Thank Chris. This is the most interesting post in your series. The previous two campaign posts are not so exciting because they are mostly the same old thing that we have seen before in the past.
BTW, if Chuvit get elected again this time, it indicates that when voting for an MP personality carries more weight than policy for Thais. As far as I know, this is the only recent personality campaign which has a chance of wining. Though other candidates emphasizes that they are smart, good, honest, sincere, ect. at some degree, they do have a clear policy or proposal. Chuvit seems to have only one single vague aim — fighting corruption. I don’t know whether I can call this a policy as he hasn’t describe how he will implement it.
Absolutely love Chuvit. He’s a Bangkok institution. Met him briefly during the last election. Funny, funny man and very passionate about Thai politics and social issues.
Following a PT victory, it is becoming increasingly likely that the judiciary are going to throw Yingluck in jail on any trumped up charge they can invent. She will then probably be allowed to make bail and do a runner like her older brother to Dubai.
However, does this really solve anything for the amart? There will still be a PT near majority in parliament (Bangkok Pundit predicts from the opinion polls that PT will only end up maybe a half dozen to a dozen votes shy of a true majority). In addition, the Dems, BJT and the rest of the opposition will have to contend with the sympathy for “the lady” (same as with ASSK in Burma), combined with the still pent-up Red Shirt rage against double standards. It could get quite messy. I am not advising any friends or family members to visit Thailand in July.
He also has a new one in which he appears grinning and shaking hands with a bull terrier. After all the other grimaces, seeing Chuwit grinning is oddly dicncerting.
I’ve only seen it in passing, so I’m not sure what the text says.
The situation in both countries is frighteningly similar but one posting in this forum complained that Yingluck should not / cannot be compared with ASSK even though both are popular figures now.
When you say they’re unwanted because they are Muslim, are you talking about Burma or Australia? That is part of the reason they are forced to flee Arakan from the Burmese military, only to end up in Australia to face discrimination from at least some Australians because they are Muslim. Like Bauman wrote, these vagabonds find the world inhospitable no matter where they go.
Now comparing Aung san suu kyi to Thaksin’s sister. That’s a good one… Thanks, Had not heard that one, you have me cracking up :-)))
Also the notion that politicians around the world are the same as thai politicians, after people going to extreme lengths for the last 12 months to explain the specifics of the thai situation?!?! Why try to make any point if it’s the same everywhere. How about the people, are they the same everywhere too? The people, isn’t this what counts, rather than always focussing on the same big wigs? Naaah, probably doesn’t count…. Too bad! 🙁
New Mandala readers who want to see the reception of these thoughts in Thai can head over to Prachatai. They provide a summary translation of my original post and then a long list of comments follows. And there are comments here too.
Thanks to a long-time reader for pointing out the Prachatai translation.
[…] been set up to hunt and block inappropriate websites, and Abhisit has announced that Thailand will appoint computer-literate students, teachers and bureaucrats as “Cyber Scouts” to help police th… – an echo of the Village Scout movement set up in the 1970s to fight Communism and protect the […]
#31 Hate exists here because the spirit of the faith has long been systematically abused by those to whom the ‘love’ principle is nothing more than a blank check for mass exploitation. I don’t begrudge ordinary citizens some hate myself. All this ‘love’ nonsense has served such citizens very badly. Presumably, it is ‘love’ that shoots people in the back. It strikes me the victims are entitled to hate mafia, businessmen, politicians, uniformed people vote enforcers and goon squads. (Especially since we never really know which successionist/separatist group murdered who, and exactly who took economic advantage from it.) Such barbaric acts most certainly do not occur because ‘they’ want to ‘love’ us. Rather, they love the very idea of always looking for advantage, and are prepared to greatly disadvantage ordinary citizens who just happen to get in their way.
As politicians set themselves up as society’s agents in the legislative process, they would be well-advised to start showing some genuine respect for their electorate. Those who aspire to rule should try to act according to a few rules (instead of acting the eternal scofflaw), and stop blaming others for the ill-effects of their own duplicity. It is up to them to demonstrate moral conduct, if they wish to be respected.
It isn’t always practical to adhere to a supposed tenet of a faith that has been cynically exploited by self-proclaimed ‘big’ believers since time immemorial. I note that hate has long been very widespread here, even amongst monks – some of whom subscribe to the idea of shooting people in the back.
