Fred Korat #52: “Let’s hope you live to see an Australian republic. ” Why on earth do you say that? In Australia we have a genuine (distanced) constitutional monarchy. It works very well. The Queen’s ‘representatives’, for many years, have been Australian citizens, chosen for their outstanding contributions to the society. We’ve had outstanding scientists, military leaders, civil servants, etc. My favorite has been Sir William Dean, who, when John Howard, the PM, refused to apologise to the ‘Stolen Generation’, went ahead & did his own thing. If we were a republic, we would have yet another sleazy politician, forever making bombastic speeches & watching the opinion polls, as Head of State. Our actual (de facto) HOS is genuinely removed from politics.
Some Australians are irked by having a Queen as H.O.S. I can’t see why. Queen Elizabeth has very little to do with Australia, but whenever she goes there, she is feted. This is very much due to the affection that Anglo-Australians in particular have for an 84-year-old woman who actually drove trucks during the second world war (not just a photo opportunity), and has kept out of politics, as well as doing a very demanding ‘ceremonial’ job, often 7 days per week, until now. I’m not a committed ‘royalist’, but I like her, & I can’t help thinking that she is a pretty good H.O.S. for UK (and the other Commonwealth countries) as they watch her family go through all the same dramas that everyone else has to go through, with some dignity & wisdom & sometimes terrible mistakes. I also like the idiosyncrasies and blunders of several of her family members, including her husband, her son, her late mother…and Fergie. Of course, we only know about all of this because UK has a free press, which watches its HOS with the same critical eye as its parliament, and its other citizens. And nobody ever gets hauled up by the cops, tortured or otherwise coerced into ‘confessing’, and gaoled for satirising them, making the caricatures that appear regularly in the press (& are collected by them), or writing condemnatory articles about what are seen to be excesses. And, although she’s fairly rich, Q.E.II pays income tax. She was trained for the job, and the continuity of her position provides a stabilising balance to the necessary changes of political persuasion in government. She is a figure-head & a symbol of unity, in societies which are extremely diverse, and no longer ‘anglo’. And she knows her place.
Australia may not be a perfect democracy (no such thing), but it stands up very well against others, especially the republics – and certainly the U.S., in areas such as media freedom, justice, availability of services, and opportunity. Our de facto HOS is pleasingly low-key. How could we possibly gain by getting rid of the Crown & becoming a republic?
Old too! What about the sticker on taxi and tuk tuk ‘no money;
no honey’? Btw, according to the dozen plus ladies in my village with this experience, sex is politized. They sell the honeyed services. According to our village stat only two farang-thai couples, all in their sixties, are blissfully married. The need to get some farang sponsors is expressed, frequently. Beware!
The difference btwn Thaksin and others is the fmr PM put on the pah ka ma/ loin cloth, ate, and stayed overnight like a relative. As the Thai political ‘lakhon nham now’/soap opera dirty water is played out in Thailand, Amsterdam is singing praises of Thaksin’s glorious past. AV is made to face this grandmaster of political chessboard: GF Alexander Knoops.
It does not look good in Isarn Ubon with the highest school dropouts, drugs from Laos (even ganja in my neighbour’s backyard). What about the drought in my village that may mean no rice in the kra tip/rice basket? The Isarn folks in my village will become fodder for unscrupulous local power that be and maybe the Red Shirt movement. Their childrens’ daily wages could hardly support themselves. Poverty breeds proverty. How true. Let’s hope the biggest chunk of the national budget are evenly distributed and not siphoned by the voter buyers and their cronies. I cycled a lot and I have seen a perfect road that is only about 100 metres long. This is so remote and I had to struggle in the sand for that few kilometres of my travel in that beautiful but sparsely- populated region.
Khun Tarrin is Thai and he knows the Thai’s ‘khi kreing jai’/obligatory gesture of not pointing out someone’s mistake. But, the same bloke may deck you when he has lost his inhibition to ‘lao kow’ during a rustic and lewd ‘mor ram’ concert.
AV and Anupong should send their people to these poor villages in His Majesty’s footsteps. Gen Chavalit under the PM Prem’s government was able to win the war against the communists using the strategy I mentioned above. And using that spillover affection he won the election! When Khun Pongpat a famous actor stood up in Thai version of the Oscar ceremony to praise our King as our father in his tireless years of his work for the Thai, it struck the chord of almost everyone in Thailand and beyond. He went on to condemned the infamous crook who will be sueing Khun Pongpat for his defamatory remark.
