And the solution to Thailand’s problems will be political.
The Red Shirts HAVE been punished, ARE in prison. The PAD, the Army and the Dems are not
There lies the rub.
This then means that the Red Shirts’ prosecution and punishment is politicised and not based on rule of law.
If, however, the PAD members who shot at the police in 2008 and then occupied the airport, the Thai Army who used snipers to kill unarmed civilians in 2010 (amongst their other 5 decades of crimes) and the Dems direct ordering of the 2010 massacre were all equally prosecuted/punished in the same manner the Red Shirts have been, then yes, if the UDD committed criminal acts, why not keep them in prison.
And why were no “very vicious M79 grenade launching … elements of the Red Shirts” ever prosecuted or shot, given they were so massively prevalent to the degree that the Thai Army had to shoot another 90+ unarmed civilians – including children and nurses – just to be on the safe side?
Your arguments have always been fraudulent, your evidence non-existent and your principles lacking.
That’s why you are now complaining about the “political prisoners” that you never gave too hoots about before.
Aung Moe,
Good to see you are still around.
Firstly, sorry to break your illusion for most of your life but Burma IS NOT and never has been socialist. It is a military dictatorship which is totally corrupted by their generals. There has not been a socialist country ever. All countries that use the word socialist in their country’s name have nothing to do with socialism. There controls over the people are incompatable with socialism. The economies are run for their leaders benefit and as they nationalise everything, they run a state capitalist economy. Is the “Democratic Republic of Congo” democratic because it has democratic in its title?
I don’t know who you rely on for information about your car industry, maybe Fox News. Your cars may be expensive but all the official reports state that the management was incompetent in investing for the future. The CEOs even showed up in Washington in company jets to beg for money. Totally out of touch with reality.
Obama care is nothing like the NHS in Britain as it leaves millions of people outside the system. It is not a universal health care system.
Does Vichai’s concern for the Yingluck neglect of her imprisoned followers (many presumably innocent) offend Spoooner? We’ll I must be doing something right again.
For the benefit of Spooner, let me state that I’ve never subscribed to Spooner’s spin that those malevolent, very vicious M79 grenade launching and arson-torching elements of the Red Shirt movement should be allowed to go unpunished. And specifically those Red Shirt leader(s) who encouraged the bombings, the killings and the arsons should arrested and tried and locked up for maximum years permitted by Thai laws.
But because Yingluck Shinawatra (sister of Red Shirt Supremo Thaksin) is the current Prime Minister, her priorities should be to get the release of the many Red Shirt innocents currently in prison. Or maybe Spooner disagrees?
I have tried my best to restrict my remarks about the original article about migrant workers in Burma. However, I must respond to your latest post.
First of all, I don’t blame you for leaving Burma under a military dictatorship. But, as others have noted, Burma never really had a socialist society.
Your reference to Obama being able to implement universal healthcare is certainly an idealistic and possibly even a socialist concept. Obama tried and his plan was fought tooth and nail by the private insurance companies. Over 50 million people in the US have no health insurance and would likely go bankrupt in the event of a serious illness – if they had enough money to see a doctor in the first place. The mess with healthcare and health insurance is the main reason I decided to leave the US and live in Thailand. I don’t want to grow old in the US and wind up leaving on the street.
You also seem to have a strong disdain for unions. However, you would not be enjoying the standard of living you are in the US had it not been for the trade union movement. In addition, the trade union movement has also been one if the biggest supporters for democracy in Burma. The ITUC and its predecessor organizations have done more than anyone else in fighting against forced labour in Burma. Unions are an essential component of a democratic society.
The current mess in the world’s financial system is all related to the financial crash of 2008. And it happened because there is inadequate regulation and oversight of financial institutions. GM was one of the casualties in this fiasco. Seven hundred billion dollars of taxpayer money was used to prop up financial institutions that had proven to be incompetent in running their own affairs. There is socialism in the US – it is corporate socialism. Would the US Congress ever spend 700 billion to implement a plan of universal healthcare? Never!
The next time you are moaning about unions being the evil enemy of capitalism, pick up a labour history book. The standard of living US workers enjoy, safety and health laws, social security, civil rights, medicare, etc., were the result of union men and woman who died in fighting for these benefits.
Thanks so much for all these comments that essentially constitute priceless hints on how to begin research, very tempting. (NB People pay big tuition bills for this sort of thing, also for the piece of paper/diploma that validates that they were able to provide a partial answer, too bad everyone who is capable of doing this, especially poor people, are not able to do it, an artificial scarcity of learning and learning opportunities that doesn’t have to exist).
