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3 July 2009 The Evil that men (and women) do... Anyone who was involved on the defense side in the case of Suwicha Thakor, or saw him as he heard what some would call his barbaric ten year sentence for lese majeste? because of a minimal amount of 'offensive' website content he posted, or anyone who has watched as Da Torpedo - as harsh as her personal speaking was - is now subject to a secret trial for lese majeste? because the powers-that-be want whatever she says to remain hidden from the public, want it unreported, anyone who watches as one person after another has been degraded, humiliated and shamed, prior to unjust imprisonment even before charges have been leveled, and then finally cast in a cell because someone 'wonderful' Thai citizen was offended by speech and translated that offense to encompass the monarchy, all of these cases - and there are now literally dozens of them - reflect badly on Thai culture, mentality and intent. The latest piece of drivel to surface was the 30 June 2009 filing of charges of lese majeste? against the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand and its entire board, the first time in the club's history that this has happened. Given the way things in Burma, a good friend of Thailand, are going, though, the treatment within Thailand that advocates of democracy and free speech are getting should come as little surprise. What should surprise anyone observing this new pogrom is the efficiency and speed of how accusations are being engineered and willing recruits gathered to keep people from speaking. Surely this process is far more dangerous to the Thai monarchy than anything else that has so far come under state analysis. The country 's l?se majest? laws need vast and imminent reform at best, and in the extreme really need to be repealed or annulled. The abuse that Thais have traditionally treated one another with is only made worse with this unfair, unjust and itself even criminal law. Criminality takes many forms - when it takes the form of popular lynching, social pariah beset by indignant and ignorant citizenry, when it leads to such unjust punishment of hapless souls, it is criminal. Article 112 and other provisions of the criminal code that stipulate punishment for lese majeste? must be repealed. They are akin - according to at least one observer - to dangerously sharp toys in the hands of children - adults know better not to permit these toys to be left to children. The only thing that can result is poor judgment and infliction of pain and suffering. Editorial Submittal on FACT See full article on FACT website here. The real terrorists censor the Internet-VHeadline 20-06-09 To censor the Internet is now the goal for all the real
terrorists of the world Chris Herz VHeadline: What do Iranian and Saudi religious police, Australian censors, Chinese Internet firewalls, British surveillance cameras and American data mining and "Homeland Security" have in common? They reflect the emergence of a new Fascism. The old Fascism of Mussolini and his followers Hitler and Franco was the product of the Great War and the Great Depression: The results of the suicide of old Europe in the bloodbath of World War I and the destruction of so much national wealth in the trenches ... to deal with the challenge of national bankruptcies, massive economic and social disorder, business and social elites chose authoritarianism. The economic and political consequences of the Iraq War have caused the collapse of the Pax Americana and the economic ruin of the Republic which stood in the center of this world order, in turn the successor to the European powers destroyed after 1945. The symptoms of this are all about us. Complicating the mess is the ecological devastation now becoming so apparent worldwide. Likewise the fact that we have reached peak oil production, and are sliding downhill on the Hubbert curve. If the various governments remain the property of monied elites some new world war is certain. * These guys do not like to hear they cannot do just as they wish ... or that they cannot make the kind of money they feel they deserve. For certain the cost of all this change is already costly and as time goes on will be more expensive yet. For them the solution has hitherto always been war abroad, repression in the homeland. Why should we expect differently here and now? No place shows more sharply the problem than the struggle in Iran and no place shows better how people are learning to deal with it ... Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube and all the other mechanisms of the Internet are inflicting grievous damage on a state founded by Fascistic religious despots (financially corrupt too!) armed with secret police, brutal and thuggish auxiliaries, cruel prison torturers and all the other disgusting powers of the modern pervert-state. Whatever happens, that theocratic state has lost all legitimacy. Real governments, those unencumbered with an elitist agenda and a sycophantic and corrupt bureaucracy should now begin to see the Internet and all its tools not as some sort of adversary but as the most powerful ally of social justice and democracy that it really is ... and that suggestion is aimed exactly at our friends in Cuba, whose leaders have made mistakes for sure, but none more terrible than leaving the Internet there the property of an handful of reactionaries and Miami-based exiles. * The millions of supporters of the Revolution have an honorable and proud story to tell the world and should be free to do so whenever they will. But the vacuum created by their absence allows a few to pretend to speak for their nation. But I digress ... the fact is that corrupt power has long understood how to buy the print and broadcast media ... the freedom and lack of censorship on the Internet is for corruption a fatal problem. For those wishing to build a decent state the Internet may be an occasional challenge, but is always an eternal friend. To suppress the bloggers and censor the Internet is now the goal for all the real terrorists of the world: Those who own government. 23 June 2009 Burkas and Beasts From: http://www.upiasia.com/Politics/2009/04/24/thai_unrest_unlikely_to_bring_real_change/9526/
Nakhonratchasima, Thailand If one were to attempt an eagle’s perch overview of political developments in Thailand, an apparently complex yet ironically simple scene would unfold. And in the unfolding, more unrest, more corruption and more repetition of the same mistakes made in the past would become alarmingly clear – and saddening. Abhisit Vejjajiva, the current prime minister, is of course having a difficult time governing the country. He receives scant support on the one hand. On the other, he faces a traditional uphill battle between overpowering vested interests, corrupt ethical values and blinded pro-monarchy groups, who each fail to realize that Thailand’s greatest problem is not its recent divisiveness, but its historical unity based on subservience, acceptance and feudalism. Seventy-five-year-old Snoh Thienthong, veteran politician and financier for the defunct Thai Rak Thai party, is already demonstrating that Abhisit’s hold on power is tenuous at best. He has already called for Abhisit to resign and allow a true coalition government to take over the kingdom. That coalition, of course, would include many of the former Thai Rak Thai politicians still banned from politics, who are loyal to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, as well as, Snoh hopes, Thaksin himself. For further insight into Thailand’s aged politicians one may read “The Resilience of Dinosaurs,” by Roger Mitton, on Asiaweek.com. Old veterans like Snoh, Sanan Kajornprasert and 77-year-old Bahnharn Silapaacha, Thailand’s 21st prime minister, are well described – not for what they accomplished for the nation, but for their ability to cement alliances. This is, in essence, the good old buddy network so prevalent in other nations, including the United States. It sadly means that there is likely to be little change in the way things work, and instead only repetitions of past mistakes and feuds. In a tragic sense, this justifies in principle what the Red Shirts are claiming to protest against – a corrupt and unjust society that only offers more pain for the masses and continued gain for the elite. The Red Shirt message is false, however, because the group really wants to restore Thaksin Shinawatra to power. Thailand’s problem is not merely that dinosaurs head up its social and political systems. It is that the systems themselves promote the illusion of success through unity, of salvation through agreement, of Thai identity defined by loyalty to the monarchy. As for foreigners, they are praised when their interests are identical with Thais’ perceived interests, and cursed when they are not. A good overview of the Thai political situation can be garnered from the speeches and interviews of “Thailand’s CIA,” Air Force Major Prasong Sunsiri. Though he is not a politician per se, the 82-year-old Prasong chooses his words with care and provides an excellent overview of Thai political reality. While a firm supporter of the Democrats and the Yellow Shirts, and perhaps Thailand’s first major anti-Thaksin advocate, this octogenarian brings focus into an area that few Thais or expatriates have been able to match. In an interview with ASTV on Wednesday, reported in the same day’s edition of the Thai Post, Prasong foresaw another coup should current efforts proceed to modify the Constitution or to annul it and replace it with the more popular and Thaksin-friendly 1997 charter. Demands for a modification of the 2007 Constitution have been made for some time and are growing. Why? Current demands for charter change are openly meant to clear the 111 Thai Rak Thai party executives who lost their positions because of the wrongdoing of a single party executive, and allow them to once again seek political office. It is also meant to restore Thaksin to power. Thailand’s options at the moment are almost all unpleasant, as are actions now being taken by conservatives to put the brakes on needed sociopolitical change. For example, despite Abhisit’s promise to treat l?se majest? cases more fairly, the Thai army has been ordered to spy on citizens and prosecute any who are deemed to have crossed the line. People are being arrested or investigated almost every day for perceived slights to the monarchy. The police and court officials claim that security and justice are improving in the country. Yet prominent media executive Sondhi Limthongkul was gunned down in the middle of Bangkok between army and police checkpoints, during a state of emergency. Sondhi has expressed reluctance to provide police investigators with a detailed account of what happened because he does not trust the police. This tells us a great deal about reality in present-day Thailand. (Frank G. Anderson is the Thailand representative of American Citizens Abroad. He was a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer to Thailand from 1965-67, working in community development. A freelance writer and founder of northeast Thailand's first local English language newspaper, the Korat Post – www.thekoratpost.com – he has spent over eight years in Thailand "embedded" with the local media. He has an MBA in information management and an associate degree in construction technology. ?Copyright Frank G. Anderson.) 14 April 2009 Faxed 17:00 hrs. William Morris Agency Greetings from an American living in Thailand. Sincerely, Frank G Anderson 14 April 2009 Thaksin Re-emphasizes His Own Style By Proxy An old photo of a man throwing everything in to get his old job back... On 13 April 2009, the first day of Thailand’s New Year festival of Songkran, two people were reportedly killed as a result of action by pro-Thaksin Red Shirts. Amid false rumors, perpetrated by Red Shirts, of disappearing bodies and multiple murders by security forces, not one credible corroboration of these reports has yet been aired. In sharp contrast to this, the Thai government agency responsible for monitoring telecommunications successfully cut off the D-TV station signal used by pro-Thaksin Red Shirts to broadcast not just news updates, but misinformation and inciting claims. At least two Red Shirt demonstrators appeared on stage before the signal was cut to call the king’s chief Privy Councilor a murderer and called for his killing, as well as calling for the murder of the prime minister. Surely these actions, let alone allowing them to be broadcast to the public, run against Thailand’s interests and against the entire landscape of human rights provisions that we are led to believe should become our personal standards as world citizens. New Mandala website, available at http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/, has been replete with detailed claims and comments both directions – pro and anti-Thaksin – that relate to many incidents supposedly caused by the PAD and UDD, the ruling elites of Thailand, etc. to be certain, it is all hardly transparent. Over the decades Thailand’s ruling elites have hidden what they do and how and demanded that they be trusted, and like the PAD recently, have vanguarded their actions and words with the banner of the monarchy in terms of stating loyalty and allegiance to the country’s highest institution. But these same people have dealt in a traditional manner with ancient sakdina (servitude) methods to ensure that class divisions remain as always have been and are not allowed to change to where a real power shift takes place. The Thai military has played a crucial role in ensuring this is done, as have foreign diplomatic missions whose job is not to protect democracy but to embellish their fortunes in dealing with Thailand across a wide range of areas such as commerce and military sales. Following is an email sent by fugitive Giles Ungpakorn yesterday to describe his version of events. It is colored with prejudicial views, but worth reading. From: Subject: Thai Crisis Red Shirts in Thailand face the armed might of the ruling elites For the fourth time in forty years, troops have opened fire on pro-democracy demonstrators in Bangkok. Each time the aim has been the same: to protect the interests of the Conservative Elites who have run Thailand for the past 70 years. For those watching the cold-blooded murder by soldiers on the streets of Bangkok, it may be tempting just to assume that the present chaos is merely about different coloured T shirts and supporters of different political parties, as though they were mirror images of each other. This is not the case. What we have been seeing in Thailand since late 2005, is a growing class war between the poor and the old elites. It is of course not a pure class war. Due to a vacuum on the Left in the past, millionaire and populist politicians like Taksin Shinawat have managed to provide leadership to the poor. The urban and rural poor, who form the majority of the electorate, are the Red Shirts. They want the right to choose their own democratically elected government. They started out as passive supporters of Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai government. But they have now formed a brand new citizens’ movement for what they call “Real Democracy”. For them, “Real Democracy” means an end to the long-accepted “Quiet Dictatorship” of the Army generals and the Palace. This situation allowed the generals, the King’s advisors in the Privy Council and the conservative elites to act as though they were above the Constitution. Les majeste laws and intermittent repression have been used to silence opposition. Ever since 2006, these elites have blatantly acted against election results by staging a military coup, using the courts to twice dissolve Taksin’s party and by backing Yellow Shirt Royalist mob violence on the streets. The present mis-named Democrat Party government was manoeuvred into place by the Army. Most of those in the Red Shirt movement support Taksin for good reasons. His government put in place many modern pro-poor policies, including Thailand’s first ever universal health care system. Yet the Red Shirts are not merely Taksin puppets. There is a dialectical relationship between Taksin and the Red Shirts. His leadership provides encouragement and confidence to fight. Yet the Red Shirts are self-organised in community groups and some are showing frustration with Taksin’s lack of progressive leadership, especially over his insistence that they continue to be “loyal” to the Crown. Over the past few days, the Red Shirts have shown signs of self-leadership to such an extent that the old Red Shirt politicians are running to keep up. A Republican movement is growing. Many left-leaning Thais like myself, are not Taksin supporters. We opposed his human rights abuses. But we are the left-wing of the citizens’ movement for Real Democracy. The Yellow Shirts are conservative Royalists. Some have fascist tendencies. Their guards carry and use firearms. They supported the 2006 coup, wrecked Government House and blocked the international airports last year. Behind them were the Army. That is why troops never shot at the Yellow Shirts. That is why the present, Oxford and Eton educated, Thai Prime Minister, has done nothing to punish the Yellow Shirts. After all, he appointed some to his cabinet. The aims of the Yellow Shirts are to reduce the voting power of the electorate in order to protect the conservative elites and the “bad old ways” of running Thailand. They see increased citizen empowerment as a threat and propose a “New Order” dictatorship, where people are allowed to vote, but most MPs and public positions are not up for election. They are supported by the mainstream Thai media, most middle class academics and even NGO leaders. The NGOs have disgraced themselves over the last few years by siding with the Yellows or remaining silent in the face of the general attack on democracy. Despite being well-meaning, their lack of politics has let them down and they have been increasingly drawn to the Right. When we talk about the “Palace” we have to make a distinction between the King and all those who surround him. The King has always been weak and lacking in any democratic principles. The Palace has been used to legitimise past and present dictatorships. As a “stabilising force”, the Monarchy has only helped to stabilise the interests of the elite. The immensely wealthy King is also opposed to any wealth redistribution. The Queen is an extreme reactionary. However the real people with power among the Thai elites are the Army and high-ranking state officials. If one is to understand and judge the violent acts which have been taking place in Thailand, we need a sense of history and perspective. Perspective is needed to distinguish between damaging property and injuring or killing people. With this perspective, it is clear that the Yellow Shirts and the Army are the violent ones. A sense of history helps to explain why Red Shirt citizens are now exploding in anger. They have had to endure the military jack-boot, repeated theft of their democratic rights, continued acts of violence against them and general abuse from the mainstream media and academia. If they continue to resist, cracks may appear in the Army. During the past four years Thai citizens have become highly politicised. Ordinary soldiers, recruited from poor families, support the Red Shirts. The stakes are very high. Any compromise has the risk of instability because it will satisfy almost no one. The old elites might want to do a deal with Taksin to stop the Red Shirts from becoming totally Republican. But whatever happens, Thai society cannot go back to the old days. The Red Shirts represent millions of Thais who are sick and tired of Military and Palace intervention in politics. At the very least they will want a non-political Constitutional Monarchy. It is hoped that the Red Shirts will continue to move to the Left during this round of struggle. -- Ji Ungpakorn +44(0)7817034432 http://siamrd.blog.co.uk/ http://redsiam.wordpress.com/ http://wdpress.blog.co.uk/ 13 April 2009 Thaksin's Throws The Public To The Wolves - Again Anyone who had notions that perhaps things in Thailand were returning to normal may have been smarter than the rest of us who interpret normal as really normal, where things pass peacefully, people more or less respect one another and one another’s rights, and that people in general obey the law and live under the guidelines of the constitution of the country they are born in or are visiting. This has not been the case with Thailand recently, in a stand-off that has risen between pro-Thaksin interests and the rest of us (neutral or anti-Thaksin). Two days ago pro-Thaksin activists broke through military and police lines into the royal Cliff Beach Hotel and forced air evacuation of ASEAN economic ministers who were in Pattaya attending an important ASEAN summit. That was bad enough, but then the situation throughout the country degenerated into a pell-mell race between police who it seems yearn for Thaksin’s return and genuine democracy activists, some of the latter having become what is known as Red Shirts. If the Red Shirts, in fact, had stuck to their claims of democracy, they may have gained credibility. But in going full bore to restore former premier Shinawatra to power, they are undermining not just Thailand’s reputation and image, but their own cause in the long term. 4 April 2009 Plethora of Profanity The most recent case of Khun Suvicha Thakhor and his ten year prison sentence on 3 April 2009 for ostensibly endangering national security and defaming the Thai monarchy sends shudders down the spines of other internet users who think that Thailand really lives up to its name, Land of The Free. However, more shivers should be felt in the spines of those with spines, people who have power and authority to make decisions that promote justice rather than allow it to be subterfuged by legal processes based on near-total disregard for human rights and misinterpretation of what freedom of speech means. As well, those who have created this monster much worse than what Thaksin Shinawatra ever was seemingly possess a self-righteousness that borders on the insane, even Mussolini-like. They seemingly disregard His Majesty’s 2005 birthday speech that clearly expressed discomfort and dislike for the way the kingdom’s l?se majest? laws were being applied and the hardships that they caused to the king. 21 March 2009 From Thai News Agency on 20 March 2009 "Poll shows information of Puea Thai party MP Chalerm Yubamrung "not convincing" with a majority of people remaining loyal to the prime minister and the Democrat party. ABAC Poll releases its latest real-time survey conducted with 1,135 people nationwide on March 19th on people's sentiments towards the no-confidence censure debate. Most of the respondents or 76 percent said they did not watch the live censure debate yesterday morning, 17 percent said they watched some parts of it while 6.3 percent said they monitored the program all the time. When asked who they watched most, 74 percent of the respondents said they watched Chairman of the Puea Thai party MPs Chalerm Yubamrung and 69 percent said they watched Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. More than 34 percent thought the information and evidence presented by Mr Chalerm were clear and convincing, 19.4 percent were fifty-fifty about them, 46.2 percent considered them as unconvincing. Meanwhile, 62 percent of the respondents thought the information presented by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was convincing, 17.5 percent were fifty-fifty, and 20.5 percent unconvincing. The poll also revealed that 27.6 percent said they lost faith in the Democrat party while 72.4 percent said they still believed in the party after the censure debate began."
Comment Anyone watching Chalerm during this week's censure debate against the Democrat-led government will likely have even more misgivings about the future of Thai politics. Chalerm’s antics included his usual abrasive and disrespectful public tone denouncing others and citing their appropriateness in going to prison without reflecting on his own son who had been witnessed shooting a policeman dead in a well-known night club in Bangkok, but who then ran off to Cambodia without any paraffin tests ever being taken. Ostensibly, Chalerm and his then-fugitive son wanted to wait until Thai society became more reasonable before the kid came back into the kingdom. Someone Chalerm and his son got lucky with witnesses becoming uncertain of what they really saw, as well as reports that they had a personal reason for becoming unsure – their lives were under threat. Chalerm is similar to anyone else in a sense that he has his own style, but why could it not be something polite and respectful instead of blusteringly disrespectful and spouting with so many instances of ignorance and prejudice that one wonders just how this being could ever have made it in politics. On top of that, there are those, including Chalerm himself, who believe he is prime minister material! Perhaps he is just as appropriate as Samak Sundaravej who is another top politician in Thailand with ties to bodies littered here and there but so far untouched by court and citizen alike. Accusations against the Democrats this past week by Chalerm and his ilk were generally meaningless, personal attacks and baseless commentary by people devoid of morality and ethics. As Sondhi Limthongkul recently observed, the Thai House of Representatives is made up of too many idiots. 6 March 2009 Are those 'farang's' really that stupid and those Thais Sondhi criticizes so ignorant of their own society? ASTV's Main Man and current national champion of royalist loyalists Sondhi Limthongkul spoke to his audience on ASTV today, 6 March 2009. He was emphatic, as usual, about the need to preserve Thailand’s most revered institution, the monarchy, and to fight against those around the world who were attempting, in his words, to damage the monarchy and to interfere with Thailand’s laws and customs. For the foreigners involved and Thais who sympathize with them, Sondhi had the words “stupid farangs and Thais who don’t know their own culture.” It’s as if Sondhi, highly educated and well-travelled himself, has not yet woken up to the idea that because people may not agree with you, they might wish to express that disagreement or differences and that you need to appreciate the possibility that you yourself need to adjust your thinking. Sondhi’s references to “stupid farangs” and “Thais that don’t know their own culture” is a typical emotional appeal to prejudice against those with whom you disagree. For a newspaperman and publisher, an international traveler and someone who purports to be able to argue one on one with critics, he has taken the easy road this time by letting it seem as if Thais who might have a better grasp of reality on the one hand, and foreigners who certainly do on the other, are people who are ignorant and undeserving of regard. While as an individual Sondhi is entitled to such opinions, as a newsman he is not entitled to make them in defacto format as he has been doing. That people abroad, including many Thais, want to have the unjust l?se majest? law in Thailand at least modified and at most repealed is not a signal that everyone is out to get the Thai monarchy. It is a sign that things in Thailand are awry and need to be placed back in clear focus, combining respect for Thai culture on the one hand, and an equally important, or even more so, respect for human rights and freedom of speech. Many Thais living abroad sorely miss their home and friends and families, but over the years make do generally with their adopted homelands. In making the transition from strangers to sometimes citizens of their new countries, they also sometimes absorb the cultural milieu and social attitudes of their hosts. They do so for a variety of reasons, one of course being the fact that when one lives in an environment long enough, certain environmental influences make themselves known and the visitor, so to speak, sometimes chooses to accept those attitudes. Just because they are adopted and replace former ideas do not mean they are right or wrong, but it also does not mean that they may not be right. 23 February 2009 King Prajakhibodi Institute - Can It Mediate?
