Corruption Thailand

Dear Readers,

Every week I read about the problem of English Language skills in Thailand. The difficulty of finding qualified English Language teachers, the lack of up to date teaching materials, the scarcity of properly thought out curriculums.

Whilst on a short break we visited Koh Sukorn a small (8klms by 5 klms) island in the Andaman sea off the Trang coast. The island’s population is about 95% Muslim 5% Buddhist. The people on the Island are desperately trying to develop tourism but what is really holding them back is the lack of English language skills. We spent about 3 months on the island in 2007 and got to know a lot of people. Eventually we took the plunge and decided we would like to live on the island and teach English. We found the ideal site for a school. It was originally a small resort (5 bungalows and a restaurant). We renovated one of the bungalows and set about converting the restaurant into an English Language School. By April last year we had nearly a hundred students ranging from 3 years old to 70. We were teaching about 30 hours a week each. A friend from the UK had given us money to buy 20 desk chairs for the school. Another friend has promised to donate text books. We were getting offers from teachers to come and teach for free.

Now it all goes wrong. The scourge of Thailand raises its ugly head. The scourge I’m talking about is corruption. We are seen by certain people as an easy targets for extortion. We are viewed as rich, and possibly stupid, farangs. The demands for money increase, then come the threats of violence.

We are now back in Chiang Mai where we have lived for the past 5 years. The school has been closed. We now have time to reflect on our situation. We invested about 4 million baht of our own money in this venture. We have worked hundreds of hours for no return. The people on Koh Sukorn who wanted to learn English to improve their lot have lost the opportunity of free language lessons, free text books and a supply of Native English speaking teachers.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do next?

David Wenman
Chiang Mai