Learning English via news paper

8/18/2019 Learning English via news paper

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Since our newspaper is published inThailand where

English is not thefirst language, muchof our work naturally

involves Englishlanguage

improvement. To findout what this can

m ean for you, clickhere .

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Tips o n reading the Bangkok Post

The Bangkok Po st is an English-language newspaper.Although it is publ ished in Bangkok, Thailand, its style andcont ent are very si milar to that of quality English-languagenews papers around th e world. Like most newspapers, the

Bangkok Post is very consistent. You will find the same

styles of writing and the same basic subject matter dayafter day, month after month. That is a big reason whyyou can learn to read and understand the Bangkok Post much faster than most other kinds of English-languagereading material. We hope the information and activitiesfound at our web site will get you off to a fast start!

Before you begin this section, you should realise that the Bangkok Post is written for a very large audience withmany different interests. We try to include stories and columns for almosteveryone and we expect our readers to select only what interests them. We don'texpect them to read the whole newspaper. So be selective.

Reading tips

The basic news storyThe news story styleCommon themes

Reading fe aturesOpinion writingLetters to the Editor Weather reportsMovie reviewsAdvice columnsDealing with unfamiliar vocabulary

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Something happened One reason news stories in the

Bangkok Post are easier tounderstand than most other kinds of reading material is that they almostalways tell basically the same story.Our news stories are essentially

“something happened” stories. Thereare a few variations, of course, butnot that many. This list covers most of them:

Something happened.Something is happening.Something is going to/is

expected to/might happen.Someone said somethinghappened.Someone said something ishappening.Someone said something is going to happen, etc .Someone said something should happen.Someone said something should not have happened.

Look at some news stories in the Bangkok Post (or your local newspaper) andtry this idea out. You can usually tell what kind of a story it is just by reading theheadline and the lead (first one or two paragraphs).

Not in chronological order

News stories seldom describe events in the order in which they happened(chronological order ). News writers know their readers have limited time andthey want the latest or most significant developments (the news) first. Thus, newsstories are the direct opposite of fairy tales. Compare, for example, the opening of

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a typical children's story with how the Bangkok Post might tell the same story.

A big advantage with the news story is that you don’t have to read very much of itto find out what it is about. Thus, you can decide very quickly if you want to readit.

At least three chances to understand

There is still another reason why news stories are easy to understand. Most newstories have three distinct sections: the headline, lead and body. Since each of these sections repeat or expand upon the story's main points, you get at least threechances to understand them. And each of the three sections has its own style andcontent. For much more on this, see The style of the news story .

For practice in reading and learning vocabulary from up-to-date news stories go to our weekly What's news column.

[ Read the Bangkok Post Internet version | Site map | Our home page ]

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5/6/13 The style of a news story (NiE)

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The style of the news story

You get at least three chances to understand most news stories.

Most news stories have a

very clear style. They givethe main points at the top inthe headline and the lead

paragraph(s). The body of the story then adds details,statements and commentsfrom people involved in thestory, plus any backgroundthe writer feels is necessary.This means you get at leastthree chances to understandthe main points of the story.We say “at least” becausesome stories haveaccompanying pictures and captions (text explaining the pictures) as well.

Each of the three main parts of the news story (the headline, lead and body) hasits own distinctive style and content. For a detailed look at each, see the following:

The he adlineThe leadThe bodyTaking full advantage of the news style


Comments to Terry F. at [email protected]© The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd.

All rights reserved 2000 Last modified: March 23, 2000

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5/6/13 Reading news story headli nes and vocabular y building for EFL ESL lear ner s and teachers (NiE)

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The headline

Two types

There are two types of headlines. Most news stories in the Bangkok Post usesentence headlines although they may be shortened by omitting certain words asyou will see later. Many feature stories and some very short news stories use

phrase headlines or titles which leave out the verb. Here are some examples of both:

Sentenceheadlines

Police rescue 12 divers as launch sinks off Phi Phi Pen manufacturers still see good future for luxury pens

Phraseheadlines

Getting in touch with the spirits Heroism and cowardice at the “Top of the World” Reward for tracing suspect

The grammar of sentence headlines

Almost all sentence headlines in the Bangkok Post use the present tense—despitethe fact that they generally describe past events. The present tense gives thesubject a sense of freshness and immediacy, making it more interesting to read.

Headlines pack a great deal of information into a limited space, so it is notsurprising that Bangkok Post headline writers use several methods to conservespace. One obvio us examp le is to use abbreviat ions (“PM ” for “P rime Minister”,etc. ). But they also use a special grammar, omitting articles (“a” and “the”) and theverb “to be” wherever possible.

Cooperation agreement signed ( A cooperation agreement is signed)

Australian ex-judge sworn in to represent UK queen( An Australian ex-judge is sworn in to represent the United Kingdom queen)

Be sure to notice that the omission of the verb “to be” can make the headlineappear to be in the past tense when it is actually present tense, passive voice.

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Headline vocabulary

Another way to conserve space in headlines is touse short words instead of long ones. In theexample below notice the various ways theheadline writer can shorten the headline “MPcriticises dishonest election plan” .

The Bangkok Post uses about one hundredeasily-learned short words in its news headlines.Here are a few of the most common.

probe investigate, investigationgraft corruptionbid attempt, offer row quarrel or disagreement

The opening paragraph of the news story is known as the lead. It, too, has adistinctive style. Click for a detailed look at The lead .



