your diatribe about politicians sounds like a typical excuse for military rule
are you happy with the unaccountable military being in charge?
are you aware that the democratic process where the people choose the government and the government is accountable to them in elections at regular intervals requires that all institutions in society are under control of the government.
because the government is accountable to the people at election time it can rightly claim the authority of the people and demand that institutions and agencies like the military be under their control. a democracy demands that the military and other public servants cannot engage in business. in particular the military must not engage in any activity that might conflict with its duty to defend the country from external threats.
Presses in Thailand are set up to please the top. They will obey to every orders that the elites wanted them to do. Let me tell you the truth. Most of the presses are owned by aristocrats, so these presses can change black into white and white into black. Not only they can protect their interests, they can also swing pubic into misunderstanding facts. All the Thais are forced to accept nothing but propaganda. In this country evil can turn into saint and saint can be evil.
However, as it the case of Amazing Thailand. All served prison time less than a year and then were granted amnesty on December 2, 1977, allegedly to heal the rift
There are report that an entire village of around 50-60 has been massacre by the military simply because they had align themselves with the CPT. We wouldn’t even know about this until a monk from a temple around that area plead to the government to help raising about 30 orphans, because they are daughter and son of those villagers who the soldier refuse to kill. The amnesty is just for show, for the entire 1980s, several ex-leader of the student movement had been drag into a van and disappear forever. I dont think the rift was heal that easily.
I have no personal stake in whether they choose to heed my opinion or not.
Stuart, so it’s purely an academic interest you have. Yet the paragraph above your original call for a Thai Steve Biko sounds quite personal. What do you think?
I am quite buoyed by recent events. I will be happier still when I see even more Thais taking to the streets and sparking as much chaos as possible. Make the country ungovernable. Enforce the economic isolation of the elite. Be brutal, be hard. Accept no compromise. Only then will the elite take note.
Thailand needs a Steve Biko.
So how many bodies would you like to see Stuart? Do you have a number in mind?
I’m not asking anyone to do it. I’m saying that that’s what they will have to do. There is a difference. Like many thousands of academics, historians and journalists before me, I’m observing a subject and making my assessment of it. I have no personal stake in whether they choose to heed my opinion or not.
Your retort assumes that the assessments of all academics, historians and journalists through the ages have no validity because they played no active role in their subjects, or expressed no willingness to do so. In fact, to do so might impair those assessments.
My assessment that the red-shirt movement needs a Steve Biko will stand or fall on the merits of my argument. My right to make that assessment, however, stands.
I recall that in October 1973 it was not the student demonstrators themselves, but gunpoint to gunpoint confrontation with the Thai Navy, that stopped Narong’s column of tanks from entering Bangkok and further slaughtering people.
I was just reading about it few days back. it was one of commanders Gen. Krit Srivara who has stopped mad dog Narong then, not students.
I think it is also interesting that situation now and in past 4 years somewhat similar to that time, if just change few names and dates (I add in [ ] ) :
After Sarit [as Sonthi Boonyaratglin 48 years later] had suspended the constitution in 1958 [in 2006], a committee [as CNS] was established to write a new one [Referendum in 2007], but almost ten years later, it had still not been completed. Finally in 1968 the government issued a new constitution [in 2007] and scheduled elections for the following year [ same year 2007]. The government party founded by the military junta won the election and Thanom remained prime minister. [Abhisit’s “demo-crap” gov was installed by judicial coup in 2008] …
Rather than suffer such a loss of face, Thanom carried out a putsch against his own government, suspended the constitution and dissolved the Parliament. Once again Thailand had been returned to absolute military rule… [this is now suspected as one possible scenario]
By the early 1970s Thai society as a whole had developed a level of political awareness [as especially after 2006 coup & 2008 judicial coup] where it would no longer accept such unjustified authoritarian rule…
Furthermore, the junta began to face increasing opposition from within the military itself [after 2006 CNS also has reshuffled all the military according to their own design]. Being preoccupied with their political roles, Thanom and Praphas [according to many opinions – as Anupong & Prayuth now] had become more removed from direct control of the army. Many officers felt outraged by the rapid promotion of Narong [as of Prayuht now] and the fact that he seemed destined to be Thanom’s successor [as Anupong’s successor]. To these officers, it appeared that a political dynasty was being created.”
rings the bell ? 😉 amazing, isn’t it – that seemingly history repeats itself after some 30-35 years all over again.
