Ive visited this spring Yunnan, went Kunming and then to some famous tea mountains. I tried many teas on different places in Yunnan and I was very suprised with tea from 2006 and 2007. We had some in Yiwu and they aged very well. At that time, at the end of March, the humidity was there about 70% which I regards a very good base for aging. You get the aroma preserved very well and the some bittereness suppressed. Good place for dry storage althought I believe Kunming could be a good place for ‘very’ dry storage. Let’s see what the upcoming years of puerh archiving will bring. Good article Kathy, thx.
This is complete biased reported disguised as ” FACT”.
Left out was when the Red Shirts intended to gas the community from the tanks, then the residents came out to fend for themselves.
How can you give credit to such a woman as ” Muad Jiap “.
At the Interior Ministry, you said Secretary Nibhond’s car drove into a taxi. Complete lie. Latest video clip from a foreign media showed THAT taxi backed up to block the Mercedes.
The Red rioters dragged Nibhond and his driver to club them.
It was not bringing to hospital.
I offered to lend my personal camera – not the BBC’s – to Nick when he told me his had broken on the morning of Monday 13th. He is one of many colleagues I have got to know by working alongside them while covering events in Thailand over the past year. It is perfectly normal practice for journalists to help each other out with loans of equipment if their fails. I have even known BBC colleagues lend gear to people working for major rivals if they’ve been unlucky enough to have a crucial piece of gear fail during a breaking story.
Nick’s views and approach to his journalism are his own, and had no bearing on my decision to make the offer. As a hard-working freelance I was well aware of what the loss of his camera would mean to Nick on that day. I do not see how you can find fault with that decision.
We then went behind Metropolitan Police headquarters. There was a small crowd of extremely angry Red Shirts. They attacked every vehicle of the Thai media, angry by the not exactly unbiased reporting. Unfortunately, what many of them do not understand, is that Thai journalists are as divided over the political situation as the general Thai population, and many Thai journalists do not agree with the PAD or government policy. The result of these attacks was that most Thai journalists did not dare anymore to go close to the Red Shirts, and remained with the Army, even as Red Shirt leaders asked the protesters not to attack them. Part of the problem of course is that also many speeches on the stage condemned Thai media for being too partial towards the PAD. This is not too untrue, but unfortunately it results in attacks against the media. Right now only foreign journalists can safely work with Red Shirts. This is a huge problem for the future. Very few foreign journalists are fluent enough in Thai to directly speak in Thai, and too few Red Shirts speak English well enough. Also, Red Shirts expect too much from the foreign media. The media business is a business, and a story is only hot while it is big enough. When Thai journalists cannot work with Red Shirts, there is very little chance that their views will be heard in the traditional media outlets. It is more than important though that Red Shirts have a voice in the media.
What you wrote above has to get into the head of every Thais, red or yellow or whatever colors they are. Stop looking at “Media” as a single entity, and blame them all…
I really appreciated Cat’s review of all the Thai phrasebooks, from the pros and cons and the fact you could click on each book cover and see how the layout is designed in each.
‘I look forward to the day when there is one standard anglicised version of the Thai language.’
I concur as well. It drives me crazy the letters we’re not supposed to pronounce, making it all the more difficult to communicate an already hard language.
‘I look forward to the day when there is one standard anglicised version of the Thai language.’
If it ever happens, the signs in Bangkok would certainly change.
I look forward to the day when phrase books include both sides (multiple choice even) of the conversation so you don’t have to scramble to locate what they ‘might’ have said…
For the one who still believe Thaksin does not pay the redshirts for protesting and committing violence during ASEAN summit, see this
I think that video does not show what it reports to show. Most likely it is an example of completely misleading propaganda. Here’s a translation of the video, plus link to BP’s must-read observation:
Suppose the army used live rounds, but there was specific instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office not to use Live Rounds? Then I understand that the army would be culpable. If Eton educated Abhisit couldn’t remember to put out a memo or specific wording into an ‘Order’ to the military on how to handle the situation, he should never have called for a State of Emergency.
