Retirement Paradigm Shift

Did anyone really dream ahead as to what this military research would do for the world? And to it?

Monday, 7 November 2005
Nakhonratchasima, Thailand

Over forty years ago, when I was in high school, I used to dream of what I would be doing after I retired.

Back then I was also taking a speed reading class, in large part because some of the courses I was taking at Erie Country Technical Institute in Amherst, NY, involved lengthy reading each night and I did not have the time nor will to stay awake all night to do the reading. So I took the speed reading class. For ‘normal' reading I was up to over 4,000 words a minute – this involved light scanning but concentration into catching the gestalt For really heavy reading, like Sociology, I was still up in the 1,000-1,500 words a minute range, and this helped tremendously. I only got a ‘B,' but with the other technical courses like mechanics (the arithmetic kind), steel and concrete design, etc., I was happy to get out of the course with that B.

Yes, back then I was dreaming of what I would be doing after I retired. Buit it was well before then – in 1957 - when the invention that would literally revolutionize global communication (as well as all media transmission) was created. Forerunner of the Internet, it was called ARAPNET, sort of an outgrowth of American technology impetus chasing after the heels of the just-launched Sputnik Soviet satellite that startled America out of its complacency. [Ed.: See http://www.davesite.com/webstation/net-history.shtml ]

The Rand Corporation did a study for the defense department to determine just how the US military could retain command and control over its nuclear missiles in case of a nuclear attack. The report included the following: "Packet switching is the breaking down of data into datagrams or packets that are labeled to indicate the origin and the destination of the information and the forwarding of these packets from one computer to another computer until the information arrives at its final destination computer. This was crucial to the realization of a computer network. If packets are lost at any given point, the message can be resent by the originator." The idea that packets of information could be sent and interrupted but still received by the targeted audience was just what the military was looking for. Later, in 1973, Stanford University and Uncle Sam got together to begin work on design and commissioning of that famous TCP/IP that we know so well today. [Ed.: Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol].

Getting back to the point of this story, while I was in my formative years and wondering, as I was working my way through junior college, what I would be doing after I retired, others were working on inventions that would change the very concept of retirement, that would change the social paradigm in all aspects – from morality to education to religion and more. Those inventions and millions of dollars and millions of man-hours spent produced a communications tool so much more important than the Manhattan Project. It became a tool that today gives you video, audio, text, three-D and games, jobs, spam, personal voice messages, fax from your PC and a lot more. In short, the need to worry about what to do in retirement evaporated.

It was once a legitimate question – heck, back then, when I was just beyond the toddler stage, my grandfather was the first one on the entire street to own a television. It took from 5-10 minutes to heat up (so did the radio!), and then a greenish oscilloscope type image appeared, cleared and became a bit of darker gray. This invention helped my grandfather and grandmother pass their time in retirement. But back then there was not a whole lot to do for older folks or even those not so old who were just seeking some way to pass the time. That probably triggered my own thoughts years later about what I would do to pass my own time. I had not dreamed then that I would retire at age 52, and in Thailand no less! I had not dreamed that I would be sitting in my den in NE Thailand listening to full streaming stereo from an FM station broadcasting over the Internet from Albany, N.Y. I had not dreamed that I would be sending and receiving video, voice, photographs, graphics, text, and a combination of these, as well as having open on my laptop some half dozen applications while listening to that radio station.

With all this technology, and unexpected windfall, in a sense, that it can provide, one also needs to assess recent political and social events taking place around the world. The latest rioting in France is worrisome, as is continuation of the war in Iraq, American ignorance about other cultures and steadfast insolent ignorance as to why 9/11 happened. One wonders whether anarchy will come to pass, and much sooner than we expected it to. World government is certain to come, but what sacrifices will we have to make before it arrives – and afterward?

6 November 2005
Nakhonratchasima, Thailand

This English version essay appears in Thai following it.

Freedom and censorship – They go hand in hand, but differently…

I had what is called an epiphany (a sudden understanding of the essential nature of meaning of something) this morning. It was brought upon by reading a news report of the very unlikely simultaneous shoe-string hangings in the Lampun police station of three drug suspects who supposedly killed themselves only 24 hours after being apprehended. The epiphany was brought on by the likely murder (as Sherlock Holmes would have said, “It is a simple matter to deduce…”) of the three young Karen men whose families are not able to afford either time or money to travel back and forth to ensure that justice is served on behalf of their sons. Thus, it appears, at the time of this writing, that the possible murders will go not only unsolved, but will remain uninvestigated in the manner of acceptable world standards of proper criminal justice. The results of the case so far conflict with the premier's recent statement that the Thai justice system is “second to none.”  After all, if there is really no reliable manner in Thailand of preventing such
possible crimes, then there is an alternate perception that “second to none” is at
least an exaggeration, a possibly an intentional illusion.

Essentials of any criminal justice system in any nation include effective and timely (1) prevention, and (2) punishment against crimes. This is particularly true of human rights which are more difficult to prevent violations of because of the massive range of circumstances that they can be violated. For example, in the case of the three Karen prisoners who supposedly hanged themselves, one asks whether:

1. police took photographic evidence and whether the evidence is available to the public. What other evidence was found?
2. the three had any connections with police officials in the past, and if so, whether those officials have been interrogated properly.
3. what were the circumstances of investigating the three to begin with, and information is in the case files that is open to media and the public?
4. whether a third and impartial party, such as the Asian Human Rights Commission, was invited or allowed to investigate.
There are many more questions, such as the above: suffice it to say that the questions are not likely to be answered in an intelligent, transparent and detailed fashion. This is Thailand, a land full of people not only afraid to speak, but who are even more afraid of criticism.
One has to compare, from time to time, the workings of the national justice systems of the Untied States and Thailand. Not only have the two countries maintained a centuries-long relationship with one another, but continue to do so through thousands of private, state and NGO-sponsored cultural, economic, political, military and other programs that act both for and against the interests of the two countries. In making the comparison between Thailand and the United States, we return to the epiphany cited at the beginning of this article – the epiphany that democracy can promote far more censorship than in a country where there is a certain lack of democracy, or that where strong leadership exists without a truly effective system of checks and balances among the three branches of government and what is called the fourth branch – the media – that freedom of speech is enjoyed by those wielding power who use it against those who are not only permitted the same degree of freedom of speech, but who are punished when they rightfully and legitimately attempt to enjoy the same freedoms.

This was my epiphany – seeing that democracy, on the one hand, limits the freedom of
leaders to speak, and censorship, on the other, although being decried by the press as a
wrongful element in opposition to freedom, nonetheless becomes a positive force when used by a responsible public and by the nation's laws and constitution, by the nation's social system, against those who would subvert freedom by maintaining their own right to speak (and not using this right properly) while denying that same right to their opponents on the one hand, or worse, denying the general public not just the right to speak, but the right to information which would enable thinking to take place.

A pat on the head and an ice cream cone are not enough to solve the woes of Thai society. The range of criminal justice and human rights abuses here in Thailand is far and wide, almost unsolvable some would say. The present shouting by the Thai and foreign press, and that by human rights groups, compounded so shockingly and so despairingly by those Thai families (Karen or otherwise) whose loved ones have been silenced in the grave, is a testament to Thailand's need not just for reform in the human rights and political/social venues, but for the need of this nation to invite in and to cooperate with other human rights organizations to begin a badly-needed reform process. When Korat is not able to safeguard human rights inside Watpa Salawan, it is little surprise that much
more serious – yet similar – violations take place in southern Thailand.

Brian Knight

???????????????????????????????????????? - ??????????????????????????? ?????????????????????? … .

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????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ( ????????????????????? ?????????????????? “ ????????????????????????????? …… . ” ) ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????? ????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? “ ?????????????????? ” ?????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????? “ ?????????????????? ” ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????? (1) ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??? (2) ?????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????? :
1. ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????
2. ?????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
3. ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
4. ??????????????????????????????????????? ???? ??????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????

???????????????? ??????????????????????????????? : ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????? ??????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????

