DEBUNKING THE "DANGEROUS" MYTH

Thailand is no more dangerous than any other country.That's my opinion and is based only on my own extensive experiences as a businessman in Bangkok and a resident of a suburb for well over three years. I'm sure there is data that will support this claim and I will find it.
Yesterday there were yet more examples of misleading headlines and reporting about the country, both from within the country and around the world.
The Bangkok Post's print headline (and web lead for a large part of the morning) talked about Bangkok going into lock down. That's a scary thought, if it was true. Yes - a small part of what is a massive city where the Pro-Thaksin 'red shirts' are planning to demonstrate - will be the subject of control measures to prevent violence, however that area occupies less than 1 per cent of the total area of the sprawling capital. The web story also give the impression that troops had already been deployed to three key points, and used a graphic file picture of massed troops in front of a key Bangkok landmark.
The Economist yesterday also said, in its latest story, that 'Bangkok has been brought to its knees' for several months following the April street demonstrations. Really? For me it's been business and usual and those clashes had no impact for me, and I suspect millions of others.
Words are powerful and can be dangerous.
The media has responsibilities to ensure its reports are factually accurate and correct, and not past on hype or unsubstantiated assertions.