There will be 2 that should happen for the Democratic party to take responsibility (in my opinion):
1. The obvious one is that Abhisit must choose to step down, or dissolve parliament for new elections. I think to be consistent with his “Democratic credentials” as to how he came to power, he should just quit and let Parliament take another chance at picking a new leader. He should definitely put himself up for the job again, but that depends on point 2
2. Point out that in spite of his instructions, the military didn’t listen to him. He must then do a complete inquiry of the military, and push legislation to specifically weaken the political power of the military, even before pushing for amnesty. He should also fire Suthep as his 2nd in charge, and put on Chuan (a dinosaur, but also who is less confrontational in nature) and few different people into key positions…. one easy example: you’re telling me the Democrat party, with all these “educated” people who have studied abroad and what nots have not 1 decent person they can call into the foreign ministry? Someone that, not just foreign dignitaries, but also our beauracrats abroad can respect when they arrive…
He should also create a committee for “reconciliation” he should actually get the more moderate factions of the “red” and “yellow” sides to work together to see if there are some sorts of similarities they have in their vision for the country and start from there…. it wouldn’t hurt him to assign key members of that committee to parliamentarians.
anyways, all of the above is probably fantasy-land where people are actually mature and serious about solving their problem.
It is very apparent from people of all political stripes that they have simply all left their point of rationality to do anything to actually help anyone. In these situations, there are never any “winners”, the biggest losers are probably those who are intellectually dishonest just to “make a point” to others because they, more than anyone else, are responsible for dragging everyone down with their twisted logic.
The only logic that exists right now is how not to fall as a nation. These are dire economic times, and we are with a political struggle in which there is so many things at stake. There is still high confidence that things can be solved, and they should be able to be… but everyone needs to drop the zero sum game. It is proven now, without a doubt the coup of September 2006 was an incredible mistake. The military should never have gotten out of their barracks and no ‘shortcut’ should’ve been attempted to solve a political crisis. Not that the shortcut didn’t help… it did, in the short run; but as usual, Generals saw State Power, and they wanted to keep it…. they wore the ‘Ring to Rule them All’, but the ring ruled over them too….. and well, they’re Generals, they don’t know how to do things, they are just used to saying it with a “yes sir” reply.
But you know, ‘Thaksin’ is not the answer. Whatever you may say about his being “popularly elected” 3-4 times whatever, he too plays a large role in this crisis. Any attempt to paint Thaksin as Thailand’s savior or call to put him (or his family members… I was actually fine with Samak… I even kinda liked the guy… big mistake for the PAD, court, etc., to remove him) on a pedestal or say that he has done know wrong, is intellectually honest.
Anyways, back to Ralph #83 that I lost track of while I was typing. I really wonder if there will be some sniping (figuratively) between the military and the PM’s Office on how things unfolded on the Security side of things.
Ralph Kramden – Kasit’s is a disgrace to Thailand. He is constantly putting his mouth in motion before he puts his brain in gear. Possibly you could say he is uninformed and a liar. There is a lot of spin going on and eventually the whirlwind will slow and the truth will come out.
Re: Nick – “partisan”
Everyone in the news field gets contacts because you click with certain people. Nick just happened to click with some of the reds during their forming. It’s through these contacts, and often friendships, that you get close to what’s going on and often get inside information. That’s good journalistic practice.
Like myself, Nick sympathizes with the rural poor and their plight most of that is from the family ties we have in the North and Northeast and our own upbringing. Just because someone supports the rural poor they are not necessarily doing it blindly or supporters of Thaksin. If you know Nick, or his work, you already know Thaksin is not one of his hero. I’ve known Nick for years and we often swap information. Partisan is not a term that applies to him.
Often I hear the comments like LAND’s and I have to wonder if he has ever spent even one day working on a rice farm or spent a night talking to a group of rice farmers. I would hazard a guess he has not or he would realize that the brightest people in the country are not educated, but they understand immeasurably what’s going on. Something some groups do not want you to know. If thailand ever wants to become a great nation instead of an emerging one they have to develop this people resource not just as labor but as a brain trust as well.