??????????????????????? ??????????????? ?????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????? ???????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

??????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? – ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? - ????????? - ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????? - ?????????????????? ????????????? ????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????? ????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ( ??????????????????????????????????? ) ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????? ?????????????? ???????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ( ????????? ????????????????? ) ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????? - ?????????????????????? - ??????????????? ???????????????????????????????

Frank G Anderson

Tel. 01-8773981

Email: ethics@loxinfo.co.th

6 November 2005
the Korat Post

The story that never was?

The CIA has justifiably been made the object of inquiry, blame, condemnation and investigation in the past, so it should come as no surprise to this super spy agency that it is now being cited for allegedly setting up "Black spot" prisons in several countries where al-Qaidah suspects are held and even tortured to extract information. The issue here in Thailand has centered on nationalism and autonomy, and suspicion that the Thai government may be involved in such illegal detention centers.
Although not many commentators have really discussed the subject, it has been given a reasonably serious look by planners and those who carry out interrogations after 9/11. The reality is that the West generally, and the US and other select nations individually, are now at war with an entity that not only will not give in, but that seeks out and attempts to destroy the framework and underpinnings of Western society. This is not to argue the merits of the society - only to express the fact that there is now a very powerful and determined enemy globally organized that seeks to kill indiscriminately. There is a claim to justification for the killing, of course: western insults and inroads into non-US cultures and societies, notably Islamic societies and cultures.
Faced with such a determined group, one needs to assess just how to thwart them. Unfortunately, the other overriding issue - just how long western society will pursue, and how far it will go, in protecting and furthering its interests - is not being adequately addressed, particularly by our planners and policy makers.
As an American citizen, I love my country - as anyone else around the world probably loves his or her country. Yet, as an American who has lived abroad for most of my life, I can easily perceive simple basic truths that are anathema to most of the American public. That there could ever be any justification - of felt justification - for 9/11 is a foreign concept in the American public, but it should not be.

3 November 2005

" Thai govt denies report about secret prison

Published on Nov 03 , 2005

"Thailand on Thursday denied a report that it has hosted one of eight secret U.S. prisons around the world for interrogating terrorist suspects. The government spokesman, Suraphong Suebwonglee demanded that the Washington Post offer an explanation of how it identified Thailand as one of the sites for holding terrorist suspects being secretly interrogated by CIA operatives. According to the Post report Tuesday, the alleged Thai site was part of a covert prison system set up by the CIA nearly four years ago which at various times included sites in eight countries, including Afghanistan and several democracies in Eastern Europe. It quoted current and former intelligence officials and diplomats as sources of its story. Suraphong said that building a such a jail with US$100 million allegedly provided to the Thai government by the U.S. was not possible in an ``open country'' like Thailand." Extra t from the offending article, the latter which can be found at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/02/AR2005110202988.html?sub=AR

"The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the CIA's covert detention system has at times established facilities in eight countries, including, among others, Thailand, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Those facilities are now closed. The Post did not publish the names of Eastern European countries involved in the program, at the request of senior U.S. officials. They argued that doing so could damage counterterrorism efforts in those countries and elsewhere, and could lead to retaliation by terrorists."

I am wondering just what planet some people live on. They claim to know so much about this one, but associate themselves with a party that is hardly known for its use of transparency and openness. Not that publications have not been known to make errors time and again, but the Washington Post is a reasonably credible publication, and if it referenced Thailand in its article, then it is near-certain that credible references were provided to it to make such a statement that the CIA had had a secret prision here in Thailand to interrogate or question terror suspects. Denial is a technique used, as we all know, to do one or more of several things:
1. Hide the truth.
2. Shoot the messenger.
3. Distort the issues.
4. Cover someone's ass.
5. These and another 899 reasons...
Denial is also a separate art form here in Thailand, however, and adds to the litany of things that make Thailand's image less than glowing outside the borders of the Land of Smiles.

30 October 2005

Savior or a fad?

Sonthi Limthongkul, seen from TV broadcast, extolling the virtues of hating the West. In short, "...they need to
control others, especially for oil." The critic also says, "Yes, I thought Thaksin wassort of a savior..."

Sonthi Limthongkul, owner of Manager newspaper, a frequent and today the highest-profile (outside of Luangta Mahabua) critic of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his Thai Rak Thai party - as well as the way it is handling business, especially in southern Thailand - appeared at a televised speaking engagement in front of Muslims last night (Dar es Salaam? - location only indicated by name of mosque) where he once again blasted the Thai prime minister. Among the many barbs was that Thaksin and George Bush must have the same DNA.
Sonthi's far-reaching comentary and observations were hardly erudite in the strictest sense of the word, but his theme was clear - western civilization IS a threat to the world.
Speaking as one with some education in history, he went back to the ancient trading companies and imperialist American visits to Japan, and followed that with the real reason that the United States invaded Afghanistan - for UNOCAL could run an oil pipeline through it. Also, when asked by a member of the audience whether Osamah Bin Laden indeed had anything to do with the 11 Septemebr 2001 destruction of the World Trade center buildings, and whether the US was behind a possible intentional release of virus agents that produced the bird flu, Sonthi surprised this writer. As someone who claims to be educated, he should have been well aware that Bin Laden has taken personal credit for carrying out 9/11. Bin Laden is recorded as saying that he had worked with others to make calculations, but that even he was surprised by the extent of the massacre. Sonthi also told the audience, in reply, that one has to understand the reason that anyone, including Bil Laden, would have to undertake such an attack; that he was acting on behalf of Muslims who were being given little or no alternative by Western/American interests. As to the possibly intentional virus release, Sonthi once again did not use common sense, but did refer to the tendency for many of us to adopt a conspiracy outlook - and in that, there could be no looking back. He indicated in his reply that whether such an intentional release was in fact carried out, that according to the world's religious values - those who did any such act would suffer from it themselves, or suffer from consequences.
Denying that he would ever get into politics, Sonthi asked the public to allow him to carry out his useful mission as someone opposing those things that someone needed to oppose.

28 October 2005

On 6 November 2005, thousands of Thai citizens have been invited by revered Buddhist abbot of Wat Baan Tad in Udornthani, Luanta Mahabua, to register legal charges against Thai deputy minister Visanu Khreu-ngarm, who appointed, on 13 January 2004, an acting Supreme Patriarch. See details online shortly, as well as transcription of two English language audio announcements made at the temple on 27 October 2005 which were also aired live over KCTV's cable channel ASTV 1.
When someone in the audience asked the abbot whether politics was becoming mixed up with religious affairs, he shot back, "Politics here is dog shi.." He also alluded to many who profess to be good Buddhists who are not, and those who cite charges of lese majesty against innocents.
Thaksin will have to let his deputy prime minister go, it seems. Whether he will lose more than he already has by being involved with restructuring, albeit perhaps unintended, of Sangha affairs, is the question.

11 October 2005
the Korat Post

Southern Differences Emphasized in Blacklisting and Denial By Islamic Leadership
Bin Laden blasphemes God's first commandment, "Thou shalt not kill."

Initially, one wonders why the Thai government would blacklist some 4,000 young men in southern Thailand. Merely from a simple calculation that each of these 4,000 must have at least two sympathetic friends, that translates into well over 12,000 youths whose ideas, speech, and even more importantly, actions, may reflect opposition to state media, culture, politic and religious leanings. The denial by Abdullohman Abdulsamat, chairman of Narathiwat Islamic Committee, who said that he had never heard of such an organised youth group, was significant yet to be expected. When many Muslim leaders around the world have openly stated that it is acceptable to lie in the face of your enemies, then the cleric's words aare to be taken with a grain of salt at best. After denying knowledge of the youth grouping, he called on Thai government authorities to stop making blanket accusations. He claimed that the state had driven away religious teachers and clerics by accusing them of sympathising with the militants. ``Now they have turned to making groundless accusations against Muslim youths. That's not right. What the state should do is educate the youths in the deep South instead of branding them as troublemakers,'' he said. When the tables are turned, however, is justice so simple to implement?
Southern Muslims are a close-knit group, tied together with Islam as their creed yet also joined by a pseudo pan-nationalist Islamic politic that has been global but only after 9/11 did it really make itself known. Whether, or how and to what extent, this global movement is related to the unrest in the south is anyone's guess at best, but it does underscore the uneasiness that both sides in the conflict - the Thai state in all its scope, and the Muslims in all theirs - feel toward one another, both with and without reason. Muslims around the world, but in particular those here in southern Thailand, need not merely worry about the damage that their violence produces to the public perception of Islam, but first and foremost to come to grips with the realityi that such violence is wrong to begin with, especially killing and maiming innocent people up to and including government representatives. Hatred begets hatred, and unfortunately, many in the Muslim world have neglected the Lord God's first commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." God did not provide a caveat that "Thou shalt not kill except in the following circumstances..." He said, plain and simple, killing is forbidden. That heretics like Osamah Bin Laden and supporters take it upon themselves to disobey God's first commandement is unforgiveable and hardly worth emulating, let alone the ultimate blasphemy.