This election is coming to resemble the 1990 election in Burma more and more everyday. First, the totally out-of-touch Army decides that it can win an election. Then a woman heads up a party that looks to sweep the boards. When she does so the Army says. “Ha, ha… only fooling…” and pulls the rug out from under her winning party. Again. For the fourth time? Whether they use the kangaroo kourt system or their tracked vehicles makes little difference.
The question in my mind is… is that really going to happen? Is the Thai Army just like the Burmese Army? And if it does… with the Thais take it as the Burmese did? or will all of Thailand come to resemble Yala, Narathiwat, and Pattani? Neither nightmare seems at all palatable to me.
For me the big question is not who will win or what will change right after the election.
Instead, the big What is What happens after HM passes? Will that historic event trigger reform or a an authoritarian backlash? I could see either taking place under PT or the Dems. There’s not a party or leader who will be able to stem the initial free-for-all.
I don’t think there is any way today to predict what the parties (short as they are on ideology) and the leaders (short as they are on, errr, leadership) will do tomorrow, when the entire political and social landscape gets redrawn.
Those who see Thaksin and company as progressive democratic reformers are, I think, fooling themselves. There’s a lot of hope, not much evidence. But we all love an underdog. Many red shirts are true underdogs, no matter what shirt they wear. I don’t think billionaires can be underdogs, only top dogs, bold, enterprising, vicious. It’s the nature of the pack for the weak to follow the strong, and for the strong to rule with sharp teeth and to claim the best meat for themselves. The weak are hoping that a morsel or two gets left for them. And the sad state of Thai society is how many the weak have become, and how desperate for a morsel.
The Dems are more like fat cats, and Mark himself is a pussycat, a house cat, aloof and spotless. Despite the shrill accusations, he’s no Idi Amin. The claws come out when needed, but otherwise the Dems are content to lounge on the windowsill, gazing out at the scenes below.
And with the master of the house ailing, survival instinct has kicked in.
What happens in the vacuum? Could any civilian government withstand the uncertainty and military shake-ups that follow? At that moment, the army will have a huge advantage. I doubt the people will mount much resistance to a coup– not one predicated on electoral wrangling but an unprecedented social and cultural catastrophe, as the military will call it, and as many citizens will agree it is.
seem to remember that every wave of refugees gets greeted by some similar racist, religious, etc, bigotry response
simply put, my issue is with this knee jerk response is expressed in one example of a group that “would never be accepted into Australian society”… who is going to provide our fresh vegies now that the Vietnamese have moved into big houses, own and cook in most restaurant kitchens, retailing and the professions
The current stream of refugees arriving in Australia are also largely Muslim, who by most accounts don’t integrate into Australian society at all and tend to have a percentage about 85% that stay indefinitely on welfare. Also Muslims are currently agitating to introduce Sharia Law into Australia. Would any of the above be why the bulk of the Australian population doesn’t want them and whose fault is that really? Currently declared progressives, formerly Marxists, who want to accept all that arrive tend to not live near the alien ghettos that they invariably settle.
I don’t suppose the Rohingya are also unwanted because they are Muslims by any chance? The Thais have a Muslim insurrection in the South, and despite who started what that would hardly engender them.
Just to clarify, the War on Terror, seems to me more a war on resources and for profit and it is morally repugnant.
Khun Tarrin said:
“I have wrote several long response to some of those accusation in the past and usually they when they got pushed to the corner they just shift the topic and nothing got progress”
hahahaha, I know exactly what you mean.
Go to those several Red/Yellow pages on Facebook.com and you will see these cycles every day. I will just cite examples:
(1)
(Red) [posting nude picture of certain Royal]
(Yellow) This photo is photoshopped!
(Red) You think this is photoshopped? Prove it.
(Yellow) I don’t need to prove! It is clear that they are photoshopped.
(Red) No, you do need to prove. Because you are the one who made the allegation, therefore, you have to be able to prove your allegation.
(Yellow) [stop replying, but go to other page and then said the same thing, the whole cycle starts again]…
(2)
(Yellow) The Queen is above politics.
(Red) No, she is not. She takes side.
(Yellow) Do you have any prove?
(Red) She attended the PAD funeral.
(Yellow) You are lying!
(Red) [posting video clip of the Queen attending PAD funeral]…this is evidence. What do you have to say about it?
(Yellow) The fact she attended does not mean she takes side! You are accusing her.
(Red) Listen to the news reporter, she said “the Queen said “Nong Beau is a good girl, she is fighting for the Monarchy”.
(Yellow) This video clip is photoshopped!!!
(Red) [found the complete video clip on youtube and post it]..here’s the complete clip. What do you have to say about it?