The major shortcoming of democracy arises when it’s applied by low-quality voters, and that’s the case in Thailand. You would not understand as it never happened in such developed countries as Australia.
Assuming you’re right about the first sentence (and it’s questionable that you are), you are dead wrong with the second. Ever heard of Tammany Hall, Boss Tweed, Richard J. Daley, Tanaka Kakuei, John MacDonald of the “Pacific Scandal” or Maurice Duplessis (I could go on)? All democracies, including the ones we consider “successful” today experience growing pains. None of the successful democracies got through these phases by military coups or reducing the amount of democracy (as PAD now advocates). There’s no easy answer to this – success only comes through the patient, tireless work of reformers who work within the bounds of the democratic process – and their work often takes generations before it bears any fruit.
Marty, thanks. I guess I was thinking of Kasit’s comment at the Asia Society: he says only blanks were used. Now Anupong says that live rounds were used. So I guess we can now agree that live rounds were used and Kasit is either uniformed or a liar.
Here’s someone else who wrote about Thaksin talking about ‘revolution’ during the DStation broadcast of April 12. (Wrote about it as it was happening, on Twitter). Unfortunately, it’s not a quote.
#
Pict3415_normal
smartbrain: thaksin calling for a revolution for democracy for the king.
Apr 12, 2009 11:32 AM GMT ┬╖ from mobile web ┬╖ Reply ┬╖ View Tweet
#
Pict3415_normal
smartbrain: thaksin on dstation
Apr 12, 2009 11:31 AM GMT ┬╖ from mobile web ┬╖ Reply ┬╖ View Tweet
“would have lent his personal equipment to a partisan blogger” >
First, in fact, Nick is not a blogger but an accredited photo journalist. So, being willing to lend him equipment would seem to be well within the confines of assistence given to a colleague. Second, Nick has been working in areas of Thai society that are like terra incognita to most foreign and Thai journalists (and thus closed to most Thais themselves as well as to foreigners). That they happen not to correspond to the cliche of Thailand as the “Land of Smiles” should make his work even more welcome. Second, Nick is not “partisan,” but “biased.” These concepts are worlds apart. Third, would you prefer not having the data presented by him, rather relying on what Bangkok Post and The Nation (and the Thai-language papers, in case you can read Thai) have to offer? These days, it not an achievement to close one’s mind and parrot the official line. It is much more difficult to get exposure to alternative views. Fourth, seeing his report as an “infuriating piece of writing which makes me want to shake some sense into his thick blinkered head” indicates that your perceptional, intellectual, and political complacency were in utter need to be shaken up a little. Thus, you should thank Nick that he has brought some real Thai life into your protected world.
Thanks for providing a glimpse of a historian at work, Dr. Baker.
What a semiotic jungle the word р╕Ыр╕Пр╕┤р╕зр╕▒р╕Хр╕┤ is. When I first heard it after the 2006 coup, I replied, don’t you mean р╕гр╕▒р╕Рр╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕лр╕▓р╕г. I thought that maybe using the word “revolution” for “coup” was casting it in positive light but Thaksin uses this way too in the given quote. Then there is р╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Ыр╕Пр╕┤р╕зр╕▒р╕Хр╕┤ р╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕Кр╕▓р╕Кр╕Щ which surely can’t mean coup of the people, but before the 1992 so-called People’s Revolution many elements of the Bangkok middle class sympathized with the military and coup as they did in 2006 although they later changed their minds. If current events are simply the latest manifestation of the “Tale of Two Democracies” phenomenon, then what “People” does р╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Ыр╕Пр╕┤р╕зр╕▒р╕Хр╕┤ р╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕Кр╕▓р╕Кр╕Щ refer to? Thailand is a divided nation. As always, more accurate demographics seems to be called for.
The selective citing of Malaysia and Japan in Thaksin’s claim that military intervention retards economic development is also highly suspect. Korea’s development was intimately tied with military interventions and what about the Tianamen Square incident and the collective forgetting afterwards that preceded China’s great growth surge?