StanG: I agree that personal accountability/responsibility also come into play, but look at the constants in Thai society over several decades – IMO nobody should be ‘above’ criticism.
FYI: I’ve just learned (from a post at Fa Diew Kan webboard) some interesting info. It seems that from late last year, Suwicha’s family, particulary his elder sister, who earlier (after Suwicha’s arrest and sentenced) had campaigned on his behalf for his release, which included receiving donation from among Red Shirts sympathizers’ communities e.g. Fa Diew Kan, Prachatai, has apparently decided to come out strongly as royalist.
The first post was dated 15 September 2009, announcing that the family no longer wanted to receive donation for Suwicha, stating that they didn’t want “to be used as others’ instrument in wrong ways” (р╣Гр╕Кр╣Йр╣Ар╕гр╕▓р╣Др╕Ыр╣Ар╕Ыр╣Зр╕Щр╣Ар╕Др╕гр╕╖р╣Ир╕нр╕Зр╕бр╕╖р╕нр╣Гр╕Щр╕Чр╕▓р╕Зр╕бр╕┤р╕Кр╕нр╕Ъ). It also issued “warning to those who have “lost their way” (р╕лр╕ер╕Зр╕Ьр╕┤р╕Ф), “wrongly believed one-sided information” [regarding the monarchy – Somsak]. http://thakhorfamily.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html
The blog also displays links to websites on Royal Projects, and the like by government agencies.
………………
I respect Suwicha and his family’s decision to declare his repentence, as well as his new-found loyalty to the monarchy. As I understand it, when one is in Suwicha’s situations (being jailed and sentenced for LM), one basically has two choices. Either one chooses to fight the charge, and, after being sentenced, to appeal in higher courts, insisting on one’s innocence and the rights to freedom of expression, or even to be critical of the monarchy,with full realization that it probably means a very long stay in jail. Or, one chooses to confess one’s guilt, repents, and expresses remorse for what one has done, and asks for royal pardon right away. I don’t think anyone who is not in the same situations, should pass judgement on the choice of those who are, in each individual case.
The only thing I can say is LM law is fundamentally a law about ‘thought crime’, a crime for thinking differently from Stae ideology. It’s degrading, inhumane, and dehumanizing.
Re: Suzie Wong #13
From what I heard last, Da Torpido has decided to appeal her sentence, and is prepared to fight her case all the way to the Supreme Court. In other words, it’s the first choice above for her, which means she probably will remain behind bars for quite many years to come.
There is some low hanging fruit that could be picked right away on police reform before moving onto the tougher nuts of decentralization, accountability, promotion on merit and elimination of corruption which is seen by most Thais as the main activity of the force. Peripheral activities that are not normally regarded as police work outside Thailand should be removed from the police and given to specialized agencies, e.g. Immigration, the fire service, the approval of entertainment licences, issue of search warrants etc.
I don’t think major reform with ever make much progress without educating the public to reject extrajudicial execution by the police in all circumstances. I am surprised that Samson Lim appears to endorse extrajudicial execution is a satisfactory way to plug deficiencies in the justice system. It is not a giant leap from here to glossing over the impressive body count in Thaksin’s war on drugs or his attrocities committed in the South. If you accept all of this, the killings by security forces of red shirts who were in violation of the emergency act and causing enormous damage to the livelihoods of ordinary people and the economy in general must also be fair game.
Nganadeeleg, you do realize that the elites and the poor are separated by tens of steps up, down and across the ladder.
Shouldn’t you be looking closer to home instead?
With every step up people get fatter and fatter, and when they make it to the top they are still not accepted by the “elites”, as per Anek’s two democracy’s theory.
So why is that you blame the elites for poor’s predicament?
I could say the elites fault is that they haven’t cleaned up the scum but rather accepted it as a necessary evil in the name of democracy, let them get away with murder and even set ripping off the poor as a new standard.
#51 “In Thailand you have a fabulously rich royal family that is key to the overt and covert patronage networks. The hidden state uses the protection of the monarchy as their excuse for ignoring any power threat that might arise from an elected government.”
As both sides have been known to willingly accept this status quo, and even sychophantically prostrate themselves to it, I think we can assume that neither side really has the gumption to make more than a few very cosmetic political reforms.
Let’s hope you live to see an Australian republic. It is certainly a most admirable and highly practical objective. Unfortunately, it will take much longer to bring about real change in this country, when the very best political material it can muster is such an obviously “flawed man”, in Jakkrapob’s own words.