(Yellow) So what? (changes the topic) Your beloved Thaksin is corrupt corrupt corrupt!!!
(3)
(Yellow) The King is above politics.
(Red) Really, so how come he endorsed the coup?
(Yellow) He didn’t! You are lying!
(Red) Really? [posts news about the King endorses coup], have not you heard this news?
(Yellow) This is foreign news. It is unreliable! Those people want to destroy Thailand.
(Red) Really? [posts pictures of the King signing the paper appointing the PM from the junta], but this picture shows that he signed it.
(Yellow) That is still not enough evidence. Just because he signed it does not mean he endorsed the coup!!!
(Red) So how come Surayud got appointed afterwards, if he did not endorse the coup?
(Yellow) You are silly! He has no choice. If he does not endorse the coup he would be killed. He was forced to endorse it. Someone is pointing a gun on his head.
(Red) Who can force him to endorse the coup? If he is forced, why don’t he tell Thai people on TV the name of the person who pointed the gun on his head, forcing him to endorse the coup? Then the Thai people will take care of that person for him.
(Yellow) ……(changes the topic) Well Thaksin is corrupted so it is good he is ousted.
I know too well the audacity of these people. This is why I hardly reply to these people’s posts in here…I don’t see the point.
Vichai N @18
Ah Vichai, Perhaps you should ask yourself when did the hate start. Surely with the Amart/PAD hate Taksin campaign and then on to the Red Shirts. According to Buddhist principals when you give out hate you get hate back. When you give out love you get love back. Maybe its time for you to start loving the Red Shirts. After all they only want the something I presume you want, a better Thailand.
Oh trust me you are not the only one the got censored, I also got my comment delete quite a number of times but I never complained that’s all.
You might also have to be aware that your are not the only one who made that kind of comment, before you there are people like StanG who said the same thing. The thing is, you’ve made those exact same claims (or accusation which ever way you want to look at) and people like me (or Ralph Kramen # 75) always made the same counter argument. Its really got repetitive for many old patrons here.
You have been bashing Thaksin like many other before you, its the same accusation we have heard for the last 5 years, we did attempted to address your accusation many many many times. I have wrote several long response to some of those accusation in the past and usually they when they got push to the corner they just shift the topic and nothing got progress. Its been like this for the last 5 years so I think you should understand Nich and Andrew a bit about why they decided not to post your argument.
@Mr Kramden,
You should not be surprised. Thai media is one-sided, and all the means of manipulative propaganda are used to the max. It is no surprise that people who listen and believe the Thai media would not know much about the elites and the establishment, because they have never been allowed to hear anything bad about those people.
There are a lot of Thais outside Thailand who are well-informed. You should not be surprised if Thais who live overseas are well-informed. No other country blocks 100,000+ websites, does not adhere to fair publication rule when it comes to Thai politics, and bans academic books/journal articles which are critical of Thai elites like Thailand. Thus, if you live overseas and you really want to know what’s happening in Thailand, all you need is a willingness to learn and the ability to analyse information with an open mind.
Moreover, I left Thailand since I was very little, and I was a ‘studious’ geek who ‘studied’ on my desk instead of watching TV at 8 PM when I was in school (and in college of course). Thus I did not see so much brainwashing propaganda when I was in Thailand, unlike others. In fact I could count with my bare hands how many times I saw those royal propagandas on TV. All in all, I had not been exposed to so much brainwashing stuffs like other Thais I guess.
In fact, I am more impressed of people inside Thailand who can become well-informed despite so many barriers created by the elites. It must be very hard for people in Thailand to get the actual detailed analysis of the situation in Thailand. First there is that language barrier. Secondly there is the internet barrier created by the Thai authorities. Thirdly, it is the propaganda which is being dictated to the Thais since primary schools (where Thais learn about the ‘selected’ parts of history about the greatness of the few Kings), the one-sided media etc. which many Thais would fall for it. And once you fall for it, you would disregard all not-so-positive information about the Thai elites as false or fabrication due to cognitive dissonance. I think it is much harder for become well-informed when you live in Thailand.
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Chuvit on the streets
Thank Chris. This is the most interesting post in your series. The previous two campaign posts are not so exciting because they are mostly the same old thing that we have seen before in the past.
BTW, if Chuvit get elected again this time, it indicates that when voting for an MP personality carries more weight than policy for Thais. As far as I know, this is the only recent personality campaign which has a chance of wining. Though other candidates emphasizes that they are smart, good, honest, sincere, ect. at some degree, they do have a clear policy or proposal. Chuvit seems to have only one single vague aim — fighting corruption. I don’t know whether I can call this a policy as he hasn’t describe how he will implement it.
