K. Howell # 11 claims of no corruption in Malaysia just drove his credibility to the negative zone. The list of corrupt practice is so long that it would be an encyclopaedic volumne if published.
Like I said, please get your head out of the sand first, then we talk. Meanwhile please explain the palatial homes, land banks, children’s fancy cars, overseas properties of BN politicians, massive stock holdings and before I forget the NFC “cow” story.
I am not sure if I should be sad for Howell or be angry, but this is a forum and anyone can say anything… and I am really from Neptune!
“It is important to remember that Malay votes for UMNO/BN were constant between 2004 and 2008….”
The above statement is not really accurate during the 2008 General Election (GE), where the popular votes obtained by BN coalition was only 49% in Peninsular Malaysia. Certain parliamentary seats which were considered “safe seats” by UMNO due to the balance mixture of the major ethnic groups in Malaysia have fallen to the opposition, Pakatan Rakyat (PK). As these seats such as the Ampang and Selayang parliamentary seats in the state of Selangor comprised of between 45-50% Malay voters, it is can reasonably concluded that PK’s win in these seats are due to a big swing of the Malay votes to PK.
The main question to ask in the next GE is whether those Malay voters especially those reside in the urban areas will continue to support PK or will revert back to BN/UMNO and how the new 1-2 Million young and first time voters registered since 2008 will vote.
Srithanonchai #48. These accusations could also have the beneficial effect of helping concentrate the mind of PM Yingluck on the lese majeste law. This accusation is the semantic equivalent of that which was pursued against Chiranuch Premchaiporn of Prachatai fame. That is, she didn’t delete lese majeste comments on the web boards fast enough.
I, however, feel that they have missed the best target. Chalerm. The eruption of stupidity would have been spectacular.
1) SG Than Shwe having his way in almost every respect.
2) Unlike previously describe by Benedict Rogers, uncharacteristic of him, to push one face in the mud instead of shooting them outright, as Ne Win boasted.
3) With Tamadaw Day March 27 just around the corner.
4) Being a psych-op, ever mindful to distinguish splitting penny difference, the present dictatorship from Ne Win’s own.
Mahathir did say in his blog that this issue is purely political. Never mind that his son, Mokhzani has a finger in the Lynas pie:
Mahathir’s eldest son Mokhzani Mahathir, the CEO of Kencana Petroleum has a large stake in the Lynas rare earth refinery project, said the Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL).
Its spokesperson, Steven Hang, said: “Kencana Torsco Sdn Bhd is a subsidiary of Kencana Petroleum that won lucrative contracts from Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
“Kencana Torsco is involved the design, fabrication, lining, supply, installation, and commissioning of carbon steel and stainless steel tanks worth RM9.1 million for the project.”
But do tell, when has a policy in Malaysia been made purely based on good intentions or sound arguments and evidence alone.
The argument that was put forward to the Malaysian public was nothing but Political Propaganda.
Claiming Malaysian politicians to be factually “corrupt” and “taking bribes” from companies is unethical, unjustified and unsubstanciated.
Please put some substance to your case to prove that such mentioned people are “corrupt” and “taking Bribes” then maybe you have something to go by.
Its quite apparant, the issue is not Lynas or its plant.
Its proven safe at least in International Standards and approved not only by Malaysian Authorities, but by the IAEA.
If its the government that oversees everything that is the “problem” take it up with them and stop putting politics in companies.
Abuse and false accusations will do no good for Malaysia or its people.
Many months after the article, another discussion has reminded me that I sent a message to Prof. Kosuta that offered both conciliation and clarification (on his objections to the article above), and I think posting this here will genuinely help a few people who may stumble upon this article (and its ensuing controversy) in future (and who may wonder why I did not reply further to Kosuta: in fact, I did, but “off list”). I now add this to the discussion, although I can only imagine that a half-dozen people will read it (but the number of people undertaking original research on Theravada texts can be measured in half-dozens, so this future audience of so few is nevertheless worth considering). I was hoping that writing to Kosuta privately would encourage him to take a less confrontational tone in dealing with the issue (and with myself) but he has never replied to me since. –E.M., 2012
—–
[…] I’m writing to tell you that I’m not “striking a pose” in any of these articles. I’m not being provocative as an end in itself, and I’m not playing a role here. When I say that Margaret Cone’s dictionary is dead wrong, I mean exactly that (sincerely, and with no other insinuations). When I say that I’m concerned that new studies reproduce old errors (such as several quoted in the article as examples) I mean exactly that. I’m sincere, and I’m not leaving my point to be inferred.
