My post here on the rather ironic levels of wealth concentrated in the new cabinet was mistakenly added to this thread, when actually I’d originally intended that it would form a thread of its own. Not to worry, as on reflection there is actually a connection between the Guardian article with the Facebook food photos thread, if indeed Venerabilis Inceptor is correct in his observation that “everybody in Thailand is crazy about status and class” and posting pics of one’s meal is part of a not-so-subtle game of societal one-upmanship.
It is reported that Yingluck has declared a Hermes handbag for every day of the week, the most expensive of which is worth 350,000 baht, so can one assume that for the super-wealthy the Facebook food photo game is reproduced on the Assets Declaration list at an all together grander level, where one can not only take stock of one’s own standing in the commodity fetishism stakes, but declare it to the nation? In this case, concealing one’s assets becomes less of a perogative than it might otherwise be, and the list becomes the ultimate game of Thai elite top trumps. Who can top her seven handbags and even bigger clutch of luxury cars I wonder?
Proffesor Mark Tyndall – MD ScD FRCPC – University of British Columbia -August 2011 – Report : “At the root of this failure has been the pursuit of an aggressive drug policy to reduce drug supply and provide “compulsory treatment” to illicit drug users.This “abstinenceat-any-cost” approach has effectively silenced repeated calls to provide effective interventions that could reduce HIV transmission,improve health outcomes,and engage drug users into effective treatment and recovery programs.It is concerning that the 2008 Annual Report from the office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) does mention HIV or draws any distinction between injection drug use and other forms of illegal drugs.Although goverments around the world have pursued law enforcement strategies,Thailands 2002 “war on drugs” will go down as one of the most regressive and repressive responses to drug use ever attempted at a national level.While no longer officially goverment policy ,the harrassment and brutal enforcement practices aimed at illicit drug users persist.Not only are these approaches ineffective in reducing the use of drugs,they serve to deepen the isolation of drug users and severly limit programs that can prevent HIV transmission.”
[…] Walker thinks the cables “offer little insight into the upper-level workings of the Lao party-state” but there are other interesting revelations […]
Indeed it is Thaksin surrounded by his loyal yellows. For context thisNew Mandala post from August 2006 may help.
As I wrote way back then: “Only time will tell if this is enough to keep his [Thaksin’s] self-appointed role as defender of the nation and its many poor.”
[…] Walker thinks the cables “offer little insight into the upper-level workings of the Lao party-state” but there are other interesting revelations […]
The Nation has an article on the topic written by Tulsathit :
[Woody] has been cursed, scolded, scorned and virtually torn to pieces on YouTube. Tens of thousands of stinging feedbacks prompted the TV host to clarify his stand, which probably has made things worse.
In defending himself, Woody suggested that people should not judge him based on that one broadcast interview, where many things had to be taken into account. “If you ask me what I think of her personally, I like her a lot. But you have to understand that, on TV, you’ve got to keep your style in asking interview questions,” he said.
That was what Ja tried to say during the interview, albeit in a stammering, emotionally-stricken manner. After Woody said, “What got to me was the question why our country has this kind of woman”, she replied, her voice shaken, “It was just a show. It’s a job. An honest job. If I had been able to choose, I would not have chosen this kind of life. I’m not that good looking and I don’t sing that well. In this business, I needed to find a selling point.”
Misguided about a “selling point”, maybe, but what the audience saw was a naive girl being totally truthful about what she did and why she did it. My younger brother played in a pub band and I know exactly what she was talking about. When bands auditioned for contracts, the first thing prospective employers demanded was that female singers and dancers be scantily dressed. The dirtier the dance, the better the chance of getting the job. Like it or not, that’s the way things are.
“It doesn’t matter if you play like the Scorpions or are terrible as hell,” my brother told me. “The first thing a pub-owner is interested in is near nudity in your show. Every band now has to employ sexy singers who are not afraid to appear all but naked. The way Nong Ja is dressed in that video is a modest version of what’s been going on in various pubs around the country.”
Nich: Transcripts? If you’re doing subtitling, why not make a transcript available from the subtitle txt. That’d be more accessible on the whole if everything went to muck because someone uploaded a video of a monarch doing something naughty, leading to the authorities banning youtube in Thailand again.
