Perhaps you could do me small favour. When next you pass by the main gate of the Kong Phon Thahan Rap Thi 2 Raksa Phra Ong (2nd Infantry Division, Royal Guards) base camp in Chong Mek, please stop and ask the sentry exactly which part of the Thai version of the unit title says “Queen’s Guard”. And please take a photograph (sorry, capture an image – I’m a little old fashioned) and post it on this site.
I am beginning to suspect a “fool the farang” plot. Consider the following facts (and we all work with facts, don’t we?):
1. The official Thai version of Royal Thai Army is Kong Thap Bok Thai, the correct translation of which is simply Thai Army. Not Royal Thai Army.
2. The Royal Thai Navy used to call itself the Ratcha Nawi, which means Royal Navy in English. But then they started calling themselves the Kong Thap Ruea Thai, the correct translation of which is simply Thai Navy. They actually dropped the word which meant “royal”. Wouldn’t that constitute lese majeste?
3. The first Thai combat unit to be deployed to South Vietnam called itself the Krom Thahan Asasamak Jong Ang Suek in Thai and the Queen’s Cobra Regiment in English, although the correct translation was King Cobra Volunteer Regiment. A “jong ang” is a king cobra.
What is going on? Surely accurate translation from Thai into English is not all that difficult. Or does “prachathipatai” actually mean “win the election and then establish a dictatorship by dismantling all the checks and balances democracy requires”, or perhaps “the dictatorship of the privileged elite”, rather than “democracy”?
Oh well, back to my Mary Haas Thai-English Student’s Dictionary.
And to be impartial and unbiased here – mining barricades in this conflict here in Thailand is quite normal – the PAD in 2008 also mined their barricades around government house against a possible police assault.
The Saladaeng barricade had C4 explosives. The other barricades had fertilizer based bombs in fire-extinguishers.
“Dead journalist”:
Nothing to add really. What else shall i say? It is terrible that he died. He made a decision that i did not make, and would not have.
In my opinion many of us journalists (and all these people running around with their little tourist cameras) during last year’s mess made some very wrong calls, and underestimated the dangers. Some were outright callous. And some had to pay a very high price (I had my own wake-up call on May 15 …).
There are endless contributing factors for this. One is definitely the nature of the business, which is in constant demand for the closest action shots, if possible transmitted to the clients within minutes after the action took place and resulting in enormous competition. Less important is in depth knowledge, but regular delivery of hard images from wherever action takes place. Photographers specialized in conflict, or hoping to make their name in this business, go to conflict zones all over the place, without often having any idea whatsoever about the details, language or particulars. It’s not a nice business. A photographer dies, big news for a few days, and then it’s back to normal, and he/she is only remembered by family and a few close friends, while the conflicts continue to take their course.
Don’t forget, another young and very nice photojournalist who has been taking images during last year’s mess here in Bangkok died in Tunesia – EPA photographer Lucas Dolega.
@Nick Noztitz “I knew the barricade was mined,and only crossed when I was sure the explosives did not blow.”……..Nick can you tell me what kind of “explosives” were being used.
The 2nd Infantry refer to *themselves* as the Queen’s Guard in English. They’ve even got it on the sign at the main gate of the military base in Chong Mek (near the Laos border.)
The day Fabio was killed, i made the decision not to be in the Red Shirt camp, but to be behind the military. My primary objective that day was to survive. I knew that the final assault by the military will mean an overwhelming amount of gunfire into the Red Shirt camp before crossing the barricade, of which i did not want to be on the receiving end (again). But i also remained well behind the military when they crossed the barricade as i knew that the barricade was mined, and only crossed when i was sure that the explosives did not blow.
I believe that working in Rajadamri Road behind the Saladaeng barricade was insanely dangerous, no side alleys, no cover, and a looong way to some sort of safety. From the barricade up to Sarasin intersection i would have potentially been under fire from several directions – Silom, Lumpini Park, Snipers at Chula Hospital, and from the BTS tracks, without any available cover. I knew that the military would not keep the rules of engagement and only aim at armed militants, but shoot at everything that moves, as i have seen on numerous occasions the preceding days. I knew that in order to get good images from that location i would have had to take a gamble i was not willing to take.