What a feisty blog this one turned out to be. I guess the promo didn’t succeed in its goal of drawing a representative crowd. However, I do see the value of any academic discussion of an issue.
However, as it the case of Amazing Thailand. All served prison time less than a year and then were granted amnesty on December 2, 1987, allegedly to heal the rift. 555
Should read
However, as it the case of Amazing Thailand. All served prison time less than a year and then were granted amnesty on December 2, 1977, allegedly to heal the rift. 555
Thomas Hoy#76 :
Do you realise you could be charged with LM for repeating both
what Veera said, and what that lady at The Nation wrote ? !
Such is the absurdity of these LM laws.
I’ll never come back to Thailand – a lovely country – until these laws are gone !
I just hope the monarchy does NOT go with them, in every sense.
“Veera was a party to a coup attempt in 1978, the coup leader was sentenced to death and Veera thrown to jail. It was Prem who “plucked” him out and gave a ministerial position.”
Here is the event on 26 March 1977 failed coup.
9.15 A coup led by Gen Chalard Hirunsiri, Lt Col Sanan Kachornprasart (who was later promoted by Gen Chatichai Choonhavan to Maj.Gen when he was agriculture minister in Chatichai govt. Sanan at the time was Democrat’s secretary general after Veera left the party. Sanan later left the Democrat party to set up his own party as well. It seems the Democrat party was the training ground for three famous politicians: Samak, Veera, Sanan who later left the party to set up their own) etc.
10.15 Defence Minister Adm Sa-ngad Chaloryoo appointed Army Chief Gen Serm Na Nakorn to lead the capital force to fight against the coup and insisted on TV Channel 5 (Army Channel) that all three armed forces including police still belong to the Thanin Kraivixian govt.
The coup began to crumble when Maj Gen Aroon Tawathasin, 1st Infantry Division commander, was shot dead, allegedly by the coup leader Gen Chalard for refusing to order his troops to support the coup. It was the first time that a powerful struggle between generals resulted in a death of a general.
13.30 The coup’s mouthpiece, Public Relations Department’s Radio Thailand, ceased broadcasting due to electricity cut by the government’s force. Some coup’s officers/soldiers began to surrender to the govt force. Gen Kriengsak Chamanan, armed forces deputy chief, went in to negotiate with the coup leaders and they finally agreed to surrender and allowed to leave the country to Taiwan.
21.00 When the five coup leaders went to Don Mueang to board the plane to Taiwan, they were arrested, charging with insurrection. The govt later clarified that Taiwan did not agree to accept them and Thai govt decided not to ask any other country to accept the Five.
April 21, 1977
The govt used the constitution’s section 21 to summarily take over judicial power and stripped Gen Chalard off his military rank and executed him (allegedly for killing Maj Gen Aroon, who was posthumously promoted to full general). The other four and 8 other ring leaders were sentenced to life imprisonment. There were 11 other civilians recruited by Gen Chalard were also sentenced to serve time in jail as well including Veera Musikapong.
However, as it the case of Amazing Thailand. All served prison time less than a year and then were granted amnesty on December 2, 1987, allegedly to heal the rift. 555
You see how corrupted Veera was and is. He is now against the coup, leading the red shirts. But when it was convenient for him he was ready to join to coup so as to gain power for himself, to enrich himself.
BTW, when Veera was out of prison, he persuaded Sanan to join the Democrat party. Both Veera and Sanan could not be elected as Bangkok MPs. Veera volunteered to fight Samak in Dusit constituency, which was the stronghold of military with so many barracks in that area.
Samak became a star for Democrat party when he could defeat sitting premier Kukrit in Dusit and was rewarded with a deputy agriculture minister post if my memory did not fail me. He rebelled against his own party and sided with the right wing forces who later staged the coup, the so-called October 6, 1976 massacre. He was rewarded with an Interior Minister post in the proxy civilian govt.
Samak was never defeated in Dusit while he led his Prachakorn Thai party, a Bangkok-based political party. Veera tried once and failed. So Veera decided to run in his native Phattalung and got elected with the help of a popular puppet master there.