From: http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/ - Interview with professor Giles Jai Ungpakorn on leaving Thailand and lese majeste... Book, Manifesto, Lese Majeste New Mandala: What motivated you to write A Coup for the Rich Most Thai academics would never have taken on a project of this sort. Why did you?”
5 February 2009 While the current Thai prime minister goes off on a mission to Japan in an attempt to help restore the country’s image, an opposite and more cumulative effect policy by the Thai government is being carried out – much of it in the name of the country’s revered monarchy. The government movement is of two tracts; one, to silence dissent or any public appearance of independent thinking as far as the monarchy is concerned – in other words, it’s got to be hunky dory here, no holds barred. Secondly, and as a part of the outgrown industry of holding this image together, is a scary backwater digging into how best to censor all information available in Thailand so that “good Thais,” or those “who know what it is to be Thai” will not feel insulted by things like reasonable questions and logical inquiry. To wit, why is it that nearly everyone is loyal to the monarchy? Obviously a popular conception, and true and of itself, is that the monarchy has worked very hard over the decades to do good things and to benefit the nation, the people, and the culture that Thais have become familiar with and who want others to appreciate – but only from the way they see it. When ‘one of their own’ sees things differently and says so, he is ‘deranged and unhinged.’ When he then goes off and tells foreigners what he thinks, or worse for Thai authorities, tells them what is really happening in the Land of Smiles, he is cited as a Thai who is a waste of air to breathe. The ramming down the throat of Thais by their fellows of a given profile of what Thai culture is is a cry for psychiatric counseling but Thais don’t want any of that for the time being. Proud of their culture, proud of the insularity of ancient taboos and traditions that first appear fascinating but are as dangerous as quicksand, they have of late entranced the global community with a death knoll of democracy in the guise of national security enforcement. 26 January 2009 Editorial comments follow in response to the initial statement from a writer to New Mandala available here: Ahem! After THAT, who can argue! As you all know, the Thai government is attempting to identify 'conspirators' who are working together to damage the institution et. al. Yet, at the same time, official but still secret conspirators seemingly are involved in doing whatever they can to sew hatred, disgust and revulsion of Thailand, and of the entire Thai-based social ethic as far as it goes in attitudes toward the monarchy. I am not nor will ever be a proponent of 100 % freedom of expression. It allows for the same degree of abuses that those who exercise such freedom have and promote. From 22 January 200 Khon Kaen Region 1 News Center - English translation follows and Youtube version can be seen here.) µÃ.Êè§Êӹǹ¤´Õ "ʹ¸Ô"ËÁÔè¹àº×éͧÊÙ§ µÃ.Êè§Êӹǹ¤´Õ "ʹ¸Ô"ËÁÔè¹àº×éͧÊÙ§ ÍéÒ§¤Ó¾Ù´ "´Ò-µÍÃì»Ôâ´" ¡ÅèÒÇ»ÃÒÈÃÑ ÍÑ¡ÒùѴÊÑ觤´Õ 3 ÁÕ.¤. ¹Õ µÓÃǨ ʶҹյÓÃǨ¹¤ÃºÒÅ´ØÊÔµ ¹ÓÊӹǹ¤´Õ "¹ÒÂʹ¸Ô ÅÔéÁ·Í§¡ØÅ " ËÁÔè¹àº×éͧÊÙ§ ÍéÒ§¤Ó¾Ù´ "´Ò-µÍÃì»Ôâ´" ¡ÅèÒÇ»ÃÒÈÃÑ Êè§ÁͺÍÑ¡Òà â´ÂÍÑ¡ÒùѴÊÑ觤´Õã¹Çѹ·Õè 3 ÁÕ¹Ò¤Á¹Õé ¾¹Ñ¡§Ò¹ ÊͺÊǹʶҹյÓÃǨ¹¤ÃºÒÅ´ØÊÔµ ¹ÓÊӹǹ¡ÒÃÊͺÊǹ¾ÃéÍÁ¤ÇÒÁàËç¹ÊÁ¤ÇÃÊÑ觿éͧ ¹ÒÂʹ¸Ô ÅÔéÁ·Í§¡ØŠ᡹¹Ó¾Ñ¹¸ÁÔµÃÏ ¾ÃéÍÁ¹ÓµÑǹÒÂʹ¸Ô ÁÒÊè§Áͺµè;¹Ñ¡§Ò¹ÍÑ¡ÒýèÒ¤´ÕÍÒÒ 10 ¨Ò¡¡Ã³ÕàÁ×èÍÇѹ·Õè 20 ¡Ã¡®Ò¤Á 2551 ¹Ò ʹ¸Ô ä´é¢Ö鹡ÅèÒǺ¹àÇ·Õ»ÃÒÈÃÑ ·ÕèÊоҹÁѦÇÒ¹ÃѧÊÃäì â´Â¡ÅèÒÇÍéÒ§¶Ö§à˵ءÒóì·Õè ¹.Ê.´ÒÃ³Õ ªÒàªÔ§ÈÔÅ»¡ØÅ ËÃ×Í ´Ò-µÍÃì»Ôâ´ ¡ÅèÒÇ¢éͤÇÒÁËÁÔè¹àº×éͧÊÙ§ «Öè§ÍÒ¨à¢éÒ¢èÒÂà»ç¹¤ÇÒÁ¼Ô´µÒÁ»ÃÐÁÇÅ¡®ËÁÒÂÍÒÒ ÁÒµÃÒ 112 â´Â ã¹Çѹ¹Õé ¹ÒÂʹ¸Ô ä´éà´Ô¹·Ò§ÁÒÁͺµÑǵèÍÍÑ¡Òôéǵ¹àͧ ¾ÃéÍÁ¡ÅèÒÇÇèÒ äÁèÃÙéÊ֡˹ѡã¨áµèÍÂèÒ§ã´à¡ÕèÂǡѺ¤´Õ¹Õé ã¹Êèǹ·Õèµ¹àͧà»ç¹á¡¹¹Ó¾Ñ¹¸ÁÔµÃÏ ¾ÃéÍÁÂÍÁÃѺ㹡Òö١á¨é§¤ÇÁ´Óà¹Ô¹¤´Õ·Ñé§ËÁ´ ÍÂèÒ§äáçµÒÁ ·Ò§ÍÑ¡ÒÃä´é¹Ñ´¿Ñ§¤ÓÊÑè§ ã¹Çѹ·Õè 3 ÁÕ¹Ò¤Á¹Õé àÇÅÒ 10.00 ¹. «Öè§à»ç¹Çѹà´ÕÂǡѺÇѹ·ÕèÊÑ觤´Õ “9 ᡹¹Ó¾Ñ¹¸ÁԵÔ ÍÕ¡´éÇ Police sent the "Sondhi Limthongkul defamed the high institution" case file, wherein he gave reference to words spoken by Da Torpedo at a speech she gave in 2008. The public prosecutor has set 3 March 2009 as the hearing date where the case file, decided to prosecute lese majeste charges agains Sondhi, together with the defendant will be presented and hear prosecutor's charges. The charges emanate from a 20 July 2008 speech by sondhi referring to one earlier at Makawan Bridge whereby Da Torpedo who spoke in defamation of the high institution, which is in violation of Section 112 of the Criminal Code.... Ed. note: This case is singular yet it clearly resembles in nature and fact Harry Nicolaides' case. Both cases involve indirect references to what someone else said, and in both cases very foolish people, and willing law officials, went out of their way to prosecute lese majeste charges. In Harry's case, the charges were never made until after 84 days in prison which is an unheard-of human rights violation), and then he is convicted for the most minute offense imagined. How a civilized society can put up with this is a question that Thailand needs to ask itself urgently. Thai prosecutors, police and the courts must be forced to admit and the only way I see this happening is by being sued in both criminal and civil courts) that this line or prosecution is immoral, unethical and even criminal in and of itself. There is an intentional push in Thailand to silence diverse opinion, to stop legitimate inquiry, and to make it all sound as if it is to protect the monarchy. This claim is nonsense in the extreme. From: Times Online
Thailand's drastic use of lese-majeste laws is deemed by most outside Thailand damaging the country's monarchy and freedom Respect is one thing. It is not only Thais who revere King Bhumibol, the 81-year-old monarch who has reigned for more than 60 years and is the world's longest-serving head of state; many foreigners also admire the way he has, usually discreetly, exercised a moderating influence to stabilise Thailand's turbulent politics. But the country's laws on l?se-majest? and the draconian way in which they are presently applied elevate respect to an unhealthy and undemocratic cult of personality. And the three-year jail sentence passed yesterday on an Australian who referred, glancingly but unflatteringly, to the Crown Prince in a book that sold a total of seven copies is a grotesque abuse of the law and the institution of constitutional monarchy. King Bhumibol's popularity is based in large part on his self-restraint. But in recent years politicians have tried to appropriate his authority and presumed views to undermine their opponents. The military coup against Thaksin Shinawatra was said to have royal backing; and those who led the noisy campaign against the ousted Prime Minister's party and successors smeared their opponents as anti-monarchists. Willy-nilly, the King has been drawn into the intrigues. Little wonder that criticism is rising and speculation on the succession taking on a hostile tinge. The response has been a drastic invocation of l?se-majest?, the suppression of about 2,300 websites and an almost paranoid reaction to all discussion, even by foreign journalists, of the King's role. This does Thailand no good at all. It will inevitably colour judgment on the King's record. It is the greatest disrespect to an institution that has upheld Thais' freedom for two generations.
Disproportionate... 12 January 2009 With an apparent Democrat victory once again in Bangkok's gubernatorial elections, the issue of voter behavior (electorate demographics and perceptions) needs to be adddressed. It is readily admitted, for example, by all political parties in Thailand that whoever takes the northeast region (Isaan) takes the premiership. Based on previous election results, and the fact that this time the Democrats found it necessary to merge with the powerful but smaller Friends of Newin faction, confirm that the northeast is indeed the key to who rules in Parliament and who sites in the prime minister's chair. There is also an apaprent economic contradition, given the relative poverty, by any measure, of those in the northeast versus those in Bangkok, and the disproportionate differences in budget for each northeast province versus metropolitan Bangkok. Just how this social illness will be addressed by the new government is open to question. Or perhaps not. The Democratcs have already said that they would support the new sky train project, costing billions, some of these billions which could fill a much more urgent need by those in Isaan. Founder and editor celebrate
7 January 2009 Editor, the Bangkok Post, email postbag@bangkokpost.co.th Was 9/11 Not Enough? Current Israeli massacres in the Occupied Territories, today centered on Gaza, are a testament to Israel’s central role in promotion of terrorism around the world. The latest example was in Bangkok on 6 January 2009, when Thai Muslims demonstrated outside the Embassy of Israel, and some vowed responses to what they correctly viewed as Israeli’s militant role in the world. While claiming to seek peace in the Middle East, Israel has engaged in a decades-long campaign to malign people of goodwill who have vainly attempted to engineer a long-lasting peace between Israel and the Arab nations, as well as to achieve a deserved independent State of Palestine. Such maligning has taken many forms, including interference in the American electoral process, in sometimes horrendously powerful control of the American media, and when it felt needed, wanton violence. For example, let us review the origin of Israel’s current “Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: ????? ????????? ?????????????, He-Israeli Defense Forces.ogg Tzva HaHagana LeYisra'el (help•info), lit. Defense Army for Israel), commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal (??"?), are Israel's military forces, comprising the ground forces, air force and navy.” This military organization was previously organized as “Haganah (Hebrew: "The Defense", ????? HaHagana) was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948.” Even before then, “Irgun (Hebrew: ??????; shorthand for HaIrgun HaTzva'i HaLe'umi BeEretz Yisra'el, ?????? ????? ?????? ???? ?????, "National Military Organization in the Land of Israel") was a militant Zionist group that operated in Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was established as a militant offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah (Hebrew: "The Defense", ?????). For reasons of secrecy, people often referred to the Irgun, during that time, as Haganah Bet (Hebrew: literally "Defense 'B' " or "Second Defense", ???? ?), or alternatively as Haganah Ha'leumit (????? ???????) or Ha'ma'amad (?????). In present-day Israel, Irgun is commonly referred to as Etzel (??"?), an acronym of the Hebrew initials.” Under the Irgun, the Israeli government deliberately engaged in terrorism against a western power, Great Britain, when it engineered the bombing of the King David Hotel. “Moshe Sneh, chief of the Haganah General Headquarters, sent a letter to the then leader of the Irgun, Menachem Begin, which instructed: [3] At the earliest possible opportunity, you are to carry out the operation at the "chick" (code for the King David Hotel) and at the house of "your servant and messiah" (code for the David Brothers building). Inform me of the date. Preferably at the same time. Do not reveal the identity of the implementing body - either by announcing it explicitly or by hinting.” As a result of the bombing, over ninety people were killed and some fifty injured. Among the dead were people on the street outside the hotel. Then, and now, Israel has not differentiated itself from other terrorist organization in the manner of achieving its goals at the expense of innocent men, women and children, all, of course, who die is a good cause – the national security of Israel. In the two weeks before Bin Laden finalized his plans for 9/11, he was globally public with denunciations of Israeli mistreatment of the Palestinians. For a people who took Palestinian land so they could form the State of Israel, the long-standing animosity between Israel, and sadly, Zionists, is legion and unpardonable. It calls into review the fortunate (for white men) lack of comparable resources and support back when the American West was being stolen from the Native American Indian. I join millions of Americans who proudly state they have American interests at heart above those of the State of Israel. In making such declarations, and meaning them by adherent in practice, it is incumbent upon our elected officials, especially leaders affecting foreign policy, to proudly separate the Zionist-led interests of Israel from America’s greater and more noble interests that include peace and security in the Middle East, including that of the Palestinians and Israelis. Israel’s misguided policies in the world, said to be in its interests but not, have resulted in some horrendous developments that impacted the interests and national security of the United States. The events of 11 September 2001 were not brought about by merely those who “hate our way of life,” but those who hate being on the end of an unjust administration in Palestine. No one can morally equate one kind of mistreatment or horror with another; crimes against humanity are crimes against humanity. Certainly Israel is concerned about its security, about its image, but as global citizens we cannot allow Israel to continue to pursue selfish, misguided and erroneous policies that lead to ever-increasing hatred around the world. Sincerely, Frank G Anderson American Citizens Abroad Representative, Thailand Sent as personal comments… Authorities Play The Age Card… 3 January 2008 Several times citing that the Santika nightclub had allowed underage youth into the establishment during operation, Thai police have indicated that charges would be made against the club’s owner and management. Such citing would have been normal under normal circumstances, but a fire in which almost sixty people were killed is not normal. On New Year’s Eve, 31 December 2008, circumstances that had been permitted to exist combined to take the lives of unsuspecting revelers. According to latest reports, the club had applied for an operating license in 2004, a year after it was given a construction permit. As well, according to reports, police indicated the club’s insurance had expired in mid-2008. So we have a nightclub with some 1,000 people attending that night that had no operating license from apparently inception, and no insurance for some six months. The expiry of insurance was a problem, of course, but one wonders why the club was given insurance in the first place if it had no operating license. Were officials paid off, were false documents provided, was the process smoothed over for a VIP politician who shared interests in the club? The deaths that occurred this last New Year’s Eve will, unfortunately, for the large part go unpunished in a meaningful way. One recalls a horrible nightclub fire in downtown Korat many years ago where over 200 people were killed. None of the club’s owners did any time despite mass safety violations. Santika was merely a repeat of the usual Thai way of doing business – crookedly and without regard to human safety. Monarchy - Misunderstanding By The Economist Or Spot-On? A blistering column in the reputable The Economist that clearly indicates connections between the Thai monarchy and interference in government has most Thais upset, and produced a detailed although condescending 'clarification' by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs which called the article a misunderstanding and misinterpretation. For its part, however, The Economist has rightlyfully opined that there is an Alice in Wonderland approach to the monarchy in Thailand, and that it is not befitting to a nation attempting to emerge from a feudal reliance on illusion. The MOF's statement appears below: "Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, instructed Thai embassies worldwide to clarify to foreigners that Thai monarchy under democracy has not involved with politics as being appeared in foreign media. Tharit Charoongwat, Director-General of Department of Information, in his capacity as spokesman of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday (December 24) that Mr. Kasit, in his over three hours policy assignment speech to the ministry’s officials through teleconferencing worldwide, said that he would adopt plain and impartial working styles. As former ministry’s official, he said that he would act as exemplary senior official. Mr. Kasit instructed Thai ambassadors, consul-generals, and honorable consulate-generals worldwide to clarify to foreigners that Thailand was the proud democratic nation. The nation’s recent political change was under parliamentary system. The minister also instructed Thai diplomatic personnels to clarify the country’s monarchy under democracy concentration on His Majesty the King having been dedicating to his people during the past 60 years. The revered King has never involved in politics. Foreign media has mistakenly carried reports on His Majesty the King’s story." From: http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255112250003 http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255112250003 "The king and them Dec 4th 2008 From The Economist print edition The untold story of the palace’s role behind the collapse of Thai democracy THAILAND’S tourism business, its export industries and its reputation have been wrecked by recent events. Crowds of royalists have occupied the government’s offices for months and then seized Bangkok’s airports. The police refused to evict them. The army refused to help. This week the siege was ended after the courts disbanded three parties in the ruling coalition. But the parties plan to re-form under new names and continue governing, so fresh strife threatens. It is as if a thin veneer of modernity, applied during the boom of the 1980s and early 1990s, has peeled away. Until recently a beacon of Asian pluralism, Thailand is sliding into anarchy. The conflict began three years ago as peaceful rallies against corruption and abuse of power in the government of Thaksin Shinawatra. The protesters, wearing royal-yellow shirts and accusing Mr Thaksin of being a closet republican, got their way when royalist generals removed him in the coup of 2006. But on democracy’s restoration last year, Thais elected a coalition led by Mr Thaksin’s allies. The yellow-shirts of the inaptly named People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) revived their protests and adopted increasingly thuggish tactics, prompting Mr Thaksin’s supporters to don red shirts and fight back. Speak it not Throughout this conflict, the great unmentionable, not just for the Thai press but also for most foreign reporters, has been the role of King Bhumibol, his family and their closest courtiers. The world’s most ferociously enforced law against l?se-majest? (offending the crown) prevents even the mildest discussion of the palace’s role in Thai public life. Such laws are mostly in disuse elsewhere, but Thailand’s was harshened in the 1970s. Absurdly, anyone can bring a l?se-majest? suit. The police have to take seriously the most trivial complaints. All this makes the law a useful tool for politicians and others seeking a way to damage their foes. Often, the press is not allowed to explain the nature of any supposed offence against the crown, so Thais have no way to tell whether it really was so disrespectful. The l?se-majest? law is an outrage in itself. It should not be enforced in any country with democratic pretensions. Worse is that the law hides from Thais some of the reasons for their chronic political woes. For what the king himself calls the “mess” Thailand is in stems in many ways from his own meddling in politics during his 62-year reign (see article). In part, the strife also reflects jockeying for power ahead of the succession. With the king celebrating his 81st birthday on December 5th, that event looms ever larger. Much of the story of how the king’s actions have hurt his country’s politics is unfamiliar because Thais have not been allowed to hear it. Some may find our criticisms upsetting, but we do not make them gratuitously. Thailand needs open debate if it is to prepare for the time when a less revered monarch ascends the throne. It cannot be good for a country to subscribe to a fairy-tale version of its own history in which the king never does wrong, stays above politics and only ever intervenes on the side of democracy. None of that is true. The official version of Thai history dwells on episodes such as the events of 1992, when Bhumibol forced the resignation of a bloodstained dictator and set his country on course for democracy. But many less creditable royal interventions have gone underreported and are seldom discussed. In 1976, paranoid about the communist threat, the king appeared to condone the growth of the right-wing vigilante movement whose members later took part in the slaughter of unarmed student protesters. In the cold war America saw Bhumibol as a staunch ally and helped finance his image-making machine. This long-standing alliance and the fierce l?se-majest? law have led Western diplomats, academics and journalists to bite their tongues and refrain from criticism. After the 2006 coup, the 15th in Bhumibol’s reign, officials tried to tell foreigners that protocol obliged the king to accept the generals’ seizure of power. Thais got the opposite message. The king quickly granted the coupmakers an audience, and newspapers splashed pictures of it, sending Thais the message that he approved of them. In truth the king has always been capable of showing his displeasure at coups when it suited him, by rallying troops or by dragging his feet in accepting their outcome. And he exerts power in other ways. Since 2006, when he told judges to take action on the political crisis, the courts seem to have interpreted his wishes by pushing through cases against Mr Thaksin and his allies—most recently with this week’s banning of the parties in the government. No fairy-tale future In the imagination of Thai royalists their country is like Bhutan, whose charismatic new king is adored by a tiny population that prefers royal rule to democracy. In reality, with public anger at the queen’s support for the thuggish PAD and the unsuitability of Bhumibol’s heir simmering, Thailand risks the recent fate of Nepal, which has suffered a bitter civil war and whose meddling king is now a commoner in a republic. The PAD was nurtured by the palace and now threatens to engulf it. An enduring image of the past few days is that of PAD toughs shooting at government supporters while holding up the king’s portrait. The monarchy is now, more clearly than ever, part of the