Leah: Youtube is all well and good – like a suburban house, functional. Has nice faucets.. but Vimeo is immense. It’s like a minimalist mud brick masterpeice found in a pomo architecture magazine… And Tudou for our national geopolitical purposes!
Keeping all of the ANU vodcasts in the one place has some advantages in terms of managing our University’s outputs, and YouTube is still the dominant vodcast platform. It’s user-friendly and works in most places, most notably Thailand. Of course, the videos can be uploaded elsewhere too, and perhaps in future they will be. We are very open to suggestions on other ways of getting vodcasts out to wide audiences. Our Nation, Religion, King series will be subtitled into Thai — that is one way we hope to maximise its accessibility.
I don’t understand why they can’t be uploaded to vimeo, youku (Japanese), tudou (Chinese, available everywhere) too. It’s surely not as if the ANU has some sort of contract with Youtube… Plus we could be appealing to Hugh White’s vision of the world in future by hosting on Tudou!
Current advice is that the episodes will be uploaded to the ANU Vision site, usually a day or so after they appear on YouTube. However, the videos are still hosted on YouTube so that may not help. We will also make sure the audio podcast is uploaded to Discover ANU, which may be an alternative option for you.
Of course, depending on demand there are other ways we can potentially distribute this series as well. We may be able to facilitate its distribution in other downloadable formats, or by DVD. There are a range of options.
John Smith: I note you chose not to address the first part of my comment #46 (click the link and examine the map)
You can frame the turmoil as a conflict between elites if you like, but if you can overlook your Thaksin phobia, you might also like to ponder the possibility that although democracy may not have been his goal, Thaksin opened many eyes to the potential of democracy – not as many as the coup and subsequent events did though 🙂
The following note was sent from the office of Australian Senator Bob Brown to me on 28th September:
“Thank you for your email suggesting questions on notice about Thailand’s Lese Majeste laws. Questions from Senator Brown based on your suggestions have been lodged today. The responsible minister has 30 days in which to answer the questions and when he does we will send them on to you.”
I thank Senator Brown, his colleague Mr Adam Bandt MP and their staff for their assistance in this matter.
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Southeast Asia’s Facebook revolution
My post here on the rather ironic levels of wealth concentrated in the new cabinet was mistakenly added to this thread, when actually I’d originally intended that it would form a thread of its own. Not to worry, as on reflection there is actually a connection between the Guardian article with the Facebook food photos thread, if indeed Venerabilis Inceptor is correct in his observation that “everybody in Thailand is crazy about status and class” and posting pics of one’s meal is part of a not-so-subtle game of societal one-upmanship.
It is reported that Yingluck has declared a Hermes handbag for every day of the week, the most expensive of which is worth 350,000 baht, so can one assume that for the super-wealthy the Facebook food photo game is reproduced on the Assets Declaration list at an all together grander level, where one can not only take stock of one’s own standing in the commodity fetishism stakes, but declare it to the nation? In this case, concealing one’s assets becomes less of a perogative than it might otherwise be, and the list becomes the ultimate game of Thai elite top trumps. Who can top her seven handbags and even bigger clutch of luxury cars I wonder?
War on drugs: Yingluck’s turn
Proffesor Mark Tyndall – MD ScD FRCPC – University of British Columbia -August 2011 – Report : “At the root of this failure has been the pursuit of an aggressive drug policy to reduce drug supply and provide “compulsory treatment” to illicit drug users.This “abstinenceat-any-cost” approach has effectively silenced repeated calls to provide effective interventions that could reduce HIV transmission,improve health outcomes,and engage drug users into effective treatment and recovery programs.It is concerning that the 2008 Annual Report from the office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) does mention HIV or draws any distinction between injection drug use and other forms of illegal drugs.Although goverments around the world have pursued law enforcement strategies,Thailands 2002 “war on drugs” will go down as one of the most regressive and repressive responses to drug use ever attempted at a national level.While no longer officially goverment policy ,the harrassment and brutal enforcement practices aimed at illicit drug users persist.Not only are these approaches ineffective in reducing the use of drugs,they serve to deepen the isolation of drug users and severly limit programs that can prevent HIV transmission.”
