Comments

  1. Anthony Kent says:

    Thanks Sana for your very interesting insights on a process which is of course very familiar to all Indonesians. I have had some interactions with RTs while living with my Indonesian family and they are pretty much as you say – more a cohesive rather than authoritarian presence. Nonetheless, I think it would be interesting to follow up one of the perhaps disturbing aspects you reveal, namely, the role of RTs in as you put it immoral and/or controversial religious practices, read, LGBTQ community and ‘minority’ brands of Islam such as Ahmadiyya. In which case, perhaps we should not in fact underestimate the authoritarian potential of RT/RW.

  2. R. N. England says:

    Instead of using emotive terms the author could be more scientific. The argument is fundamentally a scientific one.

  3. DB says:

    Interesting article. One way or another it seems to presage bigger things ahead.

  4. Mark C. Major says:

    And we will be suppressed by others’ will; yet with hope we are doing what’s right – we are thus engaged and endeavour to be controlling others – influence good and conducive to what is recognised as good life – this is very ethical a viewpoint, perhaps!

  5. Mark C. Major says:

    I would like to distinguish the worldly authorities from the actual authorities who guide our thinking and are engaged with us in a constructive dialectic. Power is within the second, and such may lead to death or one’s sacrifice such as within a field of warfare.

  6. Mark C. Major says:

    I think monks have warned laypeople the past decade or so to “maintain sobriety” – I mean self-awareness – during any street demonstration. Might such a simplistic warning include deep analysis. Might we then be deep in the domain of critical conversation – and absent any vagueness or unhelpful assumptions – unless they can be openly talked over by any of us who is in no way a Buddhist monk!

  7. Mark C. Major says:

    In my view, should the deep state exist within the Kingdom of Thailand, its care is for harmony. Violence can and will erupt if it is to suppress the dangers existing to the harmony we value and treasure. Should protestors be mainly peaceful, and primarily aim to support or maintain relations that are most harmonious although dynamic and negotiable – there should not occur any violent repression by those with weapons of war to be used. They must not ‘cut’ or do damage to opponents so much as benefit them through aiming high and through really benefitting by improving the current relatively good – in terms of their listening – state the national affairs are.

  8. grr says:

    Not 40 billio Bt, over 60 Million US $ actually. Wealth of the people that successive tyrant kings have stolen.

  9. Chico Athalla says:

    While it is indeed true that the student movement is changing and merging into a more broad movement, the fact remains that there are still large groups within the student movement that still refuses to mix with the broader popular movements. Groups such as BEM SI amongst many others is still staying by its own groups and are not moving together and synchronizing with the broader movement.

  10. Mark Major says:

    You reckon that includes steganographic allusions – references to specific people intended to manipulate or guide in experiments – or might that rise to the level of an arena of imagined decontextualised thoughts? Who knows where the creatives responsible for the items gather the ideas and choose images and words to compose items? They may be multifunctional items, explaining and protecting, and possibly debilitating by production of paranoia; who is surveyed?

  11. Mark C. Major says:

    I think McCargo eloquently presented his ideas; however, he could have been mistaken in observing the hands of monarchy and not just the influence of it as an apparition, as an ideal formation. There is no doubt the idea of a perfected monarch held great power and in a country where authority is respected and local cooperation is thought to be good, collaboration to support that highest authority may have widely occurred – while the monarch himself remains higher and unapproachable – while some powerful looking of such a power is believed real, and seems to be present, and directs our speaking; but this in no way denies anyone’s personal volition, merely suggests weakness concerning an orientation toward the authorities – which might restrain or perhaps even command, and that ought to be followed.

  12. Bill Meldrum says:

    Interesting piece James. As well as the regime’s propaganda machinery opreating at full steam, it appears that the palace is not standing idly by either. Tonight (11 Nov 20) in Krung Thep, the standard 8pm all channel blanket TV coverage of the day’s palace public relations package. Interesting increase in footage of HM and significant others of the royal family in what appears to be an obvious charm offensive – aimed apparently at their traditional base, primarily in Issan. A notable highlight was a special VIP jet flying visit by HM to ‘remote’ Udon Thani. An interesting optic too, were several shots featuring two of the Princesses presiding at conferences attended by a somewhat larger audience of the usual obsequious military, and bureaucrats in attendance. As a side note, the traditional Rememberance Day and associated military activities coverage has been relegated compared to previous years.

  13. Mark C. Major says:

    This is insightfully written. I appreciated it. Keep up the publishing of good analyses of Thailand. Personally, I believe media are showing sympathy toward the protestors’ demands, and ostensibly, through His sentiments expressed, so is the King

  14. hafiz says:

    Great Article. You have beautifully articulated it. Readers revisit only if they found something useful. So the core formula is to provide value to the readers. Also, Title is very important.

    Thanks & Regards

  15. Chris Beale says:

    The ONLY solution is SECESSION by Isaarn and Lanna.

  16. Julie says:

    Hi Niran
    We were all very shocked to hear of our sister’s passing. We wish things could have been different over the years. Could you please let us know what happened to her?

  17. Narissa James says:

    Thank you so much Luke for writing these beautiful words about my mother. I too loved reading each word about my remarkable mother’s work that as you know she loved doing and the significant role and positive impact she had on her PhD students and many others that had the opportunity to work with her.

  18. Mike says:

    Personally Thai is just makin stories and claimed those territory in fact each of them are a free state.. their just makin the history for nationalism only.. and makin history fake just to look their power but actually their are not.. their are rebellious army that wanna cambodia, laos, kra isthmus people.. in fact the the native of south east asia livin peacefully before this thai – china come in

  19. Naturalist says:

    The first question a serious scholar would ask is: is it a real crises or is it a manufactured one?
    I don’t see where any serious questions have been asked .
    It is accepted the virus exists and the so-called “deadly”extracellular vesicle/exosome/virus is the perpetrator of death and destruction when it has been governments’ reactions and the subsequent policies enforced that have lead to deaths and despair .
    Don’t scholars in the humanities question? Or are they like scientists who pontificate by “consensus”?

  20. Robert Kawuwung says:

    Thank you for sharing this, Bli. As Indonesian, I listen people too often (particularly in New Order era) mention about Majapahit and Gajah Mada. On the other hand, the distribution of old manuscripts as references is very limited. I myself even never read one of them. Thus, I’m happy to hear our history from a specialist who has access to those manuscripts.