Those are big issues, and I am also sincere when I say that the difference between your first comment (presenting the “downward wind”as including flatulence, but not limited to flatulence only, something I was aware of at the time of writing) and the argument presented in the essay is rather small by contrast. Indeed, the downward wind we’re talking about here was also associated with (e.g.) the ejection of sperm (and this is attested in both Sanskrit and post-canonical Pali); that isn’t something my article digresses into, and it is something that you’re welcome to draw attention to, be it in comments or your own articles.
However, I am being quite sincere, and not insulting you, when I ask: [E.M.] […] “I wonder why you haven’t challenged the PTS translations yourself in a similar article? I wonder why you haven’t gone through the same sources, and challenged the dictionaries and the textbooks?” [M.K.] May I ask, are you using a denigrating tone?
No, I am not denigrating you; I am returning to a question that I ask in the text of the article itself: if there are some people who know that these translations are wrong (and, in general, people who work on Yoga or the Vedas all do know this, although they rarely take an interest in Pali) why do they continue to shuffle along with vague mistranslations rather than writing articles such as this one?
Why indeed does Vajira├▒─Бс╣Зa propound an interpretation he knows to be incorrect? Do people like Tze-Fu-Kuan know that this is incorrect when they say this is exhalation, “perhaps just through the nose as people normally do”? Why indeed is the word “perhaps” in that sentence, if he isn’t aware (at least at the level of yoga as taught at the Y.M.C.A.) that this downward wind is indeed not an exhalation through the nose?
If you agree with me to such a significant extent (as you do, and as has been made even clearer in your subsequent comment) why isn’t this a thesis you’ve propounded yourself? Why would you want to retreat to vaguely suggesting that Mahasi Sayadaw has all the answers anyway, and so we don’t need to worry about what the text actually means?
If you know the dictionary is dead wrong (as you evidently do, in trying to argue that I’m ever-so-slightly wrong) why don’t you take on the dictionary, too? If you think I’m slightly wrong, for the reasons you’ve explained, you must behold the dictionary as far more erroneous still.
Those are questions that I am sincerely interested in, and that this article raises (for the first time in a very long time in Theravada studies) without wanting to insult you.
You say, “The fact that your main thesis offers a long proof into the great problems of mistranslation, orientalism, cultural bias etc does not change that fact you do offer a long proof that apana is nothing but flatulence.”
And yet your counter-argument is that ap─Бna is “flatulence plus misc.”–i.e., that it includes the air that proceeds through the intestines and exits through the anus, and that this air is indeed laden with other religious meanings and cultural assumptions, but also includes some of the other outflows (the ejaculation of semen being a significant example). Well, this article raises those issues (in 5000 words, with no claim to being exhaustive) for an incredulous audience of Theravada Buddhists, who are not at all familiar with what people in Hindu Yoga circles take for granted (and [the Buddhist audience has been] falsely taught that this [term] means exhalation through the nose, etc.); and the reason why they are “unfamiliar” with these basic facts has very much to do with lousy dictionaries and worse translations, such as this article invites the reader to reconsider.
Your reasons for not having broached the issue yourself have been stated as follows:
“To answer: 1. I am not interested enough to do the work, I prefer to read others work; 2) I don’t have the technical skill to do it in any timely manner. So, is that the answer you were looking for? and is it at this point that I tip my hat to your knowledge of Pali and texts written in Pali? That a gladly do as your knowledge of Pali and Pali texts is superlative, but this knowledge in no way necessarily mean sthat your argumentation and analysis of all things Pali are irreproachable.”
[…] With best wishes, and thanks for your patience, E.M.
I ended up in Thailand somewhat by accident but prefer the freedom there to what I see as the socialist nirvana planned for Australia. Those living from the teat of the nanny state will always love her, but all I see are restrictive laws, excessive regulations and ever increasing taxes.
Australia was in a unique position among most western nations to thrive but every time time I return I see little to be enthused about for the long term prospects. Things are sliding rapidly now with the current mob in power, their policies are from a different era and do nothing to engage us in the region. Asia is our region and should be our priority, can’t see why our Foreign Ministers focus seems to be on Africa and Middle East.