Chuvit on the streets
Absolutely love Chuvit. He’s a Bangkok institution. Met him briefly during the last election. Funny, funny man and very passionate about Thai politics and social issues.
A Pheua Thai win? But then what?
Following a PT victory, it is becoming increasingly likely that the judiciary are going to throw Yingluck in jail on any trumped up charge they can invent. She will then probably be allowed to make bail and do a runner like her older brother to Dubai.
However, does this really solve anything for the amart? There will still be a PT near majority in parliament (Bangkok Pundit predicts from the opinion polls that PT will only end up maybe a half dozen to a dozen votes shy of a true majority). In addition, the Dems, BJT and the rest of the opposition will have to contend with the sympathy for “the lady” (same as with ASSK in Burma), combined with the still pent-up Red Shirt rage against double standards. It could get quite messy. I am not advising any friends or family members to visit Thailand in July.
Chuvit on the streets
He also has a new one in which he appears grinning and shaking hands with a bull terrier. After all the other grimaces, seeing Chuwit grinning is oddly dicncerting.
I’ve only seen it in passing, so I’m not sure what the text says.
A Pheua Thai win? But then what?
John, # 33
The situation in both countries is frighteningly similar but one posting in this forum complained that Yingluck should not / cannot be compared with ASSK even though both are popular figures now.
Tourist among Rohingya vagabonds
When you say they’re unwanted because they are Muslim, are you talking about Burma or Australia? That is part of the reason they are forced to flee Arakan from the Burmese military, only to end up in Australia to face discrimination from at least some Australians because they are Muslim. Like Bauman wrote, these vagabonds find the world inhospitable no matter where they go.
A Pheua Thai win? But then what?
Now comparing Aung san suu kyi to Thaksin’s sister. That’s a good one… Thanks, Had not heard that one, you have me cracking up :-)))
Also the notion that politicians around the world are the same as thai politicians, after people going to extreme lengths for the last 12 months to explain the specifics of the thai situation?!?! Why try to make any point if it’s the same everywhere. How about the people, are they the same everywhere too? The people, isn’t this what counts, rather than always focussing on the same big wigs? Naaah, probably doesn’t count…. Too bad! 🙁
A Pheua Thai win? But then what?
New Mandala readers who want to see the reception of these thoughts in Thai can head over to Prachatai. They provide a summary translation of my original post and then a long list of comments follows. And there are comments here too.
Thanks to a long-time reader for pointing out the Prachatai translation.
Best wishes to all,
Nich
From Village Scouts to Cyber Scouts
[…] been set up to hunt and block inappropriate websites, and Abhisit has announced that Thailand will appoint computer-literate students, teachers and bureaucrats as “Cyber Scouts” to help police th… – an echo of the Village Scout movement set up in the 1970s to fight Communism and protect the […]
A Pheua Thai win? But then what?
[…] […]
A Pheua Thai win? But then what?
#31 Hate exists here because the spirit of the faith has long been systematically abused by those to whom the ‘love’ principle is nothing more than a blank check for mass exploitation. I don’t begrudge ordinary citizens some hate myself. All this ‘love’ nonsense has served such citizens very badly. Presumably, it is ‘love’ that shoots people in the back. It strikes me the victims are entitled to hate mafia, businessmen, politicians, uniformed people vote enforcers and goon squads. (Especially since we never really know which successionist/separatist group murdered who, and exactly who took economic advantage from it.) Such barbaric acts most certainly do not occur because ‘they’ want to ‘love’ us. Rather, they love the very idea of always looking for advantage, and are prepared to greatly disadvantage ordinary citizens who just happen to get in their way.
As politicians set themselves up as society’s agents in the legislative process, they would be well-advised to start showing some genuine respect for their electorate. Those who aspire to rule should try to act according to a few rules (instead of acting the eternal scofflaw), and stop blaming others for the ill-effects of their own duplicity. It is up to them to demonstrate moral conduct, if they wish to be respected.
It isn’t always practical to adhere to a supposed tenet of a faith that has been cynically exploited by self-proclaimed ‘big’ believers since time immemorial. I note that hate has long been very widespread here, even amongst monks – some of whom subscribe to the idea of shooting people in the back.
A Pheua Thai win? But then what?
