The podcast for the Malaysia and Singapore Update 2012 as well as the forum (Malaysia and Singapore: Models for the Asian Century?)is now available: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/news/podcasts/cap
Interesting book, nice review! The issues of asceticism and aspirations are intriguing. In my fieldwork in Chaiyaphum Province in the northeast of Thailand, I observed some monks who engaged in mediumship practices both as practitioners and customers. The close inspection on their everyday practices and life histories might reveal the processes of negotiating desires in particular contexts. The book seems to address these investigations and White brings out so well. Thanks!
A Thai peasant’s situation has for the most part been daily hellish. With menacing loan sharks constantly hounding, weather+market conspiring to keep him in perpetual debts and angst, and the floods woe the curse of the Thai floods shouldn’t a peasant’s after life be peace-n-bliss-in-heaven and not more ‘rural hell’?
On the other hand those moneyed class of Bangkok life are assured of heaven . . . how heavenly depends on ‘substance’ of their merit making as demonstrated by the amount of donations given to that very holy deeply revered Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Pathum Thani province. The head abbot could commune with the late departed Apple-The-Man Steve Jobs – – who we are assued is now an angel.
Maybe Andrew Walker your nearly affluent ‘modern peasants’ could have a go after all for heaven; but they should start making early repeating merit making donations to the Dhammakaya temple, of course!
The depictions remind me of ethnic inscriptions engraved on the wall of a badly maintained public toilet.
A sad monument to a repressed monks vanity. Tragic also that it should have been identified or venerated as somehow being of moral or instructional social value. The site does not need the addition of caricatures of corrupt politicians etc. The sins of violence, vanity and venality are ancient and ever present. Nothing that a committed government , media and education system can’t put right in a couple of generations then?
Carpe Diem…
I am a victim amongst other million victims of the KR Regime in which I lost all my parents, sibblings and relatives, including my only 2 children. I appreciate your article. I wish if you could continue to unearth other dark sides of “Enemies of the People” for the eyes and ears of innocent Khmer civilians, particularly the young adult’s generation who did not want to believe in the “tragic and horrified history between April 1975 to December 1978”.
Congretulation,
Dr. P. Engly
Canberra, Sept. 2012
[…] does the saga tell us about Thailand? Firstly, it illustrates the stunning extent of criminality within Thailand’s police. As The Economist pointed out in a 2008 article: ”In Thailand’s most sensational […]
Annie – the problem with Giles’ analysis is that it does not pay sufficient attention to ethno-regional tensions, unlike Nick Nostitz who has been highlighting these since his early days.
Ah yes indeed. The noble savage is never quite so noble when viewed close-up, and the primitive community that has ‘secret’ knowledge about medicines or spirituality never quite does.
Its all a part of the human quest to impose meaning on things and to find a non-existent rationale for stuff.
Some folk follow a rich guru who dresses in orange, others follow a kleptomanic ‘king’
Giles has some interesting comments about a ‘parallel war’. To be candid I had not seen this previously, but it makes every sense and explains a lot of what appeared to me to be non-sequiturs.
Jon and Vichai you betray the noble cause of the peasants driving the Red Shirts: people’s sovereignty, with your narrow understanding of the political, rooted in personalities, and have learned nothing from this excellent book
It hasn’t anything to do with moral or personal values, or which side you take. The world’s governments are not going to side with either the reds or the yellows; they will only take the side that is beneficial to their foreign interests. A year ago that would have been the side of the Democrats. Now it’s the side of Thaksin. Time moves on, seasons change.
I was under the impression that the US Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) specifies that one of the grounds for ineligibility for a visa was ““moral turpitude”. This term appeared in US immigration law in 1891, and directed the exclusion from the United States of “persons who have been convicted of a felony or other infamous crime or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude”. The most common elements involving moral turpitude are: (1) Fraud; (2) Larceny; and (3) Intent to harm persons or thing (sic).
If my memory does not fail… I believe that Mr. T. was convicted in his country for for violating Article 100 of the National Counter Corruption Act. Isn’t “corruption” a “fraud”?
Going by the book, corruption includes “misuse of office or position of authority for private gain” and fraud involves betrayal of trust….Does it not look like the reason why TS was condemned?
Well, than… his visa should not have been issued.
To be truthful AW, in the final analysis we all of ‘peasant stock’ are we not?
You overly romanticize the peasant as if their lives are improving when in truth the modern peasant is probably more miserable that a peasant of 100, 50 years or 25 years ago. I surmise a guess that because of the ‘materialistic’ lure (sophistication?), today’s Thai peasants are more up to their necks in debts than their fathers or grandfathers ever were.
My great grand father, I was told, had a small paddy land (it is still there in my brother’s care) plus he augmented his income as a sort of blacksmith forging metals by hand for gates, staircases etc. His son (my father) detested farm nor smith work and moved to the city, did many odd jobs to support himself while he studied, worked himself to be court lawyer then a small judge. My father hated being a peasant and made a huge effort to make sure his sons won’t be.