I went to a school in Thailand and learned the language, my children are fluent in English and Thai however I am not convinced that will ever open employment prospects for them back home. They will go back for university of course however it would not surprise me if Australia by then won’t be seen as greener pastures.
The sentence in KBAALW describing the visit of Bhumibol and Sirikit to Wat Bovornives nicely illustrates some of the methods used in the book to obfuscate the truth. On page 135 we are told:
“On 23 September, King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit visited the temple where Thanom was staying but, according to the abbot, did not meet with him.”
All of this is true. However the sentence is deliberately constructed to mislead. It creates the impression that the king and queen just happened to visit the temple while Thanom was staying there. The statement of the unnamed abbot that Bhumibol and Sirikit did not meet Thanom does not appear to have been fact-checked against the reports of others at Bovornives that day. More importantly, it is an entirely spurious and misleading detail to add, since Bhumibol and Sirikit’s visit was unquestionably intended and universally understood as a show of support for Thanom, and it decisively undercut the (official) government’s efforts to expel him. Whether they physically met with Thanom is hardly the point. They were making a very public political intervention.
Some of the sock puppets trying to defend KBAALW on this website and elsewhere like to claim that no lies or misdirections were deliberately inserted by those who worked on the book. That claim is, of course, insupportable and the book is full of dishonesty that was put there on purpose.
There is no conceivable reason to add the abbot’s claim that the king and queen did not meet Thanom unless the author of the sentence wanted to give the misleading impression that the visit to Bovornives was not an explicit royal intervention. (If anyone can think of a more charitable explanation, let me know).
Not surprisingly, the KBAALW chapter on the fifth cycle, 1976-1987, is probably the most deceitful in the entire book. It contains a number of misleading or outright false statements put there by people who cannot have been unaware that they were obscuring rather than illuminating the truth about key events.
I think it would be a valid and beneficial exercise for us to try to identify which of the KBAALW team members was the primary author of this chapter – not of course to launch a witch-hunt but purely so we can put these points to him directly and allow him the opportunity to dispel suspicions that they deliberately wrote lies. Some contributors to the discussion above know who wrote the 1976-87 chapter, so perhaps they can tell us here, using a pseudonym to do so if necessary. I would also be delighted to receive confidential information on this issue and, of course, would not reveal my source. Better still, it would be more honourable if the author of the chapter reveals his identity and joins the debate. If he genuinely believes his work to be of acceptable quality and honesty, I am sure he would relish the chance to defend it publicly.
“Richard S. Ehrlich is a Bangkok-based journalist from San Francisco, California, reporting news from Asia since 1978, and recipient of Columbia University’s Foreign Correspondent’s Award. He is a co-author of three non-fiction books about Thailand, including “Hello My Big Big Honey!” Love Letters to Bangkok Bar Girls and Their Revealing Interviews; 60 Stories of Royal Lineage; and Chronicle of Thailand: Headline News Since 1946. Mr. Ehrlich also contributed to the final chapter, Ceremonies and Regalia, in a new book titled King Bhumibol Adulyadej, A Life’s Work: Thailand’s Monarchy in Perspective.”
It is probably not a coincidence that the Ceremonies and Regalia chapter is an inoffensive one. Ehrlich is signalling that he had nothing to do with the really toxic sections of KBAALW. Wise move.
The full details of who wrote what are bound to come out sooner or later: too many people know them for the secret to be kept. It would be most sensible for the authors of each section to identify themselves so they can defend themselves against any suggestions of impropriety. Let’s hope they are brave enough to do so.
Nick: I wonder if the odious Mallika joined with those thanking the twins who bashed Worajet? Of course, the media said their thanks was a bit of a “joke”, but it is clear they meant it.
The really frightening thing is about people like the appalling Mallika Boonmetrakul is that, bloated with self-righteous smugness, they believe they are doing the right thing. I would hazard a guess that even Stalin would admit he was basically an arsehole. Self-deception was never his weakness. I can at least fathom someone like him.
NACC asked to probe PM, ICT minister
тАв Published: 5/03/2012 at 03:38 PM Bangkok Post
A petition was filed with the National Anti-Corruption Commission on MOnday, asking it to investigate Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Information and Communications Technology Minister Anudit Nakornthap for alleged negligence by failing to close down lese majeste websites.
The petitioner, Mallika Boonmeetrakul, deputy spokeswoman of the Democrat Party, also gave the NACC a list of websites alleged to have run content deemed to offensive to the monarchy.