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5/6/13 Reading news story leads for EFL ESL learners and teachers (NiE)

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The news lead

Finding out what happened

The lead refers to the first (and occasionally the second) paragraph of a newsstory. In the Bangkok Post , the lead is usually one information-packed sentencewhich expands on the story’s main point as introduced in the headline. As wementioned earlier, news stories are basically variations of “something happened”.The lead will usually tell you what the “something happened” is. That information isgenerally found in the subject and the main verb of the lead sentence, so a littleknowledge of the grammar of the lead can be very useful.

The grammar of the lead

We will focus on single-sentence leads because they are by far the most common.The majority of the leads in the Bangkok Post are simple subject-verb-objectsentences with the subject and the main verb appearing together at or near the

beginning of the sentence. The problem for the reader usually begins when thesubject and the main verb are either delayed or separated from each other. Noticehow the following lead becomes more complicated as the writer adds information:

Thousands of Thai students are learning to read the Bangkok Post.

Thousands of Thai students , most of whom attend some of the country’sbest-know n schools, are learning to read th e Bangkok Post.

In an innovative programme sponsored by the Post Publishing PublicCompany Limited, thousands of Thai students , most of whom attend

some of the country’s best-known schools, are learning to read the Bangkok Post.

To understand each of the above, you must be able to find the subject and mainverb. The above examples illustrate three of the most common positions for thesekey elements. In the first, the subject and verb are together at the beginning of thesentence. In the second, the subject and verb are separated. In the third, thesentence opens with an introductory phrase, delaying the appearance of thesubject and verb. In the Bangkok Post , introductory phrases are not commonexcept when the story is an especially important one—like the ending of a war.

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A common misunderstanding(a real-life example)

One of the reasons people sometimes misunderstand the lead is that they find thewrong subject or, more commonly, the wrong main verb. This is especially truewhen the subject and verb is separated by a phrase or clause. Here is an amusing

and true example:

One day a Thai student came to me. She was having trouble understanding thefollowing sentence:

A woman said to be despondent over her husband’s heavy drink ing jumped into a canal Friday night with her three children.

To me the sentence was totally clear, so I asked her to translate it into Thai to findout how she understood it. Here is her translation:

A woman confessed that she and her three children pushed her husband intoa canal Friday night because he was a heavy drinker.

How was that possible? Look at the first three words: A woman said . That wasthe source of her problem. She thought the main verb was “said” instead of “jumped”. One reason she made this mistake was because the writer omitted whowas from the sentence. The long form would have begun: “A woman who wassaid (by a witness) to be despondent...” This is a common technique in newswriting so watch for it.

Adding the source

One of the most common variations of the“something happened” story is the “someonesaid something happened” story. In this case thelead sentence will usually include the source (the

person who gave the information). If the sourceis very well known and important, it will come atthe beginning of the sentence:

The head of the US military, General John Shalikashvil , said Thursday that China,despite its military might, would fail if it tried to invade Taiwan.

More often, however, the source will come atthe end:

A Thai family who were sent the wrong bodywhen a relative died in Singapore, has ended a month-long standoff byagreeing to return the body in exchange for US$6,000 in damages, the Thai

Embassy said yesterday.

To find out about the last part of the news story, go to: The body .

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5/6/13 The body of a newspaper story; for EFL ESL learners and teachers (NiE)

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The news bodyThe headline and the lead tell you the main ideas of thenews story, but they do so in a very shortened form.They give you enough information, however, to allowyou to make an important decision. They allow you todecide whether you want to read the story or to skip it and move on to another more interesting story.

If you decide to continue reading

The body of the story is where you find detailed information. Basically, the bodywill give you three kinds of information: details, comments from people involved inthe story, and background information to help you understand the story moredeeply. The following short story has all of these elements.

Headline Earthquake jolts Japan capital

Dateline Tokyo, Reuters

Lead A SLIGHT earthquake jolted theJapanese capital last night but authoritiessaid there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

State ment A spokes man for th e Japanmeteorological agency said: “An earthtremor was registered in Tokyo but thereare nor reports of casualties or damage.”

Details The earth tremor struck shortly after midnight Tokyo time—just after midnightBangkok midnight Bangkok time.

Background Residents of central Tokyo said thetremor was the strongest for severalmonths in the capital.

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Answering yourquestions

The headline and lead usuallyraise more questions than theyanswer. You generally find outwhat happened and one or two

prominent details, but if you areinterested in the subject you willwant to know much more,questions such as: when? where?why? how? what effects? whatsignificance? That is the functionof the body of the story.

If you have completed each of the three main sections of the news story, youmight want to go to the next section: Taking full advantage of the news style .





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Taking full advantageof the news style

Watch for synonyms

News stories in the Bangkok Post are designed to be understood quickly and

easily by ordinary readers without expert knowledge of the subject matter. Themain topics are introduced at the beginning and expanded upon as the storydevelops. This means you get several chances to understand the main ideas. Thisis especially useful for understanding unfamiliar vocabulary. For example, writerswill often use a synonym (word with the same or similar meaning) to avoidsounding repetitious. If you know one of the two words, you can understand them

both—without a dictionary.

Irate Canadians question lack of information

Ottawa (AFP)— ANGRY Canadians were askingWednesday why they were not informed of a seriousincident in which 11 Canadian peacekeepers in Bosnia-Hercegovina were reportedly put in front of a mock firing squad.

Watch for explanations

Newswriters realise that they are writing for ordinary people. For this reason, theyoften explain technical vocabulary or technical concepts. This may be done in a

phrase immediately following the technical word, or it may take the form of acomplete sentence of explanation.

