“Certain ministers work in favour of certain media”
Don’t you just love the clarity that the Thai media brings to confusing political situations?
I have really no idea what he is talking about: is the “certain media” ASTV or PTV? Is Somkid protesting that the government is biased to Sondhi and pals or to Thaksin and pals?
Who cares about Chris Baker? The guy is a ronin – “independent political analyst” is just another way of saying an unemployed farang shacked up with a Thai lady who complains about politics over his Mekhong. His royalist writings are just another way of getting himself and his woman invited to high-society parties.
“he allowed old fat rich foreigners to have their way with Thai women” > No. He allowed tricky Thai bar girls to have their way with old fat low- to middle-income foreigners.
Tosakan: Thanks for these observations. Chris Baker’s important role in preparing the UNDP report has indeed raised a lot of eyebrows in academia. After all, it looked as if an independent political analyst had turned himself into a tool of the royalist forces in their attempt to gain ideological hegemony in certain political areas. Yet, he might have had good reasons for accepting this job.
Pridiyathorn follows Somkid! (The Nation, web edition, 28 February)
Certain ministers work in favour of certain media : Pridiyathorn
Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula announced his resignation on Wednesday, citing he did not want to work with certain ministers who he said worked in favour of certain media.
“I already submitted my resignation to the prime minister. My decision is also based on the fact that they (certain ministers in this government) are working for the benefits of certain media,” Pridiyathorn said.
This government has shown several indications that it is working under influence of that media. Such favours could lead of violation of laws, he added.
He did not identify the media.
He also referred to the government’s recent appointment of Somkid Chatusripitak, a former deputy premier in Thaksin government, to chief of economic panel responsible for explaining sufficiency economy to the international community.
Pridiyathorn and Somkid were known to be at odds due to different economic policies.
Somkid later resigned from the post about a week.
“It is not practical and unreasonable to appoint a person in Thaksin government to help this government on the sufficiency economy.
To him, the reason for the appointment was only an excuse and a bid to cover up certain hidden agenda that included relation with Thaksin government, he said.
“This issue is already ended but in an ambiguous way. And the connection with the previous government is still continuing. It is because a contact person with Thaksin government is still holding position in this government,” he said.
Such favours have led many to resume that the government is working under influence of the that media, he said.
actually a while back I read an article about “The Lemmings of Pattaya”. Apparently farang men suicide rates can be as high as 9 per week in the beach city. Many escape western life and marriages and live it up in Pattaya with Thai girlfriends who spend up large. When the money runs out the girlfriend leaves and the horny old farang realises that he has no money, no connections back home and inevitably plunges to his death from atop a condominium or is found hanging in a crusty old hotel room.
Thaksin is to blame. He didn’t crack down hard enough on the underground market for counterfeit Viagra. And just like he sold Thai assets to foreigners, he allowed old fat rich foreigners to have their way with Thai women.
Dear New Mandala,
Congratulations on your 500th comment. I also often have my best ideas after a big Cambodian meal. I look forward to the 1000th post almost as much as I look forward to the next Harry Potter book.
Thank you for your continuing support.
Kind regards,
S
Sorry, I just have come across this post now – almost two months after the last post, but I find it very interesting and with respect to the controversial debate I believe that with Burma we have a good example where universalists and particularists clash.
Alone the fact that we have two Burma campaigning organisation with different approaches (antagonising?) is something very particular to the Burma issue.
Nich, have you sent some comments to BCUK yet? Have you found any worthy contibutions in the comments posted here? I actually plan to write to BCUK, but the email is still a draft. While I am not sure about the alertness of the travellers going to Burma (I even doubt it), I firmly don’t believe that a general boycott will change the minds of the junta let alone bring them to their knees. To often we forget that national pride plays a vital role (as we see in the Iran case) and that there is China who is the biggest supplier of the regime.
The more we all point our fingers to the junta, the more it will turn to China, whose records with regards to democracy is not much better. In this moment I fail to come with a adequate metaphor, but punishment is not always the best approach as to educate. It is maybe not by chance that the US is one of the countries with the biggest grows in prison construction (I don’t need to mention the still existing capital punishment there).
To cut it short, as my lecturer in Burmese once said, “the clock goes a bit different in Myanmar”
My warmest congratulations! I just recently joined but I have to emphasise that I consider this blog as a fantastic forum where academics, non-academics and failed academics (like myself) can join in a debate, productive or unproductive it may be. It is important to remove the barriers between those who deal with Southeast Asia professionally and those who just have the chance to deal with this exiting region on a rather spare time basis.