I appreciate Nick’s courage in going out and photographing the events of the period – and previously when PAD were in Govt. house. I applaud too his wisdom in heading home when things really got out of hand.
What I do not appreciate is that Nick is falling into this simplistic trap of red vs. yellow – that it is rural poor vs urban elite. As we know it is much more complex than that and I truly believe that the answers to Thailand’s current situation lies in our ability to amicably discuss differences of opinion without having to say what “colour” you are.
I think he should have stated in his opening paragraph that he is a red shirt sympathiser and not have waited until comments were made regarding the bias of the report. Even better if a more balanced approach were made to the reporting – but for that I cut him some slack as he stated he hadn’t had a lot of sleep at the time of writing…
Apart from that I find the word “thugs” applied to PAD, but not to Red Shirts and, whilst understandable from a partisan POV doesn’t contribute to improving the situation, rather it is more name-calling that simply aggravates the situation.
From a more personal viewpoint we who live here and have family here all have stake in what is unfolding in Thai society, and I wish less people would fall into the red-yellow-blue-green or whatever colour trap (particularly you Nick as someone with the talent to help others to undertand).
It is a trap with no winner and no way forward. The more of us that reject the idea that you are “with us or against us and there is nothing in between”, the better the situation will be.
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The crushing of the Red Shirts
Sorry to go off topic… It’s nearly 8 P.M. BKK time and it seems only Xinhua http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/25/content_11256142.htm are reporting on UDD demonstration at Sanam Luang. Surely, it’s incredibly hot out here but still..
Puer tea – store with care!
Ive visited this spring Yunnan, went Kunming and then to some famous tea mountains. I tried many teas on different places in Yunnan and I was very suprised with tea from 2006 and 2007. We had some in Yiwu and they aged very well. At that time, at the end of March, the humidity was there about 70% which I regards a very good base for aging. You get the aroma preserved very well and the some bittereness suppressed. Good place for dry storage althought I believe Kunming could be a good place for ‘very’ dry storage. Let’s see what the upcoming years of puerh archiving will bring. Good article Kathy, thx.
The crushing of the Red Shirts
This is complete biased reported disguised as ” FACT”.
Left out was when the Red Shirts intended to gas the community from the tanks, then the residents came out to fend for themselves.
How can you give credit to such a woman as ” Muad Jiap “.
At the Interior Ministry, you said Secretary Nibhond’s car drove into a taxi. Complete lie. Latest video clip from a foreign media showed THAT taxi backed up to block the Mercedes.
The Red rioters dragged Nibhond and his driver to club them.
It was not bringing to hospital.
Complete lie.
The crushing of the Red Shirts
And Ecrit… “selectively hostile interviewing” – what on earth do you mean?
“Aimed shots” – please elaborate.
The crushing of the Red Shirts
Ecrit,
I offered to lend my personal camera – not the BBC’s – to Nick when he told me his had broken on the morning of Monday 13th. He is one of many colleagues I have got to know by working alongside them while covering events in Thailand over the past year. It is perfectly normal practice for journalists to help each other out with loans of equipment if their fails. I have even known BBC colleagues lend gear to people working for major rivals if they’ve been unlucky enough to have a crucial piece of gear fail during a breaking story.
Nick’s views and approach to his journalism are his own, and had no bearing on my decision to make the offer. As a hard-working freelance I was well aware of what the loss of his camera would mean to Nick on that day. I do not see how you can find fault with that decision.
From the archives: Davis quoting King Bhumibol
Both Ebay and Amazon have it available, but it’s $97 bottom.