problem. It sits at the apex of a horrendously hierarchical and unequal society. You do not have to be a republican to agree that this needs to be discussed. As The Economist went to press, on the eve of the king's birthday, he was reported to be unwell, and unable to deliver his usual annual speech to the nation. So he had still not repudiated the yellow-shirts' claims to be acting in his name. His long silence has done great damage to the rule of law in Thailand. He could still help, by demanding, as no one else can, the abolition of the archaic l?se-majest? law and the language in the current charter that supports it, and so enable Thais to have a proper debate about their future. He made a half-hearted stab at this in 2005, saying he should not be above criticism. But nothing short of the law’s complete repeal will do. Thailand’s friends should tell it so." Another Economist article on the Thai monarchy here... and below... Thailand's king and its crisis A right royal mess Dec 4th 2008 | BANGKOK From The Economist print edition Thailand’s interminable political conflict has much to do with the taboo subject of its monarchy. That is why the taboo must be broken EPA EVEN the most revered of kings, worshipped by his people as a demigod, is not immortal. Thais were reminded of this last month when six days of ornate cremation ceremonies, with gilded carriages and armies of extras in traditional costumes, were held for Princess Galyani, the elder sister of their beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej (pictured above). There was talk in Bangkok of the princess’s funeral being a “dress rehearsal” for the end of Bhumibol’s reign, 62 years long so far. Making one of few public appearances this year, shortly before his 81st birthday on December 5th, the king did indeed look his age. The funeral only briefly calmed a political conflict that has raged for three years between supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister ousted by royalist generals in the 2006 coup, and an opposition movement backed by much of Bangkok’s traditional elite, apparently including Queen Sirikit. But the day after the ceremonies ended a grenade exploded among anti-Thaksin protesters, killing one. The anti-government protesters, the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), who had been occupying Government House since August, then seized Bangkok’s main airports, causing chaos. The siege was lifted only eight days later, after a court dissolved the main parties in the pro-Thaksin coalition government. Mr Thaksin is in exile, convicted in absentia of corruption. But a government dominated by his allies has governed since democracy returned in last December’s elections. It looks poised to carry on under new party names despite the court ruling. Last month Mr Thaksin staged a huge rally of his “red shirt” supporters to remind his “yellow shirt” royalist foes in the PAD, who claim to be protecting the king against Mr Thaksin’s supposed republicanism, that he remains Thailand’s most popular politician. Besides justified concerns about Mr Thaksin’s abuses of power, one of the royalists’ worries is that he was building, through populist policies such as cheap health care and microcredit, a patronage network and popular image that challenged the king’s. Another fear is that Mr Thaksin’s alleged generosity to Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn in the past was intended to build up influence with him once he succeeds to the throne. For these and other reasons, the little-told back-story of King Bhumibol is vital to understanding the predicament of this country of 64m people. Many Thais will squirm at what follows, and will prefer the fairy-tale version of the king’s story. But the king’s past actions are root causes of a conflict dividing the country, and need to be examined. Bhumibol’s tale, even if stripped of the mythology his courtiers have spent decades constructing around him, is exceptional. The American-born son of a half-Chinese commoner accidentally inherits a throne close to extinction and revives it, creating one of the world’s most powerful and wealthy monarchies, and surely the only one of any significance to have gained in political power in modern times. The king’s charisma, intelligence, talents (from playing the saxophone to rain-making, a science in which he holds a European patent) and deep concern for his people’s welfare make him adored at home and admired around the world. His image perhaps reaches its zenith in 1992, after the army shoots dozens of pro-democracy protesters in Bangkok, when television shows both the army leader (and prime minister) Suchinda Kraprayoon and the protest leader, Chamlong Srimuang (now a PAD stalwart), kneeling in an audience with him. Shortly afterwards General Suchinda resigns, and the king is given credit for the restoration of democracy. However, Bhumibol’s story is also that of a king who lost faith in democracy (if he ever really had it), who constantly meddled behind the scenes in politics and thus, in the twilight of his reign, risks leaving behind a country unprepared for life without “Father”, as Thais affectionately call him. Understanding why a country that was until recently a beacon of pluralism in Asia has become such a “mess”, as the king put it in 2006, is impossible without lifting the thick veil of reverence surrounding him. This is not easy because, paradoxically, a king whose adulation by his subjects is supposedly near-universal is nevertheless deemed to need protection, in the form of the world’s most ferociously enforced l?se-majest? law. Whereas other monarchies have mostly abolished or stopped enforcing such laws, Thailand’s was made harsher in the 1970s. Even the most mild, reasoned criticism of the monarchy is forbidden, punishable by up to 15 years in jail. This has had a remarkable effect not just on Thais but on successive generations of Western diplomats, academics and journalists who, with few exceptions, have meekly censored themselves. All the king’s men The origins of this, in part, were in the Vietnam war, in which America found King Bhumibol a staunch anti-communist ally. Recognising his value as an anti-red icon, America pumped propaganda funds into a campaign to put the king’s portrait in every Thai home. Even today, although quick to decry undemocratic moves in other Asian countries, America rarely protests at the arrests of Thais and foreigners for criticising the monarchy. Foreign journalists and academics need visas and access to officialdom to do their jobs, and thus have played down the royal angle to any story. As a result of this conspiracy of silence, only one serious biography exists of one of Asia’s most important leaders. “The King Never Smiles”, by Paul Handley, an American journalist (2006), notes that the king’s restoration of the power and prestige of the Thai monarchy “is one of the great untold stories of the 20th century.” Mr Handley says that in the two intervening years nobody has disputed the main facts in his book; not even the most damning stuff, which explodes the myth that the king rarely intervenes in politics and then only on the side of good. Perhaps his gravest charge is that in 1976 the king seemed to condone the growth of right-wing vigilante groups that, along with the army, were later responsible for the slaughter of peaceful student protesters. As has happened often in modern Thai history (and could easily happen again now), the 1976 unrest was used as a pretext to topple the government and replace it with a royally approved one. Bhumibol was 18 when he took the throne after the mysterious death of his ineffectual brother, King Ananda, in 1946. He promptly came under the sway of his uncles, princes itching to restore the power and wealth the crown had lost when the absolute monarchy was abolished in 1932. As he grew into his robes in the 1950s he created a comprehensive patronage system. The award of honours in exchange for donations to royal causes made the monarchy the predominant fount of charity. This “network monarchy”, as it was dubbed by Duncan McCargo, a British academic, put the king back at the centre of Thai society and recovered much of his lost power. A theme now embraced with gusto by the PAD, inspired by the king’s speeches over the years, is that electoral politics is irretrievably filthy and that Thailand would do better with ad hoc rule by royally favoured “good men”. The epitome of these is General Prem Tinsulanonda who, as unelected prime minister in the semi-democracy of the 1980s, did more than anyone else to foster the idea of the king’s near-divinity. Now president of the privy council, General Prem is also supposedly above politics. But this too is a myth: he is widely seen as the mastermind of the 2006 coup. Shortly beforehand he told the army that the king was its “owner” and Mr Thaksin merely a replaceable “jockey”. AP Royalists wear yellow The PAD is a motley bunch, united only by fanatical hatred of Mr Thaksin. It includes disgruntled businessmen, aristocratic ladies, members of a militaristic Buddhist outfit, formerly anti-monarchist intellectuals and reactionary army types. Its “new politics”, consisting of a partly appointed parliament, sweeping powers for military intervention and, of course, a strong crown, is “Premocracy” redux. The army is a big part of the country’s predicament. Its generals believe they have a right to remove any government that incurs its, or the palace’s, displeasure—taking its cue from the monarchy that has approved so many of its coups. These two obstacles to Thailand’s democratic development are inextricably interlinked. Mr Handley criticises the way the king has undermined the rule of law. When he has intervened to make known his wishes, his influence is such that it is taken as an order. In an example too late for the book, months before the 2006 coup the king ordered the country’s judges to do something about the political crisis. In a recording of a phone call between two Supreme Court judges shortly afterwards, later posted on the internet, one says they need to avoid the perception that they are following palace orders because “foreigners wouldn’t accept it”. Since then, their interpretation of the king’s wishes has become increasingly clear, as the courts have rushed through cases against the former prime minister and his allies, while going easy on their critics. Some cases, such as the corruption allegations against Mr Thaksin, clearly deserved the courts’ attention. Others were trivial, such as the court-ordered sacking in September of Samak Sundaravej, the pro-Thaksin prime minister, for doing a television cookery show. In contrast, rebellion charges against the PAD’s leaders over their seizing of Government House were watered down and the courts freed them to continue the occupation. None of this is to absolve Mr Thaksin and his cronies of their sins. But even his gravest abuse—a “war on drugs” in 2003, in which police were suspected of hundreds of extra-judicial killings—was not entirely his fault. The dirty war against supposed drug-dealers was misguidedly supported by Thais of all social classes. Even the king, in an equivocal speech that year, sounded at times as if he approved of it. Father knows best Other countries, from Spain to Brazil, have overcome dictatorial pasts to grow into strong democracies whose politics is mostly conducted in parliament, not on the streets. Thailand’s failure to follow suit is partly because “Father” has always been willing to step in and sort things out: his children have never quite had to grow up. The Democrats, the parliamentary opposition, are opportunists, cheering on the PAD while seemingly hoping for another royally approved coup to land the government in their lap. AFP Princess Sirindhorn is preferred... The rage of Bangkok’s traditional elite against Mr Thaksin stems partly from embarrassment at having originally supported him. When he came to power in 2001 there was a feeling that Thailand needed a strong “CEO” leader, as the former businessman presented himself. His then party, Thai Rak Thai (TRT), was the first in Thai history to win a parliamentary majority on its own, and formed the first elected government to serve a full term, after which it was re-elected. Mr Thaksin’s policies of improved public services and credit for the poor, though self-serving, promised to improve an unequal, hierarchical society: another reason why the old palace-linked elite wants him eliminated. The government of generals and bureaucrats installed by the 2006 coup-makers performed miserably. In last December’s elections, though TRT had been disbanded, Mr Thaksin’s new People’s Power Party won most seats. This spurred the PAD to resume its protests. In clashes in October PAD members fought the police with guns, bombs and sharp staves, hoping the army would again use disorder as the pretext for a coup. The PAD nevertheless blamed the clashes entirely on police brutality, and the anti-Thaksin Bangkok press let it get away with this. The death of one PAD member, apparently blown up in his car by the bomb he was carrying, was quickly buried. But the death of a young woman, reportedly when a police tear-gas canister exploded, became a cause c?l?bre. Up to this point there were only whispers as to why the PAD enjoyed such lenient treatment—even from the army, which refused to help the police remove protesters from government offices. However, rumours of an extremely influential backer were confirmed when Queen Sirikit, attended by a clutch of cameramen, presided over the dead woman’s cremation. The king remained silent. Nobody can discuss, of course, what effect the queen’s support has had on the majority of Thais who still, apparently, back Mr Thaksin. A whirl of l?se-majest? accusations have been made against pro- and anti-Thaksin figures. But the PAD’s ever more menacing behaviour, the palace’s failure to disown it, and the group’s insistence that Thais must choose between loyalty to Mr Thaksin and to the king, may be doing untold damage to the crown itself. Some of Mr Thaksin’s voters must be contemplating the flip-side of the PAD’s argument: if the monarchy is against the leader they keep voting for, maybe it is against them. Such feelings may only be encouraged by the PAD’s condescending arguments that the rural poor, Mr Thaksin’s main support base, are too “uneducated” to have political opinions, so their voting power must be reduced. Bloomberg …to the stiff crown prince At a pro-Thaksin rally in July a young activist ranted against the monarchy, calling the king “a thorn in the side of democracy” for having backed so many coups, and warning the royal family they risked the guillotine. She was quickly arrested. What shocked the royalist establishment was not just the startling criticism of the king—but that the activist was cheered. “It is more and more difficult for them to hold the illusion that the monarchy is universally adored,” says a Thai academic. This illusion is crumbling amid growing worry about what happens when the king’s reign ends. The fears over Mr Thaksin’s past influence on the crown prince are overshadowed by far deeper ones about the suitability of the heir to the throne. Vajiralongkorn has shown little of his father’s charisma or devotion to duty, and in his youth suffered from a bad reputation. In a newspaper interview he defended himself against accusations that he was a gangster. But even his mother, in an extraordinary set of interviews on a visit to America in 1981, conceded he was a “bit of a Don Juan”. “If the people of Thailand do not approve of the behaviour of my son, then he would either have to change his behaviour or resign from the royal family,” she said. The Thai press dutifully self-censored and certainly would not repeat these criticisms now. Nevertheless, the crown prince will probably remain deeply disliked. There has been speculation over the years that the king might pass the crown to the much more popular Princess Sirindhorn, who now does most of his job of touring the country to meet the masses. The 8pm nightly royal news on television constantly shows her, smiling through endless visits and ceremonies, making merit at Buddhist temples and doing other good works. In the crown prince’s rare appearances he looks reluctant and stiff, and is rarely seen meeting ordinary people. The patrilineal tradition of the Chakri dynasty is unlikely to be broken. And the prominent role played by the crown prince in Princess Galyani’s cremation removed any doubts about whether he was the chosen heir, says a Thai academic. Even so, many Thais, a superstitious people, will remember an old prophecy that the dynasty would last for only nine generations—Bhumibol is the ninth Chakri king—and that a tenth would be a disaster. Some day my prince… For all these reasons, a former senior official with strong palace ties says there is a terror of what will come after Bhumibol. “When we say ‘Long live the king’ we really mean it, because we can’t bear to think of what the next step will be,” he says. Most Thais are too young to remember a time before Bhumibol took the throne. His death will be a leap into the unknown. It would seem wise for royal advisers to be doing some succession planning. But, says the former official, none seems to be going on. And any advice offered would probably not be heeded: “The king is his own man. Nobody advises the king,” he says. In the shorter term, a trigger for renewed confrontation may be, if a pro-Thaksin government survives, its plan to amend the constitution passed during the military regime that followed the 2006 coup. Some mooted changes, such as restoring a fully elected Senate, seem reasonable. But the PAD assumes the main motive is to relieve Mr Thaksin and his allies of the various legal charges against them. Neither side yet seems willing to compromise. Both have made clear their readiness to use street mobs to achieve their ends. A messy but effective “Thai-style compromise” is still hoped for, to pull the country back from the brink. It is even possible to dream of the red- and yellow-shirt movements transforming themselves into a well-behaved, mainstream two-party system with broad public participation. This, in turn, might help the country escape the dead hand of the courtiers and generals who are trying to drag the country into the past. But none of this is likely. If Bhumibol’s glittering reign either ends in conflagration or leads to a Thailand paralysed by endless strife, with nobody of his stature to break the deadlock, it will be a tragedy. But he will have played a leading role in bringing about such an outcome. There is of course an opposing case to be made—that the king has been a stabilising influence in a volatile age, that his devotion to duty has been an inspiring example and that he has only ever done what he thought best for the country. But that case has been made publicly, day in, day out, for decades. Thais are not allowed to discuss in public the other side of the coin. Comments... In an interview with CNN aired in Thailand on 25 December 2008, Thailand's latest prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva skirted aroiund itnerviewer Dan River's detailed question relating to whether the country's archaic laws on lese majeste should be repealed by replying that the law and any law could be reviewed and appropriate action taken, but with the recognized need to safeguard the country's institutions, including, of course, the monarchy. This was Washington Talk for "We have no plans to change the law and won't unelss forced to do so." Meanwhile, Harry Nicolaides, an Australian citizen, languishes in prison charged with lese majeste because of a book he foolishly published locally that throws barbs at the Thai royal family. While the author has recanted, he faces the same fate as other Medeival martyrs who stood against the vile forces of oppression and will not be given much help by anyone - after all, human rights in Thailand get a low priority - not only thanks to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but to the Thai penchant for undermining human rights before they are allowed to engender protection from social conventions. That Harry's book and The Economist have come out so clearly with negative commentary about Thailand's royal family need not be denounced as misinformation or misunderstanding, especially by vested-interest Thai officials who know better but need to preserve a false image in the best of Disney traditions. There is a media production in circulation that everyone needs to see, because while many Thais who have seen it ignorantly denounce it as a fake, clearly technical competance does not exist to fake such a recording. Audio contained also verifies authenticity. Army comeback through soft, silent coup
