About the Chao Phraya River Rat's Asia Pacific Management News

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Lean and Nosy like a Chao Phraya River Rat
(We have left our original logo on this page to remind us of our heritage)

RAT POLL STOP PRESS

Results as of April 2001
Friends of the Rat: 259
Enemies of the Rat: 15
Couldn't give a rat's dropping: 25

Would you like to be a friend of the Rat?
If you are a supporter of the mission of the APMF, and like the Rat's style, consider joining the Rat's fearless (??) and growing band of anonymous or non-anonymous correspondants, reporting on Asian business, marketing, political, research and street news from your own part of the world.
We consider any material including announcements of conferences, publications and events, but most importantly tasty morsels of street intelligence.
And of course well'd credit you, if you're brave enough, or your pen name if you're not...
Similarly, we do reserve the right to edit or not publish due to legal or just plain old cowardly reasons.
Just email a Rat despatch.

The Chao Phraya River Rat is the mascot of the Asia Pacific Management News. Contributed by one of our friends from Bangkok, a journalist of 15 years standing in Hong Kong and now working for a major English language Bangkok daily who prefers to remain anonymous, the rat symbolises a proud independence, and a scavenger for all the news, not that just published in the mainstream press.
This Rat has a high tolerance for variety in what he scavenges, but is somewhat refined in that he checks out his sources. He also realises that the most tasty morsels are sometimes outside the coffee house and the hawker centre rather than the 5 star hotels, and at the back staff entrance to our corporate and government buildings rather than the front door.
The Rat is lean because nobody pays for his upkeep. ... that way he can be independent. ..But though there are a lot of tasty morsels around, he is not into self sacrifice and melts to water when somebody threatens to cancel his visa.
The Rat is nosey because he pokes his nose into things that some may think are not his business. ..and usually they're right..
But most importantly, the Rat upholds the mission of the Asia Pacific Management Forum.
Those who feel the Rat may be a bit down-market for our forum may care to remember that he was one of those who rushed up to the feet of Buddah, claiming his rightful place in the Chinese calendar. As one of the friends of the Rat also points out, Ganesha (the Hindu deity), also rides a rat. (Thanks Usha). This is symbolic of modesty and lack of pretension.
Refugees from Australia of the 1970's will note the resemblance in the masthead to the long gone but never forgotten Nation Review's ferret, who broke many stories in their illustrious history. We cant promise to be as fearless, but we do hope to break a few stories that relate to business and management in Asia. The debt to Richard Walsh, Richard Neville, Mungo Mcallum, John Hepworth, Sam Orr, and Michael Leunig is acknowledged, though we would never expect to rise to their heights.
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