Former Korat governor Pongpayome Wasaputi

9 October 2005
the Korat Post

The former governor's suit for defamation against media in Phuket was mentioned by him during the going-away speech, most of which we missed (more than fashionably late). The issue highlights a currently hotly-debated topic here in Thailand: criminal defamation. One of the few countries around the world where this law is still practiced (some would say with a vengeance by politicians angry with the press), Thailand has been grappling with the question of whether criminal defamation should continue to be part of the Thai criminal code or not. One of the strongest pressures toward getting rid of the law is the fact that the current Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his Thai Rak Thai party cronies have been applying criminal defamation almost across the board against anyone they perceive, especially from the media, as being critical of their methods and motives. A larger issue, however, is not merely the preference for or against such a law: an underlying problem is the near-total lack of ethical consideration by Thai society and its leadership in addressing almost any issue, ranging from promiscuity being acceptable for men but not for women, to problems in southern Thailand that are not going to be resolved like communism was back in the 1960s-70s.

8 October 2005

Thaksin Faces Unbelievers (in him!)

One things that Thaksin will never face up to is that he is immensely unpopular on the one hand, and immensely disliked or hated, on the other, by a lot of people. Demanding obedience and respect, while giving out very little if any during his entire rule, the Thai prime minister is dour-faced when presented with any kind of criticism or chiding, no matter from the source. So it probably makes little difference to him whether his latest mission to southern Thailand, where he spent two nights in what was hardly bravado, succeeds or not in bringing about peace.
Even while he was in the area, violence continued. Even reporters 'attached' to his retinue were hurt in a bombing incident. So much for bravado. If Thaksin was saying to the insurgents, and some of them have ties with international terrorists - let's not fool ourselves, that this is Thailand and I am in charge and I can do what I want, then he probably did not hear the same words from the mouths of those in the south who are fed up with typical Thai corruption and domination. They, as well, are telling authorities that "We can do what we want and there is nothing you can do to stop us."
Is it too late for peace in the south? With Thaksin still in power, the answer is 'Yes.' He does not have the intestinal fortitude to accept that his own approaches may be totally off-base and that someone else, whose ideas he does not like, may be able to handle the situation better. "I'm in charge" seems to be all that matters. But the refrain from the south is, "No you aren't." ...and that rankles on the power-dominant premier. Outright denials on a variety of issues without proper consideration of other viewpoints has been a Thai trademark over the centuries. Thaksin may be taking it to a whole new level.

6 October 2005

Thaksin Shinawatra, as we indicated before, exhibits nothing so much new and separate from general Thai behavior, but perhaps more of a refinement of same, in regards to impatience at the truth and frank and open discussion of important issues that the Thai government has, forever it seems, been bent on hiding and even distorting in what is called the name of peace. In fact, it is not so much peace that is the issue as it is silence. And that has always been on the Thai social schedule. Silence against those who would speak the truth. Silence against those who would make known what should be made known. Silence against media and the public to prevent unpleasant truths from coming to light, and as a result, from diminishing the power of those who will not relilnquish it lightly.

2 October 2005

Bombings, barbaric behavior, Thai culture...

Today, a Peace Through Tourism summit opens in Pattaya, Thailand, while it is somewhat overshadowed by the most recent terrorist bombings in Bali that occurred yesterday, taking at least 2 lives. According to peace summit organizers, the topic of terrorism will be covered in Pattaya.

On Thai language television this morning, news anchors announced that the Thai government had a new initiative to save forests and to prevent poaching from them; basically, that satellite photos would be taken of specific areas, and a year later, another set of photos of the same area. If there was depletion of forests in the area, then those responsible would be identified and punished. Ho hum! Heard this before? Is the Thai government really capable of punishing anyone, let alone any of the thousands of forest poachers throughout the country who are in part responsible for flash flooding that has caused so much havoc in the country? Even in Chiangmai, at the top of the mountain there, is a giant wood home all cut from prime old forest trees. A sign on the home says that it was built to remind everyone how important the forest is! The entire point was lost by the owner/builder, apparently, that cutting such standing timber is wrong.
The Thai government can huff and puff all it wants, but forests will still be cleared and destroyed because there are too many vested interests plying off the forests and one another to allow this nation's most precious heritage a chance to survive. Making a buck has traditionally been viewed by Thais, from grassroots up through to the highest government administration levels, as being more important than protecting the nation's resources.

On local community radio FM 104.5 this last week here in Korat, the infamous station hostess Papatchanan Chingin has continued a relentless tirade against the owner and founder of the Korat Post, even going so far as to ask for 50,000 signatures from the public to throw the two 'foreigners' out of Thailand. Apparently incensed that charges against her have been made, are being pursued with vigor, and may possibly increase, the radio hostess continues to appeal against common sense and chides police and other authorities for not arresting or apprehending this writing for lese majesty. The fact that making such a foolish and malicious charge places the Thai people, culture, and especially those in the local setting, in a negative light has been lost on the radio hostess. But it will not be lost in the courts. Such behavior and speech is barbaric and insulting to Thailand's own traditions. Besides that, it is criminally wrong. The question arises: why are local and national authorities so unable to set the situation straight?

30 September 2005
the Korat Post

Thaksin upset - in keeping with personal tradition...

Thai Airways allegedly spending over five million Baht, and there were other expenses certainly doubling that, as well as possible other hidden costs that will never be revealed. Thus, the bill for the grandstanding flights into Suvanapbum airport in Bangkok yesterday will, as a BBC reporter inquired yesterday with an upset prime minister, be appreciably over the limit.
Grandstanding? The BBC reporter asked the Thai prime minister “Just what was the purpose of this very expensive exercise in this airport which is obviously a long way from being completed?” …and Thaksin's reply, “I am surprised to hear such a question from BBC,” highlight the gulf between Thaksin's style of governance and the right of the press to ask legitimate questions. Lack of transparency, frivolous spending, hidden secrets and lack of justification for huge spending have been hallmarks of Thai society for a long, long time, and have perhaps refined under the Thaksin administration. Asking a simple question like “Why are we spending all this money?” is not an attack against the nation, but it is a legitimate question that the prime minister should have better answered. His reluctance to do so was not merely a part of Thai Rak Thai secrecy, but reflects a Thai penchant for grandstanding, ignoring the harm that this does, and then failing to properly answer proper questions.

18 September 2005

Thailand's prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has once again irritated another international agency, the UN, in nebulous comments obviously designed to berate it because of what Thaksin accuses of interference and insulting to Thailand's autonomy, etc. Another brief cry-baby knee-jerk reaction, or the response of a responsible world leader? Thaksin has often been seen scowling at being faced with things he did not like to hear, and the worst instance of this is in a location that it is forbidden to mention here in Thailand. Sometimes the premier has to accept the truth, has to accept the obvious, has to keep himself calm and to allow criticism to surface. Because he has not yet accommodated himself to this national need, Thailand's reputation continues to suffer.