It would be an understatement to say the Thai military has further entrenched its status over the past few weeks as a state within a state as a result of Army Chief Gen Anupong Paochinda's controversial but crucial role in helping the Democrats form the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration. In return, those generals got one of their own former commanders, by the name of Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, as Defence Minister. A few days prior to the cabinet appointment last week, a Defence Ministry spokeman made it clear by telling the media they did not want an outsider as Defence minister. So they got what they wanted, and Prawit, according to the current Navy Commander, "has good relations with Anupong". Also, a "strange coincidence" occurred very soon after when Gen Prawit's younger brother, Pol Gen Phatcharawat Wongsuwan, was reinstated as Police chief. Phatcharawat, by the way, has been accused by the National Human Rights Commission of using excessive force to quell the People Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters in front of parliament on October 7. This led to two deaths and hundreds being injured, when he was in charge. But the Army is trying to stage a comeback through a soft, hidden and silent coup, in an even bigger way and play a dual role again. It was reported last week that the Army plans "to visit" red-shirt groups in the Northeast "as part of a mission to ease social disunity". The report even quoted Anupong as saying "Basically I love Isaan people". Now, it's well-known red-shirt pro-Thaksin Shinawatra villagers and voters have been upset with the military since they staged a coup d'etat in September 2006 which ousted Thaksin. What took place after the coup was a blitz of pro-military and facile national unity propaganda launched by a military junta, the Council for National Security. It failed as voters in the areas persistently voted for whoever they saw as representing Thaksin and so the People Power Party won the election last December. Now the Army is back at it again, and all this just before snap by-elections on January 11 in many areas. Thai Rath newspapers went into more detail last Friday when stating that 2,000 troops "would be dispatched" to all areas in the North and Northeast where new polls will be held. When will the Army learn that what these people need is not exactly "love" as Gen Anupong have stated, but "respect" - respect for their political right and freedom to make political choices - no matter what others think. By engineering and making the Abhisit administration a reality through coercing a defection of former pro-Thaksin aide Newin Chidchob, red-shirt voters felt doubly cheated and robbed of their government - no matter how dubious then PM Somchai Wongsawat and his predecessor Samak Sundaravej were. So when will the Army learn it's none of their business to help form a government or send soldiers to tell rural and poor villagers what kind of political outlook they should have (not to mention whom they should vote for)? Did it not occur to these generals that they too must be top among the list of those who urgently need proper re-education about politics, and the proper role of the military in a democracy? Perhaps not - judging from their behaviour which projects Anupong as being more than just Army chief but also a kingmaker, chief propagandist and more. Some said we should be thankful that the military didn't stage yet another coup after the PAD illegal seized the two Bangkok airports. Nevertheless, Gen Anupong's role in opening his house to talk with key politicians on December 6 to discuss what sort of new coalition should look like is a soft, hidden and silent coup which in a way is worse than the visible and obvious traditional coup with tanks rolling down the streets of Bangkok. This is because soft, hidden and silent coup blur the line between what is democratically acceptable and not, between what is illegitimate and not. It may be too simplistic to say that PM Abhisit is simply a military puppet and lacking in his own agency. (Please note that the PAD is also very influential in the new administration with the appointment of one of the PAD fanatics, Kasit Piromya, who defended the PAD's takeover of the airports as "fun" as the new Foreign Minister). Prawit's appointment and the military's dual role in political meddling is nonetheless a reminder that the military is gaining more clout and influence vis-a-vis elected politicians and the people. It shows they're not willing to give up their privileged and hugely rewarding status as a state within a state. This alone doesn't bode well for the future of Thai democracy. Misunderstanding on Thai Monarchy by The Economist The following was posted on the Thai National News Bureau of Thailand website http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255112240015. dated 24 December 2008. False views and misunderstanding on the monarchy of the Kingdom of Thailand by The Economist which have been published periodically have upset the nation. The Department of Information of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs therefore felt necessary to issue an announcement to express the Kingdom’s resentment against such views. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs speculates that the differences between the West and the East are one of the major causes foreign authors such as columnists of The Economist arrive at a distorted view about Thailand. In addition, their lack of sufficient knowledge and insight in Thailand’s culture and history make them recklessly assume that the Thai monarchy is above the nation’s sovereignty. Thai people’s loyalty and ultimate respect for the monarchy are wrongly used to form a notion that the monarchy, especially the King, has the supreme power in all facets of the nation. The Economist’s columnists who wrote articles in contempt of the Thai monarchy failed to understand that the monarchy is the heart and mind of all Thai citizens and the institution is under the Constitution. If one closely keeps track of and examines works and initiatives of His Majesty the King, one will see that the monarch always supports democracy, remains politically impartial, and tolerates criticisms. HM the King said in 2005 that he was not a person who could not be criticized but he was self-prohibited to respond to criticisms due to his position. There have been times when political turmoil occurred in Thailand and HM the King was requested to appoint a prime minister but HM the King always insisted the country adhere to the democratic parliamentary system. The monarch’s refusal to respond to criticisms makes it difficult for HM the King to clarify political accusations which concern him but makes it easy for foreign columnists to interpret his abstention for their benefits. One should also keep in mind that foreigners are only observers of the nation’s situation. They are not the ones who have grown up on this land to witness the royal good will and hard work that His Majesty has taken, traveling to remote areas in all parts of the country to design a project to solve people's hardship. They may not be able to understand Thai people's appreciation of His Majesty's lifelong devotion for the well-being of his subjects. Although the misinterpretation of activities and speeches of the monarchy by the foreign media are unacceptable among Thai people, HM the King always forgives and understands criticisms about him. Inspiration Called For From Post Today dated 20 December 2008: ¤ÇÒÁ¤Ô´àËç¹·Õè 2 ª×èÍ : sirina / dondree@hotmail.co.uk Çѹ·Õè 2008-12-22 22:35:44 ¹ ·Ø¡ ¤ÃÑ駷Õè¿Ñ§¾ÃÐÃÒª´íÒÃÑÊáÅÕÇÍÂÒ¡¨ÐÃéͧäËéà¾ÃÒзÕè¼èÒ¹ÁÒÊͧÊÒÁÃÑ°ºÒÅ·íÒ¡Òà »¯ÔÒ¹µ¹ÊÒºÒ¹µ¹áµèäÁèÁÕã¤Ã·íÒä´éÍÂèÒ§·ÕèÊÒºÒ¹µèÍ˹éÒ¾ÃоѡµìàÃÒ¡çÁÕ¤ÇÒÁ ËÇѧÇèÒ¤ÃÒǹÕéàÃÒÍÒ¨¨ÐÁÕ¤ÇÒÁËÇѧ¶Ö§áÁÕÇèÒ¨Ðà¾Õ§¹Ô´Ë¹èÍ¢³Ð¹ÕéáµèàÃÒ¡êÁ Õ¤ÇÒÁËÇѧÇèÒÊÔè§ÈÑ¡ÊÔ·¸Ôì¤ØéÁ¤Ãͧ»ÃÐà·ÈàÃÒ㹡ÅØèÁÃÑ°ºÒŹÕé¶Ö§áÁéÇèÒÁÕ¤¹ äÁè´ÕÍÂÙè㹡ÅØèÁáµèàÃÒ¡çÂѧËÇѧÇèÒ¤¹´Õ㹡ÅØèÁ¨ÐªèÇ£ѡ¿Í¡¨Ôµã¨¤¹àÅÇäËé ¡ÅѺÁÒªèÇ¡ѹ·íÒ§Ò¹à¾×èͪҵÔà¾×è͹ÒÂËÅǧ¢Í§àÃÒà¾ÃÒзèÒ¹à˹×èÍÂÁÒÁÒ¡áÅéÇ àÃÒ¤Çèз´á·¹ºØ¤Ø³¢Í§·èÒ¹àÊÕ·աç¢ÍãËéÍíÒ¹Ò·ÊÔè§ÈÑ¡ÊÔ·¸Ô쨧´ÅºÑ¹´ÒÅãËé ºéÒ¹àÁÔͧÁÕáµè¤ÇÒÁʧºÊØ¢áÅдźѹ´ÒÅãËéÃÑ°ºÒŹÕé·íÒ§Ò¹´éǤÇÒÁ£×èÍÊѵÂì ÊبÃÔµáÅТÍãËé¾Ç¡¹Ã¡»èǹàÁ×ͧ¨§ÁÕÍѹà»ç¹ä»áÅоèÒÂá¾éá¡è¤ÇÒÁ´Õ¢Í§¹ÒÂËÅǧ ¢Í§àÃÒ´éÇÂà·Í Translation/Comment: Translation: Opinion no. 2 - Every time that I have listened to the king's speech I have wanted to cry because the past two to three governments have sworn an oath but did not act in accordance with their oath in front of the king. We have the hope that this time that even though there is a little hope in that which is sacred in government even though there are some bad people in the group that their hearts will be cleansed and they will come back to help the nation for the same of our king. Because he is already very tired and we should repay his kindness for once. Let the power of what is sacred inspire the nation for peace and inspire this government with both honesty and that the hellish ones who curse our land become lost to goodness of the king. 20 December 2008 Our Reporting Of The Foreign Media Is Distorted The above headline is a paraphrasal of The Nation's http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/12/12/opinion/opinion_30090774.php titled Foreign media coverage of our crisis is distorted, and written by Thanong Khanthong - The Nation Published on December 12, 2008. The full article is: One man's sin has turned into the Kingdom's woes. We still have to learn a lot about Thaksin Shinawatra's lobbying and PR power on the local and global level. Still, it is quite incredible that The Economist, the International Herald Tribune, and other international media have agreed to turn themselves into parrots. They are now putting the blame for the Thai crisis on the monarchy. They are painting a simplistic picture of a very complicated situation and alleging that the monarchy has got involved in politics to protect its interests and privileges while all the time seeking shelter under the lese majeste law. Much worse, they are suggesting that it is time for Thailand to embrace popular democracy, as Thaksin Shinawatra claimed to have championed, and do away with constitutional monarchy. At the moment, between the constitutional monarchy and Western style liberal democracy, the Thai people still have more trust in the 70-plus year-old system. This system is likely to remain until the majority of the Thai people trust their elected leaders to put the country's interest over their own vested interests. Notice every time there is a major crisis, who steps in and saves the day? The international media deliberately ignore the root of the current political crisis, which originates from gross corruption, cronyism and nepotism. Instead, they focused only on the simple fact that Thaksin had got more votes than anybody. They seems to forget that Thaksin had wrecked our institutions, put his family and friends in key positions and carried out bloody initiatives that resulted in questionable death of nearly 3,000 people in the name of drug war. Would you like to have him as your premier? Subsequently we have witnessed social and political clashes that at times gone out of control, pitting Thais against Thais. If you have read The Economist' s Dec 4 edition, you may be wondering whether this UK magazine really knows what it is writing. What kind of lese majeste taboo is The Economist talking about? It is all in the perception rather than reality. His Majesty the King does not prohibit people to criticise him or the Monarchy if they do so in an honest way. Since 1932 no person has been sentenced to jail under the lese majeste law for criticising the Monarchy. Even King Rama VI, the King's uncle, did not put people to jail for criticising the Monarchy. In the old Ayutthaya period, the Siamese subjects also criticised the Monarchy when they had bad kings. But they all respected Monarchy as an institution first and the Kings as an individual second. One has to differentiate criticism against the Monarchy from slanting, libelling or vandalising the Monarchy. Thaksin has sued a lot of people for libelling him. If you libel against the Monarchy, you also stand to get into trouble too. If you have your doubt about the lese majeste law, just ask sharp-tongue social critic Sulak Srivalaksa. He has charged 15 times time with lese majeste and never once did he serve jail sentence. It was consistently ruled that Suluck had criticised the Monarchy rather than libelling it. The problem we have is the exploitation for political gains by individual Thais and foreigners. All opposing forces in Thailand carry HM portraits. The problem we have with the Econmists is that the publication ignored the fact that the Monarchy embodied a much more broader dimension of Thai society that include the Thai culture, tradition and statehood. The international media also have suggested that the King was instrumental behind the 2006 coup. But they cannot provide evidence to back up this claim. Against this is slanting. The King, from my understanding, does not like a coup because the sovereign power returns to him alone. He commands moral persuasion, but he does not have the power to tell the military what to do or not what to do. When the military took power in 2006 to pre-empt the clash between the Thaksin government and the protesters, the King had no choice but to endorse it later on. If he had not endorsed the coup, Thaksin would be forming a government in exile and at home the divided military would be shooting against each other, with the yellow-shirt protesters and red shirt supporters taking side. A civil war would ensue, just like what we have just seen in recent months. In 1991 when Gen Suchinda Kraprayoon staged a coup, the King did not approve it but he had no power to stop the generals and his clique. If he had not endorsed the coup, which had already been staged, the country would be plunged into a state of vacuum, which was every more dangerous. If you do a public opinion survey on the King's popularity, the approval of his kingship would be - I guess -- 98 per cent. There is no crisis of the Monarchy at the moment because the Thai people are not staging an uprising against him. The Red Shirt people support Thaksin but if you ask them to go against the Monarchy, very few of them would be willing to do so. The campaign of the Red Shirt people is that "we support the Monarchy but they do not support military dictatorship." Our comments on the article follow, with individual sections cited. One man's sin has turned into the Kingdom's woes. We still have to learn a lot about Thaksin Shinawatra's lobbying and PR power on the local and global level. Still, it is quite incredible that The Economist, the International Herald Tribune, and other international media have agreed to turn themselves into parrots. They are now putting the blame for the Thai crisis on the monarchy. They are painting a simplistic picture of a very complicated situation and alleging that the monarchy has got involved in politics to protect its interests and privileges while all the time seeking shelter under the lese majeste law. Much worse, they are suggesting that it is time for Thailand to embrace popular democracy, as Thaksin Shinawatra claimed to have championed, and do away with constitutional monarchy. That the monarchy is provided carte blanche shelter under Article 112 is a known fact. Certainly it is in the monarchy's interest to be protected by the article and a willing Thai police who make a point of subverting the rights of individuals and groups to speak about an important topic, the monarchy. the foreign media may be suggesting that Thailand embrace democracy, but this does not equate to having to do away with the monarchy. Setting the monarchy aside from politics in a real and concrete sense is what the media are speaking of. The close liaison among the monarchy, military and police is not a seceret. That the king has himself publicly called for criticism is also known fact, but the Thai public, the police and monarchy are not much in sympathy with anyone who takes up the offer. At the moment, between the constitutional monarchy and Western style liberal democracy, the Thai people still have more trust in the 70-plus year-old system. This system is likely to remain until the majority of the Thai people trust their elected leaders to put the country's interest over their own vested interests. Notice every time there is a major crisis, who steps in and saves the day? Not quite sure what answer is expected, or is this a rhetorical queston? the monarchy has not been saving the day, if the monarchy is supposed to be the answer in this case. Rather than allowing that vacuum to develop and for real democracy to take root, the old traditional feudal system is once again enforced and things go back to square one. So the idea that the monarchy's role and its actions will remain in place until a strange magical realization takes place where politicians are suddenly trusted is begging the question but not settling it. The international media deliberately ignore the root of the current political crisis, which originates from gross corruption, cronyism and nepotism. Instead, they focused only on the simple fact that Thaksin had got more votes than anybody. They seems to forget that Thaksin had wrecked our institutions, put his family and friends in key positions and carried out bloody initiatives that resulted in questionable death of nearly 3,000 people in the name of drug war. Would you like to have him as your premier? Such a subjective value judgment does not rest well within the pages of a reputable newspaper. The media have not ignored the root cause of the current political crisis. It is the Thais in general who ignore it. Cronyism and nepotism lie at the heart of all institutions in Thailand, not just political. Getting more votes than anyone else sounds like a democratic result, and can be. In Thaksin's case, he bought votes and cajoled them, lied about what he would or could do. This is no different from indoctrinating sixty million people everyday several times a day on radio, TV and in other public venues to worship a national figure. Surely common sense tells us that both methods are unethical, even immoral. Subsequently we have witnessed social and political clashes that at times gone out of control, pitting Thais against Thais. If you have read The Economist' s Dec 4 edition, you may be wondering whether this UK magazine really knows what it is writing. What kind of lese majeste taboo is The Economist talking about? It is all in the perception rather than reality. Part of the root cause of Thailand's social and political problems is the insistent mantra of unity, that all Thais must act, believe, speak and look the same. This is part of the problem. The lese majeste taboo the Economist is talking about is hardly a secret, except to those trying to make excuses for throwing political prisoners in jail because they say something the police do not like. It is taboo to criticize the king, make no denial here. And who decides if the criticism is just or not? First the police who quickly throw the accused in jail and the Thai justice system that does not protect the accused's rights. His Majesty the King does not prohibit people to criticise him or the Monarchy if they do so in an honest way. Since 1932 no person has been sentenced to jail under the lese majeste law for criticising the Monarchy. Even King Rama VI, the King's uncle, did not put people to jail for criticising the Monarchy. In the old Ayutthaya period, the Siamese subjects also criticised the Monarchy when they had bad kings. But they all respected Monarchy as an institution first and the Kings as an individual second. Is it the police then that prohibit people and punish them by throwing them in jail, and Thai public and media joining the bandwagon by citing how once again a foreigner or evil Thai is insulting the king? The taboo law is out of control, and being used by police to continue a Nazi-type clampdown on expression. Let's not make claims about who does not punish whom when facts show otherwise. The situation in Thailand needs complete cleaning, first and foremmost with the polcie being deprived of the right to throw alleged lese majeste 'criminals' in jail. One has to differentiate criticism against the Monarchy from slanting, libelling or vandalising the Monarchy. Thaksin has sued a lot of people for libelling him. If you libel against the Monarchy, you also stand to get into trouble too. If you have your doubt about the lese majeste law, just ask sharp-tongue social critic Sulak Srivalaksa. He has charged 15 times time with lese majeste and never once did he serve jail sentence. It was consistently ruled that Suluck had criticised the Monarchy rather than libelling it. Sulak having been charged with lese majeste fifteen times and never once being jailed was in part because he fled the country first, remember? Libelling the monarchy in Thailand can be easily enforced because proof in defense is not permitted to be exposed. There is, for example, a well-known authentic video in circulation, as well as dozens of photographs, that cannot be used in defense in Thai lese majeste cases because the people depicted do not want their behavior to be known. The problem we have is the exploitation for political gains by individual Thais and foreigners. All opposing forces in Thailand carry HM portraits. The problem we have with the Econmists is that the publication ignored the fact that the Monarchy embodied a much more broader dimension of Thai society that include the Thai culture, tradition and statehood. The international media also have suggested that the King was instrumental behind the 2006 coup. But they cannot provide evidence to back up this claim. It is thus stated that Thailand's institutions have no interest in exploiting for political gains, but media do. What absurdity! There is plenty of circumstantial evidence to back up the claim, but no one in Thailand is permitted to properly investigate it. Thailand is, indeed, a country lacking in evidence. When sons of famous politicians kill policemen in broad daylight, they are let off the hook when witnesses change their accounts. Thailand has no moral right to speak of evidence as a whole. Against this is slanting. The King, from my understanding, does not like a coup because the sovereign power returns to him alone. He commands moral persuasion, but he does not have the power to tell the military what to do or not what to do. When the military took power in 2006 to pre-empt the clash between the Thaksin government and the protesters, the King had no choice but to endorse it later on. If he had not endorsed the coup, Thaksin would be forming a government in exile and at home the divided military would be shooting against each other, with the yellow-shirt protesters and red shirt supporters taking side. Your understanding? That the Thai military might be shooting at one another is reflective of real root problems and not just a hypothetical argument per se. Making statements about whether the king had a choice or not should be on the basis of evidence, something not likely to be allowed to surface here. A civil war would ensue, just like what we have just seen in recent months. In 1991 when Gen Suchinda Kraprayoon staged a coup, the King did not approve it but he had no power to stop the generals and his clique. If he had not endorsed the coup, which had already been staged, the country would be plunged into a state of vacuum, which was every more dangerous. HM's handling of the Suchinda/Chamlong situation is sketchy at best. The king had said at the time, "It may not be a surprise as to why I asked you tok come to this meeting..." He also said, "The two of you have been ivited because at the beginning there was a situatino in which the two of you were confronting each other, and at the end it has become a confrontation or a struggle on a larger scale." The essence of this comment by the monarch to the two was that the overall wrongness of Thailand's political and social climate was less important that burying it under a so-called personality conflict that threatened the Thai nation. This is a uniquely Thai approach to major social change pressures. If you do a public opinion survey on the King's popularity, the approval of his kingship would be - I guess -- 98 per cent. There is no crisis of the Monarchy at the moment because the Thai people are not staging an uprising against him. The Red Shirt people support Thaksin but if you ask them to go against the Monarchy, very few of them would be willing to do so. The campaign of the Red Shirt people is that "we support the Monarchy but they do not support military dictatorship." Such a survey would be meaningless, given the intense propaganda on behalf of the institution. It would be like asking the average American to state whether he likes freedom. As well, the sufficiency economy model touted by the king has been shown to have immense faults, but they are not argued meaningfully in the kingdom.