Sondhi’s complete contradictions do not automatically whitewash his esrtwhile friend & ally. What went wrong between them, one wonders? Perhaps it would be safer to assume that the succession issue has brought out the worst in them both.
#18 Well Ralph. You are right about the police & military cashing in on the coup. But then one shouldn’t forget many (if not most) of them would also be more than happy to see Thaksin back here and in charge again. In such a Cash-22 situation, we would be fools to support either side in Thailand’s succession war. Certainly policemen should be much better paid. but then again, they have opportunities way beyond the expectations of ordinary farmers. And if they are so concerned about their own plight, then why don’t we see them making any honest efforts to reform this country. Policemen here obviously have no idea what they want. They talk about the evils of the sex industry, and say it must remain illegal, while still profiting from its illegality.
I heard of one language school that opened up in a building that used to be some sort of massage parlor. Probably not the smartest move, but I suppose the proprietors thought the price was right. Day 1, the owner is summoned to the lobby to find a bunch of tourist policemen reclining in chairs with their boots up on the clean tables. They had come on the assumption that any new business at that location could only be something to which they were automatically entitled to receive some cash payments and other payments in kind. It took quite a long time for them to finally be convinced that the owner wasn’t just spinning them a line to avoid payment.
Plans with map and schedule are available on request at the department “Chemins de Fer'” in the Transportation Ministry near Patuxai. The current planned line continues the current short track and more or less follows the Mekong down to Savannakhet, where it does a sharp left across to Vietnam and joins up the VN network. Scedule for completion: an optimistic six years. The staff at this office are very helpful, but are unaware of plans to have a line VTE-China. If it has been considered, it is still at the pre-planning stage. Opinion suggests it will follow the route VTE-Sayabouli and shadow the new road up to China, NOT take the far more difficult and costly route via the mountains and Luang Prabang. But this is reasoned conjecture, not planned blueprint.
This is so hypocritical. I am so sick of hearing excuses that the wealthy and the middle class are to blame for the backwards thinking of the poor. If this kind of thinking is to be stopped, the only way to stop it is by stopping the perpetrators themselves. Education is needed for these people.
Who set the conditions? What a load of bull…when are people going to start blaming themselves for their own actions. The wealthy and middle class are scrutinized at every opportunity, but the poor are like spoilt little kids who never are allowed to be told what they do and how think is wrong! The way you treat each other is wrong!
Let me get this right. According to StanG corruption in the police force is okay for it is a “system”. So what of the claims about rule of law that Abhisit has been making. Is rule of law only for some and not for others. Or am I misunderstanding?
Watched the police shaking down innocent motorists on Sukhumvit yesterday. The police (and military) are making the most of their return to power since the coup.
It not point to reform the police now since there are so many figured and organization in Thailand that bar police from arresting them or doing their job.
StanG: I’m not sure if your last question is directed at me or not, but my contention in comment#51 was that yellow has more money than the red, so in a straight out war of money they will always win.
Somehow that has turned into a question of whether Democrats or TRT had more money, but that’s not the point I was making – It all depends on whose backing them, and that backing can change at different points in time.
even to Thais born there who have not seen the other side of the coin.
I’m totally agree with this statement. The Thais have this culture of not discussing what is wrong but rather emphasized on what is right. In a work place specially, I have heard many foreigners complained that the Thais never want to discuss about mistake. This tendency to avoid discussing about any negative aspect resulting in illusion about what is the real problem with the country.
Good news for Suwicha – enjoy your freedom.
Let’s hope anyone else still in jail on LM charges is pardoned ASAP, as only then would the reality get close to matching the myth.
(btw, I wonder if Suwicha is aware of King Juan Carlos of Spain?)
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New Thai street signs
Ha Ha Ha! I like that. That is all about Thailand. The land of thousands smile. The land of white crow.
Jakrapob on the state within the state
Fred Korat #52: “Let’s hope you live to see an Australian republic. ” Why on earth do you say that? In Australia we have a genuine (distanced) constitutional monarchy. It works very well. The Queen’s ‘representatives’, for many years, have been Australian citizens, chosen for their outstanding contributions to the society. We’ve had outstanding scientists, military leaders, civil servants, etc. My favorite has been Sir William Dean, who, when John Howard, the PM, refused to apologise to the ‘Stolen Generation’, went ahead & did his own thing. If we were a republic, we would have yet another sleazy politician, forever making bombastic speeches & watching the opinion polls, as Head of State. Our actual (de facto) HOS is genuinely removed from politics.