Brain diseases kills 325

NEW DELHI (Reuter)—An encephalitis outbreak

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has claimed 325 lives in the past month, a State HealthDepartment spokesman said yesterday. Encephalitis, aviral brain disease spread by mosquitoes , killed 325

people in India last year, according to official statistics.

Watch for examples and elaboration

You can often understand an unfamiliar word or concept even if the writer doesnot provide you with a synonym or explanation. As the story develops and thewriter adds details, you have a good chance of finding one or more specificexamples of the unfamiliar concept. In the story below, for example, notice howyou eventually find several specific examples of delinquency . Even if you onlyunderstand one of the examples, you can still get a good idea of the concept of delinquency. And you can also figure out that juvenile delinquency must besomething carried out by young people.

S'pore worries over delinquency

Singapore (AP)—RISING juvenile delinquency isalarming authorities in Singapore, a super-efficient city-nation often lauded as a model society.

According to the latest police figures, the number of juvenile delinquents reached a record high of 1,892 in1993, a 28-per cent rise over 1992 figures, CommunityDevelopment Minister Ch’ng Jit Koon said onSaturday. These statistics are of concern to all of us.We need to understand why juveniles turned to crimesin order to check this disturbing trend, said Ch’ng

The 384 members of the government-sponsored groupsupplement the Community Probation Service, whichcounsels juvenile delinquents usually caught shoplifting and vandalising cars , or for more serious crimes like

stealing motorcycles . Parental neglect could be one of the reasons for the rise in juvenile delinquency, Ch’ngsaid. Quoting studies, he also blamed poor academic

performance and peer pressure. Of the 1,787youngsters placed on probation between 1989 and1993, 50 per cent were school dropouts.


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Have a questioning attitude

Once good readers understand what thesubject they are reading about is from theheadline and lead, they automatically formquestions in their minds. And because of thenature of news stories, they can expect their questions to be answered in the body of thestory. This may not be automatic for you atfirst, so you may want to spend a momentand form your own questions. This gives youa purpose and it makes even the mostdifficult story easier to read.

Return to Reading tips or read our pages onBuilding your vocabulary .




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Winner of

PANPA Award for Excellence

Common news storiesThe news remains much the same year after year. The people and places in thenews may change rapidly, but the events that we consider to be newsworthy donot. Wars, strikes, scientific discoveries, elections, natural disasters, tradeagreements, the deaths of world leaders — all these events and many more willfind their way onto the pages of the Bangkok Post no matter what year it may be.And because the Bangkok Post is so consistent in content, you can learn to read

it relatively quickly.

In this section, we will help you with several of the most common topics found inthe Bangkok Post . We can do this because each topic has certain consistencies.It is likely to have a set of frequently-used vocabulary, for example. Thus, youcould expect to see words like flames , gut , and char in a fire story andcandidate , poll , and ballot in a story about an election. Most stories typicallyfollow familiar sequences of events. A crime story might go something like this:crime, arrest, trial, verdict (decison) and sentencing (announcement of

punishment). And it will take place in familiar settings (the crime scene, a policestation, a courtroom, a prison, etc. ) and will involve people playing familiar roles(defendants, defence attorneys, prosecutors, judges, etc. ).

In this section we have detailed examples of three common topics found in the Bangkok Post : storms, the environment and disputes. But spread throughout thesite are many more examples from our Improving Your English with the

Bangkok Post programme.

Let’s take one of the clearest examples of a topic with consistent content: a storm.

Since we work in Thailand , let’s focus on a trop ical storm —like T ropical StormGay which hit the southern coast several years ago. Tropical storms generallyfollow a sequence similar to many other types of storms. Below we will follow thissequence and use some of the vocabulary most likely to be found in each stage of the sequence:

A tropical storm

Storm warnings Thanks to modern science, meteorologists are now usuallyable to predict tropical storms early enough so that people in the storm's

path can be warned in advance. If it look s like the storm could be a seriousone, people can take precautions like boarding up their houses or evacuating low-lying coastal areas.

The storm hits Severe tropica l storms plough through the countryside,

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the many future stories on this subject that are bound to occur.

Here are two other common subjects in the news: disputes and therelated topics and vocabulary; the vocabulary and topics concerning theenvironment .




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5/6/13 News stories about disputes for EFL ESL learners and teachers using a newspaper (NiE)

www.bangkokpost.com/education/dispute.htm 1/5

Winner

of PANPA


DisputesIf you think about it, a large percentageof news s tories involve disputes of some kind. Strikes, nasty divorces,

protests, and wars are all forms of disputes. Since they can be dramaticand affect large numbers of people,

such stories appear in the newspaper virtually every day. All disputes have

basic similarities and this makes it easyto form a plan for reading about them.Below are some of the factors youshould consider in reading a story abouta dispute.

At least two sides and one grievance

Disputes have at least two opposing sides and at least one grievance . Thus, tounderstand a dispute you must find the information which identifies the opposingsides and explains why they are in disagreement.

A recognis able sequence

Disputes begin with a grievance and usually move through a number of stages before reaching a resolution . If the process is peaceful, the adversaries rely heavily

on dis cussions an d negotiat ions to gain an agree ment. The y may e ven bring inoutsiders to mediate . If necessary they may use the courts—or perhaps even anelection. Particularly bitter disputes, however, can result in violence. Disputes can

be resolved through compromises or they can favour one side over another. In themost extreme cases, one of the adversaries may suffer total defeat, evendestruction.