13 September 2005

Korat's director of Public Relations Khun Somjit Teemrawd yesterday asked, while I was in his office, why both sides [in the Watpa Salawan affairs] had to keep lambasting one another. I corrected him in this assumption, informing him that it was not a matter of one side hitting the other and then getting hit back, but of a constant barrage of anti-foreigner, pro-Watpa Salawan abbot drivel broadcast over FM 104.5 radio. Further, I added that the Thai government, including agencies at lower levels, have already been given sufficient evidence and been made sufficient overtures to so that they should be able by now to take some action against the radio station and the particular program hostess involved in criminal defamation, Papatchanan Chingin. However, this fell on deaf ears. “I'm powerless to do anything other than give cautionary advice,” Khun Somjit said.
We are not trying to belabor Watpa Salawan per se, and realize that there are many foreigners who feel the same way that most Thais feel about it – shut up and get on with life. The Hell with principles! We are not going to accommodate this rationale, however.

9 Sptember 2005

Last night Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was on television informing the Thai people that the government would begin imposing restrictions on businesses harmful to society. In principle, this is good news. The question might be, however, why society itself isn't clamping down and why the government has to do so. And for the suspicious at heart, the idea that Thaksin's government, already under global condemnation for human rights and freedom of speech abuses, is now going to proceed with a vindictive against busineses deemed to be harmful to society - should sound a warning bell. More loss of freedom, and as usual, not exactly a corresponding gain of benefit to the nation. It's fine to be preachy, but when your own behavior leaves a great deal to be desired, then your position in society itself needs to be evaluated. Who are you, what powers do you have, and are they being used, not just for your own benefit, but in provable benefits to the society you are in and not just in unprovable claimed benefits? When the Thai government begins ansering these kinds of questions, reform will finalyl stand a chance in the Land of Smiles.

8 September 2005

Were Thai government measures to conserve energy here in Thailand successful as recently claimed by the energy minister? It's a valid question.
The Thaksin-led government has constantly bombarded the press and the public with empty "facts" in the past, so there is little reason to think that this practice of misinforming or underinforming the public will stop, or has stopped as in the case of the energy shortage and climbing fuel prices at the pump station. Everyone is getting hurt by skyrocketing fuel prices, and although one could try to be specific and say airlines were the hardest hit, etc., in fact everyone is feeling the consequences of rising oil prices. Farmers are especially hit in Thailand because not only are they already operating at losses from former economic impact of government mismanagement, changing worldwide economic conditions and orders from the Thai central government to cut back on farming (while Thaksin was in Japan telling his Japanese counterparts that Thailand wanted to increase its agricultural exports), but facing all the other ills that today's society offers - including the one related to not reporting on subjects the government does not want reported on - all spells coming hardship for all of the Thai people.
If Thaksin and Thai Rak Thai for once provided legitimate and detailed information on important events, like Takbai, or like the imbecilic lack of preparations for a possible tsunami before one took place in southern Thailand, then perhaps the media could give better and more accurate reports. It is not only up to the media to be more responsible - it is also up to the Thai government. Stop guarding information that might lead to blame falling where it should by claiming that details relate to national security, or in the really stupid instance of the tsunami affair, of claiming that patriotism and national security demand that no report ever be issued about what really happened. Typical Thailand, cover up the mess, claim that solidarity calls for everyone to move on to the next mess. That's why so many things here never really get fixed.

1 September 2005

Oprah Winfrety's show on KC TV cable today had a segment giving recognition to the men and women of the United States military who served in Iraq, and who ended up safrificing limb and spiritual, mental and emotional stability in wound suffered in the war. The sacrifices that these people made are not to be belittled by any means, yet there is one overriding factor - that of the war being illegal from the beginning. Americans should not continue allowing themselves to be deluded. President George Bush illegally invaded Iraq, over and above projections by experts and UN advisers that it would be a huge mistake. Quipping soon after the initial apparent victory, Bush said that the job had been acocmplished. Now, with fatalaties on the American side climbing toward the thousands, America is still being asked to sacrifice its young men and women in the cause of what the Administration is calling a War Against Terror. Perhaps Bush should become the first American president to be brought up on charges of terrorism, or at least, crimes against humanity.

27 August 2005

Charges Filed Against Person Making Wrongful Lese Majesty Accusations

On 26 August 2005, this writer finally filed charges against Mrs. Papatchanan Chingin, self-proclaimed temple committee member of Watpa Salawan, for wrongful and false charges of lese majesty. The woman has, according to local police, filed a formal complaint alleging lese majesty, but police have been reluctant to proceed with questioning because of lack of evidence to support the allegation. Mrs. Papatchanan Chingin has been, if anything, rabid in denunciation of the Andersons and the Korat Post. However, the first two criminal cases in this matter of Watpa Salawan and violence the defendant generated there on 12 February 2005, have been won by plaintiffs. The first case, criminal assault, was admitted to by Mrs. Chingin and her assistant. The counter-suit filed by her was dismissed by Kkorat district court recently because of frivilous claims and lack of evidence. While Mrs. Chingin, for example, claimed that Mrs. Anderson cursed her, when the lawyer asked her to elaborate with details, she could not remember.
Prior to my filing a police complaint against her, I carefully considered the consequences. Yet, having my wife lied about constantly and attacked on the radio and in other public and privagte forums was more than I could ever accept. Two current cases are now running - both against Mrs. Chingin. One is a civil plaint - supported by plenty of evidence, including audio recordings - of defamation and false charges. The other case is a criminal plaint for criminal defamation. In addition to these two cases, 2-3 or more are now under draft, includng criminally filing of false charges with the police, engaging in a criminal conspiracy, filing false criminal charges against the Andersons and other monks at the temple, and operating outside the parameters of Sangha administration via a reign of terror and intimidation - with the concurrance of the temple's abbot. Because of the extent and veracity of denunciations on the radio as well, readers can guess at who other defendants might be.

Should foreigners enter the Thai political process...at least the social level?

2 August 2005
A news story carried in the 22 August issue of the Saudi English language daily Arab News stated, “MCB Secretary General Sir Iqbal Sacranie defended in a press statement as ‘respected among British Muslims for their Da'wah programs.' Sir Iqbal accused Panorama of using ‘deliberately garbled quotes in an attempt to malign the Muslim Council of Britain. It is unfortunate that just when Britain's 1.6 million Muslims are beginning to make progress in terms of their political participation in the mainstream, there are those who are purposefully trying to sabotage that process. The MCB urges British Muslims to remain calm and vigilant in the face of recent concerted attempts being made by known hostile elements to divide them.'”

The presence of such a sizeable minority of Muslims in Britain brings to the fore consideration here in Thailand of the large presence of foreigners and their lack of any basic role in the country's political process. While this is taboo territory as far as the Thais are concerned, the idea that foreigners should play a more prominent role in Thailand's social and political development entices the imagination. Contrary to this, of course, is the “bury my head in the sand” approach that most foreigners take, cued from their Thai hosts, to avoid various problems associated with acting like a legitimate human being able and willing to make a contribution to society. Thais have traditionally ignored the roles that foreign influences have provided, except too often the negative roles, in the country's historical development. Foreigners are more generally cited for messing up the country and Thais cited for having the wisdom and proper teachings to help the nation. Yet, behaviour tells a different story. And it is in this light that a note of advice may be used to pry open a thick drape of ignorance and resistance to proper reform, especially in the areas of human rights, freedom of speech and social responsibility. Foreigners here in Thailand should, gracefully of course, begin making inroads into the Thai social and political process, over and above what has already been done and accomplished. Even the Thai government is calling on the Thai people to be more tolerant of Muslim scholars educated abroad who return to Thailand to teach, work, and live. The same advice should really be given to all Thais regarding foreigners on the one hand, and all Thais of minority racial background on the other. Attitudes must change, and laws must be used to protect – not just in principle, but in practice. It may be embarrassing, for example, for a Thai official to ever protect the interests or person of a foreigner over those of a Thai, but it must be done when the law and when justice warrant it.

21 August 2005

Reservations temporarily cancelled....

Fox News is calling Chiny Sheehan's comments about the Iraq war and Bush leftwing conspiracies. Well, compared to being pro-Bush the talk may seem to be conspiratorial, but is it? Or is it, instead, merely common sense beginning to poke through the clouds of obscurity that hide facts and developments in the Middle East over the years?