The reason Veera left Democrat party was he was not satisfied that he was given only a deputy interior minister post even though he was secretary general of the Democrat party. Bhichai gave the reason that Veera was still very junior in term of MP tenure. When Veera engineered leadership challenge against Bhichai by proposing a businessman financier/politician Chalermphan Srivikorn to be the party’s leader failed, he left Democrat party and set up Prachachon party with Chalermphan as party leader. The party was not successful. Chalermphan quit politics. Veera was in wildnerness for several years until Gen Chavalit plucked him out of obscurity to help run the NAP’s campaign.
Andrew a quick question. Are you using moderation to censor or delay some comments that aren’t following a certain line?
Les: no.
Andrew I was going to accept the answer, but then I found you were being somewhat disingenuous. In the line below you are sounding like a lawyer, which you should consider an insult coming from me.
Vichai – the question I responded to was “Are you using moderation to censor or delay some comments that aren’t following a certain line?”
Now I can understand your wish to delete material that is abusive, repetitive or incoherent but what do you achieve by delaying a comment? As anyone that isn’t following the party line usually finds the abuse flowing from the other direction, I can’t see why you are doing this.
I know that yesterday the military decide to silence the media fearing that they could “misinform” the public but why today no one report one single line about the tear gas that was used in Silom between 2.45 and 3.30 pm.
Me and most of my colleagues witnessed by hearing the shots seeing the smoke and hearing the screaming of the people.
Marc – I’ll echo BKK Lawyer – excllent, balanced analysis.
Congratulations – not least for your comments on military manoueverings, “Seh Daeng” as decoy especially.
And I was also particularly interested in your reference to “Esan” Channel TV – a misnomer, if ever there was one.
So – a couple of questions :
1)’“phrai” (bonded serfs in the pre-modern Thai social structure)’.
Why do you write “Thai”, when in fact it was Siam ?
2) re. the televised talks – do you think that there was any real possiblity of a breakthrough if Abhisit had not insisted on a referendum BEFORE a general election ?
It seems to me this revealed his insincerity.
He may have a case that the budget/”stimulus” package has to be passed first. But a referendum FIRST – why ?
I’m still trying to grasp where the concept of “udomkan” fits exactly into all this, but anyhow enjoy
Thank you for your interests in my article, folks. I wrote this article primarily based on two sentiments: 1) my gratitude for his Majesty’s attempts to better the country over the past 60 years, and 2) my profound interest in the philosophy as it literally guided my family to survive the previous economic downturns in Thailand. My family witnessed the end results and thus I wanted to ‘advertise’ the benefits of the philosophy to others who may already ‘suffer’ from other economic models that focus mainly on being excessively rich. Having the first-hand experience of adopting and using the philosophy, I began my own field/literature research on the impact of the philosophy on various businesses, small and large. I learned that the meaning of being “rich” differs from individual to individual. I learned that, in my country, even the lèse majesté law prevails; a great number of people will not violate this law, not because they are afraid of being jailed, but because they will not talk negatively about someone who has dedicated his whole life to the people of his country. Besides, I cannot see the linkage between the lèse majesté law and the benefit of the SE philosophy to people who may otherwise suffer from the poisons of excessive capitalism. In fact, criticisms of the philosophy are available to read and to hear through many media channels; no one has been arrested for their criticism of the philosophy so far. In fact, constructive criticisms were taken seriously as they helped enhance the implementation of the philosophy. People who put his Majesty’s words into a framework were those at the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board, Thailand. The framework description states clearly that one of the major constructs of the philosophy is the Buddhist Middle Path concept…no need to reiterate that it was the Buddha who bestowed this noble concept on mankind. The SE philosophy only reminds us how important it is to embrace the concept and other moral ingredients in business operations these days. I learned that SE philosophy is simply a good alternative model which has been studied and adopted by a number of Thai people (including my family!). I learned that the leaders of other developing countries (more than 30 countries so far) have witnessed the practicality of it and have contacted the Thai government for field visits to study the philosophy. This is probably why an international journal like HRDI did not hesitate to accept my input.
Also am I interested to read Cromwell’s speech but nonplussed by the motive behind the quote, as the aspersions made would fit well many a parliament today, in a world run by that anti-royalist creation bourgeois democracy.
Cromwell was also anti-royalist but parallels between him and the royalist yellow shirts and their military government can be seen in the quote below from Wikipedia:
“. On 20 April 1653 he dismissed the Rump Parliament by force, setting up a short-lived nominated assembly known as the Barebones Parliament before being made Lord Protector of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland on 16 December 1653. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, but when the Royalists returned to power his corpse was dug up, hung in chains, and beheaded.