JR: “My opinion is that the policy framework (markets, ministry involvement, price controls/guarantees, and farmer education and agriculture extension) is more of a problem. Some policies create disincentives and obstacles for farmers to increase their yields rather than encourage increased production.”
This would be very interesting to untangle. Continually thinking about exactly this as I read the frequent articles on Thailand’s rice sector nowadays. Thanks ๐
Your sudden and Damascene conversion to the plight of political prisoners is welcome but does, unfortunately, lack a single shred of credibility given that when those prisoners were actually in the process of being imprisoned you supported them being so.
I’m also sure you’ll soon be saying how terrible it is that the Red Shirts aren’t getting “justice” from this government while previously you supported that same injustice being enacted against them.
I’d spent first 30 years of my 60 years long life in Burma and I’d witnessed the hell caused by evil Socialism. This was what a Burmese writer wrote.
“On 6 January 1966 General Ne Winโs Revolutionary Socialist Government stupidly prohibited the civilian populace from transporting, storing, distributing, and trading of 460 basic commodities including the staples such as rice, peanut-oil, and salt.
That prohibition was in addition to the large scale nationalizing of every private companies and all foreign-owned businesses in Burma.
The immediate result was the 1967 Chinese Race Riots where hundreds and hundreds of local Chinese were slaughtered by the Burmese mob as people in the urban centers starved and took it out on the relatively-wealthier Chinese.
Burma basically has never fully recovered from that Fundamental Socialist Act of State controlling the resources, commercial activities, and means of production.”
But, please allow me to state that, Burma wasn’t even a full-fledged Socialist country as it was only a half-cooked Socialist country run by the military.
About GM – Many economists have pointed out the simple fact that American cars are too expensive compared to the Japanese and Korean cars simply because the massive cost of pension and health insurance for American labor is inflating the cost and the selling price of American cars.
That is the one chief reason Obama Government is now introducing a kind of state-controlled universal health insurance system similar to what UK, Canada, and Australia have into the United States.
Once that system is up and running the American companies like GM will be able to ditch their workers into Obama-Care the state-controlled universal health insurance system.
“ัโะัโโฃัโะัโโัโะฝัโะซัโฃะัโโ ัโะัโฃะัโโัโะัโโัโฃะัโะฝัโฃะัโะซัโะณัโะฑ : ัโะฝัโะฑัโะฅัโโัโฃะัโะปัโฃะัโะัโะซัโฃะัโโัโฃะัโะซัโะณัโะฑ [I am Pa, my name is Prem: Pa Premโs Immortality] (2012)”
That does not seem like an adequate translation.
1. Incoherent: The three parts do not really combine to form anything meaningful, even sounding a little bit funny like incoherent nonsense.
2. This is a sympathetic biography so word choice that reflects the intentions of author and reader are important.
3. Although strictly speaking ัโะฝัโะฑัโะฅัโโ does mean “immortal” , “long-lasting legacy” or “enduring legacy” may be a better choice for someone who is very old and has enemies who actually have been burned him in effigy effectively wishing him to be dead and who might see some irony or humour in this translation, especially when combined with incoherent broken syntax and overall meaning.
4. “Pa” gives no sense what this word actually means, albeit it is difficult to translate as “father” since the King is traditionally reckoned as “father of the country.” Translating as “daddy” or “paw” doesn’t really seem to work either.
5. With so much meaning packed into so few Thai words (especially with sociolinguistic meaning without short gloss), the title may be untranslatable.
6. Therefore, “Prem’s enduring legacy” may be safest translation.
It was definately not meant to be another of this “west is bad, east is good” sermon. It was purely incidental, exactly like your other point about my ” western democracies” in the other comment. I do believe the current governments around the world by and large are in cahoots with money people as the current government systems go- donation funded political parties in some and governments actively colluding with money crowd. For example, Mahathir proudly proclaims that he knows every single business people in the country which I am sure still holds true.
Cocaine/ New York/ London again was a random example, the point being people’s failure to tackle the glaring usage problem and target the producers and peddlers which definately will not alter the scene at all. It will simply change the supplier.
Burma of course used to thrive on opium money. Now with progress, we thrive on both opium and methamphatemine which by the way is supplied to Burmese soldiers to kill and indeed die with easy mind and your slave workers in most,if not all, Thai factories for sleepless production. With new economic revolution now, which WILL NOT change the majority public’s lives, Burma would itself become avid consumer of both in the next few years.
The rich country. My definition again is less of geographical entity than rich people, here people with ready cash, in any country. You would agree that there are innumerable people with exorbitant number of personal effects and utilities, way beyond necessary, simply because of cheap monetary value which never reflects environmental and social cost with are, unaware, accrued for later eruptions or regret.