In reading a story about a dispute, think about what stage it has reached, i.e. ,what has happened thus far, and what is likely to happen next. What attemptshave been or are being made to reach a settlement? Will the opposing sides beable to reach an agreement by themselves or will it be necessary to bring inoutside mediators or perhaps leave it to a court to decide?

Pressure tactics

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Adversaries try to gain advantages in even the most peaceful disputes. They dothis in many ways, but most disputes reported in the Bangkok Post involve sometype of pressure. Individuals or groups may threaten demonstrations , boycotts ,legal action, strikes or even violence. And if they don’t succeed in winning their demands, they are quite likely to carry out these threats. Their opponents maymake counter-threats of their own and they, too, have a whole set of tacticsavailable. Companies faced with a strike, for example, may lock out their

employees. Governments may jail protesters and, in extreme cases, countries maytake up arms against a disagreeable neighbouring country. All this, of course,makes news.

When you read about a dispute, consider the tactics used by each side. Alsoconsider which side seems to have the stronger position. In a strike, for example,consider how long each side is likely to be able to continue without sufferingsevere damage. Which side seems to have the most public support? Or if thecourts become involved, which side seems to have the stronger case?

A look at a real dispute

Below is a story from the Bangkok Post which deals with a long-standing disputewhich eventually reached all the way to the Prime Minister's office in Bangkok. Asyou read, try to determine the opposing sides, the grievance which has caused thedispute, and the demands which have been made. Consider also what attemptshave been made to resolve the dispute and what additional steps might be taken.The story is in the news because of the pressure tactics being used. What tactics

are both sides using to strengthen their positions?

Villagers bring toxic waste protest to city

RAYONGvillagers opposedto a toxic wastedump have joined

the 10,000-strong protest atGovernment

House.

Led by the Rayong Conservation Group, the Pluak Daengvillagers vowed to stay until their demand that the landfill site

be moved is met. Group representatives will meet IndustryMinister Chaiwat Sinsuwong today to convince him the

Tambon Tasit site is not appropriate as it is too close to water sources.

The 1,036-rai former pineapple plantation is 300m from KlongRa-woeng and 500m from Klong Tai Sun, both of which feed

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Nong Pla Laireservoir , sevenkm away. Fearsamong villagersthat toxins willseep into thereservoir, which

supplies Rayongand Chon Buri,have beenreaffirmed by a

Greenpeace report detailing leaks from landfill sites in theUnited States managed by Waste Management International(WMI).

According to Greenpeace USA’s 1991 report “WasteManagement Inc, An Encyclopedia of Environmental Crimesand Other Misdeeds”, at least 14 hazardous waste landfills in

North America have been reported by the US EnvironmentalProtection Agency to have leaked extremely toxic chemicalsinto surrounding areas and underground water sources.

WMI is engineering consultant to General EnvironmentConservation Co., Ltd (GENCO), which with the IndustryMinistry as a joint venture partner, is to build and operate thePluak Daeng site.

GENCO’s initial plan to build an industrial waste treatmentcomplex and landfill site in Pluak Daeng ran into stiff oppositionfrom villagers. Early this year, after a public hearing, theIndustry Ministry moved the treatment plant to Mab Ta Phudindustrial estate, but not the landfill site. Puangsan Xumsai NaAyudhaya, GENCO’s president and chief executive, said itstreatment technology and the chosen site are technicallyappropriate and will pose no environmental threat.

Efforts would be made to convince the villagers to abandontheir protest, said Mr Puangsan, welcoming suggestions thatconstruction and operations be monitored by GENCOexecutives, protest leaders and neutral parties. Officials fromthe Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand and the IndustrialWorks Department will be invited to promote understandingamong villagers and other opponents.

Other GENCO executives, however, have implied some

opponents have ulterior motives . GENCO adviser NattasinChongsanguan said they included people involved in illegalcollection and disposal of industrial waste and small factorieswhich do not meet disposal requirements. “If our facilities go

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ahead, many factories will use them, depriving illegal dumpingoperations of business,” he said. He also accused land brokersof opposing the plan because they lost out in GENCO's land

purchase. “We bought land direct from villagers in TambonTasit, which was a disappointment to them,” he said.

Protest leaders dismissed his allegations as an attempt to

discredit opponents. A conservation group leader said:“GENCO lies. Opponents to its project are ordinary villagersafraid of toxic leaks,” he said.

Villagers will escalate their protest if GENCO insists on thePluak Daeng site. “It will face an even tougher protest and itmay end up like the tantalum factory in Phuket,” he said,referring to the plant burned down by protesters several yearsago.

Let’s think about it

Thinking about the above story in an organised way makes it easier to understandand more interesting as well. In this case, the main opposing sides are clearlystated. On one side are the protesters: villagers from the Thai province of Rayongled by the Rayong Conservation Group. On the other side are the Ministry of

Industry, GENCO, and their consultants, WMI. But there may be more parties aswell. If GENCO executives can be believed, the protesters may include somedishonest elements. That is something we would want to watch for in futurestories.

The protesters’ grievance concerns the proposed establishment of a toxic landfillin their area. They claim this would be extremely unsafe and they have demandedthat it not be set up. The demonstration in front of the Government House—a

pressure tactic—is the latest measure they have taken to prevent the landfill from being built. Their next step is to try to convince the Minister of Industry to stop the project. At this stage, the dispute is still a peaceful one and the subject of negotiations. Notice that previous negotiations were partially successful in that they

prevented a waste treatment facility from being established in the same area. Butthe protesters have also made threats to escalate their protest if their demand isnot met, and that may mean violence.

