“The increasingly-isolated Thai junta” is not isolated within Thailand, where it has 80% public approval. Nor within ASEAN, nor with China.
“Isolated” here is a dog-whistle term that indicates US State Department disapproval, nothing more.
Potajaman and brother Damapong are in the list — to be investigated definitely. But 1,400 plus Thai names would surely include nearly every tax avoiding or evading Thai businessmen, crooked politicians, shady high-ranked policemen and multi-starred generals and army officers.
General Prayuth has his work cut out for him — investigate these 1,413 names, publish all their names and crooked offshore dealings, and just maybe the junta gets a better report card come August … or not.
Who really knows how the Thais will vote come referendum time?
I am suspicious of the many independents contesting in this elections- sponsored by BN to break up the anti-government votes?
It would be interesting to read something on this.
Buddhist economics as advocated by E.F. Schumacher in his Small Is Beautiful springs to mind.
Collective thinking capitalist style more or less stops at trading blocs that continue to divide the world rather than unite, and yes, TTIP, TPP etc. as they would buttress the WTO’s enforcement of free trade (that’s what it’s all about, the Almighty God of capitalism).
The two degree climate change target is totally unrealistic. We are currently on course for an increase of three of four degrees centigrade which will destroy human civilisation in its present form, and the vast majority of our flora and fauna. Beyond a certain point we even risk damaging the planet’s biosphere.
So capitalism is now discredited and toxic junk. We cannot safely extract any more fossil fuels or natural resources. Instead of age old hierarchies of self-interest we have to quickly find new ways of collective thinking.
What is clear is that the answers are unlikely to come from ‘The West’. Western military and corporate interests are busy peddling ‘business as usual’ whilst secretly building survival bunkers. So I have no problem with ‘bashing’ them.
It may be that Myanmar needs to dismantle its industries and coastal cities and create a barter economy of agricultural smallholdings, based on heat resistant crops. It might also be beneficial for Myanmar to request its Buddhist monks to pray for all of us.
Amid all the talk of mass graves, it is easy to forget what an important part rivers played in the events of 1965, particularly rivers on Java. It was relatively common for people to be rounded up in Central and East Java and taken to the banks of rivers to have their throats cut and their corpses dumped into the water.
The French journalist, Jacques Decornoy, wrote some graphic articles on these events in the Far Eastern Economic Review in 1966.
The first time I met the pro-Habibie economist, Umar Juoro, almost twenty years ago, he told me that he still remembered hearing the screams of victims having their throats cut by the river side. That was either in Klaten or Boyolali. Umar turned six in December 1965.
Late in 1967, I lived for several weeks in Jl Salatiga in Menteng, a few doors away from the house of Major-General Soedirgo, head of the Military Police (CPM). Along with my Javanese hosts, I paid an Idul Fitri call on Soedirgo. When he claimed at one point that Indonesia didn’t need to import weapons, I asked him where the weapons had come from that had been used to destroy the PKI. He drew his hand across his throat, guffawed and explained that foreign arms hadn’t been needed.
A general could admit this when the blood was still only slowly drying up in the towns and villages of Java. It was possible then to meet disturbed Indonesians about whom the foreign visitor was told that they had gone mad killing communists.
Luhut Panjaitan, who turns 69 in September, is clearly an intelligent and highly adaptable man. There have of course been other TNI officers who became very wealthy, but to return to government at such a high level after acquiring great riches is a less common achievement.
Entering AKABRI in 1970, Luhut surely knew almost as much as Soedirgo had blurted out to me barely two years earlier. It will be intriguing to watch whether he can be as adaptable on this issue as he has been in advancing his career. The pressure on him to do so will probably have to be enormous.
Petrohemical reserves? Please.. where do you get your info from. Despite all the “saunctions”, US and other Western firms had been active in Myanmar for a long time (till recently) Not a whole lot of petrochemical reserves have been found!
It is tiring when you guys make up facts just to bash China, or anyone for that matter. If you want to make a point – stick to facts..
Good one Friar Tuck — Abdul Taib Mahmud, Adnan Satem, Najib Razak, Soudi royals; it does not matter. Just show me the money so that I can feed my family for a few more days.
Hard to know which one will destroy the country first: comprador bourgeoisie or the new “Elite” class of “Western” trained young and energetic and, in their own mind, “Progressive and Liberal” returnees from various “Scholarship funding” countries the top of which being the United States and Australia. Hopefully some of them would not return to proselytise or be instrumental.
Don’t really think ‘Our Lord in Heaven’ or the ‘Holy Spirit’ can do much about these things. You do know that the majority of Sarawakians are Christians who have supported Barisan Nasional since independence.
