Comments

  1. MattB says:

    Perhaps it is just me.

    But surely something much more could be creatively formed from and by a movement that had galvanized millions of Thais demanding redress for perceived wrongs. Some Red works of art that appeal aesthetically and intellectually. Otherwise the movement would be reduced to nothing more than the color it chose to be represented . . . blazing RED . . . and its negative symbolism of hate, anger, violence and fire.

    But again it is just me.

  2. michael says:

    Dickie S #19 – thank you! I looked at the website; definitely a classy-looking pad thai in the photo. Pity about the oil – it spoils it.

    Lard-na moo – The first (original) one is in NakhornChaisri Rd, about 30 metres from Rama V Rd, on the left, as you go uphill towards railway. They have a few tables inside & lots on the pavement. The second one was started just a few years ago by their original cook. It’s absolutely on the street (tables, though), further uphill on the same side, opposite the Excise Dept, outside Khun Yai Hairdressing (nb revolving ‘barber pole’ on the footpath). I’ve just been there – I was wrong about the price; it’s 30Baht!

    Also in the area is a fantastic Esarn Restaurant. Turn right into SawanKhalok, then right into the first Soi (Soi Sookwarn Tharam), just over a little bridge. About 50metres before Rama V, on the left, is Ran Ahan Mol, big open front. They have forest mushrooms when in season (now!), the mushroomiest of mushrooms, in a soup (also the subterranean round mushrooms – hard outside, creamy inside), plus lots of other hard-to-find Esarn delicacies.

  3. Nganadeeleg says:

    Les Abbey: “Or do I have the wrong general?

    Yes, I think you do:
    http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/ThaiTalk/2008/08/28/entry-3

  4. JohnH says:

    Yes…indeed. I often wonder why various TV news stations see fit to devote fairly regular airtime slots to ”top stars”, various hi-so types etc. and their latest hideous business ventures.

    The overwhelming, gushy, empty-headed, darlingness of these sordid media-me affairs is always guaranteed to make me extremely … (fill in the blank)

  5. Maratjp says:

    Can’t connect to any of your links to your earlier drafts, Thomas.

    [Sorry, my fault. Fixed. AW]

  6. LesAbbey says:

    Looking at the number of obese kids in Bangkok now-a-days the last thing we need is a another American fast food franchise. To think the farang food experts objected to a little bit of Ajimoto in the noodles when these places are pumping the kids full of all sorts of nasties.

    Then again that MacDonalds under Chidlom station was pumping the nastiness into the UDD leadership;-) I wonder if the staff ever got paid extra for working through the protest?

    Come to think of it, did Veera eat at MacDonalds? Maybe that’s why he left the protest early. He hadn’t eaten the big macs. Maybe I better stick with that theory as we don’t seem to hear anything better from the UDD.

  7. The presence of a bloc of combat-oriented officers in force-controlling positions sends a strong message that the army is now ready to cope with all kinds of political situations. That means national reconciliation may be of a lower priority.

    Abhisit’s new boss sounds ready to rumble. I hope the Bangkok “middle class” is coming to grips with just what it has done to the country. When civilian power is regained and the 1997 Constitution reinstated the coupsters must be tried and the military must be cut back to size so that they can never again turn over the table and use their guns on the Thai people.

    Maybe retire every general, devolve the military presence in every Jangwat to the status of a National Guard unit controlled by an elected civilian review board, from which the military and politicians are foreclosed.

    A Nationally elected civilian review board might control the unified command.

    And no generals ever again.

  8. Hope you like it more than the pictures.

    I certainly like it as well as the pictures. Ok… more than the pictures 🙂

  9. I like Number 10 (Helmet of Oppression) a lot. Number 9 (David) brings a sweet smile to my face. But I like Number 2 (Power to the People) the best.

    Thanks a million for putting these up. I’ve downloaded ’em all.

  10. I could not see anything creatively aesthetic with those pictures you just posted . . . but that’s just me.

    You’re right it is just you.

  11. Tarrin says:

    MattB – 1

    I would really wish to see some Thai artistic depictions (by a monumental sculpture, by a paintings, by poems or by songs) of the Rachaprasong Black May 2010 tragedy/massacre .