The other side is employing their own tactics. They have rejected claims that the project is unsafe and they have offered to include the villagers in monitoring itssafety. But they also appear to be using less honorable tactics in trying to discredit

their opponents' motives.

With this as background, the story will be even easier to understand as it developsover the next few days and weeks. Here are some of the things we might want towatch for: What will be the Industry Minister's response to the protesters? If he

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decides the project must go forward, what will happen? Will a compromiseeventually be reached? Will the protesters be able to increase their pressure,

perhaps by bringing in outside groups? Is violence a real possibility? Regular readers come to stories with such questions in mind and that is one reason theyquickly become good readers as well.

Return to the Common stories page to look at other types of news.





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5/6/13 Reading and vocabular y bui lding for EFL ESL lear ners and teacher s using a newspaper ( NiE)

www.bangkokpost.com/education/environ.htm 1/6

Winner

of PANPA


The Environment

With a country like Thailand, where the material benefitsof economic development are quite new, you mightexpect that sav ing the environment would not be a major issue. As you will see, that is not so. Stories involvingenvironmental issues appear daily in the Bangkok Post ,and Thai people clearly want their precious natural

resources to be preserved. Here are some things youshould watch for in reading stories which involveenvironmental conservation:

Environmental issues involve trade-offs Thailand hashad one of the world's fastest-growing economies for the

past ten years. While people have welcomed theincrease in the standard of living this has brought, theyhave also become increasingly worried about the damage that has been done tothe environment. But saving the environment usually requires difficult trade-offs.Saving a forest for example, may mean the sacrifice of a dam which could controlfloods and provide water for irrigation and cheap electricity generation. Thisconflict between economic development and environmental preservation is behindmany of the stories that appear in the Bangkok Post . Here is a very obviousexample:

Dust menace to worsen at city's pollution

bla ckspot

AIR quality around the Suphan Kwai area, the poorestin the city, will worsen this year due mainly to theelevated train project, said a senior environmentofficial. Dr Supat Wangwonwatana said constructionof a station in an already over-developed area wouldserve to trap even more dust and other pollutants.

Suphan Kwai earned the reputation of the dustiestarea in Bangkok after the department released its air quality report in Bangkok last year. In 1994, the dustlevel registered a 24-hour average reading of 340microgrammes per cubic metre of air. Last year, it

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went up to 1,710 microgrammes.

Thus, there are environmental and health trade-offs even with a project intendedto solve Bangkok’s worst pollution problem of all: its traffic jams. In reading anenvironmental story, therefore, always evaluate what is gained and what is lost.

Economic development often causes some environmental destruction. Butconservation measures can also hinder economic development. The choices between them are often extremely difficult.

Environmental stories can be complicated This does not mean they aredifficult to understand, but it means that they often involve many factors. The story

below is a good example. It involves one of Thailand's most serious concerns, therapid destruction of its forests.

Villagers seek end to forest reserve

VILLAGERS fromTambon WiengMok in the Therndistrict want theGovernment torevoke the status of

Mae Chang National Park,claiming they havelived in the forest for generations andshould be given landrights. They say theycan do a better jobthan state officials in

protecting the forest because they need it for their livelihood.

According to Phuyaiban Luang Sriwichai, thegovernment in 1975 declared it a national park including a forest overlapping their farm land. He saidThern and Mae Prik districts always suffered the mostfrom drought in the province as they were poorlylocated among hills where it rarely rained anddeforestation was spreading. Villagers had given up

farming and instead sought jobs in town. Most hadgone to work in the Middle East.

Luang said Tambon Wieng Mok comprised ninevillages totalling 2,000 families, but only about 30 per

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cent had land documents. The big problem in hisvillage is deforestation caused by “government officialscooperating with influential outsiders mainly fromPhrae. Wherever forestry officials go there is no forestleft. I wonder if they really work to reforest where theforest has gone,” Luang said.

Somchai Kaewthong, a representative of villagers fromWang Nua district, said people in his villages had

become more materialistic since the road linkingChiang Mai with Phayao was built through their villages in 1988. Electricity had also arrived. Villagerstry to earn more money to buy electrical appliances,cars and motorcycles as they want to have everythingothers have. They earn money by felling trees andselling them to outsiders.

Villagers become forest destroyers because of their innocence , but state officials, including persons in thevillages and elsewhere, must be judged as the trueforest destroyers as they gained the most. He claimsoutsiders or middlemen come to villages to buy wood.About 20 pieces cost in all 1,800 baht. If it is teak,villagers can get about 4,800-5,00 baht for 20 pieces,

but there is no teak left. Middlemen must pay about300,000 baht a month to state officials who allow

them to pass check points and sell the wood in ChiangMai, Chiang Rai, Phayao and Phrae, he said.

Saving the environment can be expensive Major cleanups are often soexpensive that Governments must become involved.

B30b needed to clean up Chao Phraya

AT least 30 billion baht will be needed to solve pollution in the Chao Phraya River on a step-by-step basis, Deputy Prime Minister, Amnuay Viravan saidyesterday.

Mr Amnuay, who chaired a meeting of a coordinatingsubcommittee to solve the pollution of the river, saidthe Government was genuinely serious aboutimproving water in the river. Steps had been taken totackle the problem, although they were only small-scale. For, instance, a plan was being drawn up with afixed timetable for action to cope with waste

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discharged into the river by hospitals.

Mr Amnuay blames hospitals, restaurants, factories,hotels, communities and other establishments for contributing to pollution of the river. But he said water at Samlae in Pathum Thani, where it was pumped intoKlong Prapa to become treated tap water, was still

safe.