Cromwell has been a controversial figure in the history of the British Isles – a regicidal dictator to some historians .. and a hero of liberty to others ..”
I must ask you to provide me with the evidence of 3000 drug-related killings and Thaksin’s Order of it. The further I read about it, I feel as if I’m out of the loop in this matter. How is it that I, a Thai citizen in this country, does not have the evidence of it? Yet you guys have, and is utterly convinced that he’s the man behind it?
IMO, there’s one faction that could be the culprit in the Drug killings, is solely to blame for it, and yet got away scott free for years. But you guys wouldn’t want to get 18yrs for discussing it.
Economic disparity and social mobility may or may not be correlated; but they are two independent subjects. Bamboo Juncture is right, the Thai gini-coefficient, which basically deals with a spread of distribution, is no good. It’s now lower than SE Asian countries once seen to be competitors of Thailand. This is a strong evidence that Thailand has not done well in the field of distribution. Shame.
Social mobility is a different story; no comprehensive study on it has ever done in Thailand. While we are yet to know whether or not the Thai nation permits mobility, we shouldn’t disregard Vichai N’s tasteless metaphor of “any buffallo in Thailand can rise above his manure”.
A very comprehensive and insightful summary of the current situation. Thank you. What’s interesting – and deeply worrying – in the intensifying conflict is the nature of narrative that has become an all out war of words between the red shirts and the yellow (now multicolored) shirts.
The contents and tone of the rhetoric especially of the pro-government forces give you a nightmarish deja vu – from dubbing the red shirts as ‘terrorists’ and ‘traitors’ bent on overthrowing the monarchy, right down to recycling of the old song /nak paen din/ (‘Heavy on the Land’) that was used to rouse Thai people against the communists in the 1970s. The song now has a new rendition /rok paen din/ (‘Clutter on the Land’) – suggesting, of course, that the heavy weight and the clutter need to be cleared so that the Land would be lighter and orderly once again.
The vile and hateful words that are flying out of many Thai mouths these days would horrify most who believe Thais are a polite people. But then Thailand has no concept of hate crime – so publicly wishing for opponents’ (or their parents’) death is fast becoming a national past time. This site collects the vocabulary of words, insinuations and epithets along with political keywords in Thai color-coded politics: http://tinyurl.com/y5t4nej.
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Ominous signs
FredKorat,
your diatribe about politicians sounds like a typical excuse for military rule
are you happy with the unaccountable military being in charge?
are you aware that the democratic process where the people choose the government and the government is accountable to them in elections at regular intervals requires that all institutions in society are under control of the government.
because the government is accountable to the people at election time it can rightly claim the authority of the people and demand that institutions and agencies like the military be under their control. a democracy demands that the military and other public servants cannot engage in business. in particular the military must not engage in any activity that might conflict with its duty to defend the country from external threats.
An open letter to the Thai media
Presses in Thailand are set up to please the top. They will obey to every orders that the elites wanted them to do. Let me tell you the truth. Most of the presses are owned by aristocrats, so these presses can change black into white and white into black. Not only they can protect their interests, they can also swing pubic into misunderstanding facts. All the Thais are forced to accept nothing but propaganda. In this country evil can turn into saint and saint can be evil.
Reflections on Eric Campbell’s royal report
Aussie Alumnus –
However, as it the case of Amazing Thailand. All served prison time less than a year and then were granted amnesty on December 2, 1977, allegedly to heal the rift
There are report that an entire village of around 50-60 has been massacre by the military simply because they had align themselves with the CPT. We wouldn’t even know about this until a monk from a temple around that area plead to the government to help raising about 30 orphans, because they are daughter and son of those villagers who the soldier refuse to kill. The amnesty is just for show, for the entire 1980s, several ex-leader of the student movement had been drag into a van and disappear forever. I dont think the rift was heal that easily.
Statement by students and academics at ANU
Stuart – 47
I have no personal stake in whether they choose to heed my opinion or not.
Stuart, so it’s purely an academic interest you have. Yet the paragraph above your original call for a Thai Steve Biko sounds quite personal. What do you think?
I am quite buoyed by recent events. I will be happier still when I see even more Thais taking to the streets and sparking as much chaos as possible. Make the country ungovernable. Enforce the economic isolation of the elite. Be brutal, be hard. Accept no compromise. Only then will the elite take note.