Ms Mallika said she had submnitted a petition seeking action in this matter to the prime minister and the ICT minister about two months ago, but no action had been taken. Their negligence was a violation of Article 157 of the Criminal Code, she said.
As a result, the number of websites with lese majeste content had since increased from 203 to more than 400, she said.
Witthaya Akompithak, deputy secretary-general of the NACC, said the petition had been taken for consideration. The NACC would have to decide if it fell within its jurisdiction.
Colum: “Future policies of Asia literacy should not specifically target the languages of our largest trading partners as languages of priority.”
Don’t stop there. Ethnic minority languages are also completely legitimate languages to learn and sometimes have several million speakers and often spread beyond national borders (e.g. Sgaw Karen or Shan in Burma or Tai Lue and Akha in China, Burma, Thailand, Laos…).
Grants for undergrads to learn some of these languages should be tied to research projects with useful deliverables such as, for example, an Akha phrasebook that is written step by step in a blog as it is put together or a translation of a palm leaf manuscript in northern Thai Kham Mueang dialect, again via a blog to get people involved.
Two additional advantages of the blog format are: 1. interaction with an international audience (more likely to find someone who shares your niche research interests), 2. interaction with non-academics and a chance to find what they consider interesting which could be useful in transforming an academic research project into a book and articles that ordinary people find interesting and will buy (which means research that gets widely disseminated and has an impact as opposed to a hard to find PhD dissertation that gathers dust on a library shelf).
Funding should be tied to producing useful things for people, unlike the typical grad student funding which may or may not result in a PhD dissertation (and even those are embargoed sometimes so people cannot read for several years , at Cornell, for example). Great thought stimulating posting Colum 🙂
One of Thanom’s grandchildren told me some time ago that “My grandfather has been blamed for being corrupt and many other things that are not true. Someday people will find out the truth.”
I did not speak to this person since.
The main issue I found myself mulling over was this: by giving an entrenched power with the most to lose by an organic reform process (ie. the military) a formalised, legal way to stymie or retard any steps towards liberalisation, does this imperfect document actually facilitate reform in the short-term – by letting the only potential spoiler feel it can’t be threatened by the reform, that it actually controls the process, and thereby discouraging the army’s ‘nuclear option’ of coup d’etat and return to comprehensive repression?
While the much-discussed flaws in the 2008 constitution present clear barriers to achieving the profound changes desired by the population in the long-term, it will be interesting to see the extent to which the momentum of the past year’s political developments can be carried towards responding to the wider population’s aspirations for change, and how soon the 2008 constitutional framework becomes a serious enough constraint to be revised or discarded.
#128: Well according to Handley in TKNS (Pg234) “At the time of Thanom’s return, Bhumipol and Sirikit were in the south, keeping their distance from the quickly unfolding events. When it appeared that Thanom would be exiled again, they hurriedly returned to Bangkok and, three hours after arriving, made a highly public visit to Thanom at [Wat Bovornives] temple, the King wearing his official army uniform.”
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Lynas – with love from Perth!
K. Howell # 11 claims of no corruption in Malaysia just drove his credibility to the negative zone. The list of corrupt practice is so long that it would be an encyclopaedic volumne if published.
Like I said, please get your head out of the sand first, then we talk. Meanwhile please explain the palatial homes, land banks, children’s fancy cars, overseas properties of BN politicians, massive stock holdings and before I forget the NFC “cow” story.
I am not sure if I should be sad for Howell or be angry, but this is a forum and anyone can say anything… and I am really from Neptune!
Malaysia after regime change – Kikue Hamayotsu
“It is important to remember that Malay votes for UMNO/BN were constant between 2004 and 2008….”
The above statement is not really accurate during the 2008 General Election (GE), where the popular votes obtained by BN coalition was only 49% in Peninsular Malaysia. Certain parliamentary seats which were considered “safe seats” by UMNO due to the balance mixture of the major ethnic groups in Malaysia have fallen to the opposition, Pakatan Rakyat (PK). As these seats such as the Ampang and Selayang parliamentary seats in the state of Selangor comprised of between 45-50% Malay voters, it is can reasonably concluded that PK’s win in these seats are due to a big swing of the Malay votes to PK.
The main question to ask in the next GE is whether those Malay voters especially those reside in the urban areas will continue to support PK or will revert back to BN/UMNO and how the new 1-2 Million young and first time voters registered since 2008 will vote.