Some Australians are irked by having a Queen as H.O.S. I can’t see why. Queen Elizabeth has very little to do with Australia, but whenever she goes there, she is feted. This is very much due to the affection that Anglo-Australians in particular have for an 84-year-old woman who actually drove trucks during the second world war (not just a photo opportunity), and has kept out of politics, as well as doing a very demanding ‘ceremonial’ job, often 7 days per week, until now. I’m not a committed ‘royalist’, but I like her, & I can’t help thinking that she is a pretty good H.O.S. for UK (and the other Commonwealth countries) as they watch her family go through all the same dramas that everyone else has to go through, with some dignity & wisdom & sometimes terrible mistakes. I also like the idiosyncrasies and blunders of several of her family members, including her husband, her son, her late mother…and Fergie. Of course, we only know about all of this because UK has a free press, which watches its HOS with the same critical eye as its parliament, and its other citizens. And nobody ever gets hauled up by the cops, tortured or otherwise coerced into ‘confessing’, and gaoled for satirising them, making the caricatures that appear regularly in the press (& are collected by them), or writing condemnatory articles about what are seen to be excesses. And, although she’s fairly rich, Q.E.II pays income tax. She was trained for the job, and the continuity of her position provides a stabilising balance to the necessary changes of political persuasion in government. She is a figure-head & a symbol of unity, in societies which are extremely diverse, and no longer ‘anglo’. And she knows her place.
Australia may not be a perfect democracy (no such thing), but it stands up very well against others, especially the republics – and certainly the U.S., in areas such as media freedom, justice, availability of services, and opportunity. Our de facto HOS is pleasingly low-key. How could we possibly gain by getting rid of the Crown & becoming a republic?
Sex, love and vote-buying
Old too! What about the sticker on taxi and tuk tuk ‘no money;
no honey’? Btw, according to the dozen plus ladies in my village with this experience, sex is politized. They sell the honeyed services. According to our village stat only two farang-thai couples, all in their sixties, are blissfully married. The need to get some farang sponsors is expressed, frequently. Beware!
The difference btwn Thaksin and others is the fmr PM put on the pah ka ma/ loin cloth, ate, and stayed overnight like a relative. As the Thai political ‘lakhon nham now’/soap opera dirty water is played out in Thailand, Amsterdam is singing praises of Thaksin’s glorious past. AV is made to face this grandmaster of political chessboard: GF Alexander Knoops.
It does not look good in Isarn Ubon with the highest school dropouts, drugs from Laos (even ganja in my neighbour’s backyard). What about the drought in my village that may mean no rice in the kra tip/rice basket? The Isarn folks in my village will become fodder for unscrupulous local power that be and maybe the Red Shirt movement. Their childrens’ daily wages could hardly support themselves. Poverty breeds proverty. How true. Let’s hope the biggest chunk of the national budget are evenly distributed and not siphoned by the voter buyers and their cronies. I cycled a lot and I have seen a perfect road that is only about 100 metres long. This is so remote and I had to struggle in the sand for that few kilometres of my travel in that beautiful but sparsely- populated region.
Khun Tarrin is Thai and he knows the Thai’s ‘khi kreing jai’/obligatory gesture of not pointing out someone’s mistake. But, the same bloke may deck you when he has lost his inhibition to ‘lao kow’ during a rustic and lewd ‘mor ram’ concert.
AV and Anupong should send their people to these poor villages in His Majesty’s footsteps. Gen Chavalit under the PM Prem’s government was able to win the war against the communists using the strategy I mentioned above. And using that spillover affection he won the election! When Khun Pongpat a famous actor stood up in Thai version of the Oscar ceremony to praise our King as our father in his tireless years of his work for the Thai, it struck the chord of almost everyone in Thailand and beyond. He went on to condemned the infamous crook who will be sueing Khun Pongpat for his defamatory remark.
Sex, love and vote-buying
StanG: I agree that personal accountability/responsibility also come into play, but look at the constants in Thai society over several decades – IMO nobody should be ‘above’ criticism.
Suwicha Thakor still locked up
FYI: I’ve just learned (from a post at Fa Diew Kan webboard) some interesting info. It seems that from late last year, Suwicha’s family, particulary his elder sister, who earlier (after Suwicha’s arrest and sentenced) had campaigned on his behalf for his release, which included receiving donation from among Red Shirts sympathizers’ communities e.g. Fa Diew Kan, Prachatai, has apparently decided to come out strongly as royalist.