For companies, environmental preservation is a business expense and it is notsurprising that many try to avoid it. Here, the Government must play a big role.

Waste dumping tannery told to clean up mess

A TANNERY in the Northern Region IndustrialEstate which used to discard waste at an open dumpsite in Lamphun Province has been ordered to build asanitary landfill , Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand(IEAT) Deputy Governor Anchalee Chavanich saidyesterday.

Ms Anchalee said Nopmanee Company, the onlytannery in the estate, had to fund the landfill projectunder the so-called “polluter pays” principle withadvice from the IEAT and the Pollution ControlDepartment. The landfill, she said, must be lined withmaterials which will prevent the dumped hides fromcontaminating underground water supplies.

Dumping of the processed hide remnants in an open pit in Ban Pooluey in Tambon Makue Chae, MuangDistrict has disturbed people in the neighbourhood

because of the stench . Ms Anchalee said the opendump site would be put under observation while thelandfill is being built to determine the extent of toxiccontamination on the environment and human beings.

Environmental science is complex Our environment is composed of millions of interacting elements and processes, so even the best scientists have difficultydetermining what is really happening. Disagreements are common, especially when

they concern workplace safety. Here is a good example:

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Probe urged on death of workers

AN occupational health expert yesterday called for acomprehensive investigation of the mysterious deathsof workers in the Northern Region Industrial Estate(NRIE) in Lamphun.

According to the findings of a medical team under Dr Sonthaya Pruenglamphoo of the Public HealthMinistry, AIDS was the cause of the deaths of eightworkers and two babies. Two workers died of encephalitis and one each of tuberculosis andleukaemia .

However, Dr Oraphan Mehadilokul, President of theOccupational and Environmental Medicine of Thailand, challenged the findings and the methods

used. “The findings were reached in an investigationwhich was conducted in the form of a seminar andwith very limited information. There was no medicalexamination of the surviving workers or of the tissue of the dead. I think this is probably the only such case inthe world,” she said.

Dr Oraphan said that although many workers wereinfected with HIV, it did not necessarily mean that they

died from the killer virus. In her opinion, acomprehensive investigation must be conducted inorder that the findings be more scientific.

“For example, when encephalitis was found in twoworkers, it is of utmost importance that we ask further how the disease developed and whether it is possiblethat solvents or toxic substances were involved and

prove it.” There are a large number of solvents andheavy metals such as lead and cadmium used in theelectronics component industry.

In Thailand, environmental issues are often highly political Almost everyoneis for a clean environment and for preserving the nation's resources. Thus, it is notsurprising that politicians use environmental issues to attack their opponents. Hereis a recent example:

Democrats hit by new allegation

THE Government opened another front against theDemocrats yesterday, accusing key members,

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including party Secretary-General SananKachornprasart, of encroaching on national forestreserves.

The accusation followed the Agriculture andCooperatives Ministry’s illegal logging allegationsagainst Democrat Deputy Secretary-General Suthep

Thueksuban.

Watch for motives as well as “facts” From the many examples of above, itshould be clear that people have many different motives for bringing upenvironmental issues. Some are genuinely concerned about saving the environmentor at least limiting the damage of economic development. But others may have less

praiseworthy motives. So read environmental stories critically.

The environment is a subject often written about in the Bankgok Post . Here aresome other stories and lessons.

Focusing on the environmentImplementing goalsReading about the environment



All rights reserved 2000 Last modified: August 4, 2000

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www.bangkokpost.com/education/feature.htm 1/4

Winner of PANPA

Aw ard for Exc ellence

Reading feature stories

News stories are essentially “something happened” stories. Theygenerally begin with a short summary of the main facts in theheadline and lead. Then the body tells the story in greater detail.Since news stories come to the main point so quickly, they seemto be in a hurry, written for readers who want to know what

happened NOW!If you turn to the Outlook section of the Bangkok

Post , you will find another kind of story known asthe feature . Feature stories tend to be longer thannews stories, and they go into their topics moredeeply. They are also less hurried and they oftendeal with subjects that are not found on the news

pages. Instead of explaining what happened, feature writers are more likely to tellus what an interesting person or place is like, why a certain fashion or activity has

become popular, or how we can improve our health.

The difference in the style and content of news stories and features is obvious froma quick comparison. Look at the two stories below. You can tell the differencefrom the first few paragraphs.

News

Sugar farmer s get hel p from banks

Commercial banks yesterday agreed to support sugar canefarmers for the current milling season by accepting cheques atthe pre-harvest crop price.

The government asked local banks to assist farmers after thestate-owned Bank of Agriculture Cooperatives backed downon the request.

The sugar fund would guarantee cheques issued by millers tofarmers, who in turn could cash them in for a discount with local

banks, said the industry minister.

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Sagging sugar prices led banks to demand a guarantee from thesugar fund to cover credit risk.

Feature

The best of the bunch

Most of the housewives in Rajchasarn district of the eastern province of Chachoengsao are small-time farmers. But whenthey joined together to produce preserved bananas last year,their names became known far and wide.

Last September their kluay ob (baked banana) was served onThai Airways International. The word was out and before theyknew it people were going bananas for their nine products.

And in recent months they have even been approached by aThai company interested in exporting their products to HongKong and Singapore. "It all started with 10 banana trees," saidChintana Tuncharoen, head of the Community Housewives of Rajchasarn district.