Name games and Myanmar
President U Thein Sein’s 2012 State of Union Speech in English were also on the link.
http://hlaoo1980.blogspot.com/2012/03/president-thein-seins-state-of-union.html
He did mentioned “Burma Spring” and “Hard Line and Soft Line Camps” in his official speech, unbelievble.
Burma’s Constitution: Straightjacket or red herring?
“Again on the day the rule of law has taken root in Burma will also be the last day of this constitution.”
‘Burmese has overwhelmingly high attachment to relationship and trust than the rule of law. ‘
Proving once again SG Than Shwe and cohorts hold on Myanmar not ending soon.
Making the rule of law 2nd to improving the present plight of the humanity.
Yet here we all are:
http://www.mizzima.com/edop/commentary/6696-make-burma-end-forced-labour-before-dropping-sanctions-tuc.html
http://www.mizzima.com/edop/commentary/6665-un-should-consider-commission-of-inquiry-on-burma-ai.html
Neglecting the most fudamental issue that effect the violation of Human Rights on the masses, elsewhere and in Myanmar: ABJECT POVERTY.
TUC, AI proxies of the west that prolong the present careless useless process risk becoming irrelevant through such irresponsible present irrelevance.
Obviously the British are still on the “bash a junta wagon”.
Mallika Boonmetrakul: an appalling Thai Politician
Srithanonchai #48. These accusations could also have the beneficial effect of helping concentrate the mind of PM Yingluck on the lese majeste law. This accusation is the semantic equivalent of that which was pursued against Chiranuch Premchaiporn of Prachatai fame. That is, she didn’t delete lese majeste comments on the web boards fast enough.
I, however, feel that they have missed the best target. Chalerm. The eruption of stupidity would have been spectacular.
2 March 1962: Coup day
Most if not ALL of the original Dictators of BSPP are either:
1)Retired from politics thus living in luxury from their plundering.
2) Dead as in the few but very example of Ne Win.
3) Persona non Grata for opposing present SG Than Shwe and cohorts, the rank and file of DASSK/NLD.
Knowing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Than_Shwe
1) SG Than Shwe having his way in almost every respect.
2) Unlike previously describe by Benedict Rogers, uncharacteristic of him, to push one face in the mud instead of shooting them outright, as Ne Win boasted.
3) With Tamadaw Day March 27 just around the corner.
4) Being a psych-op, ever mindful to distinguish splitting penny difference, the present dictatorship from Ne Win’s own.
One should NEVER expect the 3/2/62 anniversary.
Lynas – with love from Perth!
Ofcourse there is no corruption in Malaysia. Transparency International , Malaysians and the expatriate community have got it all wrong on Malaysia.
Mahathir did say in his blog that this issue is purely political. Never mind that his son, Mokhzani has a finger in the Lynas pie:
But do tell, when has a policy in Malaysia been made purely based on good intentions or sound arguments and evidence alone.
Lynas – with love from Perth!
The argument that was put forward to the Malaysian public was nothing but Political Propaganda.
Claiming Malaysian politicians to be factually “corrupt” and “taking bribes” from companies is unethical, unjustified and unsubstanciated.
Please put some substance to your case to prove that such mentioned people are “corrupt” and “taking Bribes” then maybe you have something to go by.
Its quite apparant, the issue is not Lynas or its plant.
Its proven safe at least in International Standards and approved not only by Malaysian Authorities, but by the IAEA.
If its the government that oversees everything that is the “problem” take it up with them and stop putting politics in companies.
Abuse and false accusations will do no good for Malaysia or its people.
Volunteering to fight in Burma
You be the judge.
Knowing this is the real tragedy of Bamar vs Karen
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_longest_civil_war_in_Southeast_Asia
Is Myanmar any less deserving than neighbor Thailand
http://kofiannanfoundation.org/newsroom/videos/2012/02/interview-thhai-pbs-kofi-annan-and-martti-ahtisaari-discuss-how-reconciliatio
Flatulence and breathing meditation
Many months after the article, another discussion has reminded me that I sent a message to Prof. Kosuta that offered both conciliation and clarification (on his objections to the article above), and I think posting this here will genuinely help a few people who may stumble upon this article (and its ensuing controversy) in future (and who may wonder why I did not reply further to Kosuta: in fact, I did, but “off list”). I now add this to the discussion, although I can only imagine that a half-dozen people will read it (but the number of people undertaking original research on Theravada texts can be measured in half-dozens, so this future audience of so few is nevertheless worth considering). I was hoping that writing to Kosuta privately would encourage him to take a less confrontational tone in dealing with the issue (and with myself) but he has never replied to me since. –E.M., 2012
—–
[…] I’m writing to tell you that I’m not “striking a pose” in any of these articles. I’m not being provocative as an end in itself, and I’m not playing a role here. When I say that Margaret Cone’s dictionary is dead wrong, I mean exactly that (sincerely, and with no other insinuations). When I say that I’m concerned that new studies reproduce old errors (such as several quoted in the article as examples) I mean exactly that. I’m sincere, and I’m not leaving my point to be inferred.