See this blog created probably by Suwicha’s sister
http://thakhorfamily.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-post_19.html
The first post was dated 15 September 2009, announcing that the family no longer wanted to receive donation for Suwicha, stating that they didn’t want “to be used as others’ instrument in wrong ways” (р╣Гр╕Кр╣Йр╣Ар╕гр╕▓р╣Др╕Ыр╣Ар╕Ыр╣Зр╕Щр╣Ар╕Др╕гр╕╖р╣Ир╕нр╕Зр╕бр╕╖р╕нр╣Гр╕Щр╕Чр╕▓р╕Зр╕бр╕┤р╕Кр╕нр╕Ъ). It also issued “warning to those who have “lost their way” (р╕лр╕ер╕Зр╕Ьр╕┤р╕Ф), “wrongly believed one-sided information” [regarding the monarchy – Somsak].
http://thakhorfamily.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html
A month later, another post stated the same thing, but this time under Suwicha’s own name (“Suwicha asks to convey message of warning to internet users”).
http://thakhorfamily.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-post.html
The blog also displays links to websites on Royal Projects, and the like by government agencies.
………………
I respect Suwicha and his family’s decision to declare his repentence, as well as his new-found loyalty to the monarchy. As I understand it, when one is in Suwicha’s situations (being jailed and sentenced for LM), one basically has two choices. Either one chooses to fight the charge, and, after being sentenced, to appeal in higher courts, insisting on one’s innocence and the rights to freedom of expression, or even to be critical of the monarchy,with full realization that it probably means a very long stay in jail. Or, one chooses to confess one’s guilt, repents, and expresses remorse for what one has done, and asks for royal pardon right away. I don’t think anyone who is not in the same situations, should pass judgement on the choice of those who are, in each individual case.
The only thing I can say is LM law is fundamentally a law about ‘thought crime’, a crime for thinking differently from Stae ideology. It’s degrading, inhumane, and dehumanizing.
Re: Suzie Wong #13
From what I heard last, Da Torpido has decided to appeal her sentence, and is prepared to fight her case all the way to the Supreme Court. In other words, it’s the first choice above for her, which means she probably will remain behind bars for quite many years to come.
Thai institutions: Police
There is some low hanging fruit that could be picked right away on police reform before moving onto the tougher nuts of decentralization, accountability, promotion on merit and elimination of corruption which is seen by most Thais as the main activity of the force. Peripheral activities that are not normally regarded as police work outside Thailand should be removed from the police and given to specialized agencies, e.g. Immigration, the fire service, the approval of entertainment licences, issue of search warrants etc.
I don’t think major reform with ever make much progress without educating the public to reject extrajudicial execution by the police in all circumstances. I am surprised that Samson Lim appears to endorse extrajudicial execution is a satisfactory way to plug deficiencies in the justice system. It is not a giant leap from here to glossing over the impressive body count in Thaksin’s war on drugs or his attrocities committed in the South. If you accept all of this, the killings by security forces of red shirts who were in violation of the emergency act and causing enormous damage to the livelihoods of ordinary people and the economy in general must also be fair game.
Suwicha Thakor still locked up
I youtubed Somsak’s video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM-8wtgA-q4
Let me know if something is wrong with it, audio is a bit out of sync but it’s mostly presenter speaking off camera.
Sex, love and vote-buying
Nganadeeleg, you do realize that the elites and the poor are separated by tens of steps up, down and across the ladder.
Shouldn’t you be looking closer to home instead?
With every step up people get fatter and fatter, and when they make it to the top they are still not accepted by the “elites”, as per Anek’s two democracy’s theory.
So why is that you blame the elites for poor’s predicament?
I could say the elites fault is that they haven’t cleaned up the scum but rather accepted it as a necessary evil in the name of democracy, let them get away with murder and even set ripping off the poor as a new standard.
Sex, love and vote-buying
Colin: What sort of ‘education’ did you have in mind?
(and why hasn’t it already been provided?)
Jakrapob on the state within the state
#51 “In Thailand you have a fabulously rich royal family that is key to the overt and covert patronage networks. The hidden state uses the protection of the monarchy as their excuse for ignoring any power threat that might arise from an elected government.”
As both sides have been known to willingly accept this status quo, and even sychophantically prostrate themselves to it, I think we can assume that neither side really has the gumption to make more than a few very cosmetic political reforms.