It would pay for everyone to drive for awareness of this all around the globe (this time I mean the earth) to take these unseen and hidden costs next time they (anybody) buy another pair of Nike or change perfectly working adequate computer for the one with Ivy bridge chip just because one can afford it.
I do beg all to inform Burmese policy makers of the true evil coming with shiny new factories which truly are the cotton fields of (this time real) American South of yonder days.
Thank you for your specific point about Italian/ Thai consortium. It is truly sad to see the Karen group which has sacrificed so much and which has been true to the principles in the past are now actively pimping fot it.
Ohn,
Just to counter a few points you made.
What do you classify as a rich country? Do you include the rising stars of commercial trade and exploitation? Bric countries?
Have you forgotten the drug addicts on the streets of Pakistan, Afganistan and India?
As far as Burma goes, the multi billion dollar investment by Thai/Italian consortium in trying to build a new sea port, the deforestation by illegal loggers, the multi billion dollar drugs production and export are already destroying many lives and polluting the atmosphere. Much money will be made by the very few in bribes and corruption.
The request for Burmese workers to return home should be treated with great scepticism as they will only be exploited by capitalist bosses. The use of forced labour is supposed to be banned in 5 years? Why not now?
The Thai govts much praised minimum wage is a smoke screen for some bosses to exploit their workforces. Until the capitalist govt in Thailand is prepared to enforce the law instead of just praising themselves on legislation passed to increase the minimum wage we will always see exploitation of the worst kind.
RUBBERNAUT is the story of two families living in Prey Lang forest,
Cambodia. Rubber plantations are encroaching on the forest with the
force of a juggernaut. We follow Phalla, a young mother working
strenuous hours in the plantations, and Ty, a grandfather who still
follows a traditional forest-dependent way of life. Now the people of
Prey Lang are challenging the conversion of forest to rubber โ
fighting for the right to determine their future.
===================
*Teenage girl shot dead in Kratie land eviction*
Phnom Pehn Post, 16 May 2012
A 14-year-old girl was shot dead this morning by heavily armed
officials who opened fire on a group of about 1,000 families they were
sent to evict in Kratie province, military police have confirmed.
A man who identified himself as a military police official but refused
to give his name, said his forces had no choice but to fire on the
villagers who were violently defying an order to vacate their land.
Heng Chantha, 14, was killed while two other villagers were injured
and four arrested during the incident that took place in Prama
village, Kampong Damrei commune.
About 200 heavily armed military police officials assisted by a
helicopter stormed the village in the eviction operation before an
unknown number of them opened fire.
Military police have blocked off the area and are allowing no one in.
The villagers were being evicted from the area to make way for agro-
business company Casotim, military police and rights groups said.
The fatal shooting follows the slaying of Chut Wutty last month and
several other incidents this year already in which guns have been used
against defiant villagers or protesters.
On the subject, while it seems that solidarity across the “proliteriates” to counter the big bad exploiters and and their bedfellow governments is the right answer, it does entrench the current lose-lose situation. In today’s fluid social mobility and cheap, easy and instant communication and transport availability, one with the global reach will get upper hand each time, protests are like gnats to the dog.
With technological advancement, people do not get their fair share of comfort but just the total opposite simply because of the lack of parallel “mental development”. Profit remains god.
With the current system of more and more wealth, therefore power, vacuumed up to fewer and fewer people with tougher and tougher living conditions for larger and larger portion of populace across the globe- again as seen in Occupy movements, London Riots and the old man who committed suicide in Syntagma Square- , it is the fundamental issue of wealth distribution and public attitude towards relation of good price and human decency and resistance to rampant wasteful consumerism by public education that become important and has to be done at the same time with sorting out the current exploitative business practice.
Just as cocaine growing and related violent criminal activities are because of the permissive attitude of the society for its use in New York and London, the desire for cheap garment in the developed nations is cause of the problem of inhumane exploitations.
There will always be a segment of society in any race or culture who would gladly take advantage and exploit the vulnerable as is the current case. But it has now reached at a point as interconnected global citizens,
people become more reonsible in their action all over the world.
Just about every household in the rich countries has literally hundreds of garments worned once or never, computers and other electronics one cannot count because the financial cost of these items does not reflect the social and environmental costs which are simply neglected as no one knows who is responsible and the nearest reonsible authorities, the governments are not wiser either.
It is about time people are taught responsible living, taking into consideration of true cost of all the things they buy rather than simple monetary values. This is not austerity. This is simply being responsible.