Those are big issues, and I am also sincere when I say that the difference between your first comment (presenting the “downward wind”as including flatulence, but not limited to flatulence only, something I was aware of at the time of writing) and the argument presented in the essay is rather small by contrast. Indeed, the downward wind we’re talking about here was also associated with (e.g.) the ejection of sperm (and this is attested in both Sanskrit and post-canonical Pali); that isn’t something my article digresses into, and it is something that you’re welcome to draw attention to, be it in comments or your own articles.
However, I am being quite sincere, and not insulting you, when I ask:
[E.M.] […] “I wonder why you haven’t challenged the PTS translations yourself in a similar article? I wonder why you haven’t gone through the same sources, and challenged the dictionaries and the textbooks?”
[M.K.] May I ask, are you using a denigrating tone?
No, I am not denigrating you; I am returning to a question that I ask in the text of the article itself: if there are some people who know that these translations are wrong (and, in general, people who work on Yoga or the Vedas all do know this, although they rarely take an interest in Pali) why do they continue to shuffle along with vague mistranslations rather than writing articles such as this one?
Why indeed does Vajira├▒─Бс╣Зa propound an interpretation he knows to be incorrect? Do people like Tze-Fu-Kuan know that this is incorrect when they say this is exhalation, “perhaps just through the nose as people normally do”? Why indeed is the word “perhaps” in that sentence, if he isn’t aware (at least at the level of yoga as taught at the Y.M.C.A.) that this downward wind is indeed not an exhalation through the nose?
If you agree with me to such a significant extent (as you do, and as has been made even clearer in your subsequent comment) why isn’t this a thesis you’ve propounded yourself? Why would you want to retreat to vaguely suggesting that Mahasi Sayadaw has all the answers anyway, and so we don’t need to worry about what the text actually means?
If you know the dictionary is dead wrong (as you evidently do, in trying to argue that I’m ever-so-slightly wrong) why don’t you take on the dictionary, too? If you think I’m slightly wrong, for the reasons you’ve explained, you must behold the dictionary as far more erroneous still.
Those are questions that I am sincerely interested in, and that this article raises (for the first time in a very long time in Theravada studies) without wanting to insult you.
You say, “The fact that your main thesis offers a long proof into the great problems of mistranslation, orientalism, cultural bias etc does not change that fact you do offer a long proof that apana is nothing but flatulence.”
And yet your counter-argument is that ap─Бna is “flatulence plus misc.”–i.e., that it includes the air that proceeds through the intestines and exits through the anus, and that this air is indeed laden with other religious meanings and cultural assumptions, but also includes some of the other outflows (the ejaculation of semen being a significant example). Well, this article raises those issues (in 5000 words, with no claim to being exhaustive) for an incredulous audience of Theravada Buddhists, who are not at all familiar with what people in Hindu Yoga circles take for granted (and [the Buddhist audience has been] falsely taught that this [term] means exhalation through the nose, etc.); and the reason why they are “unfamiliar” with these basic facts has very much to do with lousy dictionaries and worse translations, such as this article invites the reader to reconsider.
Your reasons for not having broached the issue yourself have been stated as follows:
“To answer: 1. I am not interested enough to do the work, I prefer to read others work; 2) I don’t have the technical skill to do it in any timely manner. So, is that the answer you were looking for? and is it at this point that I tip my hat to your knowledge of Pali and texts written in Pali? That a gladly do as your knowledge of Pali and Pali texts is superlative, but this knowledge in no way necessarily mean sthat your argumentation and analysis of all things Pali are irreproachable.”
[…] With best wishes, and thanks for your patience, E.M.