China’s myopic Myanmar policy
Interesting piece and analysis which presents a very similar paradigm to China’s large-scale involvement and dominance of Laos.
New Light on Kachin war, again
Wonder what sort of influence the conflict has had on the Myitsone dam cancellation.
War on drugs: Yingluck’s turn
http://www.idpc.net/sites/default/files/library/Harm-reduction-policies-inThailand.pdf
Wikileaks on Laos
[…] Walker thinks the cables “offer little insight into the upper-level workings of the Lao party-state” but there are other interesting revelations […]
р╕Кр╕▓р╕Хр╕┤ р╕ир╕▓р╕кр╕Щр╕▓ р╕Юр╕гр╕░р╕бр╕лр╕▓р╕Бр╕йр╕▒р╕Хр╕гр╕┤р╕вр╣М: Nation, Religion, King
Nich, will there be a text for us old folks who are happy just reading things?
Pavin Chachavalpongpun at the ANU
Thanks for the question about the photo:
Indeed it is Thaksin surrounded by his loyal yellows. For context this New Mandala post from August 2006 may help.
As I wrote way back then: “Only time will tell if this is enough to keep his [Thaksin’s] self-appointed role as defender of the nation and its many poor.”
Best wishes to all,
Nich
р╕Кр╕▓р╕Хр╕┤ р╕ир╕▓р╕кр╕Щр╕▓ р╕Юр╕гр╕░р╕бр╕лр╕▓р╕Бр╕йр╕▒р╕Хр╕гр╕┤р╕вр╣М: Nation, Religion, King
thomas hoy –
Vimeo’s not blocked in Thailand; maybe it’s just your ISP.
Nich,
A subscribable audio podcast (not on iTunes) would be great for those of us on the move.
-R
р╕Кр╕▓р╕Хр╕┤ р╕ир╕▓р╕кр╕Щр╕▓ р╕Юр╕гр╕░р╕бр╕лр╕▓р╕Бр╕йр╕▒р╕Хр╕гр╕┤р╕вр╣М: Nation, Religion, King
You can’t get Vimeo in Thailand. It is on the MICT banned list.
Pavin Chachavalpongpun at the ANU
phaktresident @ 6
And I should have asked, who are the yellow shirts above.
If I am not mistaken that is Taksin at the podium.
Ah, we were all royalists in the good old days before the coup.
Wikileaks on Laos
[…] Walker thinks the cables “offer little insight into the upper-level workings of the Lao party-state” but there are other interesting revelations […]
р╕Др╕▒р╕Щр╕лр╕╣ : Nong Ja ahead of Democrats!
The Nation has an article on the topic written by Tulsathit :
[Woody] has been cursed, scolded, scorned and virtually torn to pieces on YouTube. Tens of thousands of stinging feedbacks prompted the TV host to clarify his stand, which probably has made things worse.
In defending himself, Woody suggested that people should not judge him based on that one broadcast interview, where many things had to be taken into account. “If you ask me what I think of her personally, I like her a lot. But you have to understand that, on TV, you’ve got to keep your style in asking interview questions,” he said.
That was what Ja tried to say during the interview, albeit in a stammering, emotionally-stricken manner. After Woody said, “What got to me was the question why our country has this kind of woman”, she replied, her voice shaken, “It was just a show. It’s a job. An honest job. If I had been able to choose, I would not have chosen this kind of life. I’m not that good looking and I don’t sing that well. In this business, I needed to find a selling point.”
Misguided about a “selling point”, maybe, but what the audience saw was a naive girl being totally truthful about what she did and why she did it. My younger brother played in a pub band and I know exactly what she was talking about. When bands auditioned for contracts, the first thing prospective employers demanded was that female singers and dancers be scantily dressed. The dirtier the dance, the better the chance of getting the job. Like it or not, that’s the way things are.
“It doesn’t matter if you play like the Scorpions or are terrible as hell,” my brother told me. “The first thing a pub-owner is interested in is near nudity in your show. Every band now has to employ sexy singers who are not afraid to appear all but naked. The way Nong Ja is dressed in that video is a modest version of what’s been going on in various pubs around the country.”