I and several of my colleagues still got into the shit though when militants lobbed a round of M79 grenades at the military when we reached the Sarasin/Rajadamri intersection (where Chandler was hit), but at least there was cover.
No, asking for a grant in a grant program which gives grants specifically to non-governmental groups is not treason, but normal procedure, and very transparent – no cloak and dagger stuff as you imply here (on their website they have a page how to apply for grants, unfortunately not available for individual journalists as i could very well do with some funding). There are many grants by many foundations available for a multitude of purposes – be they art grants, journalism grants, science grants, etc.
From year to year Prachatai barely manages to cover operating costs. No, they did not “betray my trust”. No, Prachatai does not “undermine” their government – Prachatai is a highly respected alternative news source. Critical journalism is uncomfortable, but to label that as “undermining their government” is an extremely totalitarian point of view.
It is quite laughable to state that you present “REAL verifiable evidence” – even you yourself are not verifiable. The only thing i read from you is tinfoil hat gobbledegook.
I do not think a simplistic approach (“win” or “loose”) is good enough, even for US readers …
Stricto sensu, a party “wins” if he has more representatives after a given election than before !
Money is -unfortunately- always the great “winner” of tha├п elections, parties are built around financial interests and they disappear when those interest groups change, except for the Democrat Party !
If one compares with the US, The 2 parties there are the same since a very long time …
I even saw here a party (Samakhi Tham) built around drug-money “win” an election and I think I will see yet others than PartyThaksin, even if I’am old …
I can see your point. However, I never intended to use the mother example to be a comparison to the ‘feeling’ (I won’t use the word ‘love’, as I do not believe that it is the right word) most Thai people have to the King. I merely wish to make an example of the meaning of the word ‘love’, and the mother’s feeling to a child seems to be a good example. I never intended to draw any analogy. And yes, I agree with you, that had I intended to use that mother example as an analogy, it would not be a scenario where you can reason by analogy seamlessly.
My point is that Thai people’s feelings to the King is not love but fanaticism, very similar to Raymond’s (#104) example of the feelings which brainwashed North Koreans have to Kim Jong-Il or Kim Il-Sung. And I cannot stress out how dangerous it is for the elites to indoctrinate this kind of feeling into Thai people’s heads by daily propaganda. People who are fanatical are usually incapable to argue with reasons. Instead, they usually choose to be rude and resort to personal attacks, or worse, they resort to violence to silence their opposition.
I also would like to comment about this sentence of yours: “the monarchy has the love demanded/expected/required of a child”. I can tell you right now that Thai people usually only love the King and respect Princess Sirindhorn, but I would not say that most of them actually “love the Monarchy”. Talk to any Thai you meet in Thailand. Most of them will say, “I love the King, and I respect his daughter Pra-Thep (sirindhorn)”…then they will go on to say different things about other royals.
That’s what I have heard when I speak to other Thais about this matter. Most of them cannot distinguish that the King and the Monarchy are two different identities. Have the King abdicate today and let someone else take over the throne, then ask Thai people if they still love the Monarchy. Then you might get a more objective answer.
Now,
“A child is not expected to criticize it’s parent.”-well, it is a tradition, I agree. But then this is when the parent raises the child, feeds the child, gives the child shelter, pays for the child’s living. Does the Thai Monarchy raise or feed its citizens at its own expenses? Does the Monarchy give its citizens free shelter, or pay for their living expenses? You know the answer; it is a no. In fact it is another way around. So who is not supposed to criticize who in this situation? 😉
“However a good parent should also exercise tolerance and understanding”
Assuming that the Royals are ‘parents’ like you claim, then I wholeheartedly agree. Ironically, any ‘child’ who dares to do this in Thailand becomes exposed, alienated, exposed to threats (both mental and physical), and in the worst case, jailed. So are they good parents then?