The crushing of the Red Shirts
We then went behind Metropolitan Police headquarters. There was a small crowd of extremely angry Red Shirts. They attacked every vehicle of the Thai media, angry by the not exactly unbiased reporting. Unfortunately, what many of them do not understand, is that Thai journalists are as divided over the political situation as the general Thai population, and many Thai journalists do not agree with the PAD or government policy. The result of these attacks was that most Thai journalists did not dare anymore to go close to the Red Shirts, and remained with the Army, even as Red Shirt leaders asked the protesters not to attack them. Part of the problem of course is that also many speeches on the stage condemned Thai media for being too partial towards the PAD. This is not too untrue, but unfortunately it results in attacks against the media. Right now only foreign journalists can safely work with Red Shirts. This is a huge problem for the future. Very few foreign journalists are fluent enough in Thai to directly speak in Thai, and too few Red Shirts speak English well enough. Also, Red Shirts expect too much from the foreign media. The media business is a business, and a story is only hot while it is big enough. When Thai journalists cannot work with Red Shirts, there is very little chance that their views will be heard in the traditional media outlets. It is more than important though that Red Shirts have a voice in the media.
What you wrote above has to get into the head of every Thais, red or yellow or whatever colors they are. Stop looking at “Media” as a single entity, and blame them all…
Review of Thai language phrasebooks
I really appreciated Cat’s review of all the Thai phrasebooks, from the pros and cons and the fact you could click on each book cover and see how the layout is designed in each.
‘I look forward to the day when there is one standard anglicised version of the Thai language.’
I concur as well. It drives me crazy the letters we’re not supposed to pronounce, making it all the more difficult to communicate an already hard language.
Review of Thai language phrasebooks
‘I look forward to the day when there is one standard anglicised version of the Thai language.’
If it ever happens, the signs in Bangkok would certainly change.
I look forward to the day when phrase books include both sides (multiple choice even) of the conversation so you don’t have to scramble to locate what they ‘might’ have said…
(thanks for the mention, my stats are loving it)
The crushing of the Red Shirts
Land (#79):
For the one who still believe Thaksin does not pay the redshirts for protesting and committing violence during ASEAN summit, see this
I think that video does not show what it reports to show. Most likely it is an example of completely misleading propaganda. Here’s a translation of the video, plus link to BP’s must-read observation:
http://www.jotasean.com/2009/04/thaksin-hawking-red-shirts-for-500-baht.html
On the Songkran crisis of 2009
Suppression of the free press?
Where?
The crushing of the Red Shirts
Ralph#83, you bring up a good point.
Suppose the army used live rounds, but there was specific instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office not to use Live Rounds? Then I understand that the army would be culpable. If Eton educated Abhisit couldn’t remember to put out a memo or specific wording into an ‘Order’ to the military on how to handle the situation, he should never have called for a State of Emergency.
There will be 2 that should happen for the Democratic party to take responsibility (in my opinion):
1. The obvious one is that Abhisit must choose to step down, or dissolve parliament for new elections. I think to be consistent with his “Democratic credentials” as to how he came to power, he should just quit and let Parliament take another chance at picking a new leader. He should definitely put himself up for the job again, but that depends on point 2
2. Point out that in spite of his instructions, the military didn’t listen to him. He must then do a complete inquiry of the military, and push legislation to specifically weaken the political power of the military, even before pushing for amnesty. He should also fire Suthep as his 2nd in charge, and put on Chuan (a dinosaur, but also who is less confrontational in nature) and few different people into key positions…. one easy example: you’re telling me the Democrat party, with all these “educated” people who have studied abroad and what nots have not 1 decent person they can call into the foreign ministry? Someone that, not just foreign dignitaries, but also our beauracrats abroad can respect when they arrive…
He should also create a committee for “reconciliation” he should actually get the more moderate factions of the “red” and “yellow” sides to work together to see if there are some sorts of similarities they have in their vision for the country and start from there…. it wouldn’t hurt him to assign key members of that committee to parliamentarians.
anyways, all of the above is probably fantasy-land where people are actually mature and serious about solving their problem.
It is very apparent from people of all political stripes that they have simply all left their point of rationality to do anything to actually help anyone. In these situations, there are never any “winners”, the biggest losers are probably those who are intellectually dishonest just to “make a point” to others because they, more than anyone else, are responsible for dragging everyone down with their twisted logic.