19 August 2005

Time flies. Havng made reservations to fly back to New York on 1 September, and still not cancelling despite ambivalence, I find that September 1 is coming up far faster than I need it to. My son has already bought a Boston/Yankee's game set of tickets for October 2, so if I don't go he will be forced to take someone else. My brother has also invited me to take a drive to Arizona, so that will be nice as well. Flying, however, is something neither my wife nor I fancy in the least.

My original intentions to write a book about Watpa Salawan have amended somewhat. It could really be written as an epic, with the kind of secrecy that you normally equate with Washington defense contractor research. That aside, it has also been painful to even listen to the many hours of audio carried over live FM radio locally by (some have said a liar, a charlatan and a cheat, as well as a racist and jealous evil entity) but I will merely call her a wayward personality for the timebeing. It will take time to get over the kind of horrible hatred that this person lashes out with under the guise of being a good Buddhist. Filing an official complaint against this writer for lese majesty also takes the cake, so to speak. I have never met another human being despite traveling around the world some 20 or so times with such a crass and evil intent - nor have I ever experience a society so willing to put up with (again, as some would call her - social garbage) a person such as this. Image damage to Thailand? It seems that the Thais really don't care very much. Pretension is much better than reality.

While in provincial hall this morning, I was approached by the Buddhist affairs staff who asked me what the status of legla claims were at Watpa Salawan. I asked, "Who's asking?" The staff membe replied, "Luang Pho Pherm came by a few days ago asking." This is the abbot who was caught on 27 October 2004 with a local woman in his private quarters, alone together. It is the same abbot who runs Watpa Salawan that was called, by famed NE abbot Luangta Mahabua, " A practice temple that has become a toilet for fundamentals." With alleged criminal and provden unethical activities that have taken place under the current abbot's observation and knowledge since he first came to the temple, it is no wonder that such an observation has c ome about. Local authorities can't seem to make up their minds. On the one hand, "You should worship at the temple nearest you." On the other hand, the governor has more or less indicated that Watpa Salawan is non-grata to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, in direct agreement with Mrs. Papatchanan Chingin, who continues to criminally harrangue about lese majesty - charges that she not only should not be making because they are fictitious, but because she is hardly the kind of character - in all the sense that character implies - to make such charges. They say that what goes around comes around, and while talking a good story to people who are either foolish or crooked enough to swallow it, dishonest people will eventually have to come to terms with their own fallacious actions and speech.

Dear NASA:

You are the experts, but perhaps a note or two will assist… I did a long paper back in college on assembly of vehicles in outer space (1963-65).

I would like to see space exploration begin taking serious steps to become permanent fixtures of the solar system and beyond. The resources of the permanent space station, as well as future earth-based and beyond explorations and experiments are well worth the investment. One of the drawbacks in drawing more from space exploration is perhaps less than efficient use of various resources. The shuttle is one of those resources that is again under fire as to its contribution toward a permanent and considerable presence in space.
It may be timely to consider placing of more permanent storage facilities in orbit, especially those that are heavy and that can be handled easily in space, and sending which minimizes loss to human life. It seems, for example, that some of the missions of the shuttle could easily be converted to all container with 2-3 crew maximum, if the shuttle were to be retained. However, alternatives that I am sure you are looking at but which might be worth mention include:
1. Placement/construction of a permanent warehouse in space, separate from the space station. This could be used to replenish the space station by members of the station themselves. It could also be used as a “container yard” and main storage facility for emergency supplies, fittings, major accessories and more. While a unit, it might be designed to separate into individual units/sections should the need arise (meteor, etc.).
2. Reprioritizing shipments into space, especially with the view of a permanent warehouse there. This way unmanned missions can be made more frequently, with support from members of the space station in unloading, storage, assembly, etc.
3. Long term assembly of the world's first space ship in space, as well as for assembling facilities for a moon base. It seems that when we assemble everything here on earth, although natural and man-made resources and equipment certainly make the job easier than in space, the weight builds up and we end up having to build something really, really big to send it all up as one unit. Why not send up many more component parts than is now the case and assemble them in space, including what would no longer be an airframe but a spaceframe? Technologies and assumptions will have to adapt, perhaps, but this idea seems to be more amenable to accelerated space exploration at lower costs than is the current case. It may also be that the space plane recently awarded the $10 million prize can be used or adapted to provide facility for sending men and equipment into space at much less costs than is not the case.
4. Regarding handling of materials sent into orbit by unmanned vehicles, I believe we now have the technology, and with minimal investment, the equipment to handle those unmanned vehicles in space with independent rocket chairs that carry 1-2 people each.
5. Interim facility to be placed in orbit to help expedite better earth-like conditions to help prevent deterioration of astronauts' bodily systems subject to the vagaries of space. This would also help reduce the need for shuttle missions per se.

6 August 2005

Escalation?

Recently southern Muslim groups distributed leaflets warning traders in the Pattani area that if they did not stop selling goods on Friday, the Muslim holy day, that traders would face reprisals. Although government observers at this point have concluded that these warnings arise from exploitation of religious misunderstandings, the phraseology of this conclusion, as well as the warnings themselves, leave something to be desired at best. In fact, from another observer's view, it may be that southern Muslim insurgents/radicals have begun progressing along a longer-term and irreversible strategy to ensure that independence, either formal or de facto, for the southern Muslim dominated provinces comes to pass no matter what the cost. It is also likely that those who are very likely working with the insurgents (non-existent advisers from outside the country), are lending a hand in planning strategies and activities.
The Thai government has been very insistent that there are really no external Muslim fundamentalists involved with the southern unrest, but this flies in the face of such arrests as Hambali in Ayudhaya a while back. Foreign Muslim insurgents are in and out of Thailand frequently, and their movings around are not that well known. Where they go, who they meet with, what they plan, where they go and how, are all a bit of a mystery.
Another thought that should cross Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra's mind is that perhaps his own actions have had a detrimental effect on southern peace and diversity, as well as have many acts of corruption and discrimination on the part of Thai authorities and others. Even up here in Korat, NE Thailand, we have experienced so much racial and religious discrimination from individuals involved in temple administration but have been frustrated by the generally lackluster reaction of local and national authorities on the matter. Saying something is so does not make it so, but Thailand has become a land of illusion and pretense, a land lacking substance and fact. This, combined with the Thai propensity toward secrecy and inaction, does not bode well for either Korat or the south.

4 August 2005

Thai Ethics - the ultimate oxymoron?

Thailand has had an appreciable and well-deserved problem in its image as it relates to ethics, and with good reason - as suggested. A brief but true anecdote may serve the purpose of illustration.

For over three months, our home here in Korat, Thailand, has been without water. Despite several calls to the local water authority (under municipality jurisdiction) we were not able to have the problem fixed as it should have been. We suspected the draught.
However, on 3 August 2005 my wife was finally able to get someone from the municipality over to take a look at the problem. This was also partly a result of my having dropped by the water authority's office the day before asking for them to take a look.