* This will be my last post on this forum and I beg moderator to please not ban it. I sincerely think this message (especially # 3) needs to be communicated to western scholars here. *
CT/SteveCM and others
“Constructive comment is one which is academic; one needs to study both sides of the story before taking a stance. When one takes a stance that they favour one side over another, they should explain their viewpoint, back it up with facts and evidence. They also have to consider the opposition’s view, talk about it, but use logic, theory, and evidence to convince their readers that their views are better.”
That sounds nice. If only 50% of comments here are written based on that ground, I wouldn’t even bother to post here, I have school works to attend to, you know. 🙂
1. You seem to make a lot of assumption about me, first of all when I said “my hometown”, you are so quick to conclude it’s all about CTW. If only my last post was not deleted, you should of known by now, I was not talking about WTC. 🙂 And trust me I know who burnt it because my uncle knows some of them personally. (for those who’s looking to ban this post, I don’t even say any name.)
2. All comments I make, it’s from my own analysis. I watch TV probably once in 2 weeks. I join many political forums, the ones I join red shirt, yellow shirt, no shirt can make comment freely, a lot more free than in this forum. Not once I hear people complain that their comments are removed. They are free to bring in red articles and trust me I read them enough to know a lot of lines posted in here are not original. Some of my posts may not perfect but hey, a lot of posts here are no different, why they were allowed, and mine weren’t ?
3. I think it should be enough for the kind of attitude “you are a Thai living in Thailand so you don’t know anything, you are a victim of government medias, you are parroting them blah blah” 🙂 You farangs studying about Thailand, Thai people, Thai politics will never reach a profound knowledge of Thai values with that kind of attitude. Farangs are no better than Thais, don’t look to apply your standard to Thai people because it won’t fit. And please please don’t think because you associate with some red extremist Thais, you know Thailand better than any other Thai people who think differently. The only way Farangs can get to know true Thailand is to eliminate your arrogance and to be open to input from all Thais.
4. CT quoting “a real academic does not listen to one side of the story. He listens to both sides. He will not avoid listening to the story from the side whom he does not want to hear. Instead, he would listen to what those people say very carefully, so that he can notice if there is any flaw or hole in the argument, so that he can point them out and prove them wrong.”
How can people here can prove me wrong when majority of my posts in all topics were not allowed to show ? If you want me to listen to you, you have to listen to me, it’s has to be two ways, and nothing else.
CT 103′
Without getting overly Freudian I think you have made an incorrect comparison. The monarchy has the love demanded/expected/required of a child by it’s parent and not the other way round. A child is not expected to criticize it’s parent.
This is a given in most Asian societies
However a good parent should also exercise tolerance and understanding. My children sometimes criticize me sometimes rightly, sometimes wrongly, it’s part of growing up and learning to think for themselves. Excessively punitive behavior will only diminish the child and it’s ability to function when the parent is no longer around to take care of it…..
CT. 5
I believe there is a small but highly ” influential” Thai clique that believes itself to be linearly descended from the princes of the Khmer empire and therefore rightful ruler of any Khmer territory or edifice, in contrast to the the unpleasant nak leng peasant currently selling off Cambodia by the kilo.
This philosophy posits that power runs only in genetic bloodlines and cannot be usurped by mere ephemeral political power, euro colonial border commissions or capitalist partisan organizations from beyond the Pillars of Hercules.
It’s all in the magic and ritual and it’s influence in these parts shouldn’t be underestimated…
“Look on my works ye mighty, and despair!”
I leave it to you to decide if I have been watching “Game of Thrones” too late into the night.
The people of Malaysia have chosen the colour yellow as the symbol of the peoples demand for a better political system.
In an ironic twist, the United Malay National Organisation in waging a war against the people of Malaysia, supposedly in the name of His Majesty, is waging a war against His Majesty’s colour.
One thing is for sure – either way – if UMNO wins or loses this battle against the people of Malaysia – the 9 Royal houses in Malaysia will never be respected again.
“Tony” #97 is somebody with a fake identity getting paid to undermine #thaistory, Prachatai etc. He is also very active on Twitter. As I have said on this forum, I welcome informed debate, but not his mad rants. They are however, highly entertaining for his inept attempts to pretend to be a left-wing anti-U.S. activist and if you read his posts with that in mind, you can have a lot of fun. Enjoy.