Thailand needs a Steve Biko.
So how many bodies would you like to see Stuart? Do you have a number in mind?
Statement by students and academics at ANU
Les Abbey
I’m not asking anyone to do it. I’m saying that that’s what they will have to do. There is a difference. Like many thousands of academics, historians and journalists before me, I’m observing a subject and making my assessment of it. I have no personal stake in whether they choose to heed my opinion or not.
Your retort assumes that the assessments of all academics, historians and journalists through the ages have no validity because they played no active role in their subjects, or expressed no willingness to do so. In fact, to do so might impair those assessments.
My assessment that the red-shirt movement needs a Steve Biko will stand or fall on the merits of my argument. My right to make that assessment, however, stands.
Thai style chaos and the right wing backlash
@Arthurson #12
you’ve made a very good point indeed.
also, you’re correct in reminding about :
I was just reading about it few days back. it was one of commanders Gen. Krit Srivara who has stopped mad dog Narong then, not students.
I think it is also interesting that situation now and in past 4 years somewhat similar to that time, if just change few names and dates (I add in [ ] ) :
rings the bell ? 😉 amazing, isn’t it – that seemingly history repeats itself after some 30-35 years all over again.
Thai style chaos and the right wing backlash
[…] […]
Thailand on the verge
My, My My….
What a feisty blog this one turned out to be. I guess the promo didn’t succeed in its goal of drawing a representative crowd. However, I do see the value of any academic discussion of an issue.
Hope you have a good one, friends in Australia…
Reflections on Eric Campbell’s royal report
Must be getting old. Here is the date correction.
However, as it the case of Amazing Thailand. All served prison time less than a year and then were granted amnesty on December 2, 1987, allegedly to heal the rift. 555
Should read
However, as it the case of Amazing Thailand. All served prison time less than a year and then were granted amnesty on December 2, 1977, allegedly to heal the rift. 555
Reflections on Eric Campbell’s royal report
Thomas Hoy#76 :
Do you realise you could be charged with LM for repeating both
what Veera said, and what that lady at The Nation wrote ? !
Such is the absurdity of these LM laws.
I’ll never come back to Thailand – a lovely country – until these laws are gone !
I just hope the monarchy does NOT go with them, in every sense.
Reflections on Eric Campbell’s royal report
“Veera was a party to a coup attempt in 1978, the coup leader was sentenced to death and Veera thrown to jail. It was Prem who “plucked” him out and gave a ministerial position.”
Here is the event on 26 March 1977 failed coup.
9.15 A coup led by Gen Chalard Hirunsiri, Lt Col Sanan Kachornprasart (who was later promoted by Gen Chatichai Choonhavan to Maj.Gen when he was agriculture minister in Chatichai govt. Sanan at the time was Democrat’s secretary general after Veera left the party. Sanan later left the Democrat party to set up his own party as well. It seems the Democrat party was the training ground for three famous politicians: Samak, Veera, Sanan who later left the party to set up their own) etc.
10.15 Defence Minister Adm Sa-ngad Chaloryoo appointed Army Chief Gen Serm Na Nakorn to lead the capital force to fight against the coup and insisted on TV Channel 5 (Army Channel) that all three armed forces including police still belong to the Thanin Kraivixian govt.
The coup began to crumble when Maj Gen Aroon Tawathasin, 1st Infantry Division commander, was shot dead, allegedly by the coup leader Gen Chalard for refusing to order his troops to support the coup. It was the first time that a powerful struggle between generals resulted in a death of a general.
13.30 The coup’s mouthpiece, Public Relations Department’s Radio Thailand, ceased broadcasting due to electricity cut by the government’s force. Some coup’s officers/soldiers began to surrender to the govt force. Gen Kriengsak Chamanan, armed forces deputy chief, went in to negotiate with the coup leaders and they finally agreed to surrender and allowed to leave the country to Taiwan.
21.00 When the five coup leaders went to Don Mueang to board the plane to Taiwan, they were arrested, charging with insurrection. The govt later clarified that Taiwan did not agree to accept them and Thai govt decided not to ask any other country to accept the Five.