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KS1p633jjU

    Well, this is poem+song made by students of Student Federation of Thailand, although not to condemn the killing, but to give encouragement to students who had been arrest throughout the country from protesting during the emergency decree and to give moral support to the red for their struggle against ammart, injustice, and so on.

    Hope you like it more than the pictures.

  12. Dickie Simpkins says:

    Michael, the shop is called Thip Samai Pad Thai, they even have a web site me thinks… http://www.thipsamai.com

    their standards have dropped recently though, I went there 2 times in the past 6 months and found it oilier than ever b4, but that hasn’t stopped the masses.

    My new favorite Pad Thai is found in “Bharani” restaurant in Sukhumvit Soi 23:

    http://www.soidb.com/en/bangkok/dine/restaurant/bharani_sukhumvit_soi23.html

    quite a jump from though, eh 😉

    and Bharani is the perfect hi-so spot too, full of Royal imagery once inside. Though the food is absolutely delicious!

    Now, where is that yummy Lard-na place you’re talking about?

  13. Tarrin says:

    LesAbbey – 40

    It was him telling the Samak or Somchai government that if they arrested Chamlong he would take over leadership of yellow shirts and remove the government wasn’t it? Or do I have the wrong general?

    I don’t recall that myself since there were more than a dozen military men that went on the stage but I do have some vague idea which speech you are talking about. However, I don’t think its him, I’m sure that a reporter used to interview Sae Dang and all he said he was there as an observer, he made no mention of replacing Chamlong by any chance. If there’s something to say about Sae Dang he used to be one of the prominent figure who talk against Thaksin during times before the 19 Sep Coup, he even came out and protect Anupong on the APC corruption case. However, his stance slowly changes throughout 2008-2009 who knows why that’s the case.

    Not being from the military I could be very wrong on this and maybe a soldier never fires unless he has someone in his sights. Then again if each bullet fired equaled one casualty then only about 100 bullets were fired this year

    Well, the Army is not a unify single living entity, those that involve in the operation against the red might have some of their relative took part in the protest. I have came across an article written in Thai about this young private who saw his mother in the crowd so he drop his gun an ran to her to take her to safety, I’m not sure who wrote that article or whether the event actually take place so I never want to quote one. However, just weeks before 19 May there’s a report by Matichon about another private hanging himself in Korat because he doesn’t want to come to Bangkok.

    With that in mind, its pretty save to say that not all the soldiers who took part in the operation want to shoot at the protesters, but certainly some were more than willing to. We simply can’t generalize what each soldiers were thinking then so your statement about number of casualties should be equal to short fire sound very odd.

    If any thing make you feel a but more suspicious, then I’m sure that those 6 (or more) death in Wat Pratum were not shot because they were unlucky right? if you read the recent headline in many news paper (not the English one anyway) they have found many HK rounds on the BTS track between the Siam and Chitlom station.

  14. Non-ngong Na Malai says:

    It is noteworthy that the general failed to mention the overall interest of the Thai populace. His view is no more than being troglodytic, i.e., to promote his own kind, of course, and to pay lip service about serving the monarchy, and if necessary, he will intervene in public affairs, which means only the military knows what is right, while all other citizens are suspected of being disloyal. So it looks like we really have to go back to being troglodytes, doesn’t it?

  15. Suzie Wong says:

    Theoretically I consider the Thai military has moved from the “old professionalism” of protecting the country’s territory and sovereignty towards the “new professionalism” of internal warfare and military role expansion.

  16. bernd grimm says:

    to Suzie Wong!

    Jakrapob Penkair is definitely not Not The Nation.
    And not even funny.

    Using the mishaps of his family in order to exploit them
    for his own case of irresponsible behaviour
    is another torch in his cv.
    When will the real Red Shirts wake up and get rid
    of Thaksins pied pipers?
    If you want democacy start at home and elect your
    own leaders.
    Notorious liers like Jakrapob, Nattawut and Jatuporn
    will not help any democratic movement to succeed.

  17. MattB says:

    Ugh! Sorry Tom Hoy but personally I could not see anything creatively aesthetic with those pictures you just posted . . . but that’s just me.

