless lives, whilst well-to-do people continue to be provided with even more.