In May 1998, the villagers in Chachoengsao answered their governors' call to grow 10 banana trees per household to carry

out His Majesty the King's advice on self-sufficiency. Sooneach household found they were producing more bananas thanthey could possibly eat.

"The surplus was too little for the market but much too much tohave them rot away," said Mrs Chintana.

The housewives of Rajchasarn district then formed a group inan effort to find a solution to the problem. Preservation was thekey. But how when no artificial preservatives were to be used?

It could not be on a day-to-day basis like frying or grilling astheir farm work won't allow this. And other kinds of preserved

bananas like kluay tak (dried banana) and kluay chab (dried banana slices coated with sugar), have been around for a longtime. The women decided they needed something moreinnovative to catch the market's attention. The banana problemturned out to be a provincial one and the governor, ThirawatKullavanijaya, and the Provincial Community DevelopmentOffice came to their rescue.

The governor gave them two ovens which cost around 80,000 baht and enlisted the help of the Chulabhorn Research Institute.The aim was to work out a banana preservation programme for communities of housewives throughout the country.


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Notice that you could stop reading the news story at almost any point and stillhave the main facts. The feature story, however, has only just begun. It is clearlywritten for readers who have the time to sit back and enjoy what they read. Evenfrom the brief excerpt it is clear the feature story is less formal and the writer ismuch more involved in the story. In news stories, you hardly notice the writer at

all.

Tips for reading feature stories

1. Don’t give up too easily. Feature stories often seem difficult, but usually onlythe introduction is troublesome. There, the writer tries to catch our attention andsome of the methods used (humour, word-plays or idioms) can be difficult for non-native readers to understand. Once the main part of the feature begins,however — usually after three or four paragraphs — it may become much easier to read.

2. Take advantage of all the help the writer gives you. Pay special attentionto the pictures and the captions beneath them. Often the editor provides anintroduction as well. For example, in the banana story above, this is how the editor introduced the story.

ENTERPRISE: A group of housewives have become real high-

fliers since their preserved bananas found a place on the Thai Airways Interna tional menu. Now other groups want to learntheir recipe for success

Outlook features always have a headline that identifies the topic of the story.There is a deck as well. A deck is a sentence or short paragraph that suggests thetheme of the story. It is set in large italic type before the story.

3. Take a quick look through the story to see how it is organised. Usually afeature will have several distinct parts. Once you see them, the feature becomesmuch easier to read — a series of short sections rather than one long story.

4. Try to find the writer’s focus. Good writers generally focus on one or twoaspects of their subject. It may be a particular habit or characteristic of a famous

person, for example, and the writer may give examples of it several times duringthe story — especially at the beginning or end.

Note: Post Tips , our lesson for teachers to use in their classrooms presented anexcellent lesson on feature writing. Check it out here .

For practice in reading and learning vocabulary from up-to-date feature stories goto our weekly Feature Focus column.


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32/65

5/6/13 Reading Editorial pages of a newspaper (NiE)

www.bangkokpost.com/education/opinion.htm 2/4

of the remaining paragraphs:

Whatever happens, whenever it happens, the torrent of criticism directed at the former Chulalongkorn University lawdean is unfair.Dr Surakiart's one really serious error was when he agreed to

be finance minister.

He can be criticised for being too weak in trying to stamp outinflation.But he cannot be blamed for the slump in the stock market.The only mistake Dr Surakiart took with regard to the stock market was....In all other respects, Dr Surakiart has been as good as wecould expect....Not so the rest of the Cabinet..In economic policy, for example, just take a look atCommerce Minister Chucheep Harnsawat.Take a look also at Montri Pongpanich...Look outside economics. Sanoh Thienthong...And then there's Thaksin Shinawatra....And there's the former warrior for democracy, Defence Minister ChavalitYongchaiyudh....

From this brief overview we can be quite confident that the five ministersmentioned apart from Dr Surakiart will come under some very strong criticismindeed.

The language of Post Opinion

The language of news stories must be neutral. Opinions are often expressed innews stories, but they come from the people quoted, not from the writer. In fact,you should not be able to determine the writer's opinion in a news story.

Editorials are almost completely different. The writer’s job is to give an opinion.This is done in a number of ways—through adjectives and adverbs, throughsarcasm and satire, and through very direct criticism or praise. That is one reason

editorials can be fun to read. To give you a taste of a typical Bangkok Post editorial, below is the full November 29 Post Opinion that we introduced above.

Notice that we have included pictures of the ministers mentioned in the editorialand we have also given you the option of looking up some of the key words.

Before we begin, however, some readers may be surprised at how critical theeditorial is of the present government. The Thai press (especially the print media)is quite free, so it is not unusual for newspapers to criticise the government quiteseverely. It is also important to note that the Bangkok Post does not support any

political party or coalition. It was critical of the previous government aswell.


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If Surakiart goes, so should all the rest

So, we are told, Finance Minister SurakiartSathirathai could be the first cabinet member to face the axe . We are also told, but fromother sources, that the assumption could betoo hasty . Even if Prime Minister Banharn

Silpa-archa is willing to replace Dr Surakiart,finding someone trusted by both Mr Banharnand the public will not be easy, especiallysince that someone will have to face the kindof antagonistic attention that Dr Surakiart hasfaced.

Whatever happens, whenever it happens, thetorrent of criticism directed at the former Chulalongkorn University law dean is unfair.Dr Surakiart has not really made manymistakes. The spotlight should be on other ministers who could do the country far moredamage. He can be criticised for being tooweak in trying to stamp out inflation. Manyeconomists have done so. But he is backed

by the Bank of Thailand and it is still too earlyto judge conclusively who is right.

