Dutch foreign minister criticised for saying multi-cultural societies are violent

[webfact]

Dutch foreign minister criticised for saying multi-cultural societies are violent

 

Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok attends a meeting with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo, Egypt May 10, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Files

 

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok defended himself on Wednesday after coming under fire for saying multi-cultural societies could never be peaceful, and former colony Suriname was a "failed state" because of its diverse ethnic makeup.

 

"Give me an example of a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society, where the indigenous population still live... where they live in a peaceful, societal union," Blok told a gathering of Dutch employees of international organisations. "I don't know of any."

 

Someone in the audience suggested Surniame, a former Dutch colony on South America's Atlantic northern coast populated mainly by the descendants of Asian indentured workers, African slaves and indigenous people.

 

"I admire your optimism," he replied. "Suriname is a failed state and that is very much linked to its ethnic composition."

 

Blok, a member of the conservative VVD party of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, made the comments at the gathering in The Hague on July 10, but the remarks came to wider attention only after video appeared on Dutch TV programme Zembla on Wednesday.

 

Blok told Zembla on Wednesday that his "aim was to stimulate an open exchange and to hear the participants’ experiences.

 

"My contribution during the question and answer session of the meeting partly was aimed in part at sparking a reaction from the audience. During the closed meeting, I used illustrations that could come across as badly chosen in public debate."

 

Suriname, which became independent from the Netherlands in 1975, has had an occasionally troubled political history.

 

President Desi Bouterse, in office since an election in 2010, previously ruled the country in the 1980s after taking power as the leader of a violent military coup. He was convicted in absentia in the Netherlands for cocaine trafficking, on charges he says were trumped up by the Dutch government.

 

Lawmakers from several Dutch political parties, including all members of the governing coalition, demanded an explanation for Blok's remarks.

 

Lawmaker Kees Verhoeven of a the centre left D-66 party, a coalition member, called the remarks "incomprehensible" in an open letter asking Blok for an explanation.

 

"The job of a foreign minister is to maintain diplomatic relations," Verhoeven said.

 

In the same video, Blok discussed African tribes and religious groups as examples of people's inability to get along.

 

"I can't see the difference between a Hutu and a Tutsi, nor between a Sunni or a Shi'ite," he said, referring to two central African tribes and the two major sects of Islam. "Unfortunately, they can. Probably somewhere deep in our genes, we want a defined group" to belong to, he said.

 

(Reporting by Anthony Deutsch)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-07-19

[canuckamuck]

Obviously multi-culturism leads to disagreements. It is after all a type of disunity. However if people from a foreign culture decide to embrace the culture of their new home, than the difficulties are greatly diminished. And the new people can actually enhance the culture they joined. That doesn't happen much however.

The best model for humanity is decentralization and smaller homogenized sovereign states. That is never going to happen though. The big money folks want super states and authoritarian control.

 

 

[DoctorG]

He only spoke the truth.

[taipan1949]

It is a great shame that most young people in Europe and Britain will never know the beauty of their countries BM....before muslims.

[Destiny1990]

Meanwhile Europe is completely flooded with Arabs and immigrants etc thanks for that.

Now He admitting it doesn’t work something we know already for 30 years.. Its to late already these politicians have already destroyed Europe..

 

[ivor bigun]

A man who speaks the truth.but its to late Eurpe has been destroyed already .they are not at the gates,they are already inside and breeding at a very very fast rate.

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[impulse]

28 minutes ago, taipan1949 said:

It is a great shame that most young people in Europe and Britain will never know the beauty of their countries BM....before muslims.

 

And that billions of native peoples around the world will never know the beauty of their home lands BEC. Before Euro Colonization.

 

Generations and generations of those Euro young people will be paying off the checks that were written by their ancestors in their scramble for colonial power.  They'll be paying on it for centuries.

 

Which should be a lesson, but the greedy never get it.

 

[Tchooptip]

36 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

And that billions of native peoples around the world will never know the beauty of their home lands BEC. Before Euro Colonization.

 

Generations and generations of those Euro young people will be paying off the checks that were written by their ancestors in their scramble for colonial power.  They'll be paying on it for centuries.

 

Which should be a lesson, but the greedy never get it.

 

Oh yes, as it is true, the horrible colonization of those greedy Europeans .... In the USA it was so much better ! Local Indians virtually all slaughtered and black slaves imported as cattle by whole boats.

And a silly little question, if these unfortunate colonized people were so happy in their beautiful newly liberated countries from the horrible colonizers, why are they all coming in the countries of their former enemies that they fought for their freedom! Are they exchanging their freedom for social help? Maybe their new rulers, their brothers, in fact, are even more dishonest and corrupt than those horrible colonizers of the past?

[Chomper Higgot]

Expats ranting about people migrating to live in other countries.

 

 

Irony doesn’t just live, it thrives.

[Tchooptip]

11 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Expats ranting about people migrating to live in other countries.

 

 

Irony doesn’t just live, it thrives.

It is not a rant I live in Thailand with my own money, I bought two new cars in 6 years with my own money. My owner is happy to receive payment of my rent every month, when most of those hundreds of thousands of "economic migrants" many of them having to be fed and sheltered are a huge burden for European taxpayers so your comparison has no sense at all!

[bandito]

2 hours ago, DoctorG said:

He only spoke the truth.

He sure did!

[Chomper Higgot]

2 minutes ago, Tchooptip said:

It is not a rant I live in Thailand with my own money, I bought two new cars in 6 years with my own money. My owner is happy to receive payment of my rent every month, when most those hundred of migrants are a huge burden for European taxpayers so your comparison has no sense at all!