It may sound far fetched and idealistic. But imagine at the time when Obama came out with his new iPAD 2 on his way to the helicopter, he made a statement of the price of that particular implement, lives of Foxconn workers who were known to commit suicides and the burning factory in Shanzen with no adequate fire proofing with lives lost. What we do need now is for every one to think a bit more than the price label.
This is more urgent as Burma as a country which thus far is spared of this exploitation (except the ones outside) is to join the slavery voluntarily and happily. It may pay to bring the attention of the authoritative figures including Aung San Suu Kyi, who does not have any impressive/ or indeed any industrial policy to the fact that these Special Economic Zones- for which even 65-year-long armed struggle group like KNU are pimping for- are in fact modern day cotton fields of the American South which was not gone with the wind buspread arrived around more widely in far, far worse condition with exactly the same principle of “profit”.
The issue in Burma is more poignant as she still has the the beautiful, peaceful traditional social system which definitely will be gone with the wind.
What exactly has PM Yingluck done (or doing) to address the plight of these Red Shirt followers still languishing in prison?
If ‘reconciliation’ is to begin, all (not criminal) prisoners of conscience, or those imprisoned for their political beliefs, should be released at once.
One of the previous posts about the abhorrent nature of this weird place “Nay Pyi Daw” did earned a lot of thumbs down! You se people
like it.
Not just those statue guys who are celebrated for their skill at killing people whoever they were, but the very sick, sick notion of “nay Pyi Daw” the place of king, Ye Myae Shin ( Lord of Water and Land) as it is resided by Than Shwe and he is supposed to OWN all in the British per-war map of Burma ( main reason the Kachins, as the only resisting group are being annihilated whereas the others toeing the line for their own monetary benefit are spared- for now) .
The fact is all the Burmese and a lot of “ethnic” seem to be delighted about that. In fact even say- people like Aung Zaw who used to be rightly critical of driving away mostly Karen small land owners in the place that “Nay Pyi Daw” stands with some even killed in time honoured Burmese military tradition, has nothing to say when he visited this metropolis complete with 20- lane roads. Even sounded proud to be there! And that seems typical reaction.
So long as Burmese public feel there is a king and the king owns all that is in the terriority and must dispense as he sees fit, there will never be peace or definitely prosperity for the majority although admittedly there will be a lot of people a lot richer getting a cut from the loot of the country soon.
Unfortunately, we now see Aung San Suu Kyi has simply normalized the military arrogance and atrocities going along exactly the same path with them, only a lot smoother than even the military would have anticipated.
The statues of the plunderers will grace that weird dress-up Potemkin village for long time to come.
” On the other hand, other Singaporeans have stood up and spoken out against such xenophobia, arguing that such attitudes betray Singaporeโs own immigrant history … ”
Well, yeah. They’re all, the ones in power with big powerful cars, Chinese who grabbed the place when the Brits moved out and seceded from Malaysia, right? Better be careful how they handle this …
As long as majority Burmese support directly or indirectly Burmese Lu-Swan-Gawng aka War Criminals, there is no sign of civil war in Burma where Buddhism is being used as a tool for war criminals. Buddhism is very peaceful religion, teaching not even to kill animals. So, why Burmese war criminals killing, rapping, burning, looting its own citizens properties as they wish. It seems to show that majority of Burmese ruling elite have never learn or chose not to learn what Buddha teachings. They just chose to be hypocrites against Buddhism.
Burma problem is constitutional and power sharing within different ethnic groups. The answer is not just democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi or NLD.
The day civil war end in Burma is the day Burmese people topple the huge three-statues of Historic War Criminals in Naypiytaw’s military parade ground.
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Rising Anti-China resentment in Singapore
By the way, the headline is a touch too insensitive, isn’t it? Afraid, that itself says something as well.
Left out of reconciliation?
Vichai N
Political prisoners are political prisoners.
And the solution to Thailand’s problems will be political.
The Red Shirts HAVE been punished, ARE in prison. The PAD, the Army and the Dems are not
There lies the rub.
This then means that the Red Shirts’ prosecution and punishment is politicised and not based on rule of law.
If, however, the PAD members who shot at the police in 2008 and then occupied the airport, the Thai Army who used snipers to kill unarmed civilians in 2010 (amongst their other 5 decades of crimes) and the Dems direct ordering of the 2010 massacre were all equally prosecuted/punished in the same manner the Red Shirts have been, then yes, if the UDD committed criminal acts, why not keep them in prison.
And why were no “very vicious M79 grenade launching … elements of the Red Shirts” ever prosecuted or shot, given they were so massively prevalent to the degree that the Thai Army had to shoot another 90+ unarmed civilians – including children and nurses – just to be on the safe side?