But he cannot be blamed for the slump in thestock market. Any lack of confidence has to

be blamed on the entire Banharn governmentwhose members came to power with such anegative image that restoring confidence is

bound to be an uphill struggle . Instead of trying to do that, many ministers have pressedahead with controversial actions that might

just impress their constituents , but not thenation as a whole.

The only mistake Dr Surakiart took withregard to the stock market was to allow himself to be panickedinto providing a rescue package. Some stock speculators might

be pleased; taxpayers in general should be worried about the package's implied message that the government will alwaystake the risk out of gambling on stocks.

In all other respects, Dr Surakiart has been as good as we

could expect from any finance minister. Not so the rest of theCabinet, and that is why the media's focus on Dr Surakiart isnot only unfair to him, but also to the country.

In economic policy, for example, just take a look at

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Commerce Minister Chucheep Harnsawat. In one breath heembraces the cause of free trade in the name of tacklinginequalities, and he pledges not to allow the bureaucracy tohinder business.

In another he orders the precise opposite: he throttles tapiocaexports through the unjustifiable practice of allocating quotas,

costing an estimated billions of baht in export earnings, anddepriving the country’s poorest farmers of a large chunk of hard-found income. No one picks up the issue because millionsof farmers struggling in poverty in remote areas cannotcommand the same media attention as one stock investor whoshot himself in the middle of Bangkok. Mr Chucheep is noteven obliged to give a coherent explanation, and so he rambleson about Philippine rice farmers and rubber prices as if thathad anything to do with tapioca.

Take a look also at Montri Pongpanich whose main enthusiasmat the Agriculture Ministry is to invent new ways for theministry to buy and sell fertiliser and seeds, build dams and digwaterways, preferably at “top speed” and beyond publicscrutiny —just as he did in a previous incarnation with theHopewell elevated road and rail project. Are the stock speculators interested? Only if one of the favoured companiesis listed.

Look outside economics. Sanoh Thienthong has done nothingat the Public Health Ministry to justify his claim to the Interior

portfolio. Far from showing that he has the welfare of the public at heart, Mr Sanoh has merely succeeded inantagonising doctors all over the country. And then there'sDeputy Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra whose preferredsolution to traffic problems is to offer policemen quasi-bribesfrom his own ample pocket. And there's the former warrior for democracy, Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, whonow finds free speech inconvenient. And so on.

By comparison, Dr Surakiart looks like a good minister. Or put it another way, if he goes, so should all the rest.




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5/6/13 Reading letters to the editor (NiE)

www.bangkokpost.com/education/postbag.htm 1/4

These daysmost Letters to

the Editor comeby email.

Since our newspaper is published inThailand where

English is not thefirst language, muchof our work naturally

involves Englishlanguage

improvement. To findout what this can

mean for you, clickhere .

Winner of PANPA


Post Bag: Letters to the Editor

Every day, the Bangkok Post , like most newspapers, reservesspace on its comment pages for readers’ opinions. Here iswhere you will find some of the livliest reading in the whole

paper. Readers hold strong opinions about everything fromworld politics to the noisy neighbours next door, and they are

not shy about expressing them. In fact, many of the opinionsare so strong and so controversial that they provoke forcefulresponses from other readers. Some debates last weeks, even months.

While it is natural to react emotionally to many of the letters, it is more useful andmore interesting to carefully consider what they say. Here are some questions toconsider as you read:

What point is the writer trying to make?Is the writer being critical of someone or something? being

supportive? remaining relatively neutral?Is the writer being satirical or does he/she mean exactly what issaid?What does the writer hope to achieve by writing the letter?

Let’s take a look at two sample letters. As you read, decide how you wouldanswer the above questions for each letter.

Serious or satirical?

Letter A

Airbags not safe in themselves

SIR: In Post Bag Jan 6 you printed a letter about theusefulness of airbags in cars. Most of the points mentioned inthe article by Dr Ben are true, except for the one which statesthat an airbag is insurance against a forgotten seat belt.

It is not.

Dr Ben, please be advised that an airbag can do its protectivework only when used together with a seat belt. The forces

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5/6/13 Reading letters to the editor (NiE)

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Here are fivelessons basedon Letters tothe Editor feature focus

post tips post tips post tips post tips

which tear on your body during an accident can only beneutralised by a seat belt. The airbag will prevent your facefrom slamming into the steering wheel or dashboard.

Please don’t create false expectations in a country which has just declared that wearing a seat belt is compulsory for all frontseat passengers.

Remember: First click, then start.

Matthias Schorer

Letter B

10 ways to make it to the premiership

SIR: Recently, students here at Khon Kaen Universitydeveloped the following list. I would like to submit it for

publication in Post Bag , in the hopes that it might be of assistance to aspiring politicians.

Top Ten Ways to Become Prime Minister

10. Exaggerate all the time.9. Speak slowly when answering questions by the

press.8. Give away money.7. Always say “No problem!”.6. Have your own submarine.5. Claim forest lands.4. Close nightclubs at 1 a.m.3. Develop only your hometown.2. Be able to say only “Thank you” and “Sorry”in English.1. Be short.

Tim McDanieKhon Kaen University

It should be clear that Letter A ( Airbags not safe in themselves ) is a seriousletter in which the writer is commenting on the contents of a previous letter.Although the letter is critical, the writer does not seem angry. He/She merelywishes to correct a mistake that could prove fatal.

Letter B (10 ways to make it to the premiership ) is an entirely different matter.In it, the writer himself is n

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