May I put my five cents in about ‘Love” to the King?
Khun Domo mentioned that many Thais genuinely love the King. But I tend to believe (after I have seen the acts of many Thais who claim they ‘love’ the King) that ‘love’ isn’t really an appropriate word. I rather find it to be ‘fanaticism’. “Love” tends to be a positive feeling towards each other, while the person who has this positive feeling still retains a certain level of objectivity. For example, a mother may love her child. But she will be objective enough to tell her child off if her child behaves badly. She will warn her child to be more diligent if he is lazy at school. This is because she is objective enough to know what what her child is doing is wrong, and her criticism towards her child is done for the purpose that her child will become a better person.
However, ‘fanaticism’ signifies an extremely irrational positive feeling, just like one may have to a superstar who receives a lot of promotions. One will cry when they see the person they are fanatical to. They will not tolerate any criticism about that person. They are ready to harm anyone who criticises the person they are fanatical to.
I believe that the feelings most Thais have to the King is not love but fanaticism. They cry when they see him on TV. They cannot stand any criticism of him. They will expose anyone who criticises him, report those people to police, so that those people will be jailed. They are ready to inflict violence towards people who criticise, or speak negatively of him. They will do anything to hide the bad information about him, even if they know that it is true, because they do not want others to know about it.
I believe this is not love, but it is fanaticism of an extreme kind. So the feelings that the elites put into the Thais’ minds is not love, but it is fanaticism. And this is very dangerous, because fanaticism equals irrationality.
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Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
John Snitizen # 112:
Perhaps you could do me small favour. When next you pass by the main gate of the Kong Phon Thahan Rap Thi 2 Raksa Phra Ong (2nd Infantry Division, Royal Guards) base camp in Chong Mek, please stop and ask the sentry exactly which part of the Thai version of the unit title says “Queen’s Guard”. And please take a photograph (sorry, capture an image – I’m a little old fashioned) and post it on this site.
I am beginning to suspect a “fool the farang” plot. Consider the following facts (and we all work with facts, don’t we?):
1. The official Thai version of Royal Thai Army is Kong Thap Bok Thai, the correct translation of which is simply Thai Army. Not Royal Thai Army.
2. The Royal Thai Navy used to call itself the Ratcha Nawi, which means Royal Navy in English. But then they started calling themselves the Kong Thap Ruea Thai, the correct translation of which is simply Thai Navy. They actually dropped the word which meant “royal”. Wouldn’t that constitute lese majeste?
3. The first Thai combat unit to be deployed to South Vietnam called itself the Krom Thahan Asasamak Jong Ang Suek in Thai and the Queen’s Cobra Regiment in English, although the correct translation was King Cobra Volunteer Regiment. A “jong ang” is a king cobra.
What is going on? Surely accurate translation from Thai into English is not all that difficult. Or does “prachathipatai” actually mean “win the election and then establish a dictatorship by dismantling all the checks and balances democracy requires”, or perhaps “the dictatorship of the privileged elite”, rather than “democracy”?
Oh well, back to my Mary Haas Thai-English Student’s Dictionary.
Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
“Darren Nelson”:
And to be impartial and unbiased here – mining barricades in this conflict here in Thailand is quite normal – the PAD in 2008 also mined their barricades around government house against a possible police assault.
Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
“Darren Nelson”:
The Saladaeng barricade had C4 explosives. The other barricades had fertilizer based bombs in fire-extinguishers.
“Dead journalist”:
Nothing to add really. What else shall i say? It is terrible that he died. He made a decision that i did not make, and would not have.
In my opinion many of us journalists (and all these people running around with their little tourist cameras) during last year’s mess made some very wrong calls, and underestimated the dangers. Some were outright callous. And some had to pay a very high price (I had my own wake-up call on May 15 …).
There are endless contributing factors for this. One is definitely the nature of the business, which is in constant demand for the closest action shots, if possible transmitted to the clients within minutes after the action took place and resulting in enormous competition. Less important is in depth knowledge, but regular delivery of hard images from wherever action takes place. Photographers specialized in conflict, or hoping to make their name in this business, go to conflict zones all over the place, without often having any idea whatsoever about the details, language or particulars. It’s not a nice business. A photographer dies, big news for a few days, and then it’s back to normal, and he/she is only remembered by family and a few close friends, while the conflicts continue to take their course.