I know anti-Thaksin Bangkokians who have only bad thing to say about the capital controls. No they are a very small segment of the population. As you know there are so many little things and I think all these things add to the poll numbers. It is the Bangkok bombings and the southern insurgency which are the big ones though.
[…] 1. We show that a global collaboration can help shine light on Southeast Asia’s diverse societies and polities – from coyote dancers to military bases in Kachin state. […]
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[…] bloggers, particularly those who contributed to our two-month focus on Laos. Holly High’s series of pieces from northern Laos were, as a number have commented, wonderful examples of engaged ethnographic […]
Patiwat: Sorry, I mixed Banjerd up with somebody else. He doesn’t seem to be involved with the CDC. I checked the names, and hope that I havent’ overlooked him.
Jon: Maybe, there are not that many “well-functioning villages” in Thailand’s provinces. Anyway, I have problems seeing how some well-functioning villages can be the model for structuring the national polity. You say, “It can and does.” Can you provide some more clues about how such a system would look like and operate?
Never the less, the sharp drop is very worrying, and the timing is interesting.
Right after the coup, he was at 60%. It dropped to 50% after the Chinese New Year bombings. And now it’s down to 35%. The timing suggests that the drop is due mostly to lack of confidence in his southern strategy, rather than economic mismanagement or his inability to pin any charges on Thaksin.
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Somkid, sandwiches and sufficiency
“Certain ministers work in favour of certain media”
Don’t you just love the clarity that the Thai media brings to confusing political situations?
I have really no idea what he is talking about: is the “certain media” ASTV or PTV? Is Somkid protesting that the government is biased to Sondhi and pals or to Thaksin and pals?
“The silence of the intellectual lambs”
Who cares about Chris Baker? The guy is a ronin – “independent political analyst” is just another way of saying an unemployed farang shacked up with a Thai lady who complains about politics over his Mekhong. His royalist writings are just another way of getting himself and his woman invited to high-society parties.
Tourist casualties mounting
“He allowed tricky Thai bar girls to have their way with old fat low- to middle-income foreigners.” > Whatever. Just as long as Thaksin is to blame 🙂
Tourist casualties mounting
“he allowed old fat rich foreigners to have their way with Thai women” > No. He allowed tricky Thai bar girls to have their way with old fat low- to middle-income foreigners.
“The silence of the intellectual lambs”
Tosakan: Thanks for these observations. Chris Baker’s important role in preparing the UNDP report has indeed raised a lot of eyebrows in academia. After all, it looked as if an independent political analyst had turned himself into a tool of the royalist forces in their attempt to gain ideological hegemony in certain political areas. Yet, he might have had good reasons for accepting this job.
Somkid, sandwiches and sufficiency
Pridiyathorn follows Somkid! (The Nation, web edition, 28 February)
Certain ministers work in favour of certain media : Pridiyathorn
Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula announced his resignation on Wednesday, citing he did not want to work with certain ministers who he said worked in favour of certain media.
“I already submitted my resignation to the prime minister. My decision is also based on the fact that they (certain ministers in this government) are working for the benefits of certain media,” Pridiyathorn said.
This government has shown several indications that it is working under influence of that media. Such favours could lead of violation of laws, he added.
He did not identify the media.
He also referred to the government’s recent appointment of Somkid Chatusripitak, a former deputy premier in Thaksin government, to chief of economic panel responsible for explaining sufficiency economy to the international community.
Pridiyathorn and Somkid were known to be at odds due to different economic policies.
Somkid later resigned from the post about a week.
“It is not practical and unreasonable to appoint a person in Thaksin government to help this government on the sufficiency economy.
To him, the reason for the appointment was only an excuse and a bid to cover up certain hidden agenda that included relation with Thaksin government, he said.
“This issue is already ended but in an ambiguous way. And the connection with the previous government is still continuing. It is because a contact person with Thaksin government is still holding position in this government,” he said.
Such favours have led many to resume that the government is working under influence of the that media, he said.
Tourist casualties mounting
actually a while back I read an article about “The Lemmings of Pattaya”. Apparently farang men suicide rates can be as high as 9 per week in the beach city. Many escape western life and marriages and live it up in Pattaya with Thai girlfriends who spend up large. When the money runs out the girlfriend leaves and the horny old farang realises that he has no money, no connections back home and inevitably plunges to his death from atop a condominium or is found hanging in a crusty old hotel room.