    And those posted pictures merely confirmed what was said “I have yet so see any artistic or aesthetic symbolic works that define the Red anger and angst.”

    I would really wish to see some Thai artistic depictions (by a monumental sculpture, by a paintings, by poems or by songs) of the Rachaprasong Black May 2010 tragedy/massacre . Thai people need to be reminded that these bloody tragedies are not unnatural accidents but of men-made malice origin . . .

  18. Homer Simpson says:

    General Prayuth took over control of the army yesterday.

    How should we feel about that? How does he see the army’s role in Thai society? Is it the servant of the people, and by extension, the civilian government? Is he a hard-liner, a liberal reformer or a moderate?

    We won’t absolutely know the answer to these questions until we look back, post-2014, at his time in command, but we can look at what the Bangkok Post says that he had to say in his formal speech at yesterday’s handover ceremony for clues:

    Army insiders believe that with Gen Prayuth as chief, anything – even a coup – is possible if the army feels it may lose control over politics and be at a disadvantage against its enemies.

    “No one would want a coup if the nation is peaceful and free of unrest,” Gen Prayuth said recently.

    Although he expressed a wish to bring his soldiers back to the barracks and stay away from politics, Gen Prayuth realises this will be difficult.

    “I will try to step back from politics, be clear of it and leave it with the government so that soldiers can do their military work. But if the nation has not returned to order, the military as a mechanism of the government must help build order first,” he said.

    Sounds like, if you have any red tee shirts you may want to keep them in the closet for a while longer, since they resemble that little circle in the middle of the bullseye.

    You can also look at the entire article from today’s Bangkok Post and count the number of references to General Prayuth’s dedication to the “royal institution”, his love for the monarchy and the defense of the crown, which sound much like the paragraph that Nicholas Farrelly quoted above.

    http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/199069/olive-branch-for-red-shirts

    This is a scary guy to have running around with a gun in his hands (or a battalion of tanks).

  19. LesAbbey says:

    Chamlong is Jor Por Ror class of 7 while Sae Dang is class 11 so no way they are friend by any chance…

    I took it that they must be friends from Seh Daeng’s talk of 2008 or 2009 before he became a red shirt supporter. It was him telling the Samak or Somchai government that if they arrested Chamlong he would take over leadership of yellow shirts and remove the government wasn’t it? Or do I have the wrong general?

    Tarrin I take it that after pointing out that Chamlong had no need of bravery standing in the street when the bullets were flying, and arguing against my suspicion that most people were shot were probably unlucky rather than targeted, that you say this from experience of being in the street with the red shirts when the bullets were flying this year.

    While there does seem little doubt that army snipers did target individuals, on some roads like Rama 4 it seemed to me that the army was just firing down the road to clear demonstrators off it. (Not being from the military I could be very wrong on this and maybe a soldier never fires unless he has someone in his sights. Then again if each bullet fired equaled one casualty then only about 100 bullets were fired this year. Or of course soldiers are bad shots and it’s sheer bad luck if you are the one hit.)

    Last bit on Chamlong as we have moved so far off the topic of the Nation is, but which you are welcome to refute, I think he had a following among some of the younger army officers. Wasn’t he a respected teacher at the academy for a while. I could imagine some of the young cadets being quite taken with this ascetic religious character.

    Maybe he could have been a bit like General Spinola was to the younger officers in Lisbon in 1974. Then again a few of those young officers eventually ended up in prison under the democratic governments that followed the end of fascism in Portugal. Come to think of it, didn’t some of the younger Philippino army officers who helped overthrow Marcos eventually end up in prison under Mrs. Aquino.

  20. Christoffer Larsson says:

    @Leah Hoyt

    This is not serious. You have already made up your mind that the system is unfair to the disadvantage of farmers, and then you look for anything to support that case.

    “My understanding is that…”, “It is only logical to think…”, “I don’t know the rice sector…”, “I don’t have comparative data…”, “I have much less data on this…”.

    To be more accurate, your post consist of no data whatsoever.
    You may be right, but there is nothing in your post supporting it.