Your arguments have always been fraudulent, your evidence non-existent and your principles lacking.
That’s why you are now complaining about the “political prisoners” that you never gave too hoots about before.
Anatomy of a Burmese migrant strike
Aung Moe,
Good to see you are still around.
Firstly, sorry to break your illusion for most of your life but Burma IS NOT and never has been socialist. It is a military dictatorship which is totally corrupted by their generals. There has not been a socialist country ever. All countries that use the word socialist in their country’s name have nothing to do with socialism. There controls over the people are incompatable with socialism. The economies are run for their leaders benefit and as they nationalise everything, they run a state capitalist economy. Is the “Democratic Republic of Congo” democratic because it has democratic in its title?
I don’t know who you rely on for information about your car industry, maybe Fox News. Your cars may be expensive but all the official reports state that the management was incompetent in investing for the future. The CEOs even showed up in Washington in company jets to beg for money. Totally out of touch with reality.
Obama care is nothing like the NHS in Britain as it leaves millions of people outside the system. It is not a universal health care system.
Left out of reconciliation?
Does Vichai’s concern for the Yingluck neglect of her imprisoned followers (many presumably innocent) offend Spoooner? We’ll I must be doing something right again.
For the benefit of Spooner, let me state that I’ve never subscribed to Spooner’s spin that those malevolent, very vicious M79 grenade launching and arson-torching elements of the Red Shirt movement should be allowed to go unpunished. And specifically those Red Shirt leader(s) who encouraged the bombings, the killings and the arsons should arrested and tried and locked up for maximum years permitted by Thai laws.
But because Yingluck Shinawatra (sister of Red Shirt Supremo Thaksin) is the current Prime Minister, her priorities should be to get the release of the many Red Shirt innocents currently in prison. Or maybe Spooner disagrees?
(I’ve never been to Damascus either.)
Anatomy of a Burmese migrant strike
Aung Moe,
I have tried my best to restrict my remarks about the original article about migrant workers in Burma. However, I must respond to your latest post.
First of all, I don’t blame you for leaving Burma under a military dictatorship. But, as others have noted, Burma never really had a socialist society.
Your reference to Obama being able to implement universal healthcare is certainly an idealistic and possibly even a socialist concept. Obama tried and his plan was fought tooth and nail by the private insurance companies. Over 50 million people in the US have no health insurance and would likely go bankrupt in the event of a serious illness – if they had enough money to see a doctor in the first place. The mess with healthcare and health insurance is the main reason I decided to leave the US and live in Thailand. I don’t want to grow old in the US and wind up leaving on the street.
You also seem to have a strong disdain for unions. However, you would not be enjoying the standard of living you are in the US had it not been for the trade union movement. In addition, the trade union movement has also been one if the biggest supporters for democracy in Burma. The ITUC and its predecessor organizations have done more than anyone else in fighting against forced labour in Burma. Unions are an essential component of a democratic society.
The current mess in the world’s financial system is all related to the financial crash of 2008. And it happened because there is inadequate regulation and oversight of financial institutions. GM was one of the casualties in this fiasco. Seven hundred billion dollars of taxpayer money was used to prop up financial institutions that had proven to be incompetent in running their own affairs. There is socialism in the US – it is corporate socialism. Would the US Congress ever spend 700 billion to implement a plan of universal healthcare? Never!
The next time you are moaning about unions being the evil enemy of capitalism, pick up a labour history book. The standard of living US workers enjoy, safety and health laws, social security, civil rights, medicare, etc., were the result of union men and woman who died in fighting for these benefits.
Prem, Thaksin and Chao Anuwong
> “… difficult to translate as โfatherโ since the King is traditionally reckoned …”
Well, the King is traditionally reckoned as ‘his majesty’ but they’ve called Prem that too!
Agriculture in Malaysia’s economic and social transformation
Thanks so much for all these comments that essentially constitute priceless hints on how to begin research, very tempting. (NB People pay big tuition bills for this sort of thing, also for the piece of paper/diploma that validates that they were able to provide a partial answer, too bad everyone who is capable of doing this, especially poor people, are not able to do it, an artificial scarcity of learning and learning opportunities that doesn’t have to exist).
JR: “My opinion is that the policy framework (markets, ministry involvement, price controls/guarantees, and farmer education and agriculture extension) is more of a problem. Some policies create disincentives and obstacles for farmers to increase their yields rather than encourage increased production.”
This would be very interesting to untangle. Continually thinking about exactly this as I read the frequent articles on Thailand’s rice sector nowadays. Thanks ๐
Left out of reconciliation?