9 December 2008 Illinois Governor Arrested When American federal authorities recently arrested a top politician in Illinois, few expected it would be the state’s governor, Rod Blagojevich. Incidentally, in the US state governors have the say-so in deciding who steps into vacated Senatorial seats. So is it any wonder, then, that Rod was arrested on charges of putting the state’s senate seat up for bid to the man (or woman) with the most money? “Do I hear $20 million, do I hear $25 million?” The auction is now officially cancelled. Readers may find the Wikipedia references to the now-former Illinois governor interesting, since it contains information such as that he had helped push through a strict ethics law in the state, and that he did not find a lot of humor in a past Daily Show that he appeared on. According to one commentator, “Anyone under 90 will know it’s a comedy show.” Blagovevich’s record is spotty at best, and according to public record, he has acted in numerous ways later proven illegal or contrary to the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. He also upset powerful Jews by appointing a Nation of Islam executive. An excerpt from the former governor’s federal investigation: “Blagojevich was recorded on tape by law enforcement authorities on several occasions debating whether he should forgo the chance to profit from the appointment and name himself to succeed Obama. "Unless I get something real good [in exchange], shit, I'll just send myself, you know what I'm saying," Blagojevich said one day before Obama's election, unaware that he was being wiretapped.” Thai To Sue PAD For 20 Billion Baht December 6, 2008 "Thai Airways International will sue People's Alliance for Democracy for compensation, for the revenue losses of Bt20 billion during the 8-day closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Transport permanent secretary Surachai Thansitthipon, as chairman of the national airline, said after the board's meeting on Wednesday that during the closure, THAI had to cancel all scheduled flights." The problem with civiil disobedience is perhaps defining the line it ceases being civil and becomes merely disobedience. There is the added aspect of those involved in civil disobedience shutting down a country’s infrastructure, commercial operations, political centers and impacting its cash cow – tourism – by carrying out protests in places that require continuance of operations for government and private sector services. When protestors surround public facilities operated by private entities, such as recently occurred in Thailand with the PAD and Suvarnabhumi Airport, are they to blame and should they be punished, prosecuted and pursued? Apparently Thai Airways International thinks so, as it has announced it plans to sue the PAD for 20 billion Baht – est. $571 million. But can it support such a claim? Certainly the airline, like many, as well as tour companies and state agencies, incurred losses associated with the airport occupation. But the PAD has been highly successful in the past in referring to constitutional rights to protest with few exceptions. This time around, however, the PAD went too far and will have to face the consequences. British Ambassador Didn't Appreciate
'Democracy' Protests "BANGKOK, December 4, 2008 (TNA) – The Thai government must step up its efforts to restore the country's image as soon as possible following the week-long siege of Bangkok's international and domestic airports by anti-government protesters, according to British Ambassador to Thailand Quinton Quayle. He said he had experienced difficulties in traveling into Thailand since the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters besieged Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports beginning last week. "I spent almost three days attempting to travel into Thailand. I saw almost one thousand Thai and foreign passengers stranded in the airport. It gives a very negative impression in the eyes of foreigners," he said. Mr. Quayle said the incident had affected Thailand's macro-economy. It had a negative impact on investment sentiment and tourism from which the revenue earned annually accounts for 10 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). So, he believes the Thai government must step up its efforts to address the nation's problems and restore the country's devastated image without delay in order to reduce the adverse impact. "I hope all parties will join hands to accelerate creating mutual understanding and abide by His Majesty the King's advice and the rule of law to restore the image and creditworthiness of the country," the envoy said. Mr. Quayle said he was personally quite sympathetic with the Thai government because it must be heavily responsible for creating proper understanding among agencies, boosting safety standards, and putting airports in place. (TNA)" That the government of Great Britain should be concerned about Thailand's tourism and the country's overall image being damaged by recent pro-democracy protests is understandable, but we would like to think, as well, that the British country and crown would more frequently and meaningfully highlight Thailand's unambiguous lack of human rights protections and democratic mechanisms that would otherwise lead to meaningful democratic and humane development in the country. The recent actions by the People's Alliance for Democracy are not the actions of water buffalo being led across the rice paddies as some armchair political commentators would have one believe. That the PAD has, in fact, recorted to physical force on the one hand, and respondent violence on the other, is a statement about the manner in which their protests have been received by Thai society as a whole and the government in particular. In Thailand it's nice to protest, but don't do it too loudly or too long, because the inexorable sociaopolitical machinery that keeps things in check will fall down on you, and hard. Of course many people are tiring of the protests. But it seems that not as many are tiring of the continued corrupt political process that makes the protests necessary. As to the future, it is near-certain that the next government will also face protests and fall/be ordered to dissolve. Lice will only jump to new dog... 2 December 2008 The expected and feared ruling on 2 December 2008 by Thailand's Constitutional Court that ruled Thailand's People Power Party and two of its coalition partners must be dissolved and its party executives banned from politics for five years was a huge inspirational victory for the government opposition. However, whether the gaity will last long or not is hardly debatable. What is expected to happen now is 'mmore of the same' with close friends and relatives of the same corrupt and dishonest politicians now occupying Thai political posts to replace their departing ilk. to be sure there will be a very brief honeymoon - the pro-Thaksin prime minister will appear before the king to present his credentials and to pretend to listen to honest advice about good governance. Then the same kind and extent of corruption under the Thaksin/TRT/PPP governments will once again come onstage, demanding yet another round of political protest and divisiveness in Thai society. In the mantime, many are asking, will the PAD relinquish its hold on the airports? Will the Thailand-based international balloon festival be severely impacted?... 1 December 2008 With Thailand's international airport still closed down and reinforcements by protesters against the government being snet, is there an end in sight? As well, another nuance crops up with the international balloon festival scheduled for 3-7 December 2008. See the main page for link to the baloon festival site. There are scheduled to be at least 60 balloons, but will operators and organizers be able to travel to and from Thailand? We are sending an email inquiry to the organizer, and hope they have a Plan B. While the protests continue in Bangkok, the incompetant and inept Thai government - sound familiar? - remains steadfast that it will not step down, that its prime minister won't resign and that the government won't dissolve Parliament. Add resolve to resolve and you get continued impasse. Many online and hardcopy commentators are saying that they no longer sympathize with the PAD because of some violence on the part of some of its members, or because of the PAD's actions in occupying the two Bangkok airports, Suvarnabhumi and Don Meung. Although we agree that the occupation was illegal, and aren't justifying disobeying just laws, we are asking readers to consider whether any country in the world has been able to make major political and social change without violence and gross levels of civil disobedience.
The Play Is Yet To Be Played... 30 November 2008 While Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok remains closed to all flights, the Thai authorities have finally gotten off their hands and redirected passengers through the country’s former Vietnam War era B-52 base at Utapao. According to authorities, some 50 flights a day are being processed. Utapao is also identified by Singapore Airlines, and others, as the arrival point for incoming international flights should Suvarnabhumi not be reopened shortly. The action on the part of the PAD to close down what is arguably Thailand’s showcase tourism jewel (albeit, from both domestic residents and international travelers who have been to the airport, including this writer, is seen as a piece of architectural and disfunctional trash), is hardly an action to be proud of. But while we wax and wane on the merits of what it did, we also need to consider the total ineptness of the Thaksin-proxy Thai government currently being led by Thaksin’s brother-in-law. The voters who elected the current People’s Power Party (PPP) government slap themselves on the back for having elected a democratic government, when in fact only the bare skeleton of such was elected. The process was formally democratic, but unseen was the bullying, coercion, payoffs and political machinations by Thaksin and his ilk that allowed the PPP to exist. The PPP, by the way, may cease to exist, along with two other minor parties in the current coalition, because of election fraud. The Thai Constitutional Court is scheduled to rule on Tuesday December 2, 2008, and by most expectations, the court will rule for dissolution. What impact this will have on Thai society is unknown, but fraught with fears – just and unjust. With growing polarizations taking place in Thai society, finally, and many people in many groups not just tiring of protests but tiring of corrupt governments led by the likes of Thaksin and/or the Army, a glimmer of hope peeps out from time to time that perhaps this time around the Thais will get it right; that perhaps they will finally stop forcing one another to think, speak and act in a certain way to be Thai or known as Thai and recognize everyone’s right to be different, to support someone else, to criticize not just the monarchy – which has said it needs to be criticized – but criticize the Thai courts – which still maintain sovereignty over reality when it comes to possibly being at fault or making a wrongful judgment. The Thai courts, in fact, while upholding the principle that they can not and must not be criticized, do make periodic errors and thus decisions are overturned in the appellate or supreme court. This particularly Thai sensitivity to high institutions being above criticism is a huge crutch being used on a patient who does not need it. All it does it to reinforce the idea that an injury has been sustained when it has not. Criticizing is not tantamount to any crime, except in Thailand, but is the right of free people anywhere. That right is part of what is at the center of the current stand-offs in Thailand between political groups. While having formed in one manner their overall thrust has already changed. The two pro-democracy groups, red-shirted and the other yellow-shirted, claim to support democracy but need to also reconsider their methodology. First and foremost, stop saying the other person is not a Thai when their beliefs, speech and actions are different from what you are accustomed to. That includes those Thais who may express an independent approach toward the monarchy and the courts. 27 November 2008 "...continued support for the corrupt demagogue is that people in general are so ignorant and selfish that all they want is to get by and enjoy life and stay away from complicated political issues." Maybe your assumptions are true, but the PAD are now behaving as thugs and criminals. There are peaceful ways to solve political problems. Foremost, PAD demonstrates to the World and to Thai Visitors that criminal acts are tolerated in Thailand. Thailand will now loose its largest income...the tourist industry. Shame on you for supporting the same criminal acts that you deplore. There is a saying, 'he who lives in glass house should not throw stones.' PAD is throwing rocks. When I finally get to leave this beautiful country, I will not return for a very long time. PAD and your editorials have shown me that there are "ignorant" and "selfish" Thai people, not the ones I know, but the ones that have shown their true face, PAD and Korat Post editorials. What a shame. I do not look at you with hatred, but with disappointed eyes. You and your friends do not deserve my respect nor any of my time. Editor's response was: Thanks for your opinion, though condescending it is. I am afraid you threw in several assumptions, like most people do, and didn’t bother to check whether they made sense or were logical. Criminal acts in Thailand havae been generated and tolerated for a long, long time before PAD ever came about. Have you been sleeping? The comment by the reader reflects some of the simplicity inherent in casual visitors to Thailand on the one hand, and apologists for official wrongdoing on the other. The PAD’s recent actions are criminal – in our view – but you need to ask which actions and not to use a wide brush to taint everything they do with the same paint. As well, don’t use your narrow opinionated brush to try to undermine commentary that does not necessarily side with PAD actions. When you misapply logic to support your arguments you don’t do anyone any favors, least of which yourself. Sitting here in the United States at the moment, and trying to get a BA seat back to Bangkok, I have a clear interest for Suvarnabhumi airport opening and for all protesters to leave it as soon as possible. I am also of the personal opinion that the PAD was wrong, as said above, in going ahead with this occupation. Shutting down Thailand’s international airport is a huge step to take on the one hand, and certainly a financially damaging one, as well as reputation damaging, on the other. It is not an action this editor agrees with. But it is up to the courts to resolve the legality of the occupation, not armchair lawyers or incidental visitors to the kingdom who have not been where, so to speak, the going gets tough – that is, inside real Thai society. For all of its faults, some of which have appeared to be recent faults, the PAD is fighting a machine that does not want to change. The reader whose letter is reprinted here [Maybe your assumptions are true, but the PAD are now behaving as thugs and criminals. There are peaceful ways to solve political problems. Foremost, PAD demonstrates to the World and to Thai Visitors that criminal acts are tolerated in Thailand. Thailand will now loose its largest income...the tourist industry. Shame on you for supporting the same criminal acts that you deplore.] talks about the PAD behaving as thugs but possibly has no idea that ‘thugs’ is the word that best describes Thai politicians and political leaders. As well, these ‘thugs’ who parade as prime ministers and cabinet members don’t ask permission – they take. They kidnap, kill, plunder and lie, cheat, steal and defame generally without regard to personal ethics or morality. They are thus not unlike many other of their ilk, but in Thailand there is an illusion that people are nice and are supposed to be nice. The first part of that premise is the problem – people are not nice. They act nice, they act polite, they seem to be welcoming and hospitable. But try slipping under the wire and try living as “one of them” for a while. You will soon see that politeness is feigned as often as it is genuine and that Thais in general have little patience for do-gooders, or people that do things just because they are the right thing to do. There is little social acclaim for those who actively do the right thing unless the process involves important people getting their pictures taken at press-covered events. The little guy seldom gets the attention although he may be doing most of the work. Once in a while you might read a story in the Bangkok Post, but generally people in Thailand who are honest, sincere, hard-working and selfless get the short end of the stick from their political leadership, the latter which is possibly the most self-gratifying on the planet. It is a bittersweet journey in Thailand for those who are born and raised here, as well as for those who arrive from abroad and then begin cracking the thick shell of illusion that makes it appear as if the Land of Smiles is just that – a land where everyone smiles because they are blissfully happy and don’t have a complaint in the world. Low profile is the main way to get along, for Thai and especially foreigner. Don’t leave Thailand suddenly disappointed by an impression you received in our editorials or from PAD activities. You are leaving and have been disappointed by a false impression you had that was shattered by reality. The PAD and its leadership aren’t up to ethical measures either you or I can claim to respect. Nor is any Thai government current or in times past. Nor is your government nor mine. If you really want to verify the genuine nature of Thai society, learn the language, live locally and see how corrupt things in Thailand really are, not just values, but concepts. Throw in a lot of xenophobia and you will get an idea that perhaps things are not as idyllic as you assume them to be. And finally, do not allow reality to take away from the positive side of being in Thailand. As an American professor said long ago, “Thais have possibly the best philosophy of life and the worst practice.” That quote has haunted me through many decades of interacting with Thai society and how its members interact with one another. I have tried to dismiss it many times over because of a personal proclivity to try to skirt around highly negative assumptions. But it does little good to disillusion oneself with idealistic blindness to what really exists. Thailand has a special place in the heart for tourists, and Thais are both proud of this and take advantage of it. But to be a tourist is not to see the real Thailand, or the real Thais. You are being entertained here, wined and dined, given an image heavily promoted so you will come back and spend more money, so you will return and remain infatuated with the image. There are also many westerners and other foreigners who insult Thailand to wit's end, even to the extent of insulting truly honorable Thais when they have been found. So reality, my dear reader, is the issue - not your impression of it. 26 November 2008 Airport closure and continued resistance to clean government in Thailand The past day or two has seen some outstanding developments taking place in Thailand, notably the latest involving closure of the country’s international airport by pro-democracy demonstrators. In fact, the action by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) caught not just international travelers off guard by perhaps Thai society in many senses. People in general were not prepared for the action, just as they had not been prepared when the PAD took over Parliament building and forced the cabinet to meet in other locations. One might conjecture that over the decades, in fact, Thai society has not been prepared to force issues of clean governance and responsible political representation on both sides of the voting booth – by the voter and by the candidate. In times past, people have either been paid off to vote a certain way, were told by their supervisors to vote for particular candidates or parties, or were warned not to vote for opposition – to the extent that lives were put at risk if the advice was not adhered to. Imagine entire Army battalions and entire military divisions being told not to watch opposition TV, being ordered to vote for the pro-government party. This is what has been happening in the Land of Smiles. Many observers, foreigners and Thai alike, point to the overwhelming election landslide victory of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to cite that democracy in Thailand chose who it wanted to lead the country. The other conclusion to draw, however, from the election results and continued support for the corrupt demagogue is that people in general are so ignorant and selfish that all they want is to get by and enjoy life and stay away from complicated political issues. A wonderful sentiment that is impractical, however. The entire world, Thailand and other countries, are today proving just how important politics is – not only in terms of impact to society, but in terms of society’s impact on politics, for good or ill, depending on values, actions, words and intent. From the moment that Thaksin Shinawatra first took office 9 February 2001, his mantle has been popularity and his modus operandi has consisted of secrecy, intransigence, outright disregard for human rights, opposition to views differing from his own, and an intense and amazing disrespect for His Majesty the King and HM’s value system in total. With the proverbial Thai gift for a golden tongue when it suits his interests and to deflect criticism, the former premier inherited a Thai way of sounding sincere and constructive while being quite the opposite in fact. Thaksin visibly squirmed in front of the Thai king while the latter criticized and chided him for being intolerant, temperamental and unwilling to listen to criticism, among other less than virtuous qualities. For his part, Thaksin demonstrated some of the important positive qualities that make national leaders effective in what they do and say: he was popular, he was hugely rich (Thai society seems, some say, to find being rich much more favorable than being just and democratic).), and he was not afraid to use personal power and power at his disposal, used through willing cronies, to get done whatever it was he wanted, including having suitcases full of money carried out of Thailand and again, some say, ordering the kidnapping and execution of opponents and other perceived troublemakers. In the typical Thai manner that many foreigners have also learned to adopt, society was beginning to adjust itself to Thaksin’s return to the country, not just as a hounded convicted criminal, but as a hero coming home to clear his name and reputation and to again take up the mantles of national leadership. Thais who have opposed this eventuality that Thaksin has never once let go from his litany of Must Do lists. Among the items on these lists are said to be: (1) return to former power, (2) punish enemies and others who stand in the way (kill if needed?), (3) continue undermining the institution of the monarchy, first by removing the teeth of the Privy Council, and (4) further depletion of the country’s coffers to direct the funds into personal and crony pockets. Surely these To-Do items are not in Thailand’s interests. But most Thais who either sided with Thaksin or are now leaning toward him because of recent PAD actions don’t rally care; they want peace and a return to normalcy. No objection there, but these are not going to come without a price. The corruption and human rights violations that occurred under Thaksin’s regime were deplorable and criminal, yet he had the nerve to continue with them, in part because of an apathetic society and media that played along. 25 November 2008 Some cross-currents... One of the fascinating things about Thailand these days, besides the conflict, disunity and violence, is the degree and kind of conflicting opinions about what is happening, who is responsible, what the 'solutions' are, and what needs to get done to implement them. Thais are as disjointed in reaching a concensus as are expatriates over the matter, and yet there is a wealth of bilingual commentary online about all of this. The Thai government is proceeding headlong in clamping down on websites and blogs that are putting up what a rational human being might consider common sense and certainly needed exposure of draconian censorship by the kingdom's elite. However, one of those that rides the line upon occasion but is still permitted to be accessed in the ever-increasing whirlpool of editorial darkness promoted by Thai authorities is New Mandala, found at http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/. This site, usually in English but with Thai-language readers (Thai and foreigner), contains lots of insightful - and Thai authorities might say inciteful - information about subjects ranging from lese majeste to corruption, from human rights to glittering personalities in Thailand that contribute to newspaper readership interest. We suggest readers pay an occasional visit to New Mandala if not already doing so. Also, see letter to Fox "Wong man..." not typo, regarding Alan Colmes leaving the Hannity pontification program... 20 November 2008 Civil War in the Land of Smiles With civiil war in southern Thailand a past topic of debate that has, thank God, not come to pass - albeit the violence in the region is bad enough - when rumormongers speak of impending civiil war throughout the country most scoff at the idea. After all, if things down south haven't gotten that far yet, how can they get that far nationwide? How, indeed? The answer might lie in an intrinsic characteristic of the Thai mindset and culture. It is a characteristic that has not exactly remained dormant over the past, either. It is a characteristic exemplified by nonchalance, apathy, selfish ego-centricity (overkill of term?) and a rationalization of the Buddhist Dharma that undermines rather than reinforces religious and moral ethics in the Thai culture. Exactly where this propensity, if it exists, originated is a mystery to some, although many academics will trace it back to feudalism and ensuing Siamese cultural development that has remained a pseudo-feudalist society to this day. The logic is that if the general populace is so compliant and elite-serving, then it can hardly be expected to preserve important institutions – other than, for example, the monarchy which it professes to emulate – such as democracy and freedom of speech. Over time, then, Siam/Thailand has tried to come to grips with the contradictions between its teachings and its practices without much meaningful progress other than toward an heir-headed kind of hypnotic allegiance to an ideal that can never exist, much less has ever existed. There is no such thing as perfection in a human being or in a human institution, period. Even when the shining light of one of these institutions tells the population that he is not perfect and needs to be criticized, government still pursues enshrining a prohibition in the constitution that does not allow criticism. There is a psychological term for the kind of imprinting that a majority, it seems, of Thais have performed upon themselves. This takes the form of adopting all of the positive virtues of their elite leadership and institutions and then imprinting these virtues on self: the ensuing misapplication of logic then becomes, “So as he is, I am. So as he is virtuous so am I virtuous.” It is extended and reinforced by the faulty logic that “If I worship him/it, then I am honorable, I am Thai, I am doing the right thing.” The Biblical entreaty no to worship false gods could have few other glaring examples of actually suffering from doing so than in present day Thailand. Thais have several gods that they worship. The monarchy to many is a Godship, an institution that is perfect and must remain above all criticism. To ensure this takes place, harsh police-enforced and court-supported laws are in effect that severely undermine reputations, honor, psyche, social equality and freedom of thought. Most often this harsh legislation is reflected in Article 112 of the criminal code which purportedly protects the monarchy, but which in fact more so prevents the general population from being able to express its thoughts. When one considers the pageantry of Thai culture, with its glittering and frequent parades, costume-donning and long-rehearsed recitations of ancient text and catchphrases out of the past, he or she is generally highly impressed with the end result. All of this is impressive, but it should carry a message – mass thought control has its price. Eventually the piper demands payment, and in current day Thailand that payment is possibly being solicited in the form of a threat of civil war. The kind of civil war being discussed in some circles at the moment is not one limited to the south where a Muslim majority lives. It is a national civil war that threatens to undermine society in Thailand as we know it. Some observers feel that if it occurs, then Thailand will ‘inherit’ out of necessity, sadly, a government and semi-permanent rule not dissimilar from what now exists on the one hand, and similar to what currently exists, on the other, in Burma and Cambodia. This is the threat now facing Thailand: a refusal to liberate the minds of the masses, to use a socialist phrase, is now bearing fruit – a dangerous hybrid the taste of which no one knows. Thailand, in a real sense then, has not really survived centuries and decades of outside changes and influences, but may have been sliding into a deep inflexible rut that bespeaks of past and present ills rather than sincere future promise. A nation can preserve institutions without internal collapse, but along the way many things must have changed – social perceptions, real protection of the individual’s right to speak, court-induced decisions that uphold principles of law and of democracy, of free speech. Thailand has to date refused to proceed along this enlightening path, and is facing the folly of its ways. Just what impact that has on Thais, on Thai institutions, on those tens of thousands of foreigners who have fallen in love with Thai women and Thai ways and wish to remain in the country without rancor or regret, is something to consider…and to discuss. 17 November 2008 Not everyone is a Joe Lieberman...or ?........... Some people kiss the gorund Joe Lierberman walks on. Why not, he does. After all, he can get elected multiple terms as a senator of the United States using Democrat voters, then stab them in the back and when they decide he is in it for his own purpose rather than for their interests by running as an independent but getting Republicans to vote for him. Then he knifes the entire process in the back by standing along John mcCain in the last election. Joe Lierberman is an important senator - all the senators, in fact, are important. All should play the game the way it shoudl be played and stop cavorting with vested interests and short-term personal gain. But Joe does not seem to appreciate this moral obligation to his district, to his state, to his nation. The question is why. Why does Joe feel so independent that he need not adhere to party civility let alone adhere to the wishes of the voters? And why does he insist, on top of this, that he should not be removed from powerful committee assignments? As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Joe sits atop a powerful and influential group of other members, including no less than our 2008 president-elect Barack Obama. So a conflict of interests is already in the works for America's newest chief executive, because he has to now negotiate between Republicans and Democrats on the committee who both love and loath Joe for what he did. Hopefully, Obama will make the right choice - in our view, oust Lieberman - but it's up to the process. A point to keep in mind, though, is that if Lieberman does this so early, what can be be expected to do later? Get rid of this furball. 14 November 2008 Fat Women Stateside? Just walk into a local Walmart store to find out. If you can walk back out without catching a literal eyefull, you were wearing blinders. Overweight women in the United States have become a major problem, and yet marketers and retailers, TV sales pitches and progrma anchors continue to hawk products that keep the fat on and keep adding to it. Some of the women can be seen behind counters, where they are barely able to negotiate behind, and others sitting in electric scooters adding to the lack of exercise they so sorely need. While many American women are either petite or have their weight well under control, thousands of others have become a literal blob on the horizon, blocking traffic and tying up lines as they waddle across walkways and slide, showly, from one end of Walmart to the other. What is it that causes all the weight gain? Medical as many claim, or probably more logically, poor eating habits and lacak of exercise? Look at most of their spouses and you will see a man of normal size, usually. So what is it that causes the women to be so large and men not? After all, they live in the same household, share the same food, go to the same places. Or do they?