A peasant who hates being a peasant is good sign. A peasant who likes his life as a peasant is either lazy, dumb or just drunk most of the time.
Even just moving creative people into a space pushes up property values – look at the gentrification in SoHo in NYC or Shoreditch in London.
In fact one of the biggest critiques of the contemporary art scene – which, incidentally, is having a resurgence due to emerging Asian artists like Wei Wei – is that it has become too commercial.
In my view it’s more that Thailand struggles with creating the philosophical and cultural space for challenging art to emerge. This lack of space is due to certain power interests stifling what they perceive as threats. Why do you think the military had Jit Phumisak shot? What kind of culture shoots poets?
There is a lot of talent in Thailand though – Apichatpong Weerasethakul is probably the country’s greatest living artist and is hugely respected internationally.
Also Apichatpong seems very aware that social and political change go hand in hand with cultural transformation. His many obvious nods to the Red Shirts certainly reveal where his sympathies lie.
A story about peasants who’re living nearly well, who are not paying (and not being chased for) his taxes, who are modern and who eagerly look forward to positively engaging (not confronting or assaulting) his political boss(es) will be plain dull reading.
I prefer reading about starving angry peasants being squeezed for more taxes who will be led to rebellion by a Jatuporn, or a Robin Hood.
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Glimpses of the Thailand-Myanmar border
If it isn’t a chicken wire fence I don’t know what is.
Review of The Fate of Rural Hell
See also:
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v34/n17/marina-warner/in-hell
Malaysia and Singapore Update – its getting hot!
The podcast for the Malaysia and Singapore Update 2012 as well as the forum (Malaysia and Singapore: Models for the Asian Century?)is now available: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/news/podcasts/cap
Review of The Fate of Rural Hell
Interesting book, nice review! The issues of asceticism and aspirations are intriguing. In my fieldwork in Chaiyaphum Province in the northeast of Thailand, I observed some monks who engaged in mediumship practices both as practitioners and customers. The close inspection on their everyday practices and life histories might reveal the processes of negotiating desires in particular contexts. The book seems to address these investigations and White brings out so well. Thanks!
Review of The Fate of Rural Hell
Lord Buddha be merciful!
A Thai peasant’s situation has for the most part been daily hellish. With menacing loan sharks constantly hounding, weather+market conspiring to keep him in perpetual debts and angst, and the floods woe the curse of the Thai floods shouldn’t a peasant’s after life be peace-n-bliss-in-heaven and not more ‘rural hell’?
On the other hand those moneyed class of Bangkok life are assured of heaven . . . how heavenly depends on ‘substance’ of their merit making as demonstrated by the amount of donations given to that very holy deeply revered Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Pathum Thani province. The head abbot could commune with the late departed Apple-The-Man Steve Jobs – – who we are assued is now an angel.
Maybe Andrew Walker your nearly affluent ‘modern peasants’ could have a go after all for heaven; but they should start making early repeating merit making donations to the Dhammakaya temple, of course!
Review of The Fate of Rural Hell
The depictions remind me of ethnic inscriptions engraved on the wall of a badly maintained public toilet.
A sad monument to a repressed monks vanity. Tragic also that it should have been identified or venerated as somehow being of moral or instructional social value. The site does not need the addition of caricatures of corrupt politicians etc. The sins of violence, vanity and venality are ancient and ever present. Nothing that a committed government , media and education system can’t put right in a couple of generations then?
Carpe Diem…
Review of The Fate of Rural Hell
The image at the top of the review is from a temple in Chiang Mai province. For images of Wat Phai Rong Wua itself try these links: http://katholon.com/watphairongwua/Cursed_City.htm
http://www41.tok2.com/home/kanihei5/thai4-WatPhaiRongWua.html
Interview with director of Enemies of the People
I am a victim amongst other million victims of the KR Regime in which I lost all my parents, sibblings and relatives, including my only 2 children. I appreciate your article. I wish if you could continue to unearth other dark sides of “Enemies of the People” for the eyes and ears of innocent Khmer civilians, particularly the young adult’s generation who did not want to believe in the “tragic and horrified history between April 1975 to December 1978”.
Congretulation,
Dr. P. Engly
Canberra, Sept. 2012
Malaysia and Singapore Update – its getting hot!
Live streaming! The Malaysia and Singapore Update will be streamed live. For those not in Canberra, you can catch it live at:
1. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/singapore-malaysia-update-2012
2. http://ustre.am/OhtZ
Thai institutions: Police
[…] does the saga tell us about Thailand? Firstly, it illustrates the stunning extent of criminality within Thailand’s police. As The Economist pointed out in a 2008 article: ”In Thailand’s most sensational […]
Review of Revolution Interrupted
Annie – the problem with Giles’ analysis is that it does not pay sufficient attention to ethno-regional tensions, unlike Nick Nostitz who has been highlighting these since his early days.