Vichai N
Your sudden and Damascene conversion to the plight of political prisoners is welcome but does, unfortunately, lack a single shred of credibility given that when those prisoners were actually in the process of being imprisoned you supported them being so.
I’m also sure you’ll soon be saying how terrible it is that the Red Shirts aren’t getting “justice” from this government while previously you supported that same injustice being enacted against them.
Anatomy of a Burmese migrant strike
To Roy and other Socialists on New Mandala,
I’d spent first 30 years of my 60 years long life in Burma and I’d witnessed the hell caused by evil Socialism. This was what a Burmese writer wrote.
“On 6 January 1966 General Ne Winโs Revolutionary Socialist Government stupidly prohibited the civilian populace from transporting, storing, distributing, and trading of 460 basic commodities including the staples such as rice, peanut-oil, and salt.
That prohibition was in addition to the large scale nationalizing of every private companies and all foreign-owned businesses in Burma.
The immediate result was the 1967 Chinese Race Riots where hundreds and hundreds of local Chinese were slaughtered by the Burmese mob as people in the urban centers starved and took it out on the relatively-wealthier Chinese.
Burma basically has never fully recovered from that Fundamental Socialist Act of State controlling the resources, commercial activities, and means of production.”
But, please allow me to state that, Burma wasn’t even a full-fledged Socialist country as it was only a half-cooked Socialist country run by the military.
About GM – Many economists have pointed out the simple fact that American cars are too expensive compared to the Japanese and Korean cars simply because the massive cost of pension and health insurance for American labor is inflating the cost and the selling price of American cars.
That is the one chief reason Obama Government is now introducing a kind of state-controlled universal health insurance system similar to what UK, Canada, and Australia have into the United States.
Once that system is up and running the American companies like GM will be able to ditch their workers into Obama-Care the state-controlled universal health insurance system.
Prem, Thaksin and Chao Anuwong
“ัโะัโโฃัโะัโโัโะฝัโะซัโฃะัโโ ัโะัโฃะัโโัโะัโโัโฃะัโะฝัโฃะัโะซัโะณัโะฑ : ัโะฝัโะฑัโะฅัโโัโฃะัโะปัโฃะัโะัโะซัโฃะัโโัโฃะัโะซัโะณัโะฑ [I am Pa, my name is Prem: Pa Premโs Immortality] (2012)”
That does not seem like an adequate translation.
1. Incoherent: The three parts do not really combine to form anything meaningful, even sounding a little bit funny like incoherent nonsense.
2. This is a sympathetic biography so word choice that reflects the intentions of author and reader are important.
3. Although strictly speaking ัโะฝัโะฑัโะฅัโโ does mean “immortal” , “long-lasting legacy” or “enduring legacy” may be a better choice for someone who is very old and has enemies who actually have been burned him in effigy effectively wishing him to be dead and who might see some irony or humour in this translation, especially when combined with incoherent broken syntax and overall meaning.
4. “Pa” gives no sense what this word actually means, albeit it is difficult to translate as “father” since the King is traditionally reckoned as “father of the country.” Translating as “daddy” or “paw” doesn’t really seem to work either.
5. With so much meaning packed into so few Thai words (especially with sociolinguistic meaning without short gloss), the title may be untranslatable.
6. Therefore, “Prem’s enduring legacy” may be safest translation.
Anatomy of a Burmese migrant strike
Ohn, Thanks for clarifying your points .
By the way, What happened to Aung Moe? I was just warming up. 555
Anatomy of a Burmese migrant strike
Roy,
It was definately not meant to be another of this “west is bad, east is good” sermon. It was purely incidental, exactly like your other point about my ” western democracies” in the other comment. I do believe the current governments around the world by and large are in cahoots with money people as the current government systems go- donation funded political parties in some and governments actively colluding with money crowd. For example, Mahathir proudly proclaims that he knows every single business people in the country which I am sure still holds true.
Cocaine/ New York/ London again was a random example, the point being people’s failure to tackle the glaring usage problem and target the producers and peddlers which definately will not alter the scene at all. It will simply change the supplier.
Burma of course used to thrive on opium money. Now with progress, we thrive on both opium and methamphatemine which by the way is supplied to Burmese soldiers to kill and indeed die with easy mind and your slave workers in most,if not all, Thai factories for sleepless production. With new economic revolution now, which WILL NOT change the majority public’s lives, Burma would itself become avid consumer of both in the next few years.
The rich country. My definition again is less of geographical entity than rich people, here people with ready cash, in any country. You would agree that there are innumerable people with exorbitant number of personal effects and utilities, way beyond necessary, simply because of cheap monetary value which never reflects environmental and social cost with are, unaware, accrued for later eruptions or regret.