Don’t forget, another young and very nice photojournalist who has been taking images during last year’s mess here in Bangkok died in Tunesia – EPA photographer Lucas Dolega.
Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
@Nick Noztitz “I knew the barricade was mined,and only crossed when I was sure the explosives did not blow.”……..Nick can you tell me what kind of “explosives” were being used.
Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
@ Seh Fah:
The 2nd Infantry refer to *themselves* as the Queen’s Guard in English. They’ve even got it on the sign at the main gate of the military base in Chong Mek (near the Laos border.)
Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
Nick Nostitz
Do you have anything to add to Andrew’s very brief comment on the death of Fabio Polenghi?
Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
“Dead Journalist”:
The day Fabio was killed, i made the decision not to be in the Red Shirt camp, but to be behind the military. My primary objective that day was to survive. I knew that the final assault by the military will mean an overwhelming amount of gunfire into the Red Shirt camp before crossing the barricade, of which i did not want to be on the receiving end (again). But i also remained well behind the military when they crossed the barricade as i knew that the barricade was mined, and only crossed when i was sure that the explosives did not blow.
I believe that working in Rajadamri Road behind the Saladaeng barricade was insanely dangerous, no side alleys, no cover, and a looong way to some sort of safety. From the barricade up to Sarasin intersection i would have potentially been under fire from several directions – Silom, Lumpini Park, Snipers at Chula Hospital, and from the BTS tracks, without any available cover. I knew that the military would not keep the rules of engagement and only aim at armed militants, but shoot at everything that moves, as i have seen on numerous occasions the preceding days. I knew that in order to get good images from that location i would have had to take a gamble i was not willing to take.
I and several of my colleagues still got into the shit though when militants lobbed a round of M79 grenades at the military when we reached the Sarasin/Rajadamri intersection (where Chandler was hit), but at least there was cover.
Fabio made a different decision. He died.
Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
“Tony”:
No, asking for a grant in a grant program which gives grants specifically to non-governmental groups is not treason, but normal procedure, and very transparent – no cloak and dagger stuff as you imply here (on their website they have a page how to apply for grants, unfortunately not available for individual journalists as i could very well do with some funding). There are many grants by many foundations available for a multitude of purposes – be they art grants, journalism grants, science grants, etc.
From year to year Prachatai barely manages to cover operating costs. No, they did not “betray my trust”. No, Prachatai does not “undermine” their government – Prachatai is a highly respected alternative news source. Critical journalism is uncomfortable, but to label that as “undermining their government” is an extremely totalitarian point of view.
It is quite laughable to state that you present “REAL verifiable evidence” – even you yourself are not verifiable. The only thing i read from you is tinfoil hat gobbledegook.
Can the Democrats make it six in a row?
I do not think a simplistic approach (“win” or “loose”) is good enough, even for US readers …
Stricto sensu, a party “wins” if he has more representatives after a given election than before !
Money is -unfortunately- always the great “winner” of tha├п elections, parties are built around financial interests and they disappear when those interest groups change, except for the Democrat Party !
If one compares with the US, The 2 parties there are the same since a very long time …
I even saw here a party (Samakhi Tham) built around drug-money “win” an election and I think I will see yet others than PartyThaksin, even if I’am old …
Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
@Billy,
I can see your point. However, I never intended to use the mother example to be a comparison to the ‘feeling’ (I won’t use the word ‘love’, as I do not believe that it is the right word) most Thai people have to the King. I merely wish to make an example of the meaning of the word ‘love’, and the mother’s feeling to a child seems to be a good example. I never intended to draw any analogy. And yes, I agree with you, that had I intended to use that mother example as an analogy, it would not be a scenario where you can reason by analogy seamlessly.