On the morning of 3 August 2005, a young man from the water authority came by on a motorcycle and spoke with me and my wife. We indicated to him that people along the route to our home were getting water, but he had been indicating that if we really wanted a steady supply, we should run a new 2” PVC line from the main soi down to our home, a distance of some 150-200 meters. Cost? Around 25,000 Baht! Of course this was far more expensive that we had even dreamed, and it was evident that he might not be so interested in coordinating the water authority staff to fix the problem as much as he was in coordinating himself getting a lucrative contract. He even handed us a card with his name and phone number on it after the problem had been fixed. Of course, we will never call him.
During our discussion with this water authority staff member, my wife's sister, who lives next door, came out and we asked her if she was getting water. “Yes, it's flowing strongly.” She said. Hmmm.. So the line, it appeared, was plugged between her home and ours, and rather than some 25,000 Baht in contracted costs, we might be able to whittle it down to almost nothing. This is eventually what happened and we ended up paying this guy 100 Baht only for services.
It turned out, after goading the man to take a really close look, that there was a blockage right at the road surface where the water authority had before connected the incoming PVC water line with a smaller steel pipe T section to accommodate two meters we have coming into the property for two houses we have here. As soon as this man unscrewed the connection, low and behold!!! Water burst forth and it didn't stop! This was elation at its finest.
To make a long story short, we profusely thanked the man for his wonderful work (even though people deserve lynching [tic] in Thailand they are instead congratulated for their foresight and intuitiveness). He briefly disconnected the two meters and cleaned them, and then we finally were able to have a regular water supply restored to our home.
Morale: In Thailand no one worries about ethics, much less ethical conduct. Even getting the municipality to take proper action on your behalf might be nigh-impossible because its staff have vested interests that conflict with the overall mission of the organization – in Thailand in such cases the organization will almost always lose. Resorting to shame techniques in Thailand can lead to violence and even death. The lack of ethics goes beyond death as well, with people guilty of murder expecting to be released, forgiven, let off lightly, etc. Why, they will even pay for the privilege!

3 August 2005

Can Prosperity Really Come to Korat?

The question is simple enough to answer, but it depends on who answers it!
Recently, for example, a local expatriate told us, while we were discussing Korat's penchant for being difficult for success to succeed, "Nothing in Korat works."
It was certainly one of those comments you won't hear many Thais make, unless they have been abroad for a while and have had their eyes opened by reality too often cloaked in political hyperbole and vested interest distortions. With the draught now taking so many tolls that farmers have been told for some time to stop farming, one needs to look at what's been promised, what's been assured, and what's really been delivered. But this is a gargantuan task at best for Thai people. Rather than individually research and come up with the same logical conclusions on a host of issues, it too often seems as if they would rather sit back and listen to promises that no one will be able to keep. This is a simplistic look, of course, but that does not make it any less valid. Although the just-reassigned Thai Minister of Justice, Suwat Liptapanlop, for example, has recently touted megaprojects as the stairway to heaven for Korat (some observers have asked why the justice minister is spending so much time on non-justice matters). The cabinet reshuffle of 2 August 2005 was in Thaksin's words, "to make the cabinet the best it can be." One wonders why it wasn't that way before, but given the propensity by the premier to move ministers around almost as frequently as chess pieces during a lightning game, it is no longer much of a wonder. Will Suwat, who had been in Korat not that long ago as justice minister asking how the ministry of justice might be reformed, now be able to function better in his new post as deputy prime minister? As well, Suwat's friend/nemesis Korn Dhabbaransi has just lost his job and is being sent off packing by Thaksin. Both Korn and Suwat have constantly portrayed themselves and been portrayed as near-saviours for Korat, in times past and times present, but Korat has yet to be really saved. Will firing Korn and moving Suwat closer (if it is indeed closer) help the nation and Korat in particular? As the expat said, "Nothing in Korat works." He might have been talking about the local business community adverse to the local industry organizations. Over time we have observed a degree of professionalism and efficiency in the latter that the former does not even appear to bother to aspire to. Lots of flamboyant statements and promises of success in grand projects, all the time, constantly, without results. Does talk equate with success, or is substance necessary? Surprisingly, perhaps, these are valid questions here in Thailand.
Although this writer has been here off and on for some 40 years, it's still amazing to watch cabinet changes taking place as if every single person named to a cabinet position is highly qualified to occupy it. And if that is the case, then with each cabinet reshuffle more qualified people are put in proper positions. And by logical inference, then, every single person of cabinet status is qualified for all other cabinet positions. Consider this: the minister of justice is qualified to become minister of education; the minister of interior is qualified to take over the post of minister of science and technology, and all deputy prime ministers are qualified to take over one another's positions as well as any other cabinet post! Now, is any of this, much less all of it, logical? The answer is a resounding no! Imagine the US's Bolton being given the job of NYC mayor, or of President Bush being given the Homeland Security (ouch!!) post. Really! People can't just be shifted or shuffled around like pawns on a chess board. It don't [sic] work. Many people in Korat are privately saying, regarding Korn's removal, "Som nam na," or "He got what he had coming to him." Maybe. But if this is the case, it is far less than what is needed. There are a lot of highly qualified people running around filling positions that have nothing to do with what they are really equipped to handle. This is the Thai way, perhaps, but without overstepping this writer's bounds, it's not the right way.
Suwat, just before his lateral transfer yesterday from Minister of Justice to Deputy Prime Minister, was in Korat citing how great the hi-speed railway megaproject would be for Korat. We beg to differ on this 200%. Korat not only can't afford the expense of this 'erroneous pipedream,' but its implementation would cause severe impact on tourism between Bangkok and Korat, and the project itself would likely gather dust over the years and fade away, just as the new airport in Korat did and as Korat's national theater has done this year. Hundreds of millions of Baht wasted by political errors, billions to be wasted with the hi-speed train, and in the meantime people wonder why the poor in the northeast seem to stay poor. It's really not much of a mystery.

28 July 2005

The Great One Speaks Out

On 19 July 2005, the same day that Region 11 Sangkha officials gave Luang Pho Pherm, the current abbot of Watpa Salawan, who had faced and has now escaped repercussions of having a local woman in his private kuti in the wee hours of 27 October 2004, Phra Luangta Mahabua, abbot of Wat Ban Trad in Udornthani, issued a long written narrative titled, Practice Temple Becomes Toilet in Fundamentals. It was a statement that few people in Thailand could - or would - make. Yet the events that transpired at the temple even before 27 October 2004 and thereafter led those who opposed the current abbot to fall prey to hatred, violence, discrimination, Nazi-like ground patrols, mind-games, personal denigration and threats. Secrecy combined with ill will, guised under a desire to protect the "wonderful perfect abbot" from unfair and malicious charges. Indeed, the malicious charges were hardly generated by the abbot's opponents - in fact, they came from many of his supporters more than anyplace else.
Lying, threats and demonstrated violence were not sufficient, however. The temple's self-claimed chairperson then began a series of vile radio broadcasts that could easily be perceived or deemed to have attempted to use the revered Thai monarchy as a weapon to beat down resistance and instill fear in those who had legitimate questions, and in those who felt a legitimate desire that the abbot should leave his position at the temple. In fact, this desire was first expressed by Region 11 Sangkha officials themselves when they issued, on 26 January 2005, a letter directing that the abbot resign immediately and without delay. Despite this written order, the abbot remained, with his champion Mrs. Prapatchanan Chingin, and are now at the temple loudly proclaiming some sort of - as one observer said - 'holy victory' over evil foreign influences. Trite? Even more than that, the gloating over having committed criminal offenses and human rights abuses - and not even being ashamed of having done so - seems to be a badge of honor rather than one of shame as it should be. Time will sort out the evil done, to be certain, but as often with voices of the past, those who pretend to be good are often those who are not. Read Luangta Mahabua's long 19 July 2005 narrative about Watpa Salawan, and if you can't read Thai, then have your girlfriend/wife read it and translate for you. It's an interesting and illuminating document!

13 July 2005

We write to Fox

13 July 2005
"Show me" is too often not good enough for Americans these days.
Even in the face of overwhelming non-American sentiment (let's not always call it anti-American sentiment), we, as Americans, find it impossible to see the other side. It's this reluctance to see that is too often equated with understanding and agreement - that is, if you don't agree with something, then how can anyone possibly understand it? Conversely, if you understand it, then you agree with it! Not surprisingly, most cultures seem to suffer from this abyss of self assumptions. Subject? Terrorism.
Your souring of BBC's removal of the word 'terrorist' and replacement of it with 'bombers' is an understandable objection, but not one justifiable in the media profession - sorry! Like you, an American, I agree that these bombers can be called terrorists - the question is, should they be called terrorists and where, by whom, and why? And whether or not they should, does use of the term encompass their mission, their motivation and their willingness to die on the one hand and kill many innocent people on the other?
You hated what Ward Churchill said, I believe, in calling American pilots cowards. I heartily disagreed with the term as well, but our ability in general, as typical Americans, to appreciate how other people in the word feel when American planes fly overhead and drop bombs - maybe with the best of intentions as we define them - but also with what seems to be indiscriminate targeting - surely some of the imagery and distortion of its context is not beyond your grasp, Mr. O'Reilly. Frankly, Bill, I am more of less convinced that you, and the rest of the Fox anchors and 'newspeople,' can not hold their own in a truly logical argument. You know, when a judge senses a departure a buzzer sounds. You guys would have the buzzer ringing all the time.
Your badgering, dismissal of equal argument, ignorance of the depth of issues around the world that have made America and Americans targets, is phenomenally disappointing. Erudite you may assume yourselves, yet the gross nature of bandwagonism that your network represents, as money-making as it might be, is a testament to ignorance, not bliss.
Frank G Anderson
Korat, Thailand

24 June 2005

Will increased Thai commercial links impact politics?