It would pay for everyone to drive for awareness of this all around the globe (this time I mean the earth) to take these unseen and hidden costs next time they (anybody) buy another pair of Nike or change perfectly working adequate computer for the one with Ivy bridge chip just because one can afford it.
I do beg all to inform Burmese policy makers of the true evil coming with shiny new factories which truly are the cotton fields of (this time real) American South of yonder days.
Thank you for your specific point about Italian/ Thai consortium. It is truly sad to see the Karen group which has sacrificed so much and which has been true to the principles in the past are now actively pimping fot it.
Anatomy of a Burmese migrant strike
Ohn,
Just to counter a few points you made.
What do you classify as a rich country? Do you include the rising stars of commercial trade and exploitation? Bric countries?
Have you forgotten the drug addicts on the streets of Pakistan, Afganistan and India?
As far as Burma goes, the multi billion dollar investment by Thai/Italian consortium in trying to build a new sea port, the deforestation by illegal loggers, the multi billion dollar drugs production and export are already destroying many lives and polluting the atmosphere. Much money will be made by the very few in bribes and corruption.
The request for Burmese workers to return home should be treated with great scepticism as they will only be exploited by capitalist bosses. The use of forced labour is supposed to be banned in 5 years? Why not now?
The Thai govts much praised minimum wage is a smoke screen for some bosses to exploit their workforces. Until the capitalist govt in Thailand is prepared to enforce the law instead of just praising themselves on legislation passed to increase the minimum wage we will always see exploitation of the worst kind.
Chut Wutty: Tragic casualty of Cambodiaโs dirty war to save forests
A video profile of the late Cambodian environmental and social justice activist, and now icon, Chut Wutty:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2012/may/01/cambodian-chut-wutty-video
See also:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2012/may/01/death-cambodian-forest-activist-chut-wutty
And a recent video of rubber plantation development in Prey Lang forest:
http://www.rubbernaut.co.uk/
RUBBERNAUT is the story of two families living in Prey Lang forest,
Cambodia. Rubber plantations are encroaching on the forest with the
force of a juggernaut. We follow Phalla, a young mother working
strenuous hours in the plantations, and Ty, a grandfather who still
follows a traditional forest-dependent way of life. Now the people of
Prey Lang are challenging the conversion of forest to rubber โ
fighting for the right to determine their future.
===================
*Teenage girl shot dead in Kratie land eviction*
Phnom Pehn Post, 16 May 2012
A 14-year-old girl was shot dead this morning by heavily armed
officials who opened fire on a group of about 1,000 families they were
sent to evict in Kratie province, military police have confirmed.
A man who identified himself as a military police official but refused
to give his name, said his forces had no choice but to fire on the
villagers who were violently defying an order to vacate their land.
Heng Chantha, 14, was killed while two other villagers were injured
and four arrested during the incident that took place in Prama
village, Kampong Damrei commune.
About 200 heavily armed military police officials assisted by a
helicopter stormed the village in the eviction operation before an
unknown number of them opened fire.
Military police have blocked off the area and are allowing no one in.
The villagers were being evicted from the area to make way for agro-
business company Casotim, military police and rights groups said.
The fatal shooting follows the slaying of Chut Wutty last month and
several other incidents this year already in which guns have been used
against defiant villagers or protesters.
=========================
Anatomy of a Burmese migrant strike
Intense and interesting discussions.
On the subject, while it seems that solidarity across the “proliteriates” to counter the big bad exploiters and and their bedfellow governments is the right answer, it does entrench the current lose-lose situation. In today’s fluid social mobility and cheap, easy and instant communication and transport availability, one with the global reach will get upper hand each time, protests are like gnats to the dog.
With technological advancement, people do not get their fair share of comfort but just the total opposite simply because of the lack of parallel “mental development”. Profit remains god.
With the current system of more and more wealth, therefore power, vacuumed up to fewer and fewer people with tougher and tougher living conditions for larger and larger portion of populace across the globe- again as seen in Occupy movements, London Riots and the old man who committed suicide in Syntagma Square- , it is the fundamental issue of wealth distribution and public attitude towards relation of good price and human decency and resistance to rampant wasteful consumerism by public education that become important and has to be done at the same time with sorting out the current exploitative business practice.
Just as cocaine growing and related violent criminal activities are because of the permissive attitude of the society for its use in New York and London, the desire for cheap garment in the developed nations is cause of the problem of inhumane exploitations.
There will always be a segment of society in any race or culture who would gladly take advantage and exploit the vulnerable as is the current case. But it has now reached at a point as interconnected global citizens,
people become more reonsible in their action all over the world.