Look what you just did.

 

You want to respected as an individual who contributes and does not place a burden on this society.

 

You then follow that with a generalised condemnation of migrants you don’t know being a ‘huge burden for European tax payers’.

 

You’re talking hogwash.

 

[BritManToo]

20 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Expats ranting about people migrating to live in other countries.

Irony doesn’t just live, it thrives.

 

I don't know any white people migrating to Thailand.

Lots of us here on extended holidays though.

 

Anyways, the Dutch guy is talking about primitive people moving to civilized societies.

The Roman Empire fell because they allowed the barbarians to become Roman Citizens.

It's a cycle that never ends.

[dick dasterdly]

Just now, Chomper Higgot said:

Look what you just did.

 

You want to respected as an individual who contributes and does not place a burden on this society.

 

You then follow that with a generalised condemnation of migrants you don’t know being a ‘huge burden for European tax payers’.

 

You’re talking hogwash.

 

Not at all.  Most 'expats' in Thailand are retired, therefore don't work - and consequently only bring money into Thailand.

[Chomper Higgot]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I don't know any white people migrating to Thailand.

Lots of us here on extended holidays though.

 

Anyways, the Dutch guy is talking about primitive people moving to civilized societies.

The Roman Empire fell because they allowed the barbarians to become Roman Citizens.

It's a cycle that never ends.

 

You’ve missed all those white guts living here for decades and raising families.

 

Your understanding of the fall of Rome is pitifully poor.

[ivor bigun]

Expats ranting about people migrating to live in other countries.
 
 
Irony doesn’t just live, it thrives.

Yes right .they all come to the west with their own money .never live in social housing .never claim a penny in benifits .never take a job on lower wages and keep about 20 k in a British bank. Thank you for reminding us.
Irony ?

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Chomper Higgot]

1 minute ago, dick dasterdly said:

Not at all.  Most 'expats' in Thailand are retired, therefore don't work - and consequently only bring money into Thailand.

Yep, you’ll  often see them at Government hospitals scrounging healthcare.

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Yep, you’ll  often see them at Government hospitals scrounging healthcare.

I've always had to pay.

[Chomper Higgot]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I've always had to pay.

And of course you paid the same rate as at a private hospital or were you being subsidised?

[dick dasterdly]

Just now, Chomper Higgot said:

Yep, you’ll  often see them at Government hospitals scrounging healthcare.

Really?  Even at govt. hospitals most will be required to pay, albeit far less than in private hospitals.

 

How is that "scrounging"?  But I'll take your word for it that for some reason you spend a lot of time at govt. hospitals and so see many 'expats' "scrounging healthcare"....

[Scott]

Stay on topic.   The topic isn't about what a great asset you are to Thailand and how lucky they are to have you.  

 

 

[stevenl]

It really doesn't matter if people believe 'he spoke the truth'. His government has a policy, he has to adhere to that policy. Don't believe in it and/or don't want to adhere to it, quit.

[jak2002003]

I agree with him.

 

But, its more about what happened in the past... for example, the indigenous people like the American Indians, Australian aboriginals, Various South American tribes, New Zealand Maui, and African tribes.. plus many more around the world.  The native people are always persecuted, population decreases, poverty and disease.  They are seen as second class citizens in many cases.

 

It would be fantastic to see the Native American Indians and Australian aboriginal people gather together and tell all the none native people they had to leave!!!  It is always so hypercritical when government and the society of these countries is so anti immigration when they can't see that they themselves are the immigrants!  

[BritManToo]

27 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

And of course you paid the same rate as at a private hospital or were you being subsidised?

Who could tell, but they always seemed overly eager to have a paying customer for a change.

So they must have been making money out of the deal.

 

Anyways,

Dutch Minister just telling the truth as seen by most Nationals.

A few foreign-born in any country is a novelty and quite exciting, 10% of your country being foreign-born is a disaster.

[dick dasterdly]

53 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Expats ranting about people migrating to live in other countries.

 

 

Irony doesn’t just live, it thrives.

 

17 minutes ago, Scott said:

Stay on topic.   The topic isn't about what a great asset you are to Thailand and how lucky they are to have you.  

 

 

I don't think anyone is arguing that us 'expats' are a "great asset.. to Thailand and how lucky they are to have you." .

 

We're just pointing out the fallacy of Chomp Higgot's argument.

[stevenl]

6 minutes ago, taipan1949 said:

You obviously missed the point. Twenty years ago Europe and England were wonderful places for their people to live and tourists flocked to see the beauty and wonder of these places. Now you can go to Paris and wade through the shit in the streets and you cannot go out as the muslims riot and burn the major cities every night. Please remove your head from your ......I am sure you will be able to see and breathe better.

What a load of nonsense.

[taipan1949]

33 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Yep, you’ll  often see them at Government hospitals scrounging healthcare.

After 30 years in Thailand I moved to the Philippines and with my ACR-1 Card I can legally apply for Government Medical Coverage for about $350 USD a year.

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, stevenl said:

What a load of nonsense.

Not really,

20 years back, I enjoyed living in the UK and Europe.

10 years back, I couldn't wait to escape.

 

Went back in 2016 for another try, 2 years later and I couldn't stand it any longer.

What changed between 2000 and 2010? haven't a clue, but it just did and I didn't like it.

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed.  

[Guest]

46 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

Not at all.  Most 'expats' in Thailand are retired, therefore don't work - and consequently only bring money into Thailand.

How about those who want to move to another country, work, create businesses, pay taxes and contribute to the society?

 

Should they be allowed to migrate and become citizens of their new home country?