Let’s hope you live to see an Australian republic. It is certainly a most admirable and highly practical objective. Unfortunately, it will take much longer to bring about real change in this country, when the very best political material it can muster is such an obviously “flawed man”, in Jakkrapob’s own words.
Sondhi’s complete contradictions do not automatically whitewash his esrtwhile friend & ally. What went wrong between them, one wonders? Perhaps it would be safer to assume that the succession issue has brought out the worst in them both.
Suwicha Thakor still locked up
Suwicha isn’t really “free” now is he?
He’s out of jail, and that’s great, but he still has to keep his thoughts to himself.
At least he has mobility now, and I am very happy for him and his family.
Thai institutions: Police
#18 Well Ralph. You are right about the police & military cashing in on the coup. But then one shouldn’t forget many (if not most) of them would also be more than happy to see Thaksin back here and in charge again. In such a Cash-22 situation, we would be fools to support either side in Thailand’s succession war. Certainly policemen should be much better paid. but then again, they have opportunities way beyond the expectations of ordinary farmers. And if they are so concerned about their own plight, then why don’t we see them making any honest efforts to reform this country. Policemen here obviously have no idea what they want. They talk about the evils of the sex industry, and say it must remain illegal, while still profiting from its illegality.
I heard of one language school that opened up in a building that used to be some sort of massage parlor. Probably not the smartest move, but I suppose the proprietors thought the price was right. Day 1, the owner is summoned to the lobby to find a bunch of tourist policemen reclining in chairs with their boots up on the clean tables. They had come on the assumption that any new business at that location could only be something to which they were automatically entitled to receive some cash payments and other payments in kind. It took quite a long time for them to finally be convinced that the owner wasn’t just spinning them a line to avoid payment.
Lao development on track?
Plans with map and schedule are available on request at the department “Chemins de Fer'” in the Transportation Ministry near Patuxai. The current planned line continues the current short track and more or less follows the Mekong down to Savannakhet, where it does a sharp left across to Vietnam and joins up the VN network. Scedule for completion: an optimistic six years. The staff at this office are very helpful, but are unaware of plans to have a line VTE-China. If it has been considered, it is still at the pre-planning stage. Opinion suggests it will follow the route VTE-Sayabouli and shadow the new road up to China, NOT take the far more difficult and costly route via the mountains and Luang Prabang. But this is reasoned conjecture, not planned blueprint.
Sex, love and vote-buying
This is so hypocritical. I am so sick of hearing excuses that the wealthy and the middle class are to blame for the backwards thinking of the poor. If this kind of thinking is to be stopped, the only way to stop it is by stopping the perpetrators themselves. Education is needed for these people.
Who set the conditions? What a load of bull…when are people going to start blaming themselves for their own actions. The wealthy and middle class are scrutinized at every opportunity, but the poor are like spoilt little kids who never are allowed to be told what they do and how think is wrong! The way you treat each other is wrong!
Thai institutions: Police
Let me get this right. According to StanG corruption in the police force is okay for it is a “system”. So what of the claims about rule of law that Abhisit has been making. Is rule of law only for some and not for others. Or am I misunderstanding?
Watched the police shaking down innocent motorists on Sukhumvit yesterday. The police (and military) are making the most of their return to power since the coup.
Suwicha Thakor still locked up
Great news but not at the price of loving big Daddy
Thai institutions: Police
It not point to reform the police now since there are so many figured and organization in Thailand that bar police from arresting them or doing their job.
Thailand in crisis: Episode 4
StanG: I’m not sure if your last question is directed at me or not, but my contention in comment#51 was that yellow has more money than the red, so in a straight out war of money they will always win.
Somehow that has turned into a question of whether Democrats or TRT had more money, but that’s not the point I was making – It all depends on whose backing them, and that backing can change at different points in time.
Check out the Forbes Thailand rich lists, and this article for an idea where the real wealth in Thailand lies http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=402&Itemid=32
Sex, love and vote-buying
Frank G Anderson – 46
even to Thais born there who have not seen the other side of the coin.
I’m totally agree with this statement. The Thais have this culture of not discussing what is wrong but rather emphasized on what is right. In a work place specially, I have heard many foreigners complained that the Thais never want to discuss about mistake. This tendency to avoid discussing about any negative aspect resulting in illusion about what is the real problem with the country.
Suwicha Thakor still locked up
Good news for Suwicha – enjoy your freedom.
Let’s hope anyone else still in jail on LM charges is pardoned ASAP, as only then would the reality get close to matching the myth.
(btw, I wonder if Suwicha is aware of King Juan Carlos of Spain?)