This election is coming to resemble the 1990 election in Burma more and more everyday. First, the totally out-of-touch Army decides that it can win an election. Then a woman heads up a party that looks to sweep the boards. When she does so the Army says. “Ha, ha… only fooling…” and pulls the rug out from under her winning party. Again. For the fourth time? Whether they use the kangaroo kourt system or their tracked vehicles makes little difference.
The question in my mind is… is that really going to happen? Is the Thai Army just like the Burmese Army? And if it does… with the Thais take it as the Burmese did? or will all of Thailand come to resemble Yala, Narathiwat, and Pattani? Neither nightmare seems at all palatable to me.
A Pheua Thai win? But then what?
For me the big question is not who will win or what will change right after the election.
Instead, the big What is What happens after HM passes? Will that historic event trigger reform or a an authoritarian backlash? I could see either taking place under PT or the Dems. There’s not a party or leader who will be able to stem the initial free-for-all.
I don’t think there is any way today to predict what the parties (short as they are on ideology) and the leaders (short as they are on, errr, leadership) will do tomorrow, when the entire political and social landscape gets redrawn.
Those who see Thaksin and company as progressive democratic reformers are, I think, fooling themselves. There’s a lot of hope, not much evidence. But we all love an underdog. Many red shirts are true underdogs, no matter what shirt they wear. I don’t think billionaires can be underdogs, only top dogs, bold, enterprising, vicious. It’s the nature of the pack for the weak to follow the strong, and for the strong to rule with sharp teeth and to claim the best meat for themselves. The weak are hoping that a morsel or two gets left for them. And the sad state of Thai society is how many the weak have become, and how desperate for a morsel.
The Dems are more like fat cats, and Mark himself is a pussycat, a house cat, aloof and spotless. Despite the shrill accusations, he’s no Idi Amin. The claws come out when needed, but otherwise the Dems are content to lounge on the windowsill, gazing out at the scenes below.
And with the master of the house ailing, survival instinct has kicked in.
What happens in the vacuum? Could any civilian government withstand the uncertainty and military shake-ups that follow? At that moment, the army will have a huge advantage. I doubt the people will mount much resistance to a coup– not one predicated on electoral wrangling but an unprecedented social and cultural catastrophe, as the military will call it, and as many citizens will agree it is.
Tourist among Rohingya vagabonds
My Damage #2
seem to remember that every wave of refugees gets greeted by some similar racist, religious, etc, bigotry response
simply put, my issue is with this knee jerk response is expressed in one example of a group that “would never be accepted into Australian society”… who is going to provide our fresh vegies now that the Vietnamese have moved into big houses, own and cook in most restaurant kitchens, retailing and the professions
Tourist among Rohingya vagabonds
The current stream of refugees arriving in Australia are also largely Muslim, who by most accounts don’t integrate into Australian society at all and tend to have a percentage about 85% that stay indefinitely on welfare. Also Muslims are currently agitating to introduce Sharia Law into Australia. Would any of the above be why the bulk of the Australian population doesn’t want them and whose fault is that really? Currently declared progressives, formerly Marxists, who want to accept all that arrive tend to not live near the alien ghettos that they invariably settle.
I don’t suppose the Rohingya are also unwanted because they are Muslims by any chance? The Thais have a Muslim insurrection in the South, and despite who started what that would hardly engender them.
Just to clarify, the War on Terror, seems to me more a war on resources and for profit and it is morally repugnant.
Yingluck on the streets
Khun Tarrin said:
“I have wrote several long response to some of those accusation in the past and usually they when they got pushed to the corner they just shift the topic and nothing got progress”
hahahaha, I know exactly what you mean.
Go to those several Red/Yellow pages on Facebook.com and you will see these cycles every day. I will just cite examples:
(1)
(Red) [posting nude picture of certain Royal]
(Yellow) This photo is photoshopped!
(Red) You think this is photoshopped? Prove it.
(Yellow) I don’t need to prove! It is clear that they are photoshopped.
(Red) No, you do need to prove. Because you are the one who made the allegation, therefore, you have to be able to prove your allegation.
(Yellow) [stop replying, but go to other page and then said the same thing, the whole cycle starts again]…
(2)
(Yellow) The Queen is above politics.
(Red) No, she is not. She takes side.
(Yellow) Do you have any prove?
(Red) She attended the PAD funeral.
(Yellow) You are lying!
(Red) [posting video clip of the Queen attending PAD funeral]…this is evidence. What do you have to say about it?
(Yellow) The fact she attended does not mean she takes side! You are accusing her.
