9 replies to this topic

[scubaseven]

Here is a link to a photo taken on the 6th floor of the MBK building in Bangkok.

http://www.facebook....8...044

marketing@mbk-center.co.th

I hope you take the time to send them an email.
cheers

7

[Drew]

Actually , MBK is just pro-tenant. It's a pretty big ask to complain to the owner of the building about what one of their tenants are selling and hope they evict them. If that worked, Apple, Microsoft and other manufacturers would've shut down MBK long ago.
Thailand is particularly pro-shark fin, like most of the Asian countries because it's a big industry and the wrong people are in charge. It would take a CITES III listing to protect sharks on a wider scale, but as usually those judging what is a "sustainable" population are dumb politicians who have no idea.

[Drone415]

Actually , MBK is just pro-tenant. It's a pretty big ask to complain to the owner of the building about what one of their tenants are selling and hope they evict them. If that worked, Apple, Microsoft and other manufacturers would've shut down MBK long ago.
Thailand is particularly pro-shark fin, like most of the Asian countries because it's a big industry and the wrong people are in charge. It would take a CITES III listing to protect sharks on a wider scale, but as usually those judging what is a "sustainable" population are dumb politicians who have no idea.

Thats very true... I'd love to see an end to shark fining businesses here but there are literally thousands of places to get them as well. We're definitely in the minority here...

[scubaseven]

Actually , MBK is just pro-tenant. It's a pretty big ask to complain to the owner of the building about what one of their tenants are selling and hope they evict them.

If you have that attitude then why bother with anything?
I am 100% sure that the world is over populated and nothing we do will make things better.
Should I stop caring?

I guess I should as the "experts" have spoken.
Nice knowing you all (sarcasm in case you didnt realize).

[Drone415]

If you have that attitude then why bother with anything?
I am 100% sure that the world is over populated and nothing we do will make things better.
Should I stop caring?

I guess I should as the "experts" have spoken.
Nice knowing you all (sarcasm in case you didnt realize).

Its not that I think we shouldn't do anything at all, I believe that any "advice," protests, or concerns that come from foreigners (outside of large business interests) fall on deaf ears here. A couple of foreigners (who don't eat shark fins anyway) emailing a business and telling them to stop is just going to the trash bin.

There's probably a better way to address the problem, maybe by getting Thai's interested? At the end of the day lots of Thai people see us just transients or tourists, and believe we don't have the right to have any say in Thai society.

So, another game plan?

[Drew]

If you have that attitude then why bother with anything?
I am 100% sure that the world is over populated and nothing we do will make things better.
Should I stop caring?

I guess I should as the "experts" have spoken.
Nice knowing you all (sarcasm in case you didnt realize).

What I said is factual and it comes from having lived in Thailand and having done some conservation work there. Organizations like Wild Aid have run campaigns against shark finning and have had small impact on the Thai mentality. Perhaps that's where the support should go.
Conservation work seems to have split into 2 groups, the ones which garner the attention because it allows for boisterous support that allow activist gratification from the arm chair, and the actual work done by organizations and scientists which do all the grunt work in actually doing something.
It's very sad to say that Wetpixel is also a pretty dismal place for conservation. Take a look at the EU shark fin ban thread. 1300 views by probably fewer than 400 people, when there are at least 1600 EU members on the board. D7000 thread gets 9000 views. Paul Watson gets shot, 10000 views... legislation that can restrict 1/3 of shark fin supply, 370 views.
Perhaps it's reflective of how the world works, but the grind continues. I just prefer to work on angles that are actually effective is making a difference. Once there is a general concern among the Thai people about shark fin, then working on corporations which need the masses to survive will work. Look at Disney in HK. In the 80s, nobody would give a crap about it, now in HK there is a loud vocal group against shark fin soup.

[stewsmith]

(sarcasm in case you didnt realize).

There are certain individuals on here that do not get sarcasm

Stew

[xariatay]

Have asked a Thai diving friend for her opinion on this & her initial thought was that it (writing to the MBK mgmt) wouldn't work...
However, to keep quiet knowing that something is wrong is also not my style & I like shooting emails from my armchair... So, how about writing to the Tourism Authority of Thailand? TAT

[Drew]

Xaria, a more effective action would be for you to ask all your EU friends to write in in support of this initiative:

http://wetpixel.com/...showtopic=39053

That legislation can cut shark supply by at least 20% and definitely much more worthwhile than working on MBK to evict a tenant.

[xariatay]

Ok, to curb the supply side, will post this on the FB... EU Consultation
The one for Thailand is to curb the demand...
Multi-prone, no?