April 21, 1977
The govt used the constitution’s section 21 to summarily take over judicial power and stripped Gen Chalard off his military rank and executed him (allegedly for killing Maj Gen Aroon, who was posthumously promoted to full general). The other four and 8 other ring leaders were sentenced to life imprisonment. There were 11 other civilians recruited by Gen Chalard were also sentenced to serve time in jail as well including Veera Musikapong.
However, as it the case of Amazing Thailand. All served prison time less than a year and then were granted amnesty on December 2, 1987, allegedly to heal the rift. 555
You see how corrupted Veera was and is. He is now against the coup, leading the red shirts. But when it was convenient for him he was ready to join to coup so as to gain power for himself, to enrich himself.
BTW, when Veera was out of prison, he persuaded Sanan to join the Democrat party. Both Veera and Sanan could not be elected as Bangkok MPs. Veera volunteered to fight Samak in Dusit constituency, which was the stronghold of military with so many barracks in that area.
Samak became a star for Democrat party when he could defeat sitting premier Kukrit in Dusit and was rewarded with a deputy agriculture minister post if my memory did not fail me. He rebelled against his own party and sided with the right wing forces who later staged the coup, the so-called October 6, 1976 massacre. He was rewarded with an Interior Minister post in the proxy civilian govt.
Samak was never defeated in Dusit while he led his Prachakorn Thai party, a Bangkok-based political party. Veera tried once and failed. So Veera decided to run in his native Phattalung and got elected with the help of a popular puppet master there.
The reason Veera left Democrat party was he was not satisfied that he was given only a deputy interior minister post even though he was secretary general of the Democrat party. Bhichai gave the reason that Veera was still very junior in term of MP tenure. When Veera engineered leadership challenge against Bhichai by proposing a businessman financier/politician Chalermphan Srivikorn to be the party’s leader failed, he left Democrat party and set up Prachachon party with Chalermphan as party leader. The party was not successful. Chalermphan quit politics. Veera was in wildnerness for several years until Gen Chavalit plucked him out of obscurity to help run the NAP’s campaign.
Statement by students and academics at ANU
Andrew a quick question. Are you using moderation to censor or delay some comments that aren’t following a certain line?
Les: no.
Andrew I was going to accept the answer, but then I found you were being somewhat disingenuous. In the line below you are sounding like a lawyer, which you should consider an insult coming from me.
Vichai – the question I responded to was “Are you using moderation to censor or delay some comments that aren’t following a certain line?”
Now I can understand your wish to delete material that is abusive, repetitive or incoherent but what do you achieve by delaying a comment? As anyone that isn’t following the party line usually finds the abuse flowing from the other direction, I can’t see why you are doing this.
Thai style chaos and the right wing backlash
I know that yesterday the military decide to silence the media fearing that they could “misinform” the public but why today no one report one single line about the tear gas that was used in Silom between 2.45 and 3.30 pm.
Me and most of my colleagues witnessed by hearing the shots seeing the smoke and hearing the screaming of the people.
Reflections on Eric Campbell’s royal report
StanG: do you mean 1985 coup?
Thai style chaos and the right wing backlash
Marc – I’ll echo BKK Lawyer – excllent, balanced analysis.
Congratulations – not least for your comments on military manoueverings, “Seh Daeng” as decoy especially.
And I was also particularly interested in your reference to “Esan” Channel TV – a misnomer, if ever there was one.
So – a couple of questions :
1)’“phrai” (bonded serfs in the pre-modern Thai social structure)’.
Why do you write “Thai”, when in fact it was Siam ?
2) re. the televised talks – do you think that there was any real possiblity of a breakthrough if Abhisit had not insisted on a referendum BEFORE a general election ?
It seems to me this revealed his insincerity.
He may have a case that the budget/”stimulus” package has to be passed first. But a referendum FIRST – why ?