(Red) Listen to the news reporter, she said “the Queen said “Nong Beau is a good girl, she is fighting for the Monarchy”.
(Yellow) This video clip is photoshopped!!!
(Red) [found the complete video clip on youtube and post it]..here’s the complete clip. What do you have to say about it?
(Yellow) So what? (changes the topic) Your beloved Thaksin is corrupt corrupt corrupt!!!
(3)
(Yellow) The King is above politics.
(Red) Really, so how come he endorsed the coup?
(Yellow) He didn’t! You are lying!
(Red) Really? [posts news about the King endorses coup], have not you heard this news?
(Yellow) This is foreign news. It is unreliable! Those people want to destroy Thailand.
(Red) Really? [posts pictures of the King signing the paper appointing the PM from the junta], but this picture shows that he signed it.
(Yellow) That is still not enough evidence. Just because he signed it does not mean he endorsed the coup!!!
(Red) So how come Surayud got appointed afterwards, if he did not endorse the coup?
(Yellow) You are silly! He has no choice. If he does not endorse the coup he would be killed. He was forced to endorse it. Someone is pointing a gun on his head.
(Red) Who can force him to endorse the coup? If he is forced, why don’t he tell Thai people on TV the name of the person who pointed the gun on his head, forcing him to endorse the coup? Then the Thai people will take care of that person for him.
(Yellow) ……(changes the topic) Well Thaksin is corrupted so it is good he is ousted.
I know too well the audacity of these people. This is why I hardly reply to these people’s posts in here…I don’t see the point.
A Pheua Thai win? But then what?
Vichai N @18
Ah Vichai, Perhaps you should ask yourself when did the hate start. Surely with the Amart/PAD hate Taksin campaign and then on to the Red Shirts. According to Buddhist principals when you give out hate you get hate back. When you give out love you get love back. Maybe its time for you to start loving the Red Shirts. After all they only want the something I presume you want, a better Thailand.
Yingluck on the streets
Kate – 74
Oh trust me you are not the only one the got censored, I also got my comment delete quite a number of times but I never complained that’s all.
You might also have to be aware that your are not the only one who made that kind of comment, before you there are people like StanG who said the same thing. The thing is, you’ve made those exact same claims (or accusation which ever way you want to look at) and people like me (or Ralph Kramen # 75) always made the same counter argument. Its really got repetitive for many old patrons here.
You have been bashing Thaksin like many other before you, its the same accusation we have heard for the last 5 years, we did attempted to address your accusation many many many times. I have wrote several long response to some of those accusation in the past and usually they when they got push to the corner they just shift the topic and nothing got progress. Its been like this for the last 5 years so I think you should understand Nich and Andrew a bit about why they decided not to post your argument.
Yingluck on the streets
@Mr Kramden,
You should not be surprised. Thai media is one-sided, and all the means of manipulative propaganda are used to the max. It is no surprise that people who listen and believe the Thai media would not know much about the elites and the establishment, because they have never been allowed to hear anything bad about those people.
FACT’s plea for Joe Gordon
@Khun BKK Lawyer
There are a lot of Thais outside Thailand who are well-informed. You should not be surprised if Thais who live overseas are well-informed. No other country blocks 100,000+ websites, does not adhere to fair publication rule when it comes to Thai politics, and bans academic books/journal articles which are critical of Thai elites like Thailand. Thus, if you live overseas and you really want to know what’s happening in Thailand, all you need is a willingness to learn and the ability to analyse information with an open mind.
Moreover, I left Thailand since I was very little, and I was a ‘studious’ geek who ‘studied’ on my desk instead of watching TV at 8 PM when I was in school (and in college of course). Thus I did not see so much brainwashing propaganda when I was in Thailand, unlike others. In fact I could count with my bare hands how many times I saw those royal propagandas on TV. All in all, I had not been exposed to so much brainwashing stuffs like other Thais I guess.
In fact, I am more impressed of people inside Thailand who can become well-informed despite so many barriers created by the elites. It must be very hard for people in Thailand to get the actual detailed analysis of the situation in Thailand. First there is that language barrier. Secondly there is the internet barrier created by the Thai authorities. Thirdly, it is the propaganda which is being dictated to the Thais since primary schools (where Thais learn about the ‘selected’ parts of history about the greatness of the few Kings), the one-sided media etc. which many Thais would fall for it. And once you fall for it, you would disregard all not-so-positive information about the Thai elites as false or fabrication due to cognitive dissonance. I think it is much harder for become well-informed when you live in Thailand.