The only logic that exists right now is how not to fall as a nation. These are dire economic times, and we are with a political struggle in which there is so many things at stake. There is still high confidence that things can be solved, and they should be able to be… but everyone needs to drop the zero sum game. It is proven now, without a doubt the coup of September 2006 was an incredible mistake. The military should never have gotten out of their barracks and no ‘shortcut’ should’ve been attempted to solve a political crisis. Not that the shortcut didn’t help… it did, in the short run; but as usual, Generals saw State Power, and they wanted to keep it…. they wore the ‘Ring to Rule them All’, but the ring ruled over them too….. and well, they’re Generals, they don’t know how to do things, they are just used to saying it with a “yes sir” reply.
But you know, ‘Thaksin’ is not the answer. Whatever you may say about his being “popularly elected” 3-4 times whatever, he too plays a large role in this crisis. Any attempt to paint Thaksin as Thailand’s savior or call to put him (or his family members… I was actually fine with Samak… I even kinda liked the guy… big mistake for the PAD, court, etc., to remove him) on a pedestal or say that he has done know wrong, is intellectually honest.
Anyways, back to Ralph #83 that I lost track of while I was typing. I really wonder if there will be some sniping (figuratively) between the military and the PM’s Office on how things unfolded on the Security side of things.
The crushing of the Red Shirts
Ralph Kramden – Kasit’s is a disgrace to Thailand. He is constantly putting his mouth in motion before he puts his brain in gear. Possibly you could say he is uninformed and a liar. There is a lot of spin going on and eventually the whirlwind will slow and the truth will come out.
Re: Nick – “partisan”
Everyone in the news field gets contacts because you click with certain people. Nick just happened to click with some of the reds during their forming. It’s through these contacts, and often friendships, that you get close to what’s going on and often get inside information. That’s good journalistic practice.
Like myself, Nick sympathizes with the rural poor and their plight most of that is from the family ties we have in the North and Northeast and our own upbringing. Just because someone supports the rural poor they are not necessarily doing it blindly or supporters of Thaksin. If you know Nick, or his work, you already know Thaksin is not one of his hero. I’ve known Nick for years and we often swap information. Partisan is not a term that applies to him.
Often I hear the comments like LAND’s and I have to wonder if he has ever spent even one day working on a rice farm or spent a night talking to a group of rice farmers. I would hazard a guess he has not or he would realize that the brightest people in the country are not educated, but they understand immeasurably what’s going on. Something some groups do not want you to know. If thailand ever wants to become a great nation instead of an emerging one they have to develop this people resource not just as labor but as a brain trust as well.
From the archives: Davis quoting King Bhumibol
a gentle man, with a loving family.
The crushing of the Red Shirts
The major shortcoming of democracy arises when it’s applied by low-quality voters, and that’s the case in Thailand. You would not understand as it never happened in such developed countries as Australia.
Assuming you’re right about the first sentence (and it’s questionable that you are), you are dead wrong with the second. Ever heard of Tammany Hall, Boss Tweed, Richard J. Daley, Tanaka Kakuei, John MacDonald of the “Pacific Scandal” or Maurice Duplessis (I could go on)? All democracies, including the ones we consider “successful” today experience growing pains. None of the successful democracies got through these phases by military coups or reducing the amount of democracy (as PAD now advocates). There’s no easy answer to this – success only comes through the patient, tireless work of reformers who work within the bounds of the democratic process – and their work often takes generations before it bears any fruit.
The crushing of the Red Shirts
Marty, thanks. I guess I was thinking of Kasit’s comment at the Asia Society: he says only blanks were used. Now Anupong says that live rounds were used. So I guess we can now agree that live rounds were used and Kasit is either uniformed or a liar.
Did Thaksin call for revolution?
I have received this message from a reader:
Here’s someone else who wrote about Thaksin talking about ‘revolution’ during the DStation broadcast of April 12. (Wrote about it as it was happening, on Twitter). Unfortunately, it’s not a quote.
#
Pict3415_normal
smartbrain: thaksin calling for a revolution for democracy for the king.