10 November 2008 Thai deniability - a unique oxymoron among morons? Text was deleted. 7 November 2008 Millions for censorship, nothing for freedom? Harry Nicolaides, an Australian writer, in many eyes should have known where the line was when he crossed it. Now in a Thai prison for allegedly insulting the Thai monarchy (no trial), his real crime was to speak on a subject long abused by the police. The Thai government has publicly declared another war, one besides the recent announcement on a war against drugs. The other war is the war against information. But Thailand, now firmly colonized by strongly pro-China ethnic Chinese in its cultural, military, political and economic spheres, can hardly be expected anymore to steer a reasonably independent course when it comes to information. Was it ever really that way to begin with? Over Thailand’s history, it has wrestled with state control vs. freedom of speech and human rights, the last two losing out time and time again. Democracy advocates in the kingdom struggle to be let loose from a horrid grip enjoined by a large segment of a population largely ignorant of issues over which they side with the government and traditionalists. Government officials, most especially those either close to the palace or with full appreciation of what it means in the kingdom to appear to be so, continually review and pass laws designed, they say, to protect the monarchy. In fact, the actions by officials are designed expressly to protect the immense elite power held by a few when compared to the country’s overall population of roughly sixty five million. That recent actions by the government to pass legislation and enforce draconian laws and regulations have alarmed human rights and freedom of the press advocates is no surprise. Thai officials have always been insulated from the reality of responsibility for wrongful behavior and are not about to permit any changes in the country’s jurisprudence system that will allow their unethical, immoral or greedy activities, whether they are officially cited as being for the protection of the monarchy or not, to interfere or cut short a long tenure of being in control. Having literally hypnotized an entire culture into believing that being Thai means supporting the monarchy, or that expressing any sentiments ‘deemed’ insulting to the monarchy or its members implies disloyalty to the nation, officials are hardly in a position where they have to be brought to task for what they say, what they do, and whom they cause harm to fall upon. Dying for the glory of God is a scary enough rationale, but when it is applied to a nation’s monarchy, to wit: that the nation’s people cannot even publicly discuss the monarchy except in terms that have been dictated by greedy, corrupt and themselves hateful little people…well, then, one need not discuss honor and respect and equality, democracy or human rights or freedom of speech. The ordinary Thai becomes, instead, a literal slave to false imagery, but Thailand will not allow any iconoclasts. There is a large swath, as well, of expatriates who feel that because Thailand’s laws are such that they must be obeyed, that because everyone in Thailand pays respect to the monarchy that everyone else must also do so. It’s the old “When in Rome” syndrome and valid on its own terms, but not so against the backdrop of human rights and equality per se. Because a nation’s people live under feudal control must they always be forced to accept it? Because a country’s institutions are protected by violence, abrogation of human rights and amoral social stigma against detractors must this condition persist and must we accept it? Taking action against such inequality and wrongness has been the hallmark of those in many cultures who sought freedom and the right to live truly as free men and women. When the individual must look up from time to time to ensure his or her actions and speech are within the confines of a dictatorial government, there is no freedom. There are no rights. The Land of the Free, as Thailand touts itself, is a horrible misnomer. Those who have become sufficiently acquainted with the country’s laws and how they are misapplied, who have come to know the continued mindset of the nation’s officials will appreciate that darkness lies ahead for the Thai who would be free. Or, for that matter, any foreigner in Thailand who expects protection of his or her rights and/or person. 3 November 2008
t is often pointless to mention things because nothing can be done about them. Around the world people remain silent in fearful frustration as their rights and freedoms are either sidestepped, circumvented, violated and denied without recourse to local justice or international appeals that have sufficient meaning in terms of urgency and effectiveness. As well, there is a general philosophical approach that “When in Rome…” you know the rest of this clich?. That is, no matter how bad laws and regulations are in terms of abuse against both body and soul, it is wrong to counter them with speech and action. So activists, when they engage in their own forms of protests, are thrown in jail or arrested by Thai, Chinese, Burmese, Cambodian, Afghan and other authorities, they receive scant notice much less zero protection – in general. Those who rule global society don’t have time to protect those they deem foolish or ignorant. For the elite, those who remain silent and largely unidentified, people who get into trouble ask for it. People who demonstrate ask for trouble. People who speak out ask for punishment, ostracizing and excommunication. So when, in Thailand, someone – foreigner or Thai – gets into trouble for allegedly insulting the monarchy, the victim does not have a lot of friends – effective friends, that is. Victims of free speech violations may have plenty of peers and academics who speak up to protest mistreatment, but the words generally fall on deaf ears, because those who rule have the option of listening or not listening. Only when they are faced with a fait accompli in terms of stepping back or leaving do they begin to understand the precariousness of their positions. And to preclude stepping back or vacating very powerful positions in society and government, these elite let loose the Dogs of Hell to ensure that their status quo is maintained. This is part of the issue with Thailand’s lese majeste laws – the status quo is very comfortable for a powerful few, and it is unimaginable for them to share rights, much less power. 30 October 2008 Trick 'er Treat! One of the esoteric things about Thailand is perhaps its propensity to adopt foreign customs and traditions, sometimes to the extreme. Christmas is one of these, with lights and deer and snowmen abounding throughout the tropical country during December. But another foreign festival not yet taking firm hold in the kingdom is Halloween. There is possibly a good reason for this: Thais are often superstitious and fearful of inciting evil spirits. The adorning of homes with holiday goblins, ghosts and scary faces could possibly jinx the household or its family, so better not to try to raise the issue by joining foreigners in this festival. Counter to this, however, is the Thai fondness of having fun and partying – and when better to do this than at Halloween? Sort of like a Songkran festival but with a lot more dashing about and dressing up. As well, if Thais really did take up on this holiday, the globalization would result in renewed spending, something that merchants are really looking forward to. 22 October 2008 Thailand’s Loy Krathong festival is due to be held the middle of next month, November 2008, and it’s perhaps time to remind ourselves, no matter what age we are, that the festival has some interesting aspects that can lead us to greater understanding not only of the Thai people and their heritage, but of Buddhism and the origins of this religion/philosophy/belief system. 12 October 2008 Possibly the majority of foreign observers now watching Thai political developments are wondering whether they have, in fact, been wrong all along in thinking that the kingdom was in any way resembling a democracy, or whether in fact the pretense of democratic rule was being put up as a facade to hide authoritarian power that keeps the rulilng away from the ruled. A problem with voicing this sentiment out loud is that if you are a foreign businessman or diplomat, you have a great deal to lose - damn the human rights aspect of things, right? As well, regular tourists and other foreign residents of Thailand don't have much of a stake in what is now taking place. Generally foreigners are getting from the cow what they want and they could not care much about who the cow belokngs to. This is one of those bubble-has-to-burst situations where eventually what is happening on your doorstep will impact those in the house. The oppressed in the country have not yet rioted on a truly mass scale against those who unjustly rule and those who benefit from that rule, in part because of divisiveness, in part because of apathy. There is also a huge fear factor at work, wiht tens of thousands of Thais knowing that to oppose those who govern means to them anything from meaningful censure to withdrawal of rights in business and other areas of local life. The problem, as stated before, is not just with Thaksin, but with Thai society that allowed him to grow up as he did and then take power. If it were not for greed and avarice on huge scales, if it were not for selfishness and apathy, Thaksin, followed by the PPP and now whoever else, could never have taken place. But will anyone learn? The PAD is trying to wake up a nation, it seems... 6 October 2008, Monday Another Failed Effort On The Way? According to local press recports and information released from the government, notably the Tourism Authority of Thailand, another 25 million Baht is being poured into jump-starting tourism in Isan, a region where even the TAT says total tourism dollars are comprised of only 5% foreign visitors and 95% Thai. What the TAT also does not suggest is that all the past planning and execution of tourism events in the NE have been done so largely without foreign participation. In short, Thais know what is better for foreigners than Thais do. In only a sense, however, is this self-assumption even remotely true. Foreigners who have been to multiple resorts and so-called places of interest in the past, or are there at this moment even as we 'speak,' will radily recognize that Thais often had a penchant for doing this their own way and their own way only. In connection with attracting foreign tourist dollars, this translated into turning a blind eye into what is really important in tourism in general, and in the northeast region of the country, Isan, what is important for foreigners there. A well-known tourism 'trap' in Korat might serve as an example - Daan Kwien, the local pottery and clay crafts center some 20 kilometers beyond the city of Korat where .dozens of vendors and stalls line the Friendship Highway passing through, their wares hanging on swinging strings, placed on shelves, sidewalks and other places in and out of the way of the potential buyer. This area is well-known, generally to the Thais, because of its rich clay deposits that are commercially converted into some of the heaviest pots and knick-knacks tourists will ever find. All of this is decorative, and some highly-intricate by local standards, but locals, including tourism ‘professionals’ in the loosest form of the word, do not appreciate the fact that foreign tourists in general, as well as arguably most Thais, do not want this repetitive crap put in front of their faces all of the time. They want something different, something more convenient, something that both represents Korat and that can assist local tourism revenue. They will not get this via current Thai tourism practices. Stubbornness, xenophobia, blind stupidity, years of not being told things should be done differently (ignorance), and more combine to reject return visits or increased revenue from operations at the pottery center. What kind of things are more desired and what sort of changes should be made? The pottery operations already present great garden decoration potential, with Asian-style clay murals that can adorn any garden, grand or not, but a move needs to be made away from biased concentration on gardening and lawn to other areas of the home, such as the kitchen. The pottery process, in fact, at Daan Kwien needs to be revitalized by converting some, an important core area, to smaller crafts like beer mugs, salt and pepper shakers, bedroom knick-knacks and others. The glazing operations need massive renovation and updating, to permit pure while and other glazing/coloring of objects that have local scenes and landmarks on them, like Lady Mo, the Lam Takhong, the Tung Samrit battle, other legends and lores of the northeast. More shortly... 7 September 2008 That Thaksin's presence is still very much felt in Thailand is reflected not just by sentiment of electorate who have been deprived of the benefit of information over the decades, but by the makeup of successive corrupt and ineffective governments that followed the former premier's 19 September 2006 oust from office. At first finding his wrist slapped by a high entity in Thailand, Thaksin bounced back quickly to engineer the People's Power Party government headed by one of Thailand's shortest serving prime ministers Samak Sundaravej. Now in September 2008 Somchai Wongsawat, not only a staunch supporter of Thaksin but the man's brother-in-law! has become leader of the country. Of course none of this would have been possible in a clime of sanity and reason, but Thailand has never been accused to possession any such animal. In fact, it is certainly business as usual by any measure, including the continued presence of the anti-government factions led by the People's Alliance for Democracy, or PAD. Is Thailand's situation absolutely hopeless or is there light at the end of this very long tunnel? We lean toward the hopeless, sadly enough, because the degree of mind and body control in Thaland by the ruling elite is nothing short of strict communist emulation at best. Of the high-level powers that be here, none is willing to step aside even though each is fond of telling us how they serve the people. 18 September 2008 Beginning on Sunday September 21, this editor will be traveling to the airport for a BA flight tko London/Boston, and on to connecticut fokr an extended stay. Please be patient for news until I get there and am over jet lag and have full online access. As to the appointment of a new prime minister (it was a defacto appointment rather than a Parliamentary election because all PPP members were told who to vote for), it seems that it bodes well for immediate impression to foreigners and Thaksin-lovoing Thais that stability is now back. However, it also forebodes significant further unrest, after the honeymoon is over, since the new clique is the same clique under the ousted Thaksin regime and failed Samak regime that followed. Look for continued PAD unrest, and limp government activity until things again come to a head. 13 September 2008 Occasionally you meet Americans living in Thailand you would rather have passed by, not knowing they are here at all. The experience spoils whatever innocence is left after six decades plus on this planet, and causes a gut-wretching thought to arise that perhaps things in this life will not be so simple to resolve, even ten thousand years into the future - especially with attitudes like THEY have. What brought this observation to deck was a recent short conversation with two relatively hard-headed opinionated gung-ho "America is Always Right and Never Thanked" guys who, in their later years here, are generally to be seen eye-fondling young girls as they walk by, all of the latter young enough to be grandaughters if not great-granddaughters. In-between this eye candy passing by are comments like "We should bomb everyone and just leave a bunch of ants running around - maybe a few cockroaches." People who have chosen to hate Obama because of his color (and not his politics as falsely claimed), people who feel America has never been thanked on the one hand and who feel America is always right on the other populate the United States from coast to coast, and a surprising number of them, while kidding about bombing everyone else except America, would seriously do so if they perceived it was the right thing to do - like in Iraq or as in always supporting Israel's Middle East polices and its entrenched control of American media. It is thus no wonder that these types hardly have a clue about the roots of current Thai political upheaval. They don't bother to learn the language, and insulate themselves with vaulted but false ideas that get people like John MaCain elected president. Just some thoughts... 9 September 2008 Apparently, unlike most Thais, Samak's lucky number is not nine. Seen on license plates and I.D. cards and auspicious times for holding ceremonies, the more nines the better, said to bring luck. But on September 9, today, Samak's immediate luck ran out when he was found by Thailand's Constitutional Court of being guilty of having been in the pay of a TV station while serving as minister, the pay given to him in compensation for hosting the program "Taste and Grumble." (Chim pai pon pai.) Samak had insisted all along that he was not really an employee, and yet the Thai Constitutional Court, early in its reading of judgment, hinted that the definition of an employee as recognized by the court was more general and encompassing than the term used in areas of commerce and trade, that merely because a written contract did not exist does not mean that there was not an agreement of hire and work between Samak and the station. The pronouncement takes immediate effect, and Samak is no longer prime minister of Thailand. According to reported legal provisions, a deputy PM can take over the top post temporarily. 4 September 2008
Samak Sundaravej did his best to continue a lifelong tirade of babbling, today over state radio as he first expressed amazement at the number of reporters and photographers from the press that had gathered at the station to cover his announcement. But Samak quickly pulled the plug from a leaking dam and told the world first and foremost he was not going to resign. This is sure to infuriate the PAD and affiliated hundreds of thousands of other anti-government protesters throughout the country who are fed up with excuse-making, lying, insulting and nonsensical Samak Sundaravej, who by the way, recently admitted that he had taken the PM job because he had “promised him.” Promised who? Thaksin, of course. So the conclusion is that Samak is not in the premier’s chair for anyone’s benefit except that of Thaksin and the remnants of the Thai Rak Thai Party. The matter is not so simple as that, however. The TRT Party is itself a coalition of selfish and greedy crooked politicians (sound like those in your own country? They are!) who want to dip their hands into deep public coffers made up of largely tax-based funds from people in the country who continue to suffer from the kingdom’s feudal elite ruling system. 31 August 2008 "Are you shitting me?" Thailand's political impasse, which some will realize has lasted from well before the 1932 revolution that supposedly changed the country from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional one to now, is beginning to tell tales that former Thai governments have not always wanted told. The tales are of a country supposedly with laws but strangely without moral basis for politicians and other ruling elites to obey the laws. Or at best, the willingness to obey is based on vested interests. He then told his audience of the talk with foreign reporters that he now realizes that the foreigners are as stupid as the Thai media, failing to look beyond elecitons per se to discover whether or not those elecitons have a legitimate result founded on informed consent and informed electorate rather than guided and paid-for instructions from the politically powerful. This is the essense of Sondhi's point: democracy is not about elections only. Elections are a part of democracy, but they can also be part of an orchestrated centuries-old hold on the people of a nation by those who will never let go voluntarily. 26 August 2008 Is The PAD Destroying Its Legitimacy? There are serious questions, as there have been for some time now with early desertions from the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters, that the protest group has been diverting from its initial legitimate positions and gone toward the same undemocratic directions that its detractors and its opponents have themselves used in the past. Today’s PAD physical break-in of the NBT television station starting at around 05:30 hrs., and then later in the morning actually storming the station’s compound with hundreds of PAD protesters marks an overt attempt by Sondhi Limthongkul and the other four main PAD leaders to use the rule of the mob over that of the law. The main contention of the PAD, and it is a valid one, is that the Samak-led government is a four-second democracy; that once the ballot is actually in the box then the winning candidate immediately becomes the servant not of the people who voted him in but of the party to whom he belongs. The solution to this kind of democracy is not an obvious one, even to long-time democratic systems such as in the United States. Crooks and charlatans are elected all the time and it seems that these days the damage they do to themselves and their constituents only becomes worse and worse as time passes. Is the solution that of what the Pad is using – notably, to get a partly-informed but highly incensed (using the royal family to incite) the right way to get rid of such ethically illegitimate governance? We have noticed around the world, in fact, that by and large people don’t want to get involved, are afraid to get involved, become incorrectly involved, or a combination of these, in the political process. Civilization/society, in short, seems at a loss to organize itself in a way that provides overall progress rather than what seems to be happening – regression. Democracy activists rightly – in principle – insist that peaceful means, especially at the ballot box, be used to right wrongs and protect rights, attain and maintain democracy, etc. But the machine seems broken. No matter how many elections are held and crooks are caught, things are getting worse. Will peaceful elections, or elections per se, ever be able to effectively counteract these trends? What is the solution? Unofficial Translations of Supreme Court Arrest Warrants
From: A Manager Online Posting… Fax: 02-629-4600 Sent to Manager Online ÈÙ¹Âì¢èÒǢ͹á¡è¹ - ¡ÅØèÁàÃÒ¤¹¢Í¹á¡è¹ÃÑ¡á¼è¹´Ô¹ÍÍ¡á¶Å§¡Òóì»ÃгÒÁ “⪵ÔÈÑ¡´Ôì Íè͹ÊÙ§” ·ÕèËÁÔè¹¾ÃкÃÁà´ªÒ¹ØÀÒ¾ [·Õè¶Ù¡¡ÅèÒÇÇèÒËÁÔè¹¾ÃкÃÁà´ªÒ¹ØÀÒ¾ ] ÃкØÂÍÁÃѺä´é¡Ñº·Ø¡¡ÅØèÁºØ¤¤Å·ÕèÁÕ¤ÇÒÁàËç¹µèÒ§´éÒ¹¡ÒÃàÁ×ͧ áµèÂÍÁäÁèä´éËÒ¡áÊ´§ÍÍ¡«Ö觤ÇÒÁàËç¹µèÒ§¤Ô´ÅéÁÅéҧʶҺѹ¾ÃÐÁËÒ¡ÉѵÃÔÂì ¢³Ðà´ÕÂǡѹ ä´éà¼ÒÃÙ»¹ÒÂ⪵ÔÈÑ¡´Ôì»ÃШҹ˹éÒÈÒÅËÅÑ¡àÁ×ͧ¢Í¹á¡è¹ Chotisak is not a criminal, and he has not been convicted. Police are having problems with his case not because they are doing nothing, but because Chotisak and his girlfriend did nothing wrong. Start acting like real democracy supporters instead of only flag-bearers for interests that serve your own. I am beginning to lose respect for PAD leadership because of corruption of intent and ganging up against those who you don’t like. Please stick to responsible reporting instead of editorializing and making it appear as fact. Several times Manager Online and other forums have indicated that Chotisak Onsung committed lese majeste. This is a false statement and misleads the public and incites hatred. This is irresponsible. Chotisak has been accused of lese majeste by someone who is ignorant of the Thai constitution and of human rights in general. When you report Chotisak news, do it fairly and responsibly, instead of citing him as an enemy of the people. He is not. An enemy of the people is irresponsible reporting, whether it comes from Thaksin or ASTV et. al. Everyone in the media has a responsibility to report things accurately and fairly. Taking sides is not always wrong, but when you do it to bury truth and bury opinions different than yours, you are doing the wrong thing. Your reply to this message, English or Thai, will be appreciated. Sincerely, Frank G Anderson Founder, the Korat Post editorialoffice@thekoratpost.com 11 August 2008
First there were reports that Thaksin and his wife Pojamarn had 'missed' their original booking on Thai International from China back to Bangkok on 10 August 2008 for a court appearance the next day. Rumors of asylum had been circulating for some time, but the couple's legal representatives, true to their clients' wishes, said they had no indication that the two would not be coming back to face the music. But when the last flight from China at 10:30 pm also did not find the Shinawatras on it, rumor became more or less established reality. News was that they had fled to London, as Thaksin owns Manchester City football team and with the billions the two have amassed, there shold be no problem for them to find a niche in polite British society. The question at this point is just how long they will 'have to' stay away from the land of their birth. What is the statute of limitations on tax evasion cases on the one hand, and corruption on the other? It will easily take 3-5 years for things to be ironed over again to where Thaksin can come back in, but even then it might not happen. His continual meddling in politics, with the PPP consulting with former TRT executives to mold and register new political parties in the likely event that Samak's party is dissolved is a record of public knowledge and should be dealt with by the state. But with state apparatus almost totally corrupted by Thaksin cronies, will he ever really face the music and will he ever be out of politics? 10 August 2008 Government Sitting on its Ass The Samak-led government is, according to reports, running around hand-in-hand with former Thai Rak Thai executives and Thaksin Shinawatra planning for what they consider may be an inevitable dissolution of the PPP, a Thai Rak Thai nominee party set up by Thaksin Shinawatra who was himself removed in a coup on 19 September 2006. While politicians are to be complimented for planning ahead, one wonders just what it is that prohibits everyone in Thailand, except apparently the PAD, from protesting against this clearly illegal political organizing. After all, if the former 111 TRT executives are indeed prohibited from politics for five years, then what the devil are they doing helping organize still another nominee party that stands a 50/50 chance of sharing the TRT fate? Are these guys numbskulls who don't understand plain "No!", or are they benefitting from a singularly Thai-style type of lazze faire politics that means no one interferes in what crooks do? We may never know, but despite out discomfort over certian directions that Sondhi Limthongkul and the PAD have taken since the PAD was formed, it is undeniable that the PAD is instrumental in bringing to the light of day illegal and unethical government moves on a variety of issues including the Samak government's constant screwing around with the 2007 Constitution to get the TRT executives off the hook and back in power, getting more restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly with Draconian measures using what one reader called Thailand's lese majeste Gestapo the Royal Thai Police. Apparently arresting peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators is good for the kingdom! That's what Samak says. That's what Thaksin's cronies, who had bred like termites all over the country, have been trying to do. If one were to review the list of high-profile names in the current government, including the PM and other ministers, it would be amazing to discover just how many of them have been convicted of crimes in the court of First Instance but who are still holding onto jobs on the one hand, and creating havoc on the other. 10 August 2008 Media and Good Advice Recently general (ret.) Prem Tinsulanonda spoke of the responsibility of the media in Thailand, extolling the virtues of the media working in the public interests. According to the Nation report on 10 August 2008, 'Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda Saturday urged the media to work hard to get the truth known to the public. He was speaking to reporters after chairing the opening ceremony of a plant fair at the Queen Sirikit Park to honour Her Majesty the Queen's 76th birthday on 12 August 2008. Not quite sure about what should be done about what, and just how working hard alone will benefit the public. "Peace in the society" sounds a lot like "Peace in the valley," that old song that sounds nice but doesn't accomplish the results needed. The media in Thailand are challenged internally and externally, and while perhaps the majority of its members do want to work hard and be of benefit to society, most are ill-equipped to do so. There are several obstacles standing in the way of a more effective media in Thailand. They include: 1. Conflicts of interest between members of the media and their superiors who most often have their own vested interests linked with politicla and business sectors. These obstacles are not all-inclkusive, but merely a few realities that local media in Thailand are faced with. As well, Thai culture demands puff-piece reporting, where glittering imagery and complimentary coverage are sought, paid for and promoted. Serious reporting, really decent photography and shying away from self-aggrandizing coverage of plump and ineffective officials are not well-received in Thai society. 3 August 2008 See Noam Chomsky's article, Can a Democrat Change US Foreign Policy?