[…] the electoral system on Sarawak’s election. Read the first article here and the second article here. Bridget Welsh would like to thank Sarawakians who assisted with the classification of polling […]
[…] a five-part series. The next article focuses on money politics in Sarawak. Read the first article here. Bridget Welsh would like to thank Sarawakians who assisted with the classification of polling […]
Myanmar’s border with China and its petrochemical reserves mean that no effort will be spared in quickly converting it into another vassal state for Western military and corporate interests.
See how it works. A new ethnic entity created as if by magic we now have the Mong Wong Bamar among the Shan, so you can imagine that’s the Rohingya tale being repeated in eastern Burma. It’s the same way Kokang substate was awarded by the returning colonial government at the end of the war for services rendered against the Japanese.
The physical and religious differences, not least their historic aggressively proselytising and isolationist behaviour, in the case of the Rohingya simply made it impossible to integrate.
I think you are hiding behind historical examples. First off, Howard and Port Arthur is a poor example, Howard did what the majority of the electorate wanted. His political courage was facing members of his own party. Australia doesn’t have nearly as effective gun lobby as the US
Picking the First World War, well the origins of the war is the most covered topic in Western historiography in 20th century. You seem to think that its a given that the leaders of both France, Britain, Germany and Russia went to war primarily on the urging of heir electorate.
Is Jokowi following opinion of the electorate with regards to the drug issue, or does he really believe in the death penalty for drug smuggling? How important is the drug issue to Indonesian electorate?
What is not mentioned or said is more important than what is said.
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Thai junta to get its report card
“The increasingly-isolated Thai junta” is not isolated within Thailand, where it has 80% public approval. Nor within ASEAN, nor with China.
“Isolated” here is a dog-whistle term that indicates US State Department disapproval, nothing more.
Thai junta to get its report card
1,413 Thai names implicated in Panama Papers!
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/1413-in-Thailand-named-by-Panama-Papers-30285640.html
Potajaman and brother Damapong are in the list — to be investigated definitely. But 1,400 plus Thai names would surely include nearly every tax avoiding or evading Thai businessmen, crooked politicians, shady high-ranked policemen and multi-starred generals and army officers.
General Prayuth has his work cut out for him — investigate these 1,413 names, publish all their names and crooked offshore dealings, and just maybe the junta gets a better report card come August … or not.
Who really knows how the Thais will vote come referendum time?
Lessons from a dictatorial neighbour
Thanks for the link.
Machines and money in the Philippine election
This article forgot “power from the barrel of a gun, Philippine democracy that is”.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/05/philippines-presidential-election-coverage-from-cnbc-anchor-martin-soong.html
It’s raining money in Sarawak
I am suspicious of the many independents contesting in this elections- sponsored by BN to break up the anti-government votes?
It would be interesting to read something on this.
Lessons from a dictatorial neighbour
Buddhist economics as advocated by E.F. Schumacher in his Small Is Beautiful springs to mind.
Collective thinking capitalist style more or less stops at trading blocs that continue to divide the world rather than unite, and yes, TTIP, TPP etc. as they would buttress the WTO’s enforcement of free trade (that’s what it’s all about, the Almighty God of capitalism).
Lessons from a dictatorial neighbour
Neptunian, if you really want facts…
The two degree climate change target is totally unrealistic. We are currently on course for an increase of three of four degrees centigrade which will destroy human civilisation in its present form, and the vast majority of our flora and fauna. Beyond a certain point we even risk damaging the planet’s biosphere.
So capitalism is now discredited and toxic junk. We cannot safely extract any more fossil fuels or natural resources. Instead of age old hierarchies of self-interest we have to quickly find new ways of collective thinking.
What is clear is that the answers are unlikely to come from ‘The West’. Western military and corporate interests are busy peddling ‘business as usual’ whilst secretly building survival bunkers. So I have no problem with ‘bashing’ them.
It may be that Myanmar needs to dismantle its industries and coastal cities and create a barter economy of agricultural smallholdings, based on heat resistant crops. It might also be beneficial for Myanmar to request its Buddhist monks to pray for all of us.
1965 symposium: a glimmer of hope?
Amid all the talk of mass graves, it is easy to forget what an important part rivers played in the events of 1965, particularly rivers on Java. It was relatively common for people to be rounded up in Central and East Java and taken to the banks of rivers to have their throats cut and their corpses dumped into the water.
The French journalist, Jacques Decornoy, wrote some graphic articles on these events in the Far Eastern Economic Review in 1966.
