The
news here is the same that you will find in the Bangkok Post except
that it is much easier. I've included some of the vocabulary of the
original stores, so you can learn several new words every day. Notice
that you can click on the headphone symbol to hear the text. You can
also download the soundfile and play it back on your mp3 player. Less than
impressive
Players from
the parliamentary opposition walk off the field shortly before
half-time during a friendly soccer match against the government at the
Army Stadium yesterday. They were upset by the government side’s
decision to send on Bangkok MP Karun Hosakul. SOMCHAI POOMLARDFootball matches between the government and opposition are usually friendly, light-hearted events. They give the more athletic politicians a chance to show off their skills and, since the matches are televised, they give the public a chance to laugh at the rather clumsy football that is on display.
Yesterday’s match started out well enough, with the government side having little difficultly breaking through the defence of a team made up of opposition Democrats and senators. The government team, made up largely of PPP MPs, quickly scored four goals in the first half.
The match became tense, however, as soon as Bangkok PPP MP Karun Hosakul came onto the field. He, of course, is the man who allegedly attacked Democrat MP Somkiat Pongpaibul on April 2. The Democrats promptly walked off in protest.
The ill-feeling continued in the second half after the Democrats refused to play on unless the government replaced Mr Karun with another player.
The government team finally had to send on its substitutes to join the opposing team, while most of the Democrat players sat in the grandstand or left the stadium. The final score was 9-4 in favour of the government MPs.
‘‘I don’t understand why they have to mix politics with sports,’’ complained Mr Karun of the Democrats.
The Democrats, on the other hand, claimed Mr Karun made impolite remarks to them in the dressing room before and after the match.
It is safe to say that those watching the match live on the state-run National Broadcasting Services of Thailand were unimpressed with what they saw.
impressive – something to be admired because it is very good, large, or shows great skill
upset – very angry, sad or worried about something
light-hearted – funny and not intended to be serious
clumsy – not done in a careful, skilful, smooth or graceful way
on display – being shown
defence – the players on a team who try to prevent their opponents from scoring
tense – making you feel nervous and not relaxed
allegedly – said to have done something wrong, although this has not yet been proved
promptly – immediately; right away
in protest – because of a strong disagreement
substitutes – players who replace other players during a game
grandstand – a large structure with rows of seats from which people watch sports events
remarks – things said
unimpressed – feeling that something or someone is not very good or has no special qualities