Just about every household in the rich countries has literally hundreds of garments worned once or never, computers and other electronics one cannot count because the financial cost of these items does not reflect the social and environmental costs which are simply neglected as no one knows who is responsible and the nearest reonsible authorities, the governments are not wiser either.
It is about time people are taught responsible living, taking into consideration of true cost of all the things they buy rather than simple monetary values. This is not austerity. This is simply being responsible.
It may sound far fetched and idealistic. But imagine at the time when Obama came out with his new iPAD 2 on his way to the helicopter, he made a statement of the price of that particular implement, lives of Foxconn workers who were known to commit suicides and the burning factory in Shanzen with no adequate fire proofing with lives lost. What we do need now is for every one to think a bit more than the price label.
This is more urgent as Burma as a country which thus far is spared of this exploitation (except the ones outside) is to join the slavery voluntarily and happily. It may pay to bring the attention of the authoritative figures including Aung San Suu Kyi, who does not have any impressive/ or indeed any industrial policy to the fact that these Special Economic Zones- for which even 65-year-long armed struggle group like KNU are pimping for- are in fact modern day cotton fields of the American South which was not gone with the wind buspread arrived around more widely in far, far worse condition with exactly the same principle of “profit”.
The issue in Burma is more poignant as she still has the the beautiful, peaceful traditional social system which definitely will be gone with the wind.
Left out of reconciliation?
What exactly has PM Yingluck done (or doing) to address the plight of these Red Shirt followers still languishing in prison?
If ‘reconciliation’ is to begin, all (not criminal) prisoners of conscience, or those imprisoned for their political beliefs, should be released at once.
Ending civil war in Burma
Naw Seng,
One of the previous posts about the abhorrent nature of this weird place “Nay Pyi Daw” did earned a lot of thumbs down! You se people
like it.
Not just those statue guys who are celebrated for their skill at killing people whoever they were, but the very sick, sick notion of “nay Pyi Daw” the place of king, Ye Myae Shin ( Lord of Water and Land) as it is resided by Than Shwe and he is supposed to OWN all in the British per-war map of Burma ( main reason the Kachins, as the only resisting group are being annihilated whereas the others toeing the line for their own monetary benefit are spared- for now) .
The fact is all the Burmese and a lot of “ethnic” seem to be delighted about that. In fact even say- people like Aung Zaw who used to be rightly critical of driving away mostly Karen small land owners in the place that “Nay Pyi Daw” stands with some even killed in time honoured Burmese military tradition, has nothing to say when he visited this metropolis complete with 20- lane roads. Even sounded proud to be there! And that seems typical reaction.
So long as Burmese public feel there is a king and the king owns all that is in the terriority and must dispense as he sees fit, there will never be peace or definitely prosperity for the majority although admittedly there will be a lot of people a lot richer getting a cut from the loot of the country soon.
Unfortunately, we now see Aung San Suu Kyi has simply normalized the military arrogance and atrocities going along exactly the same path with them, only a lot smoother than even the military would have anticipated.
The statues of the plunderers will grace that weird dress-up Potemkin village for long time to come.
Rising Anti-China resentment in Singapore
” On the other hand, other Singaporeans have stood up and spoken out against such xenophobia, arguing that such attitudes betray Singaporeโs own immigrant history … ”
Well, yeah. They’re all, the ones in power with big powerful cars, Chinese who grabbed the place when the Brits moved out and seceded from Malaysia, right? Better be careful how they handle this …
Prem, Thaksin and Chao Anuwong
โัโะฝัโะฑัโะฎัโะณัโโัโะฑัโโัโะฎัโโฃัโะคัโะัโฃะัโฃะัโะฑัโฃะัโฃะัโะัโโัโฃะัโะฝโ
I love this song. Sek lo so is talented musician.
Many players (yellow, green and other colors) in Thailand also are very talented in political games…..what about us, what they treat us like..!?
Ending civil war in Burma
As long as majority Burmese support directly or indirectly Burmese Lu-Swan-Gawng aka War Criminals, there is no sign of civil war in Burma where Buddhism is being used as a tool for war criminals. Buddhism is very peaceful religion, teaching not even to kill animals. So, why Burmese war criminals killing, rapping, burning, looting its own citizens properties as they wish. It seems to show that majority of Burmese ruling elite have never learn or chose not to learn what Buddha teachings. They just chose to be hypocrites against Buddhism.
Burma problem is constitutional and power sharing within different ethnic groups. The answer is not just democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi or NLD.
The day civil war end in Burma is the day Burmese people topple the huge three-statues of Historic War Criminals in Naypiytaw’s military parade ground.