Thailand's recent announcement that it will employ Pakistan as its portal of entry into Central Asia for Thai exports is laudable in a commercial sense, perhaps, but also brings into question the country's long-term direction in its approach to Islam. Thais have a long history of kowtowing to one thing or another for the sake of money, and doing the same with Pakistan does not surprise many. What changes Thailand will have to undergo, however, or what compromises it will no longer be able to make, are interesting to contemplate.

20 June 2005

Authorities' Claims Disingenuous At Best

Thai authorities have just indicated to be public that they are not certain as to the motive behind the beheadings of two Lao workers in southern Thailand. In fact, there could only have been one motive, and that was to incite terror and participate in terror, with the objective of continuing a campaign against the central Thai government for autonomy in the southern region.
The fact that Islamic fundamentalists carrying out these horrible murders are violating God's very first commandment, "Thou Shall Not Kill." seems irrelevant to their mission as they appear to perceive it. The commandment does not read, ..."unless it is deemed necessary." The commandment specifically forbids killing. If there is one precept that Buddhists are well known for, it is this first commandment, carried to the extent of all living things and thus perhaps the world's most adamant - in principle - group in complying with God's first commandment.
People of the ilk of Osamah Bin Laden and others who justify killing need to reexamine their own beliefs, because they are violating them in the worst possible form.

18 June 2005

Caveat Emptor Indeed

That the Thai government announced that it is paying attention to presence of illegal (and harmful) additives and other poisons in fruit and vegetables is a positive sign, but like all others in Thailand, it seems, this measure os more window dressing than it is effective and meaningful. If authorities were to really enforce food safety standards, they would have to fine just about every merchant in the fresh vegetable market. Everything from bananas to cantaloupe to lettuce - and beyond - is laced with chemicals to preserve color and to enhance taste. Bananas are an individual tragedy because they are 'cooked' to make sure they ripen, and within a day or two, turn mushy and have to be thrown out.
A society that lacks ethics to a near totality extent can not be expected to adequately, or even sincerely, enforce food safety standards. What measures can you take when shopping in Thailand's fresh markets to ensure food safety?
1. Grow your own watermelon - seriously! I have been sick repeatedly from trusting even Tops when I find a red melon.
2. Always soak vegetables to kill off worms or other minute life, and then thoroughly wash them off with safe water. For our drinking water, which we use to wash vegetables, we use rain water that passes through three filters - carbon, resin, and ceramic.
3. Keep a careful eye on all vegetables and fruit before you buy any. Look around at the stalls and bins that the food is kept in, and watch for tricks of the trade that might be used to sell you unsafe food. Although the merchants don't consciously sell you unsafe food, they do rationalize themselves into believing that stories they have heard about additives and preservatives being harmful are more stories than truth and that a little won't hurt.

9 June 2005

"I am thinking to go..."

Anyone well acquainted with Indian Subcontinent English will have heard this incorrect grammatical arrangement. It is uttered daily by millions, but that does not make it correct.
Thaksin Shinawatra's announced plan to hire Indians, Srilankans and other English teachers from the region do not spell quality. Sure, as the premier said, it's cheaper to hire them, but in the long run, is emulating this kind of English better for Thailand's students and teachers?

Why Target Schools?

Some may question why non-Islamic schools, teachers, and other innocents in Southern Thailand are being targeted by militants.
This method is, indeed, one of the fundamental weeding out aspects of so-called tolerant Islam that censors all that which it believes contradicts or otherwise differs from its basic tenets. Unless one lives in Islamic societies, and notices the deep distrust imbued with Believers in all that is different from what religious 'scholars' have forced populations into believing, one can not decipher the extent of the problem in dealing with Islam - because it is Islam, and not just a militant arm of Islam, that leads to the militancy in the first place. That 'militants' abound is a problem. Rather than an aberration, they seem to be part of the rule, and the remainder of the Islamic populations around the world are silent about all of the atrocities being committed. Why the silence? Fear of certain censure, even death, is part of the answer. Islamic societies are so bound up in force, censure, hatred and dislike for what they have been taught is bad, that they are not able to use clear logic to separate truth from fiction.So it is, in a sense, a fiction that they live, and when it comes into confrontation with other truths, the best reaction is rejection, hatred, and violence. That militants exist is such numbers, in such scope, in so many societies that Islam calls home, is testimony to a historical seed of hatred that has been cultivated until its roots are strong and long. This is why there are so few protests in the Islamic World about atrocities being done by militants worldwide.
Schools and teachers who are not Islamic are prime targets because they represent an affront to those who have been taught, and who teach others, to hate and to kill. Violating God's very first commandment, DO NOT KILL, these murderers ignore the Hell they are destined to spend eternity in while murdering innocent teachers and Buddhists who have done nothing to them, and who are, indeed, martyrs.

3 June 2005
the Korat Post

With American F117s in the region, making North Korea understandably concerned, one needs to ask not only whether Bush is planning a huge strike on North Korea, but what would engender such an attack. At this moment, the strike would likely be two-fold: an unrelenting air campaign, spearheaded by nuclear bunker buster bombs to eliminate the nuclear threat and an extensive air campaign to drive North Korea one step backward even more than it already is, coupled with an overland South Korean land force. One of the problems with this, however, is that a great deal of heavy military equipment will be needed to support the campaign, and at the moment, that kind of armament is not yet in the region – or is it?
America has drummed up the “preventative attack” motif so often, setting it in the American political party platform, that there is now a 50/50 feeling that Washington is going to go ahead with a “least of two evils” wipeout of the North Korean military machine. Rumsfeld may have already confided to President Bush that it is far more preferable to do it now and get it over with rather than wait another 1-10 years when North Korea becomes so belligerent that it uses some of its nuclear stockpile on our friends – or on us. And let's face it, can we then allow Iran, and as well, Syria, to go unscathed?
This is one of the scenarios that non-Americans fear America for – proceeding on Hell-bent campaigns against evil regimes around the globe without, perhaps, appreciating some of the evil in those campaigns. Weapons of mass destruction were a highly touted problem and threat in Iraq that was used as a pretext to attack. Surely the actual presence of such weapons in North Korea is even more of a justification to get rid of that regime. Yet, is it that because North Korea can bite back that Bush does not bite first? Or is he going to gobble all at once? Or try?
Is American hegemony at stake here? Does the future just hold too many uncertainties for American power to comprehend?