The first time I met the pro-Habibie economist, Umar Juoro, almost twenty years ago, he told me that he still remembered hearing the screams of victims having their throats cut by the river side. That was either in Klaten or Boyolali. Umar turned six in December 1965.
Late in 1967, I lived for several weeks in Jl Salatiga in Menteng, a few doors away from the house of Major-General Soedirgo, head of the Military Police (CPM). Along with my Javanese hosts, I paid an Idul Fitri call on Soedirgo. When he claimed at one point that Indonesia didn’t need to import weapons, I asked him where the weapons had come from that had been used to destroy the PKI. He drew his hand across his throat, guffawed and explained that foreign arms hadn’t been needed.
A general could admit this when the blood was still only slowly drying up in the towns and villages of Java. It was possible then to meet disturbed Indonesians about whom the foreign visitor was told that they had gone mad killing communists.
Luhut Panjaitan, who turns 69 in September, is clearly an intelligent and highly adaptable man. There have of course been other TNI officers who became very wealthy, but to return to government at such a high level after acquiring great riches is a less common achievement.
Entering AKABRI in 1970, Luhut surely knew almost as much as Soedirgo had blurted out to me barely two years earlier. It will be intriguing to watch whether he can be as adaptable on this issue as he has been in advancing his career. The pressure on him to do so will probably have to be enormous.
Lessons from a dictatorial neighbour
Petrohemical reserves? Please.. where do you get your info from. Despite all the “saunctions”, US and other Western firms had been active in Myanmar for a long time (till recently) Not a whole lot of petrochemical reserves have been found!
It is tiring when you guys make up facts just to bash China, or anyone for that matter. If you want to make a point – stick to facts..
It’s raining money in Sarawak
Good one Friar Tuck — Abdul Taib Mahmud, Adnan Satem, Najib Razak, Soudi royals; it does not matter. Just show me the money so that I can feed my family for a few more days.
Lessons from a dictatorial neighbour
Hard to know which one will destroy the country first: comprador bourgeoisie or the new “Elite” class of “Western” trained young and energetic and, in their own mind, “Progressive and Liberal” returnees from various “Scholarship funding” countries the top of which being the United States and Australia. Hopefully some of them would not return to proselytise or be instrumental.
It’s raining money in Sarawak
Majority of Sarawakians are Christians? Why thanks Greg L for sharing that surprising tidbit about Sarawak’s election flavor.
If Najib-BN sweeps Sarawak, that would confirm the Christian god(s) had aligned with the Saudi royals and answered Joliffe Wong fervent prayers!
It’s raining money in Sarawak
Don’t really think ‘Our Lord in Heaven’ or the ‘Holy Spirit’ can do much about these things. You do know that the majority of Sarawakians are Christians who have supported Barisan Nasional since independence.
Stopping ‘change’: Sarawak’s electoral battlegrounds
[…] the electoral system on Sarawak’s election. Read the first article here and the second article here. Bridget Welsh would like to thank Sarawakians who assisted with the classification of polling […]
‘Same old’ in Sarawak campaign
[…] a five-part series. The next article focuses on money politics in Sarawak. Read the first article here. Bridget Welsh would like to thank Sarawakians who assisted with the classification of polling […]
Lessons from a dictatorial neighbour
Myanmar’s border with China and its petrochemical reserves mean that no effort will be spared in quickly converting it into another vassal state for Western military and corporate interests.
Lessons from a dictatorial neighbour
Fantastic analysis in the link. Thank you.
Lessons from a dictatorial neighbour
See how it works. A new ethnic entity created as if by magic we now have the Mong Wong Bamar among the Shan, so you can imagine that’s the Rohingya tale being repeated in eastern Burma. It’s the same way Kokang substate was awarded by the returning colonial government at the end of the war for services rendered against the Japanese.
The physical and religious differences, not least their historic aggressively proselytising and isolationist behaviour, in the case of the Rohingya simply made it impossible to integrate.
Lessons from a dictatorial neighbour
How could you consider Myanmar as best new democratic country if they maintain discrimination and genocidal acts against Rohongya
Assessing the Jokowi presidency
I think you are hiding behind historical examples. First off, Howard and Port Arthur is a poor example, Howard did what the majority of the electorate wanted. His political courage was facing members of his own party. Australia doesn’t have nearly as effective gun lobby as the US
Picking the First World War, well the origins of the war is the most covered topic in Western historiography in 20th century. You seem to think that its a given that the leaders of both France, Britain, Germany and Russia went to war primarily on the urging of heir electorate.
Is Jokowi following opinion of the electorate with regards to the drug issue, or does he really believe in the death penalty for drug smuggling? How important is the drug issue to Indonesian electorate?
What is not mentioned or said is more important than what is said.