Tourist casualties mounting
Thaksin is to blame. He didn’t crack down hard enough on the underground market for counterfeit Viagra. And just like he sold Thai assets to foreigners, he allowed old fat rich foreigners to have their way with Thai women.
The 500th post
Dear New Mandala,
Congratulations on your 500th comment. I also often have my best ideas after a big Cambodian meal. I look forward to the 1000th post almost as much as I look forward to the next Harry Potter book.
Thank you for your continuing support.
Kind regards,
S
Burma boycott – some questions about “avoided tourism”
Sorry, I just have come across this post now – almost two months after the last post, but I find it very interesting and with respect to the controversial debate I believe that with Burma we have a good example where universalists and particularists clash.
Alone the fact that we have two Burma campaigning organisation with different approaches (antagonising?) is something very particular to the Burma issue.
Nich, have you sent some comments to BCUK yet? Have you found any worthy contibutions in the comments posted here? I actually plan to write to BCUK, but the email is still a draft. While I am not sure about the alertness of the travellers going to Burma (I even doubt it), I firmly don’t believe that a general boycott will change the minds of the junta let alone bring them to their knees. To often we forget that national pride plays a vital role (as we see in the Iran case) and that there is China who is the biggest supplier of the regime.
The more we all point our fingers to the junta, the more it will turn to China, whose records with regards to democracy is not much better. In this moment I fail to come with a adequate metaphor, but punishment is not always the best approach as to educate. It is maybe not by chance that the US is one of the countries with the biggest grows in prison construction (I don’t need to mention the still existing capital punishment there).
To cut it short, as my lecturer in Burmese once said, “the clock goes a bit different in Myanmar”
The 500th post
My warmest congratulations! I just recently joined but I have to emphasise that I consider this blog as a fantastic forum where academics, non-academics and failed academics (like myself) can join in a debate, productive or unproductive it may be. It is important to remove the barriers between those who deal with Southeast Asia professionally and those who just have the chance to deal with this exiting region on a rather spare time basis.
Again: well done!
The 500th post
Congrats! Here’s to another 500 posts.
The 500th post
Congratulations and thanks for all the interesting articles that we’d never have enough time to look for ourselves.
Mainland Southeast as a whole gains a coherence in your blog that it loses when you live there.
You should add your blog to Henry Farrell’s Academic Blogs Wiki:
http://www.academicblogs.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
“The silence of the intellectual lambs”
Mr. Baker-
The only thing that I find confusing is why didn’t the junta hire you instead of Somkid to pimp sufficiency theory around the globe.
Oh yeah, after reading the UN report, maybe they did.
By the way, yellow looks great on you.
PS. I’m curious. Have you and the missus helped or will help the junta/Surayud government formulate their economic policies in a way?
Do you have a relationship with the current government?
Fading puppet
Patiwat
I know anti-Thaksin Bangkokians who have only bad thing to say about the capital controls. No they are a very small segment of the population. As you know there are so many little things and I think all these things add to the poll numbers. It is the Bangkok bombings and the southern insurgency which are the big ones though.
Burmese army bases in the Kachin State
[…] 1. We show that a global collaboration can help shine light on Southeast Asia’s diverse societies and polities – from coyote dancers to military bases in Kachin state. […]
Special interview: Matthew McDaniel, pro-Akha activist
[…] on Thaksin’s anti-drugs rally in Chiang Rai was posted on 16 August 2006. Along with his interview of Matthew McDaniel, it remains one of the most widely read posts on New […]
Singing history, remembering landscapes, memorializing violence
[…] bloggers, particularly those who contributed to our two-month focus on Laos. Holly High’s series of pieces from northern Laos were, as a number have commented, wonderful examples of engaged ethnographic […]
“The silence of the intellectual lambs”
Patiwat: Sorry, I mixed Banjerd up with somebody else. He doesn’t seem to be involved with the CDC. I checked the names, and hope that I havent’ overlooked him.
Jon: Maybe, there are not that many “well-functioning villages” in Thailand’s provinces. Anyway, I have problems seeing how some well-functioning villages can be the model for structuring the national polity. You say, “It can and does.” Can you provide some more clues about how such a system would look like and operate?
Fading puppet
Never the less, the sharp drop is very worrying, and the timing is interesting.
Right after the coup, he was at 60%. It dropped to 50% after the Chinese New Year bombings. And now it’s down to 35%. The timing suggests that the drop is due mostly to lack of confidence in his southern strategy, rather than economic mismanagement or his inability to pin any charges on Thaksin.