28 July 2008 Moron? Yes. Callous? Yes. Given the scope and depth of planned violence on 24 July in Udorn city by pro-government forces orchestrated by Mr. Kwanchai Sarakham, it is evident that the concept of freedom of speech here in Thailand has a long and bumpy road to travel before it even begins to emulate its western counterparts. Perhaps the major impediment in regard to achieving the right to speak freely in Thailand is not merely the Thai culture itself, but behind it the cultivated sakdina, or serfdom mentality of the country’s citizenry where the patrons are separated from the people by stiff inflexible class lines enforced form time to time with extreme violence. The violence is followed by professions of regret and sadness, but little is done to ensure that the same incidents do not happen in the future. Thus they do. Current Thai prime minister Samak Sundaravej this last Sunday, during his televised weekly state of the union address, slashed decency in the face by totally ignoring the bloodshed that took place in Udorn that week and instead spent his self-ingratiating time talking about the Thai language. Indeed, the emperor has no clothes. Not heart nor mind. Samak has been called a moron by a leading Bangkok educational institution staff member, and the charge may be a compliment to what is actually occupying the chair of PM in Thailand at the moment. The Thai media has also not been impartial, like the police strangely enough, to the Udorn violence. Most media have called it a fight between two groups when it was rather an attack by one against the other. A well-planned political attack with top-level government officials aware of what would happen. Watching the videos taken that day, with police standing around merely watching the destructive and inciteful tearing down of the PAD staging area, destruction of PAD equipment and T-shirts, etc., but over and above all the senseless beating of PAD supporters by We Love Udorn group members was a reminder that fascism is not only still alive, but that it is being bred to a high refinement in Thailand. Chalerm and Samak are too stupid to resign, and too indecent to understand their own callous natures. The only way they will leave is by feeling the need to do so. Hopefully jail time will catch up with both of them. Korat vs. Nakhonratchasima - City or Province? 25 July 2008 Occasionally a cold beer and expatriates sitting around a table bring about the most important conversations in history – ahem…right! Today’s amazing top subject came from a caller in Cha-am who asked about Korat vs. Nakhonratchasima. That is, is one the city and the other the province, or are the two interchangeable? To answer the question in a definitive manner – that is, in a way that anyone addressing the issue will recognize as authoritative and long-lasting, some research had to be undertaken to clarify, resolve and organize some of the nuances of Anglicizing Thai language in the first place, and then reviewing some of the various rules relating to the main topic - province or city? - when using the Thai name of a town/province. Thailand is currently [25 July 2008] divided into 76 provinces. Each province is roughly equivalent to a state in the United States. As well, each province is broken into a number of amphoes [amphurs] that are equivalent to Stateside counties. Down further are tambols, or the Stateside equivalent of townships. Now imagine that New York, N.Y., is the capitol of New York State, and that say, a place called Florida in the state of Florida is the state capitol. This is not the case but it gives an illustration of what happens in Thailand. Each province has a capitol city that carries the same name as the province. Of course, this was not always the same in history, but it is now. According to the Thai language version of Wikipedia , the Thai word for province is jangwat and is defined as usually the largest administrative unit in the country. The word jangwat was first used in government instead of the word muang during the reign of King Mongkut on 10 May 1916. This article does not cover the derivation of the word jangwat, a compound noun of which each half has multiple meanings today. As to the earlier word muang which is still in use but with different connotations, in the Thai Wikipedia it is defined as a populated administrative unit where it is sometimes used to mean the same thing as central district. A muang is further divided into smaller major residential, business and industrial districts or zones. The word muang is also used sometimes interchangeably with other words, or as a prefix/suffix to define a term or location. As with many other places, Thai cities and provinces either have or are given other names that routinely become preferred references by users. Korat the city, specifically, is sometimes differentiated by Nakhonratchasima, the province. In fact, the differentiation is not because one means city and the other province, but that users have become accustomed to using each term in its own way. The city of Korat, in fact, is known as the city of Korat, but technically and as per legal definition/government administration, Korat is an unofficial name for Nakhonratchasima, both the city and the province. Citations become cloudy at this point, since the ancient settlement of Sema and another allegedly called Koka Bura were somehow combined to become the current Nakhonratchaisma. How, if true, is open to argument. Regardless, referring again to the Thai version of Wikipedia and typing in Thai the word Korat, Wikipedia cites the Nakhonratchasima page. Going to that we find a very scant page with Thai language words containing the phrase Nakhonratchasima. One says jangwat, the next amphoe Muang, the third municipality of, fourth Sangha circles [Thai Buddhist clergy organizations and offices], fifth monthon or administrative area [mandala], and the sixth and last Soccer clubs. Each of the six is a compound noun with the last part being nakhonratchasima. In no case is the word Korat used. For example, the last entry, Soccer clubs reads Soccer clubs Nakhonratchasima. So, in official use, the proper term to use for the word Korat, whether city or province, is Nakhonratchasima. The difference between Korat and Nakhonratchasima is obviously not yet cleared up, and perhaps made even more complex and confusing. It is hoped this is not the case. With some background now into what muang and jangwat individually mean, exactly how do they apply to Korat the city versus Korat the province? Are they the same and can they, should they, be used interchangeably? The answer is yes, Korat and Nakhonratchasima can be used interchangeably to mean either province or city, or both. But once again, the word Korat is more informal and is used in specific situations or uses. For example, we would usually not say in Thai Korat province or Jangwat Korat. However, even in a large auditorium lecture, it is conceivable that a lecturer could say jangwat Korat or Korat province. Such use would fit in, perhaps, with an informal presentation, and avoid the more awkward (to people who like short names) jangwat Nakhonratchasima. The word Nakhon, as in Nakhonratchasima, when we again go to the Thai Wikipedia we find that it means muang yai – large city, thesaban nakhon – central municipal district, or finally, Nakhon Wat (Ankor Wat). Thus, currently Nakhonratchasima, the city and province’s full formal name, also known as Ratchasima, means Ratchasima City – that is, literally. However, there have been moves by the city fathers in the past to have the status of Korat City/Nakhonratchasima the city upgraded into a nahon, such as certain other cities in Thailand are named but which were former national capitols. Korat city’s formal name would then become Nakhon Nakhonratchasima, and has already been sued in this way by local government officials. Other samples include Nakhon Luang (Royal City – Bangkok), Phra Nakhon Sriayuthaya (Ayuthaya), etc. In the latter instance, readers will easily discover that Nakhon Ayuthaya obviously means the city, whereas the entire name would be correct but too formal for the province. Thus it is shortened to Ayuthaya and understood in context, or kept to Nakhonr Sriayuthaha, or Muang Ayuthaya. Once again, most often when traveling to main Thai cities, which most often people do, it is either understood that you are going to the main city. But when you tell someone you live in – and here you use the name which can be understood as either province or capitol city – you may be asked which district. In this case, you would reply amphoe muang. Of Thailand’s seventy six provinces, a total of nine have the word nakon as part of their names. Three are of nineteen provinces in the northeast – Nakhon Phanom, Nakhonratchasima, Sakol Nakhon, none of the nine northern provinces, five of the 22 central provinces – Krungthepphramahanakhon [Bangkok], Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Sawan, Phranakhon Sriayuthaya, none of the seven eastern provinces, none of the western provinces, and only one of the fourteen southern provinces, Nakhon Srithammarat. Just why Sakol Nakhon has the word in reverse position is not yet known by this writer. However, a brief Thai language historical note indicates that in the past Sakon Nakhon had three names, in order: Muang nong harn luang, Muang Sakon Thawapee, and finally Muang Sakol Nakhon, shortened to the modern Jangwat Sakon Nakhon. Thus, it appears that the derivation of its name in part depended on the word muang. But why and how did it change? In summary, then, Korat and Nakhonratchasima can mean the same, but don’t always and didn’t always. That they are used interchangeably is because of convention, not technical correctness. That, however, does not mean one is correct or incorrect when insisting on interchanging the two – it would depend on intent, and context. Anyone else who has done some research in this area and has an informed contribution to make…please feel free to make it. Thank you. 20 July 2008 Evolution is nothing but a theory, except that it’s taught as fact and other theories, especially those associated with creationism, are outlawed by our nation’s growing quacky academic establishment. If this were the year 1100 then it would not be so amazing that society is so restrictive in its willingness to accept other ideas. But being the year 2008 one wonders just what it is that enables and promotes the right of so-called scientists to force others to believe as they believe, and to force elimination of competing ideas in the classrooms of our country. What, indeed! Even Britannica is clear about evolution: “theory in biology that postulates that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are modifications in successive generations. The theory of evolution is one of the fundamental keystones of modern biological theory.” Theory. Postulates. The meaning here is that it is not proven, and is only suggesting or guessing. Scientists who are adamantly opposed to alternate theories such as creationism or colonization by an alien race, et. al, are fond of calling evolution a scientific theory and creationism an unsupported theory. Creationism, Britannica continues to define, is “fundamentalist theory or doctrine that postulates that matter, the various forms of life, and the world were created by God out of nothing.” I personally have trouble with nothing becoming something, but I am not God, nor do I pretend there is one or is not. I don't know either way, nor do I pretend to or deny others the right to postulate differently. Thus we see two equally limited theories – one insists on evolution, the other on creation out of nothing. In this aspect, both theories are rather dogmatic at best. One says there was a God, the other not. One is permitted to be taught in classrooms and the other tries but fails. Is illegal dogma not at issue here? As if the confusion were not sufficient in itself, today we have a serious claim by a university professor, Andrew Bass of Cornell University, usually a staid establishment but this time possibly associated with another pie-in-the-sky theory of evolution advocate that has found, he believes, another indication that man evolved from fish – the gift of speech! To top this off, the renowned journal Science is publishing his revealing results! I am sure that if Cornell digs deeply enough, literally, it will find fossils in the deserts of Saudi Arabia that contain the traces of invertebrate that were able to communicate with one another, and not just fish. Ah, it does little to comment on this when we have a much larger and more important issue to debate - the right to teach alternative theories in the classroom. Scientists and evolution die-hards should not consider themselves true academics unless they are willing to listen to other suggestions. Frank G Anderson American Citizens Abroad Representative, Thailand 10 July 2008 Another PPP Minister Resigns, Samak Government in Disarray Now that Thailand's foreign minister Noppadon Pattama has resigned (effective Monday 14 July), arising out of his handiwork in handing over Thai territory to Cambodia and violating the Thai constitution as well, Thailand still can't slow down to breath a sigh of relief. Far from it. Things are so secretive and misdirected in the current Thai government that anyone anyone can do, ala how the PAD is, will only help uncover more corruption and self-interest surrendering of Thai values. This is one reason that this editor has posted on Prachatai that Thailand needs virtually 10,000 PADs, not organized or acting exactly the same, but with the same kind of spirit that tears up corruption and demands that it step aside. Thailand is due for far more problems, however, given its current sociopolitical infrastructure. The way the government is set up, with power coming dwon from the absolute top, with loyalty not to constituents but to the party, then it is only natural that the interests of the electorate always remain a minor coknsideration. After all, everyone is interested in the party, what the party wants, what the head of the party wants. Only if and when this kind of political crap is swept away will Thailand have any kind of promising future. This means, of course, elected governors, dissolution of party loyalty in the Thai sense and separation of powers, such as getting the police out from under the prime minister's office and into an independant status where they don't evne have a national presence, but a province by province charter. Unless central authority is removed as the major factor in political corruption here in the Land of Smiles, no matter who gets into Parliament or the premier's chair, things will hardly ever be different from the morass that they are in now.Change such as this will only be possible via revolution - and not just in thinking. 20 June 2008 Governor Jet of Khon Kaen Involuntary Departure? Seen in a Khon Kaen provncial administration photo that says in Thai, "Governor of Khon Kaen meets the people" - in much the same way as Samak Sundaravej, current wobbly prime minister is also processing to "meet the people," suddenly the governor decides to order shut-down of ASTV signals in Khon Kaen. The order followed a foolish speech by the country's Minister of Interior Chalerm Ubumrung where he sort of indicated that ASTV defames, incites and otherwise causes trouble to the well-meaning government (ekch!) and should be silenced, watched, sued, etc. So the governor orders the signal shut off. Well, has he not heard anything of the right to speak, even against a corrupt government, against a nominee government? Apparently not, or he thought he didn't care. While we do not agree with much of what the People's Alliance for Democracy may say or do in its protests against what can only be called illegitimate government control and corrupt elected officials, we fully support transparency, the right to speak, and all Thai and international safeguards for human rights and a free press. Thailand's massively repressive sociopolitical system that permits governors like this to basically do what they want and remain relatively unanswerable to the people is a long record of failure in morality and ethics at best. But many Thai voters, especially from the northeast, asked for what they got. Or were paid. Or were cowed. So this is a democracy? Not even close. 11 June 2008 Rabble-Rousers? The continuing protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) at Democracy Monument in Bangkok that began on 25 May 2008 reportedly has people divided not only in terms of social division where opinions are far-flung on whether the protests should continue or dissolve, but in other terms as they see the shoddy and totally untransparent performance of the Thaksin-puppet government of Samak Sundaravej. The counterargudement that the PAD is now irresponsibly creating problems and changing the yardstick in one demand after another, notably that the Samak government resign, is that the government itself, a turmor that began with Thaksin, has been uncooperative in being honest about any issue whatsoever, especially how Thaksin personally hand-picked most of the cabinet ministers who are collectively working to get him off the hook and keep him and willing cronies out of jail.
Continued protests threaten incumbant government Having been given one warning after another by protestors that its performance was not only nil but totally designed to absolve former premier Thaksin Shinawatra from any criminal wrong-doing or lese majeste charges, the current Samak-led Thai government should have taken a hint, gotten smart and backed off from sensitive issues. But as crafty as its patron Thaksin Shinawatra is, he is no match for millions of Thais who are shown the corrupt direction the nation is once against being steered toward. Yet, he persisted, and had a new party, a carbon copy of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai party, win the 23 December 2007 parliamentary elections. Even some of the Thai MPs at the time in Parliament slipped their tongue and identified themselves as Thai Rak Thai. It was no secret: the PPP was there to serve Thaksin, not the nation. Things have come to a head, however, and Thaksin's latest interference in the political process itself faces dissolution if protests become stronger and wider. There are already several firm calls for the prime minister's resignation and replacement of corrupt self-serviing government ministers. Family members, friends and cronies of the former TRT government are at the helm of the Samak government, and little is really being accomplished in terms of managing the nation. The current Minister of Interior Chalerm Ubumrung said during a press conference on 31 May 2008 that the protests had cost the Thai nation 300 billion Baht! Where he got this figure from is a mystery, and yet even this figure pales in comparison to the rishes stolen from the Thai people by TRT and PPP politicians. If oppositoin leaders spearheaded by the People's Alliance For Democracy (PAD) are successful, they will help bring down another corrupt mistake approved by ignorant voters. But will the Thai people have learned that it pays to become involved in honest government or not?
24 May 2008 Exonerating Wrongdoing If memory serves correctly, the last time a pro-Thaksin Thai Parliament conducted a referendum/major election effort, it cost in excess of three billion Baht. This time another pro-Thaksin government, led by appointee prime minister Samak Sundaravej, plans to spend at least two billion Baht in a referendum to garner public support to alter the country’s 2007 constitution. Several sections have already been highlighted by the current regime, generally having to do with exonerating wrongdoing of the former Thai Rak Thai government and its leadership, ostensibly leading the way back into government by the former strongmen and cronies. Whether the current referendum effort or current government survives or not seems to be totally unrelated to what will actually happen in Thailand for the foreseeable future. There will be no increase in rights or freedom, but instead centralized government authority will continue to make itself felt. The cited feudal system still operating in the Land of Smiles is in the way of any meaningful democratic reform, and unless there is a social revolution – itself involving a people’s revolt (philosophical or physical) change is to be little expected.