Apr 12, 2009 11:32 AM GMT ┬╖ from mobile web ┬╖ Reply ┬╖ View Tweet
#
Pict3415_normal
smartbrain: thaksin on dstation
Apr 12, 2009 11:31 AM GMT ┬╖ from mobile web ┬╖ Reply ┬╖ View Tweet
(http://search.twitter.com/search?lang=en&max_id=1505898607&page=3&q=+from%3Asmartbrain+since%3A2009-04-11+until%3A2009-04-12&rpp=50)
The crushing of the Red Shirts
Ecrit # 46:
“would have lent his personal equipment to a partisan blogger” >
First, in fact, Nick is not a blogger but an accredited photo journalist. So, being willing to lend him equipment would seem to be well within the confines of assistence given to a colleague. Second, Nick has been working in areas of Thai society that are like terra incognita to most foreign and Thai journalists (and thus closed to most Thais themselves as well as to foreigners). That they happen not to correspond to the cliche of Thailand as the “Land of Smiles” should make his work even more welcome. Second, Nick is not “partisan,” but “biased.” These concepts are worlds apart. Third, would you prefer not having the data presented by him, rather relying on what Bangkok Post and The Nation (and the Thai-language papers, in case you can read Thai) have to offer? These days, it not an achievement to close one’s mind and parrot the official line. It is much more difficult to get exposure to alternative views. Fourth, seeing his report as an “infuriating piece of writing which makes me want to shake some sense into his thick blinkered head” indicates that your perceptional, intellectual, and political complacency were in utter need to be shaken up a little. Thus, you should thank Nick that he has brought some real Thai life into your protected world.
Did Thaksin call for revolution?
Thanks for providing a glimpse of a historian at work, Dr. Baker.
What a semiotic jungle the word р╕Ыр╕Пр╕┤р╕зр╕▒р╕Хр╕┤ is. When I first heard it after the 2006 coup, I replied, don’t you mean р╕гр╕▒р╕Рр╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕лр╕▓р╕г. I thought that maybe using the word “revolution” for “coup” was casting it in positive light but Thaksin uses this way too in the given quote. Then there is р╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Ыр╕Пр╕┤р╕зр╕▒р╕Хр╕┤ р╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕Кр╕▓р╕Кр╕Щ which surely can’t mean coup of the people, but before the 1992 so-called People’s Revolution many elements of the Bangkok middle class sympathized with the military and coup as they did in 2006 although they later changed their minds. If current events are simply the latest manifestation of the “Tale of Two Democracies” phenomenon, then what “People” does р╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Ыр╕Пр╕┤р╕зр╕▒р╕Хр╕┤ р╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕Кр╕▓р╕Кр╕Щ refer to? Thailand is a divided nation. As always, more accurate demographics seems to be called for.
The selective citing of Malaysia and Japan in Thaksin’s claim that military intervention retards economic development is also highly suspect. Korea’s development was intimately tied with military interventions and what about the Tianamen Square incident and the collective forgetting afterwards that preceded China’s great growth surge?
The crushing of the Red Shirts
I appreciate Nick’s courage in going out and photographing the events of the period – and previously when PAD were in Govt. house. I applaud too his wisdom in heading home when things really got out of hand.
What I do not appreciate is that Nick is falling into this simplistic trap of red vs. yellow – that it is rural poor vs urban elite. As we know it is much more complex than that and I truly believe that the answers to Thailand’s current situation lies in our ability to amicably discuss differences of opinion without having to say what “colour” you are.
I think he should have stated in his opening paragraph that he is a red shirt sympathiser and not have waited until comments were made regarding the bias of the report. Even better if a more balanced approach were made to the reporting – but for that I cut him some slack as he stated he hadn’t had a lot of sleep at the time of writing…
Apart from that I find the word “thugs” applied to PAD, but not to Red Shirts and, whilst understandable from a partisan POV doesn’t contribute to improving the situation, rather it is more name-calling that simply aggravates the situation.
From a more personal viewpoint we who live here and have family here all have stake in what is unfolding in Thai society, and I wish less people would fall into the red-yellow-blue-green or whatever colour trap (particularly you Nick as someone with the talent to help others to undertand).
It is a trap with no winner and no way forward. The more of us that reject the idea that you are “with us or against us and there is nothing in between”, the better the situation will be.