My point is that Thai people’s feelings to the King is not love but fanaticism, very similar to Raymond’s (#104) example of the feelings which brainwashed North Koreans have to Kim Jong-Il or Kim Il-Sung. And I cannot stress out how dangerous it is for the elites to indoctrinate this kind of feeling into Thai people’s heads by daily propaganda. People who are fanatical are usually incapable to argue with reasons. Instead, they usually choose to be rude and resort to personal attacks, or worse, they resort to violence to silence their opposition.
I also would like to comment about this sentence of yours: “the monarchy has the love demanded/expected/required of a child”. I can tell you right now that Thai people usually only love the King and respect Princess Sirindhorn, but I would not say that most of them actually “love the Monarchy”. Talk to any Thai you meet in Thailand. Most of them will say, “I love the King, and I respect his daughter Pra-Thep (sirindhorn)”…then they will go on to say different things about other royals.
That’s what I have heard when I speak to other Thais about this matter. Most of them cannot distinguish that the King and the Monarchy are two different identities. Have the King abdicate today and let someone else take over the throne, then ask Thai people if they still love the Monarchy. Then you might get a more objective answer.
Now,
“A child is not expected to criticize it’s parent.”-well, it is a tradition, I agree. But then this is when the parent raises the child, feeds the child, gives the child shelter, pays for the child’s living. Does the Thai Monarchy raise or feed its citizens at its own expenses? Does the Monarchy give its citizens free shelter, or pay for their living expenses? You know the answer; it is a no. In fact it is another way around. So who is not supposed to criticize who in this situation? 😉
“However a good parent should also exercise tolerance and understanding”
Assuming that the Royals are ‘parents’ like you claim, then I wholeheartedly agree. Ironically, any ‘child’ who dares to do this in Thailand becomes exposed, alienated, exposed to threats (both mental and physical), and in the worst case, jailed. So are they good parents then?
Just my two cents though. No offense intended 😉
PAD tries a yellow “people’s coup”
It’s much easier to undersantd when you put it that way!
Election advice
* This will be my last post on this forum and I beg moderator to please not ban it. I sincerely think this message (especially # 3) needs to be communicated to western scholars here. *
CT/SteveCM and others
“Constructive comment is one which is academic; one needs to study both sides of the story before taking a stance. When one takes a stance that they favour one side over another, they should explain their viewpoint, back it up with facts and evidence. They also have to consider the opposition’s view, talk about it, but use logic, theory, and evidence to convince their readers that their views are better.”
That sounds nice. If only 50% of comments here are written based on that ground, I wouldn’t even bother to post here, I have school works to attend to, you know. 🙂
1. You seem to make a lot of assumption about me, first of all when I said “my hometown”, you are so quick to conclude it’s all about CTW. If only my last post was not deleted, you should of known by now, I was not talking about WTC. 🙂 And trust me I know who burnt it because my uncle knows some of them personally. (for those who’s looking to ban this post, I don’t even say any name.)
2. All comments I make, it’s from my own analysis. I watch TV probably once in 2 weeks. I join many political forums, the ones I join red shirt, yellow shirt, no shirt can make comment freely, a lot more free than in this forum. Not once I hear people complain that their comments are removed. They are free to bring in red articles and trust me I read them enough to know a lot of lines posted in here are not original. Some of my posts may not perfect but hey, a lot of posts here are no different, why they were allowed, and mine weren’t ?
3. I think it should be enough for the kind of attitude “you are a Thai living in Thailand so you don’t know anything, you are a victim of government medias, you are parroting them blah blah” 🙂 You farangs studying about Thailand, Thai people, Thai politics will never reach a profound knowledge of Thai values with that kind of attitude. Farangs are no better than Thais, don’t look to apply your standard to Thai people because it won’t fit. And please please don’t think because you associate with some red extremist Thais, you know Thailand better than any other Thai people who think differently. The only way Farangs can get to know true Thailand is to eliminate your arrogance and to be open to input from all Thais.
4. CT quoting “a real academic does not listen to one side of the story. He listens to both sides. He will not avoid listening to the story from the side whom he does not want to hear. Instead, he would listen to what those people say very carefully, so that he can notice if there is any flaw or hole in the argument, so that he can point them out and prove them wrong.”