15 May 2008 Forced Demonstrations of Patriotism & Loyalty Yuranand Pamorn-montri, a People Power party politician who now serves as adviser to the Education Minister, wants to make sure everyone (especially unruly students but ignoring unruly politicians) stands up a sings before the flag. This orchestrated mimicking of love of country is a falsehood already, and making it even more compulsory is sheer orneriness. A Thai finally sat down instead of stood up to insist, guesss what, that he should have a choice in demonstrating his personal loyalty. But so many do-gooders these days, far from living do-good lives themselves, want others to conform to a robotic duplication of patriotism. Most Thais may claim to love their country, but in fact their behavior and ethical standards violate most principles of love of country and of society in general. Selfishness rules, and compulsory "You will act like a Thai" [corrupt, compliant, condescending] is instilled in minds from the beginning. The many warnings against divisiveness fail to accept that divisiveness is itself a form of freedom, and the only peopleseriously being threatened by the divisiveness are the rich and mlitaristic eite who would rather kill than move aside. 9 May 2008
The events now unfurling inside the dictatorship of Burma are shocking and impossible for even the most callus to ignore. In a country enjoying the benefits of friendly relations with its neighbors - especially, perhaps, Thailand whose own generals and politicians and border business barons are bearing the fruit of sleeping with the Burmese devil – one would think that prosperity and privilege accomplished by the powerful might be enough to entice them in cases like the latest cyclone tragedy to for once relax their iron grip and allow international aid and volunteers into the country. But Burma’s government has been so secretive and repressive over its incumbency that it knows that allowing such aid to enter the country will not only save lives, but certainly provide more graphic photographic material to the outside world that the people of Burma are being treated worse than rats in a cage. This is the government that Thailand has constantly supported, the government now making a farce out of a constitutional drafting process, and that laughs in the face of human rights violations it and neighbors perpetrate. 23 April 2008 Is Skype a liberator for freedom or of hate speech? "Nigger!" For sure these examples are individual hate speech, and can quickly be found on one Skype cast or another almost on a daily basis. As well, many Skype users find it amusing to crowd casts with interruptions in the form of noise and music or gibberish just to be a pain in the bottom. Skype is being used to air all kinds of speech, polite, controversial, easy-going and serious, confrontational and nasty. Some of it, in fact, is similar or the same as Howard Stern puts up on Sirius satellite after the United States government stopped him from using garbage on the public media. There are serious questions about what many deem to be a lack of censorship on Skype, while on the other hand such lack of censorship does provide an avenue for the rest of us to see exactly what people are willing to try to get away with once they become anonymous and irresponsible – that is, once they have the opportunity to say whatever they wish in a public forum, knowing they face nothing in the way of serious consequences, how far will Skype users go to abuse their privileges, violate all kinds of moral and ethical standards – and possibly many laws – just to demonstrate a new kind of freedom that millions of users around the world have now learned to depend on for live call-ins and online free video among registered Skype subscribers? Apparently, people will go and have gone a long way. Abusive speech is common on Skype, with the offending hosts or speakers telling those offended to drop dead or buzz off! What they say and how they say it mans, apparently, nothing – because there are no consequences. Freedom lovers need not be jerks, abusing profanity nuts or ignorant uncaring sleazy people to run a Skypecast or be on one. But asking people to be decent and respectful, and as a result honorable and themselves respected, today is often like whistling upwind.
20 April 2008 Bias Against Israel or Open Forum For Facts and Opinions? 2 April 2008 Another Kick For Thaksin Fans, Another 'Plus' For Thailand's Image With Thailand always seeming to worry about foreigners and other irresponsible Thais damaging the country's image (Takbai, Octobers 6 and 14 notwithstanding), one would think that perhaps Thailand's nominee People Power Party members of Palriament might have enough common sense to conduct themselves peacefully and with a certain degree of decorum. Ah, such is apparently not to be. Today in Parliament's lunch room, a pro-Thaksin MP by the name of Karun Hosakul up and kicked fellow MP Ajarn Somkiet Phongpaiboon of the Democrat Party (also member of Thailand's People's Alliance for Democracy). Fortunately the former Korat Rachabhat University professor suffered onlya glancing blow. The incident was much less severe than an earlier instance when his fellow government servant, Dr. Kraisak Choonhavan (formerly Thailand's Senate Foreign Relations Committee head) who was caught offguard at an anti-Thaksin gathering and was kicked full-force by a pro-Thaksin fan who felt kicking the older much less imposing gentleman was the way to conduct politics in the Land of Smiles. One wonders who is smiling. Certainly Samak. Certainly Thaksin. Certainly Newin. The ilk all. Yes, they are enjoying the fruit of their labors, an undermining of Thailand's weakened democracy and replacing it with self-serving violent interests. Foreigner confidence? Why? 28 March 2008 Barbarians in Parliament? With Thaksin's carbon copy party People's Power now in Parliament, it has already set Gusiness records in sheer scope and depth of corruption and stupidity. Wait a minute. No, perhaps records WERE NOT set. AFter all, in Thaksin's first year in office, his Parliament President was also found guilty by the Supreme Court... read... This incident was closely replicated in February 2008 under the Amazing Samak government when its own Parliament President Yongyuth Tiyapairat overwhelmingly entering office, in a 307-167 vote split right along party lines, was declared guilty of buying votes in the 23 December 2007 national elections. Yongyuth got red-carded, but despite this was still made Parliament Speakre. Now his entire party finds itself facing down the muzzle of a long barrel because the latest Thai constitution calls for party dissolution if any of its exucites si found guilty of election fraud. While party officials and membes are, of course, protesting possible dissolution, opposition critics are pointing out the fact that PPP quickly rushed to appoint the crook knowing that he was already found guilty by investigators. Opposition critics also indicated in a televised program on 27 Mrch 2008 that they would welcome one party dissolution after another, thirty or more, to get rid of the cheats. 23 March 2008 It's easy to be condescending from time to time and dismiss people because of what they do or say. But it's tough to appreciate their better qualities when they go ahead and start talking seriously about changing their country's entire constitution beause its provisinos on electoral fraud threaten their party's very existence. The current Thai charter calls for party dissolution if its executives are found guilty of voting fraud - such as the PPP's recently ousted Parliament President because there is quite some evidence that he and his wife paid off local officials in Chiangmai/Chiangrai to canvass votes on behalf of the PPP. Probably the most surprising element in this case is not that the official got caught, but why ten or twenty others did not. Surely there was other cheating. But in Thailand, sadly perhaps in most other countries as well, there is a great deal of cheating, rigged in favor of those seeking to safeguard their own interests. If they are part of the ruling elite, so to speak, then they will rig the elections - the way they are held, counted and ratified - to make sure no one rocks their boat. That the Thai government treats its charter with such distain as to draft a new one any time a political party or the ruling elite feels it needs to underscore the fact that it is in power and intends to remain in power is a tragedy. Under this kind of constitutional protection, the Thai people face only continued enslavement and lies. Tourists and foreign/Thai investors may have a heyday, but itis over the graves of those seeking freedom. 20 March 2008 Tibet, China, Burma and Thailand Today Thai prime minister Samak Sundaravej is invited to present himself and the Thai government, its policies and proposed future at the American Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Conrad Hotel. It will be an event largely devoid of much use for the business community since Samak has shown himself, as more than one academichas said, to bea "bare-faced liar." Samak's predessor in the liar department - Thaksoin Shinawatra - some time ago, while still PM, was invited by the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) to speak. That even had to be held without this editor because there is no ned to ingratiate yourself to liars, cheats, even killers in some aspects. Kissing up to this type of character is hardly the way to improve yourself. That's theoverall opinion, anyhow. Today's Samak speech is likely to follow a well-wheeled rut. No transparency into what is really going on, no facts about the southern insurgency, no apologies for insultling all westeners as Samak did recently,l no regrets for his havnig played a pivotal role in the 6 October 1996 massacre at Thammasat University in Bangkok. As well, there is likely to be no useful insight provided by Samak except perhaps the impression that he is likely to leave in the minds of most of those who attend that this guy is a carbon copy of George W. Bush. There seems to be a dumbing-down of world leaders these days, in all too many countries and in far too many situations. The world community at large is being manipulated and used and that long-ago promised Nirvana, Englightenment, Second Coming and Liberation sort of seems to have bene put on the back burner. Can mankin save himself from himself? Not with people like Samak, Chalerm and others at the helm. Or George W. Bush, the Burmese junta, Chinese anti-Tibetan autonomy rulers and characters around the world who are finding that they can generally do what they want without much ni the way of meannigful consequences falling on them. We can blame part of this on the American example under the Bush administration, but even well before that. The Iraq War is a farce, a very sick one, and it seems as if the Bush-Cheney duo (Wanted in Vermont for crimes against humanity!), will get off the hook - unlike the 500,000 +/- Iraqis who have paid the price. Much of what happened can be blamed on Israel, Americna policies in the Middle East, lack of real moral compass on Bil Ladin's part and that of his supporters and other Muslims around the world. I use the general term Muslims rahter than "fascist Muslims" because for a moral compass to be working you have to act when injustices are carried out - act not just against thost you traditionally have differences with, but against those in your own grouping who do the wrong thing, who take innocent lives, who persist in labeling others evil when they do their own evil but attempt to absolve themselves in the name of whatever god they claim, falsely, to be worshipping. 18 March 2008 See our YouTube video below on that 'F' word on Skype.
17 March 2008 The Samak Sundaravej-Thaksin nominee government has been making a fine art of issuing some of the most unbelievably stupid comments one could possibly imagine that really belong in a comic book rather than in real life - but that's Samak. The same issue also carried another silly report credited to Thland's no. 2 police chief Adul Saengsingkaew. He indicates that the probable reason - the Thai police really have to be astute to figure THIS out - is that the Thai media don't have much to report on so to accommodate their need for headlines, southern terrorists are bombing cars and making troubleand carrying out attacks so that they will appear on frontpages, etc. Hogwash? Nah, that hardly describes the depth of absence of human decency and innate personal character of the curren tgovernment in the Land of Smiles. Total discregard for human life, decency, no respect for anyone, ah...didn't the people vote these clowns into office? Just when we thought no one in the world could possibly eclipse Geore W. Bush, Samak pops up again from a bloody history he helped create and now finds himself mocking those who thought he would have met his just deserts by now. But apparntly not. Wonder ewhat tomorrow's headlines will bring? 5 March 2008 Samak Sundaravej, host of inciteful "Armored Car" radio ultra-rightist program during the 6 October 1976 massacre of students and citizens at Thammasat University who brazenly told both Al-Jazeera and CNN that only one student and not 46 were killed that fateful-for-democracy-in-Thailand day, now finds himself about to sit down with an ousted police chief, a genuine "Mr. Clean," who doesn't take a lot of silly false charges without answering back. 27 February 2008 Human Rights Violator Returns - Unbowed? Thaksin Shinawatra, the man who made prime minister Samak Sundaravej possible and who brought a Thai Rak Thai clone back into power with the 23 December 2007 elections, is heading back to Bangkok on a Thai flight from Hong Kong tomorrow morning. While he says that he is steering clear of politics (a big pile of BS if there ever was one), a planeload of politicians is today flyig into Hong Khon just to make sure Thaksin is not lonely when he flies into Bangkok tomorrow. Talk about people who are grateful for their jobs! Buying loyalty does work. There is more than one opinion about this secretive egomaniac among foreigners. Some even think Thaksin was and will be good for the country. It proves anyone can have an opinion. But if you dig below the surface at all, you will discover an uncaring demagogue who will do anything to anyone to get his way. He must also be gloating, not just at his return to a sea full of welcome arms, but because an old political ally turned foe is back in the paddock - Barnharn Silapacha. Thailand's future is not looking very peaceful. The difference between former field marshal Thanom Kittikajorn and Thaksin is that one has been a military dictator while the other a selectively benevolent one. 26 February 2008 Mr. Jakraphob: 23 February 2008 Now that the Samak government has indeed stepped into Parliament, the sulking no longer needs to be maintained but a high degree of care does. Neither Samak nor Chalerm, the Interior Minister, are exactly famous for human rights concerns. In the latter's case he is known for being violent anyhow and has raised his children the same way. In Samak's case, his penchant for expousing ignorace during interview with the foreign media and then trying to claim "No damage was done. I have a right to say what I believe." This was his infamous quote to both al-Jazeera and CNN that only one person died on 6 October 1976 when in fact there was a massacre and dozens were killed by government-instigated protectors of Thailand's values. The Red Gaur and Village Scouts were given training and weapons and told to kill. With Thaksin's record 2,500 killed [notwithstanding his BS story and the same for Samak that the victims were merely killing each other off - when in fact the police had a much more credible motive to kill them]. But will the Thai authorities ever lead a just investigation? Not on your life! Let's wait and see whose family members get killed in the coming new drug war. Let's see how Burmese Thai authorities act in carrying out the dictates of who many view as heartless dictators. 22 February 2008 Will Samak Apologize? [No.] From: http://www.egs.edu/resources/hegel.html Hegel followed the Greek philosopher Parmenides in believing that what is rational is real, and what is real is rational. This is his rational structure of the Absolute, and must be regarded in conjunction with his idea that the Absolute must be seen as pure Thought, Spirit, or Mind, in a process of self-development, governed by the logic of dialectic. The dialectical method is the notion that the conflict of opposites creates movement or progress. The dialectical method is often studied in terms of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis, although Hegel seldom used this teminology. The thesis is a primary idea, whose incompleteness gives rise to an opposite or conflicting idea, or antithesis. The synthesis is a third term which arrises from the conflict between the first two, overcoming the opposition by reconciling the truth found in both the thesis and antithesis. This synthesis becomes a new thesis, inspiring a new antithesis and synthesis, and continuing an evolution of intellectual or historical development. Hegel argues that this dialectical develpment describes the movement of Absolute Spirit toward an ultimate goal. Reality is the Absolute in a process of dialectical unfolding, manifesting itself in nature and history as it develops. In The Phenomenololgy of Mind Hegel traces the manifestation of the Absolute through the stages of consciousness, self-consciousness, and reason. The issue at hand in Thailand seems still to be the relentless need by right-wing power groups, controlled by greedy individuals, to oversee how things in Thailand are run, how they are perceived, and how they are commented upon. In short, there appears to be a promise of more of the same in terms of violence, oppression, vested interests, double standards, temperamental outbursts, political police-backed kidnappings as in the Somchai case, and in regard to the announced new battle of the war against drugs, more extrajudicial killings – this time supervised by an Interior Minister known for being violent and for protecting his violent children – most noteworthy of whom, by the way, has recently been sneaked into government coffers as a secretary to a deputy health minister. There are those who cite Thaksin in a way that makes it appear that he was a savior of sorts, a boon to Thailand. Listening to Thaksin’s propaganda and being given little access to opposing viewpoints, most observers might feel some sympathy for Thaksin, the TRT and the Thai people who worship the former premier. But keep in mind that the people of Germany also loved Hitler, and the people of Italy loved Mussolini, and that the people of Thailand once loved one corrupt politician after another who literally bilked them dry. 17 February 2008 Empty threat to Bangkok visitors? One of the things that Thai people in general have been famous for is a certain lack of regard for public safety. This can be seen in the way Thais park vehicles, obstruct supermarket aisles with carts while they talk to friends or dream of the future, in the crowded sidewalks throughout the country that should be permitting pedestrians by but only allow vendors – with appropriate payments to local police. 12 February 2008 Money Doesn't Always Take First Place Vitoon Chatipatimapongse, former Nakhonratchasima provincial administrator, found himself in second place on 10 February in provincial administrator elections and temporarily out of a job that he had earlier resigned from to run in the election. With what appeared to be a well-funded campaign, Vitoon had basically occupied Lady Mo rotunda and many of the streets of downtown Korat with posters and speaker-blasting announcer trucks, to no avai - or at least not enough. Known for grandstanding and for being politically ambitious, Vitoon now will have to revamp his strategies and map out a new approach to a job he no longer has. 10 February 2008 One wonders why police in Thailand don’t migrate to the easy-to-use-computerized traffic ticket systems found in many other countries. Relatively inexpensive and simple, they save a lot of time all around and move drivers on while their wrongdoings are settled via payment of an official fine or an appearance in court where things are then settled. Yet, one may not wonder so much as such a system would skirt around the ability of police to go on ‘fishing’ expeditions and bilk motorists out of money, or otherwise cause huge inconveniences in forcing drivers to get their licenses back at a local police station after paying a fine there or bribing someone off. 9 February 2008 Multi-Talented Or Ignoring Their Assigned Portfolio? Reports today from the Thai Public Relations Department indicate that the new Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama has indicated how the unrest in the south of the country will be dealt with. As well, Suwit Khunkitti, the new deputy prime minister and industry minister, has said that he and his party will propose how the government should handle the events in the south. If common sense is employed, one may wonder why the Industry Minister and Foreign Minister both have spoken out very clearly about the south and how it should be handled, and yet Thailand’s Interior Minister, Chalerm Yubamrung – the man who has expressed regret for his family’s bad public image but strangely not for his family’s bad behavior – and who has responsible for internal security of the nation, has not been heard of regarding the unrest in the Muslim-populated region. Surely this minister has some ideas of his own. One wonders why they have not been heard, except through the mouths of other ministers. A sign of divisiveness? 9 February 2008 Why No ASTV on State-Run Media? Although it is amazing, on the one hand, to see how so many, Thais and foreigners alike, pay homage, in effect, to the corrupt Thaksin administration and its fledgling clone the PPP, on the other hand not being exposed to opposing viewpoints in the media, except perhaps for an occasional Bangkok Post or the Nation Group article, it is really no wonder that lack of information exists in the analytical mind and a great deal of sympathy for Thaksin and the former TRT party and its officials exists. After all, if you are being spoon-fed propaganda for such a long time and haven't seen much else in the way of some 'bones' with 'meat' on them, then you can only get a favorable impression of a corrupt regime that has yes, helped some of the poor in the past but if Pak Mun is any example whatsoever, also ignored the interests of the poor and local villagers in northeast Thailand and proceeded with hugely expensive and environmentally damaging projects. And what has new Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said of such large infrastructure projects? "I don't care what the environmentalists say." And this is from a quasi-democratically elected national leader who claims to be independant from Thaksin but who could not even have gotten close to the nation's top job unless he could be used by Thaksin to once again seize the reins of power in the Land of Smiles.
8 February 2008 Several comments about US President George W. Bush's telephone call to newly elected (23 December 2007) Thai prime minister Samak Sundaravej have appeared online and in the press, generally in the tone of chastising both of them. A few comments were in suport of the president and the prime minister, and the call, but one wonders just what prompted it. The Treaty of Amity, US arms sales to Thailand, American commercial interests and the self-declared War on Terror obviously dominate US-Thai interests, and any thought that Bush was phoning Samak to urge Thailand to begin paying attention to human rights concerns, for once, would be wishful thinking at best. Thai society, if anything, is comprised of an overall ethic of non-involvement, or getting things over with and on to the next thing without raising a fuss, rocking the boat or pissing anyone off. It's a nice way of looking at things - if it worked. But it doesn't more often than it does. A well-known American academic in Bangkok decades ago once observed, "Thailand has the best philosophy of life, and the worst practice." Those words have not lost much of their accuracy in today's Thai society. Will protests begin once again? Will Thailand’s streets once more become the scene of one group of Thais confronting another? The answer is invariably yes. The reconciliation or national unity principles being bandied about under nationalist guises are merely appeals to sing off the same sheet and forget the larger issues of greed and corruption. Those new ministers in the Samak/Thaksin government are hardly “good and innocent” as Samak has recently said. When you consider the current plight of Thailand’s poor, forgiving Thaksin and other corrupt politicians seems a grave error indeed. Another is not to watch ASTV News 1 to get another view of reality here in the Land of Smiles.
3 February 2008 Poor Samak! Looking considerably the worse for wear, newly-elected Thai prim eminister Samak Sundaravej has been looking a bit haggard recently as he leads Thailand into 2008, pending, of course, on His Majesty's conferral of position as head of government - which is not expected to be delayed any further unless Samak does a fourth, fifth or sixth reshuffle of the new cabinet, over which he really has very little control. Imagine being relected premier and having to wait for the OK of a former prime minister before any cabinet choices are approved. Not a great way to lead the country, riding the coattails of a former premier that one of Thaksin's old coalition partners Banharn Silapacha swore up and down he would never parter with again. Apparently having egg all over your face in the LOS does not mean much.
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