Asia literacy for Australia
I ended up in Thailand somewhat by accident but prefer the freedom there to what I see as the socialist nirvana planned for Australia. Those living from the teat of the nanny state will always love her, but all I see are restrictive laws, excessive regulations and ever increasing taxes.
Australia was in a unique position among most western nations to thrive but every time time I return I see little to be enthused about for the long term prospects. Things are sliding rapidly now with the current mob in power, their policies are from a different era and do nothing to engage us in the region. Asia is our region and should be our priority, can’t see why our Foreign Ministers focus seems to be on Africa and Middle East.
I went to a school in Thailand and learned the language, my children are fluent in English and Thai however I am not convinced that will ever open employment prospects for them back home. They will go back for university of course however it would not surprise me if Australia by then won’t be seen as greener pastures.
Review of A Life’s Work
jon francis lee #128
The sentence in KBAALW describing the visit of Bhumibol and Sirikit to Wat Bovornives nicely illustrates some of the methods used in the book to obfuscate the truth. On page 135 we are told:
“On 23 September, King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit visited the temple where Thanom was staying but, according to the abbot, did not meet with him.”
All of this is true. However the sentence is deliberately constructed to mislead. It creates the impression that the king and queen just happened to visit the temple while Thanom was staying there. The statement of the unnamed abbot that Bhumibol and Sirikit did not meet Thanom does not appear to have been fact-checked against the reports of others at Bovornives that day. More importantly, it is an entirely spurious and misleading detail to add, since Bhumibol and Sirikit’s visit was unquestionably intended and universally understood as a show of support for Thanom, and it decisively undercut the (official) government’s efforts to expel him. Whether they physically met with Thanom is hardly the point. They were making a very public political intervention.
Some of the sock puppets trying to defend KBAALW on this website and elsewhere like to claim that no lies or misdirections were deliberately inserted by those who worked on the book. That claim is, of course, insupportable and the book is full of dishonesty that was put there on purpose.
There is no conceivable reason to add the abbot’s claim that the king and queen did not meet Thanom unless the author of the sentence wanted to give the misleading impression that the visit to Bovornives was not an explicit royal intervention. (If anyone can think of a more charitable explanation, let me know).
Not surprisingly, the KBAALW chapter on the fifth cycle, 1976-1987, is probably the most deceitful in the entire book. It contains a number of misleading or outright false statements put there by people who cannot have been unaware that they were obscuring rather than illuminating the truth about key events.
I think it would be a valid and beneficial exercise for us to try to identify which of the KBAALW team members was the primary author of this chapter – not of course to launch a witch-hunt but purely so we can put these points to him directly and allow him the opportunity to dispel suspicions that they deliberately wrote lies. Some contributors to the discussion above know who wrote the 1976-87 chapter, so perhaps they can tell us here, using a pseudonym to do so if necessary. I would also be delighted to receive confidential information on this issue and, of course, would not reveal my source. Better still, it would be more honourable if the author of the chapter reveals his identity and joins the debate. If he genuinely believes his work to be of acceptable quality and honesty, I am sure he would relish the chance to defend it publicly.
One of the book’s contributors, Richard S. Ehrlich, has already publicly identified which chapter he wrote, in a mini-bio available here: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1202/S00111/richard-s-ehrlich-alleged-iranian-bomb-makers-arrested.htm
“Richard S. Ehrlich is a Bangkok-based journalist from San Francisco, California, reporting news from Asia since 1978, and recipient of Columbia University’s Foreign Correspondent’s Award. He is a co-author of three non-fiction books about Thailand, including “Hello My Big Big Honey!” Love Letters to Bangkok Bar Girls and Their Revealing Interviews; 60 Stories of Royal Lineage; and Chronicle of Thailand: Headline News Since 1946. Mr. Ehrlich also contributed to the final chapter, Ceremonies and Regalia, in a new book titled King Bhumibol Adulyadej, A Life’s Work: Thailand’s Monarchy in Perspective.”
It is probably not a coincidence that the Ceremonies and Regalia chapter is an inoffensive one. Ehrlich is signalling that he had nothing to do with the really toxic sections of KBAALW. Wise move.
The full details of who wrote what are bound to come out sooner or later: too many people know them for the secret to be kept. It would be most sensible for the authors of each section to identify themselves so they can defend themselves against any suggestions of impropriety. Let’s hope they are brave enough to do so.