Ward Churchill and Healing Wounds

31 May 2005

Fox News didn't hold back its punches when assailing Ward Churchill for his book, On The Justice of Roosting Chickens, (alluding to chickens that come home to roost and whether we deserve it or not). what bothered Fox, and will undoubtedly bother many other Americans who keep an open mind, is a frequent reference to Nazis and Nazi Germany by the author when comparing American military adventures around the world and trying to analyze them against a backdrop of justice and hypocrisy. Yet, for those who don't mind reading dissenting opinions, which America needs from time to time, Churchill's book is a disturbing narrative. Not only because of the American/Nazi references, but because of the litany of militarism that America has been involved in even before its inception as an independent nation to today while we are busy occupying, illegally and based on a lie, Iraq.
No one is arguing that throwing Saddam out of power was a bad thing - unless, of course, you compare the level of public security that existed during Hussein's rule and what exists now. There is no doubt that in this area, things have deteriorated seriously. It is without doubt that things inside Iraq would have been far more peaceful now that they are if Saddam were to have remained in power, probably against stiff US-sponsored and contrived sanctions. Even today, although the UN was doing its best to
Public security isn't everything, however, is it? But it is a primary responsibility of any government, or any ruling invader, to ensure public security. That of Iraq was, under Saddam, was acceptable in most respects given the challenges that Saddam faced. Of course, freedom and democracy were non-existent in the guise that we accept them in the west, but people had relative peace and public security. With an American invader in their midst, the people of Iraq are now faced with an out of control series of suicide bombings and attacks that remind us very painfully of Vietnam.
The cost of the war in Iraq is also another issue that Americans, and certainly the American administration, will not publicly allow discussion of. The hundreds of billions being poured into the war, and in some ways unjustly linked, war against terror, are costing Americans at home untold misery and loss of services. Though absence of bodyguards at beaches in Erie Country, New York because of lack of county funds to maintain beaches, might not seem a major sacrifice compared to the sacrifices our sons and daughters face abroad, they reflect loss of a lifestyle we have become accustomed to in times of peace - a peace given up at the discretion of the Bush administration.

11 May 2005

More senile than penile?

I don't know. Am I really that out of date with the times? Injecting one's penis with olive oil and/or beta agonists to gain more 'function' in sex? And this by today's Thai teenagers? Are things really that desperate? Imagine having the semen kind of problem with after-effects of penile injections that M. Jackson has had with his face!

4 May 2005

The other side?

While it was interesting to see a study done in a northeastern village about Thai women married to foreign husbands, it is extremely unprofessional (but TIT! - as per Bernard Trink) that a rather than a study, this should have been cited as a small part of a larger study to be continued. Of course there are parallels between one village and another, yet what prompts foreign women to marry foreigners may vary from one village to the next. It is a bit simplistic to interview only Thai women (at least this is the view reflected in the report of the study) and not their husbands. The men should have been given some voice. My wife, for example, was and is not financially dependant on me, and in fact years ago, it was the opposite. I depended on her! We worked together over the years to get what we have, and are yet subject to some of those same prejudices mentioned in the so-called study.
It's not just a matter of money, but of humanity. The Thai culture, as prompt as it is to cite Buddhism as its foundation, has yet to come to terms with its overall lack of ethics and morality. Buddhism may be the nation's main religion, but practice of it here leaves a great deal to be desired, whether by paypersons or by monks and abbots of temples.

24 April 2005

Pretense vs. Reality

If you have lived in Thailand long enough, or were born here and are aware of what life is all about, then you realize that much of what surrounds you as reality is, in fact, pretense. Exactly how this lifestyle and approach came about is a question. Why is is, for example, that the Thai religious ethic is so detailed in what good and evil consist of, and yet society as a whole violates almost all Buddhist precepts in its carrying out of daily life?
How can a policeman, ostensibly winner of so many good guy awards, kill two British tourists in cold blood and then blatantly say the woman he killed got in the way of his bullets? Then how can he later claim someone else shot the two? Thailand has a saying, "naa daan," which can mean anything from brazen to shamefaced. And Thais carry the extremes to a new art form. When the Thai prime minister came out, for instance, the day after the Muslim client lawyer Somchai disappeared in the south by saying he thought the lawyer had had a fight with his wife and would be back soon, this was possibly another violation of ethics - as much of the rest of the world knows them.
That Thai authorities have also indicated that there would be no report of why the tsunami warning was not sounded prior to December 26, 2004 shows an unethical intent to hide facts and to avoid responsibility. This is a typical Thai trait, by the way: hide facts, avoid responsibility. Even in cases of mass negligence or individual cases of murder, the point is not to pursue justice, but to avoid punishment. This is the Thailand that we live in, work in, visit and do business with.

22 April 2005

Reader Input?

We recently received comments from a local advertiser/reader about content of our printed edition - that we are far too serious and need to relax a bit. This comment was beneficial, because it let us understand aspects that we had not come to ourselves. If you have any input about the paper, its content or approach, please write.
Thank you.

12 April 2005

Drought

Driving past the Lam Takhong reservoir a couple of days ago, it is clear that the shortage of water isn't just an imminent problem, but that it may last for longer than many think. Just when real rains will begin is anyone's guess. Looking around at drying grass and caked waterless fields, looking at the temperature climb up to past 114 yesterday, the signs are not good.
Thailand has suffered from a strange array of coincidences since the TRT administration took over, from the bird flu to southern separatist terrorism to climbing oil prices to drought. Whether it was just a coincidence, or whether God is trying to give Thailand a message is a question. That is, for those who believe in Him. For others, it's perhaps merely unfortunate weather conditions and a series of random events. Yet, they are piling up, and not in favor of the kingdom.

10 April 2005

Housing Bust Already Here?

It doesn't take a genius to look around at a housing development site in the greater Bangkok area and noticing that some 70% of the homes are long-standing and still unoccupied to begin to wonder whether the banks are experiencing another glut in the housing sector. Overconstruction has always been a hallmark of Thai housing development projects, and it is not a fault likely to end anytime soon. The question is whether this propensity for big, bigger and biggest will ever really break the proverbial camel/s back or not. With transparency never part of the equation, who knows? For home-buyers, there is a word of caution to be sounded. Choose a home where there are not a lot of long-standing and still unoccupied homes, and in an area where civilization's benefits are close by. Price? The most attractive ones are, of course, the lowest, but ask yourself whether you can stick with the conditions for the next 20 years or so.

6 April 2005

Are prison bombs a sign of the times?

Just when four explosions in southern Thailand rocked the country's tourism industry and officials were internally gloating over those advocating gentler policies in the region, a bomb explodes inside Klong Pai prison in Korat's Sikiew district. While no one was reportedly injured, feelings were. Public curiosity must also have been more than just stirred at this strange event. People are rightly asking how a bomb could be brought into what is supposedly a high security facility. Good question! Would a sign at the entrance saying, "Bombs DEFINITELY NOT ALLOWED!" help?

The Thai government's competence in combating terrorism has been called into question on several occasions, including the terrible Takbai massacre that resulted when human beings were piled up like slabs of meat into trucks to suffocate to death from the overburden of others on top of them. Human rights in Thailand have, to date, meant really very little, and it seems that they will to be adequately addressed until it is far too late.

The four recent bombings in southern Thailand likely had several objectives:

1. Demonstrate capability.
2. Disrupt tourism.
3. Serve to further unify hardline Muslim forces in the south and solidify unity with external elements.
4. Cause physical and psychological damage.
5. Exact vengeance on wrongs committed by the central government and its minions.
6. Act as a test to fine tune further plans and bombings.

As to what the future holds is anyone's guess. That the Thai government has placed a country-wide alert into effect was a wise choice in a sense, but again, is it too late? Now that three simultaneous blasts took place in the south we must assume that they are possibly fine tuning for more bombings elsewhere in the country. Even up here in Korat, my Thai wife is now ill-at-ease that something akin to the southern bombings may take place in Bangkok. It could happen. It may only be a matter of time, and timing. The fact that prisoners could bring a bomb into a local prison is not a good sign of government capability.

As to the political future of southern Thailand? Because it is extremely unlikely that the Thai government, especially under Thaksin, will waver from its so-called national unity concerns, the hardline Muslim elements are also unlikely to waver. This presents a very likely potential for growth of the separatist movement and an eventual IRA-type agreement but only after further significant numbers of innocent people have been killed.

30 March 2005

Where to Begin?

As indicated in our Wat Pasalawan link, we have removed files for legal purposes. This removal was to avoid the appearance of impropriety on the one hand, or of providing "ammunition" on the other for more spurious charges. Shortly, given time, we will once again post extracts, translations and photos. For the moment, we are retrenching. More will be said in a book to follow, tentatively titled, Watps Salawan.

29 March 2005

We are editing material for purposes to be explained in the future. We apologize for the inconvenience.