Chris Baker on Thailand’s Political Peasants
Ah yes indeed. The noble savage is never quite so noble when viewed close-up, and the primitive community that has ‘secret’ knowledge about medicines or spirituality never quite does.
Its all a part of the human quest to impose meaning on things and to find a non-existent rationale for stuff.
Some folk follow a rich guru who dresses in orange, others follow a kleptomanic ‘king’
Who can tell which is better?
Review of Revolution Interrupted
Giles has some interesting comments about a ‘parallel war’. To be candid I had not seen this previously, but it makes every sense and explains a lot of what appeared to me to be non-sequiturs.
Worth a read.
http://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com/
Review of Revolution Interrupted
Jon and Vichai you betray the noble cause of the peasants driving the Red Shirts: people’s sovereignty, with your narrow understanding of the political, rooted in personalities, and have learned nothing from this excellent book
Thailand’s silver snatched?
It hasn’t anything to do with moral or personal values, or which side you take. The world’s governments are not going to side with either the reds or the yellows; they will only take the side that is beneficial to their foreign interests. A year ago that would have been the side of the Democrats. Now it’s the side of Thaksin. Time moves on, seasons change.
Thailand’s silver snatched?
I was under the impression that the US Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) specifies that one of the grounds for ineligibility for a visa was ““moral turpitude”. This term appeared in US immigration law in 1891, and directed the exclusion from the United States of “persons who have been convicted of a felony or other infamous crime or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude”. The most common elements involving moral turpitude are: (1) Fraud; (2) Larceny; and (3) Intent to harm persons or thing (sic).
If my memory does not fail… I believe that Mr. T. was convicted in his country for for violating Article 100 of the National Counter Corruption Act. Isn’t “corruption” a “fraud”?
Going by the book, corruption includes “misuse of office or position of authority for private gain” and fraud involves betrayal of trust….Does it not look like the reason why TS was condemned?
Well, than… his visa should not have been issued.
Chris Baker on Thailand’s Political Peasants
To be truthful AW, in the final analysis we all of ‘peasant stock’ are we not?
You overly romanticize the peasant as if their lives are improving when in truth the modern peasant is probably more miserable that a peasant of 100, 50 years or 25 years ago. I surmise a guess that because of the ‘materialistic’ lure (sophistication?), today’s Thai peasants are more up to their necks in debts than their fathers or grandfathers ever were.
My great grand father, I was told, had a small paddy land (it is still there in my brother’s care) plus he augmented his income as a sort of blacksmith forging metals by hand for gates, staircases etc. His son (my father) detested farm nor smith work and moved to the city, did many odd jobs to support himself while he studied, worked himself to be court lawyer then a small judge. My father hated being a peasant and made a huge effort to make sure his sons won’t be.
A peasant who hates being a peasant is good sign. A peasant who likes his life as a peasant is either lazy, dumb or just drunk most of the time.
Chris Baker on Thailand’s Political Peasants
Thanks Vichai. Good point – peasant stereotypes are often much more appealing than reality. AW
Thailand’s silver snatched?
Greg
“Art isn’t a wealth creator.”
Eh?
Here’s something from The Guardian “Over the past seven years, the Qatari royal family has spent an estimated ┬г1bn on western art.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/apr/16/rise-of-gulf-art-scene
Or how about the new Louvre in the UAE? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louvre_Abu_Dhabi
Even just moving creative people into a space pushes up property values – look at the gentrification in SoHo in NYC or Shoreditch in London.
In fact one of the biggest critiques of the contemporary art scene – which, incidentally, is having a resurgence due to emerging Asian artists like Wei Wei – is that it has become too commercial.
In my view it’s more that Thailand struggles with creating the philosophical and cultural space for challenging art to emerge. This lack of space is due to certain power interests stifling what they perceive as threats. Why do you think the military had Jit Phumisak shot? What kind of culture shoots poets?
There is a lot of talent in Thailand though – Apichatpong Weerasethakul is probably the country’s greatest living artist and is hugely respected internationally.
Also Apichatpong seems very aware that social and political change go hand in hand with cultural transformation. His many obvious nods to the Red Shirts certainly reveal where his sympathies lie.
Chris Baker on Thailand’s Political Peasants
I think I’ll pass AW’s peasant book.
A story about peasants who’re living nearly well, who are not paying (and not being chased for) his taxes, who are modern and who eagerly look forward to positively engaging (not confronting or assaulting) his political boss(es) will be plain dull reading.
I prefer reading about starving angry peasants being squeezed for more taxes who will be led to rebellion by a Jatuporn, or a Robin Hood.