Mallika Boonmetrakul: an appalling Thai Politician
Nick: I wonder if the odious Mallika joined with those thanking the twins who bashed Worajet? Of course, the media said their thanks was a bit of a “joke”, but it is clear they meant it.
Mallika Boonmetrakul: an appalling Thai Politician
The really frightening thing is about people like the appalling Mallika Boonmetrakul is that, bloated with self-righteous smugness, they believe they are doing the right thing. I would hazard a guess that even Stalin would admit he was basically an arsehole. Self-deception was never his weakness. I can at least fathom someone like him.
Mallika Boonmetrakul: an appalling Thai Politician
Mallika, by the way, was also a speaker at last Friday’s Siam Samakkhi seminar at the Lumpini Park auditorium.
Mallika Boonmetrakul: an appalling Thai Politician
Another episode with Mallika:
NACC asked to probe PM, ICT minister
тАв Published: 5/03/2012 at 03:38 PM Bangkok Post
A petition was filed with the National Anti-Corruption Commission on MOnday, asking it to investigate Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Information and Communications Technology Minister Anudit Nakornthap for alleged negligence by failing to close down lese majeste websites.
The petitioner, Mallika Boonmeetrakul, deputy spokeswoman of the Democrat Party, also gave the NACC a list of websites alleged to have run content deemed to offensive to the monarchy.
Ms Mallika said she had submnitted a petition seeking action in this matter to the prime minister and the ICT minister about two months ago, but no action had been taken. Their negligence was a violation of Article 157 of the Criminal Code, she said.
As a result, the number of websites with lese majeste content had since increased from 203 to more than 400, she said.
Witthaya Akompithak, deputy secretary-general of the NACC, said the petition had been taken for consideration. The NACC would have to decide if it fell within its jurisdiction.
Asia literacy for Australia
Colum: “Future policies of Asia literacy should not specifically target the languages of our largest trading partners as languages of priority.”
Don’t stop there. Ethnic minority languages are also completely legitimate languages to learn and sometimes have several million speakers and often spread beyond national borders (e.g. Sgaw Karen or Shan in Burma or Tai Lue and Akha in China, Burma, Thailand, Laos…).
Grants for undergrads to learn some of these languages should be tied to research projects with useful deliverables such as, for example, an Akha phrasebook that is written step by step in a blog as it is put together or a translation of a palm leaf manuscript in northern Thai Kham Mueang dialect, again via a blog to get people involved.
Two additional advantages of the blog format are: 1. interaction with an international audience (more likely to find someone who shares your niche research interests), 2. interaction with non-academics and a chance to find what they consider interesting which could be useful in transforming an academic research project into a book and articles that ordinary people find interesting and will buy (which means research that gets widely disseminated and has an impact as opposed to a hard to find PhD dissertation that gathers dust on a library shelf).
Funding should be tied to producing useful things for people, unlike the typical grad student funding which may or may not result in a PhD dissertation (and even those are embargoed sometimes so people cannot read for several years , at Cornell, for example). Great thought stimulating posting Colum 🙂
Review of A Life’s Work
One of Thanom’s grandchildren told me some time ago that “My grandfather has been blamed for being corrupt and many other things that are not true. Someday people will find out the truth.”
I did not speak to this person since.
Burma’s Constitution: Straightjacket or red herring?
Really thought-provoking post.
The main issue I found myself mulling over was this: by giving an entrenched power with the most to lose by an organic reform process (ie. the military) a formalised, legal way to stymie or retard any steps towards liberalisation, does this imperfect document actually facilitate reform in the short-term – by letting the only potential spoiler feel it can’t be threatened by the reform, that it actually controls the process, and thereby discouraging the army’s ‘nuclear option’ of coup d’etat and return to comprehensive repression?
While the much-discussed flaws in the 2008 constitution present clear barriers to achieving the profound changes desired by the population in the long-term, it will be interesting to see the extent to which the momentum of the past year’s political developments can be carried towards responding to the wider population’s aspirations for change, and how soon the 2008 constitutional framework becomes a serious enough constraint to be revised or discarded.
Review of A Life’s Work
#128: Well according to Handley in TKNS (Pg234) “At the time of Thanom’s return, Bhumipol and Sirikit were in the south, keeping their distance from the quickly unfolding events. When it appeared that Thanom would be exiled again, they hurriedly returned to Bangkok and, three hours after arriving, made a highly public visit to Thanom at [Wat Bovornives] temple, the King wearing his official army uniform.”