How can people here can prove me wrong when majority of my posts in all topics were not allowed to show ? If you want me to listen to you, you have to listen to me, it’s has to be two ways, and nothing else.
Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
CT 103′
Without getting overly Freudian I think you have made an incorrect comparison. The monarchy has the love demanded/expected/required of a child by it’s parent and not the other way round. A child is not expected to criticize it’s parent.
This is a given in most Asian societies
However a good parent should also exercise tolerance and understanding. My children sometimes criticize me sometimes rightly, sometimes wrongly, it’s part of growing up and learning to think for themselves. Excessively punitive behavior will only diminish the child and it’s ability to function when the parent is no longer around to take care of it…..
Can the Democrats make it six in a row?
CT. 5
I believe there is a small but highly ” influential” Thai clique that believes itself to be linearly descended from the princes of the Khmer empire and therefore rightful ruler of any Khmer territory or edifice, in contrast to the the unpleasant nak leng peasant currently selling off Cambodia by the kilo.
This philosophy posits that power runs only in genetic bloodlines and cannot be usurped by mere ephemeral political power, euro colonial border commissions or capitalist partisan organizations from beyond the Pillars of Hercules.
It’s all in the magic and ritual and it’s influence in these parts shouldn’t be underestimated…
“Look on my works ye mighty, and despair!”
I leave it to you to decide if I have been watching “Game of Thrones” too late into the night.
เรารัก-ยิ่งลักษณ์
Kate: Abhisit already told us this stuff on how he became PM.
Malaysia: Yellow is the new Black
The people of Malaysia have chosen the colour yellow as the symbol of the peoples demand for a better political system.
In an ironic twist, the United Malay National Organisation in waging a war against the people of Malaysia, supposedly in the name of His Majesty, is waging a war against His Majesty’s colour.
One thing is for sure – either way – if UMNO wins or loses this battle against the people of Malaysia – the 9 Royal houses in Malaysia will never be respected again.
Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
“Tony” #97 is somebody with a fake identity getting paid to undermine #thaistory, Prachatai etc. He is also very active on Twitter. As I have said on this forum, I welcome informed debate, but not his mad rants. They are however, highly entertaining for his inept attempts to pretend to be a left-wing anti-U.S. activist and if you read his posts with that in mind, you can have a lot of fun. Enjoy.
Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
#101: I wrote extensively about Fabio Polenghi and the unanswered questions here: http://blogs.reuters.com/andrew-marshall/2011/02/13/reclaiming-the-truth-in-thailand/
Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
What CT (#103) is describing is not “love, respect and admiration” but a Personality Cult, similar to the one in North Korea around the “Dear Leader”.
Andrew Marshall’s Thai Story
May I put my five cents in about ‘Love” to the King?
Khun Domo mentioned that many Thais genuinely love the King. But I tend to believe (after I have seen the acts of many Thais who claim they ‘love’ the King) that ‘love’ isn’t really an appropriate word. I rather find it to be ‘fanaticism’. “Love” tends to be a positive feeling towards each other, while the person who has this positive feeling still retains a certain level of objectivity. For example, a mother may love her child. But she will be objective enough to tell her child off if her child behaves badly. She will warn her child to be more diligent if he is lazy at school. This is because she is objective enough to know what what her child is doing is wrong, and her criticism towards her child is done for the purpose that her child will become a better person.
However, ‘fanaticism’ signifies an extremely irrational positive feeling, just like one may have to a superstar who receives a lot of promotions. One will cry when they see the person they are fanatical to. They will not tolerate any criticism about that person. They are ready to harm anyone who criticises the person they are fanatical to.
I believe that the feelings most Thais have to the King is not love but fanaticism. They cry when they see him on TV. They cannot stand any criticism of him. They will expose anyone who criticises him, report those people to police, so that those people will be jailed. They are ready to inflict violence towards people who criticise, or speak negatively of him. They will do anything to hide the bad information about him, even if they know that it is true, because they do not want others to know about it.
I believe this is not love, but it is fanaticism of an extreme kind. So the feelings that the elites put into the Thais’ minds is not love, but it is fanaticism. And this is very dangerous, because fanaticism equals irrationality.