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/new/opinion/Dirty-dancing-leaves-everyone-in-a-spin-30166302.html
р╕Кр╕▓р╕Хр╕┤ р╕ир╕▓р╕кр╕Щр╕▓ р╕Юр╕гр╕░р╕бр╕лр╕▓р╕Бр╕йр╕▒р╕Хр╕гр╕┤р╕вр╣М: Nation, Religion, King
Nich: Transcripts? If you’re doing subtitling, why not make a transcript available from the subtitle txt. That’d be more accessible on the whole if everything went to muck because someone uploaded a video of a monarch doing something naughty, leading to the authorities banning youtube in Thailand again.
Leah: Youtube is all well and good – like a suburban house, functional. Has nice faucets.. but Vimeo is immense. It’s like a minimalist mud brick masterpeice found in a pomo architecture magazine… And Tudou for our national geopolitical purposes!
р╕Кр╕▓р╕Хр╕┤ р╕ир╕▓р╕кр╕Щр╕▓ р╕Юр╕гр╕░р╕бр╕лр╕▓р╕Бр╕йр╕▒р╕Хр╕гр╕┤р╕вр╣М: Nation, Religion, King
Thanks Sabai Sabai,
Keeping all of the ANU vodcasts in the one place has some advantages in terms of managing our University’s outputs, and YouTube is still the dominant vodcast platform. It’s user-friendly and works in most places, most notably Thailand. Of course, the videos can be uploaded elsewhere too, and perhaps in future they will be. We are very open to suggestions on other ways of getting vodcasts out to wide audiences. Our Nation, Religion, King series will be subtitled into Thai — that is one way we hope to maximise its accessibility.
But I am open to other good ideas.
Best wishes to all,
Nich
р╕Кр╕▓р╕Хр╕┤ р╕ир╕▓р╕кр╕Щр╕▓ р╕Юр╕гр╕░р╕бр╕лр╕▓р╕Бр╕йр╕▒р╕Хр╕гр╕┤р╕вр╣М: Nation, Religion, King
What’s thr issue with Youtube? Seems to work better for me than the others.
р╕Кр╕▓р╕Хр╕┤ р╕ир╕▓р╕кр╕Щр╕▓ р╕Юр╕гр╕░р╕бр╕лр╕▓р╕Бр╕йр╕▒р╕Хр╕гр╕┤р╕вр╣М: Nation, Religion, King
I don’t understand why they can’t be uploaded to vimeo, youku (Japanese), tudou (Chinese, available everywhere) too. It’s surely not as if the ANU has some sort of contract with Youtube… Plus we could be appealing to Hugh White’s vision of the world in future by hosting on Tudou!
р╕Кр╕▓р╕Хр╕┤ р╕ир╕▓р╕кр╕Щр╕▓ р╕Юр╕гр╕░р╕бр╕лр╕▓р╕Бр╕йр╕▒р╕Хр╕гр╕┤р╕вр╣М: Nation, Religion, King
Thanks Ricardo,
Current advice is that the episodes will be uploaded to the ANU Vision site, usually a day or so after they appear on YouTube. However, the videos are still hosted on YouTube so that may not help. We will also make sure the audio podcast is uploaded to Discover ANU, which may be an alternative option for you.
Of course, depending on demand there are other ways we can potentially distribute this series as well. We may be able to facilitate its distribution in other downloadable formats, or by DVD. There are a range of options.
Best wishes to all,
Nich
The coup: five years on
John Smith: I note you chose not to address the first part of my comment #46 (click the link and examine the map)
You can frame the turmoil as a conflict between elites if you like, but if you can overlook your Thaksin phobia, you might also like to ponder the possibility that although democracy may not have been his goal, Thaksin opened many eyes to the potential of democracy – not as many as the coup and subsequent events did though 🙂
FACT’s plea for Joe Gordon
The following note was sent from the office of Australian Senator Bob Brown to me on 28th September:
“Thank you for your email suggesting questions on notice about Thailand’s Lese Majeste laws. Questions from Senator Brown based on your suggestions have been lodged today. The responsible minister has 30 days in which to answer the questions and when he does we will send them on to you.”
I thank Senator Brown, his colleague Mr Adam Bandt MP and their staff for their assistance in this matter.