I’m still trying to grasp where the concept of “udomkan” fits exactly into all this, but anyhow enjoy
Oranuch on sufficiency economy
Thank you for your interests in my article, folks. I wrote this article primarily based on two sentiments: 1) my gratitude for his Majesty’s attempts to better the country over the past 60 years, and 2) my profound interest in the philosophy as it literally guided my family to survive the previous economic downturns in Thailand. My family witnessed the end results and thus I wanted to ‘advertise’ the benefits of the philosophy to others who may already ‘suffer’ from other economic models that focus mainly on being excessively rich. Having the first-hand experience of adopting and using the philosophy, I began my own field/literature research on the impact of the philosophy on various businesses, small and large. I learned that the meaning of being “rich” differs from individual to individual. I learned that, in my country, even the lèse majesté law prevails; a great number of people will not violate this law, not because they are afraid of being jailed, but because they will not talk negatively about someone who has dedicated his whole life to the people of his country. Besides, I cannot see the linkage between the lèse majesté law and the benefit of the SE philosophy to people who may otherwise suffer from the poisons of excessive capitalism. In fact, criticisms of the philosophy are available to read and to hear through many media channels; no one has been arrested for their criticism of the philosophy so far. In fact, constructive criticisms were taken seriously as they helped enhance the implementation of the philosophy. People who put his Majesty’s words into a framework were those at the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board, Thailand. The framework description states clearly that one of the major constructs of the philosophy is the Buddhist Middle Path concept…no need to reiterate that it was the Buddha who bestowed this noble concept on mankind. The SE philosophy only reminds us how important it is to embrace the concept and other moral ingredients in business operations these days. I learned that SE philosophy is simply a good alternative model which has been studied and adopted by a number of Thai people (including my family!). I learned that the leaders of other developing countries (more than 30 countries so far) have witnessed the practicality of it and have contacted the Thai government for field visits to study the philosophy. This is probably why an international journal like HRDI did not hesitate to accept my input.
Thai style chaos and the right wing backlash
Also am I interested to read Cromwell’s speech but nonplussed by the motive behind the quote, as the aspersions made would fit well many a parliament today, in a world run by that anti-royalist creation bourgeois democracy.
Cromwell was also anti-royalist but parallels between him and the royalist yellow shirts and their military government can be seen in the quote below from Wikipedia:
“. On 20 April 1653 he dismissed the Rump Parliament by force, setting up a short-lived nominated assembly known as the Barebones Parliament before being made Lord Protector of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland on 16 December 1653. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, but when the Royalists returned to power his corpse was dug up, hung in chains, and beheaded.
Cromwell has been a controversial figure in the history of the British Isles – a regicidal dictator to some historians .. and a hero of liberty to others ..”
Thai style chaos and the right wing backlash
I must ask you to provide me with the evidence of 3000 drug-related killings and Thaksin’s Order of it. The further I read about it, I feel as if I’m out of the loop in this matter. How is it that I, a Thai citizen in this country, does not have the evidence of it? Yet you guys have, and is utterly convinced that he’s the man behind it?
IMO, there’s one faction that could be the culprit in the Drug killings, is solely to blame for it, and yet got away scott free for years. But you guys wouldn’t want to get 18yrs for discussing it.
Anti-pro-democracy
Economic disparity and social mobility may or may not be correlated; but they are two independent subjects. Bamboo Juncture is right, the Thai gini-coefficient, which basically deals with a spread of distribution, is no good. It’s now lower than SE Asian countries once seen to be competitors of Thailand. This is a strong evidence that Thailand has not done well in the field of distribution. Shame.
Social mobility is a different story; no comprehensive study on it has ever done in Thailand. While we are yet to know whether or not the Thai nation permits mobility, we shouldn’t disregard Vichai N’s tasteless metaphor of “any buffallo in Thailand can rise above his manure”.
Thai style chaos and the right wing backlash
A very comprehensive and insightful summary of the current situation. Thank you. What’s interesting – and deeply worrying – in the intensifying conflict is the nature of narrative that has become an all out war of words between the red shirts and the yellow (now multicolored) shirts.
The contents and tone of the rhetoric especially of the pro-government forces give you a nightmarish deja vu – from dubbing the red shirts as ‘terrorists’ and ‘traitors’ bent on overthrowing the monarchy, right down to recycling of the old song /nak paen din/ (‘Heavy on the Land’) that was used to rouse Thai people against the communists in the 1970s. The song now has a new rendition /rok paen din/ (‘Clutter on the Land’) – suggesting, of course, that the heavy weight and the clutter need to be cleared so that the Land would be lighter and orderly once again.
The vile and hateful words that are flying out of many Thai mouths these days would horrify most who believe Thais are a polite people. But then Thailand has no concept of hate crime – so publicly wishing for opponents’ (or their parents’) death is fast becoming a national past time. This site collects the vocabulary of words, insinuations and epithets along with political keywords in Thai color-coded politics: http://tinyurl.com/y5t4nej.