-with his party, he lost all the previous elections (latest one december 2007)
-he was “pushed” in the Prime Minister position by a legal coup in the House, with the grotesque betrayal of Newin’s friends (ex Thaksin ally).
Welcome to the Frankenstein Coalition.
So what’s the point to speak about “democracy”, “freedom”, “rule of law”, bla bla bla ?
Abhisit is living indeed in a Potemkin Village : he’s the little mayor of it.
And behind him, we can find the real masters. Who don’t give a rat shit about what the people are thinking and/or voting for. That’s the thai “democracy” at work.
A new Junta would have been way too visible, after the Surayud disaster. Bad PR. So let’s create the PAD, and then Abhisit will do the trick… But not for long. Masks are falling.
No legitimacy also because since this legal coup Abhisit has shown his true colors :
-inane “populist” policies, the same he was accusing Thaksin of (hand out of 2000 THB to 8 millions people, a huge vote buying)
-the boat people scandal
-the lese-majeste hysteria
-the green light for the military to buy 6 ridiculous (but expensive) swedish jet fighters, meanwhile the budget deficit explodes etc.
So yes, Abhisit is a vivid lie, a clumsy red-herring, a disgrace for his country and for all the people who support him because he’s young and looking good (in the middle of old thai godfathers politicians it’s not that hard).
Change with Abhisit ? Yes we can’t.
PS : as for the Oxford story, sure he should be able to come to talk. Because he wouldn’t last 5 minutes during a serious Q&A session.
If as it looks like, the appearance has been cancelled, never mind.
All you outraged Thai “academic” studies people will now be able to watch a “rea” football game, between ManU and Liverpool, instead.
After all, more Thais will care about the result of that game, than some “intellectual” debate, which so many of you seem to see in the same light as a football game.
If you want to be “outraged” like Patrick Krup, rather than be an informed student of the Thai political situation, I suggest you’ll get your rocks off better watching the football.
Otherwise go back to your Thai studies and learn a little more about Thai history and Thai people,both of which, several of you, obviously no little about.
This is not meant as a rant against Thai contributors such as Joy, Susie Wong and so on. They are Thais and their opinions are a lot more relevent (even if I don’t always agree). than the opinions of someone, who opens a few books and thinks they know it all.
Come and live here and work among Thais.
You might then appreciate the real situation a bit better.
jonfernquest said:
This is an issue for Thai people to decide, not Thai Studies academics
This is a point worth considering, and I would guess most of us do.
Three points I also consider:
1. There has been a radical escalation of the LM accusation, which I date to the bickering between Sondhi and Thaksin and the King’s hospitalisation. The escalation is of such magnitude that the net is being cast very far and wide, so it is no longer affecting primarily Thais.
2. Jon is very right in frequently calling attention to the privileges enjoyed by non-Thai residents of Thailand. This is a status Jon and I enjoyed when we taught together. I hope you recall, Jon, that it was in part you and I who took it upon ourselves to “complain” about some issues that affected our Thai colleagues more than it affected us. If we complained, very little would happen to us. If they complained, advancement in the Thai academic world would likely be damaged.
I feel the LM discussions have many of the same features. If non-Thais take up the issue, especially where Thai academics may fear for their jobs, it may benefit far more people than the small circles of Thai studies academics.
3. Jon is only partly right in questioning why so much attention is being paid to this issue and not others. Partly, I say, because the same law means many other pressing issues are off limits or discussion is so limited, it cannot unfold in a reasonable way.
Thanks to Lee Jones for his letter to Oxford. Feel like it’s a candle light in the darkness. I agree with all that mentioned in this letter – it’s true. If you are not a Thai you will never really know and understand how Thai people suffer along his way – “Abhisit” to power.
Shame on Oxford to support this most disgusting priminister to talk on democracy. Abhisit is just a slave of dictator who’s so much greedy for power.
Yes, Jon, it is really shocking that academics would care about freedom of speech and academic freedom. To say that this is something only the Thai people should “decide” (as if they were actually free to express their opinions on the subject there) is very convenient indeed – much like saying that it’s up to the people of Burma to “decide” what to do about democracy, that it’s up to the people of Zimbabwe to “decide” what to do with Mugabe, that it’s up to the people of Sudan to prosecute Bashir, that it’s up to the people of Tibet to “decide” what to do with Chinese occupation, or that it’s up to the women of Yemen to “decide” what to do with the practice of taking 8 year old brides. No need for international pressure. Come to think of it, there is no need for foreign news bureaus, either. After all, what goes on within the confines of individual countries is no one’s business but their own.
I denounce St John’s College for inviting Abhisit to give a speech about democracy. The man came to power undemocratically; he wasn’t elected by people. He was put on the golden palanquin and paraded to the office by the PAD, the army, the elites, and a host of Thaksin’s enemies, consisting of drug dealers, underground lottery dealers, illegal gambling den owners, loan sharks, pimps, just to mentioned a few.
How can Abhisit give a speech about democracy? He had boycotted a general election and had been behind the mob that seized airports and toppled democratically elected government.
Abhisit is a disgrace to Oxford University and Thailand. If it is necessary for him to deliver a speech, it should be on “Short Cut to P.M. Office” or “The Art of Borrowing Money.”
A pity if, as posted, Abhisit’s talk is canceled. I’m not at all sure that is a “deplorable move by Oxford.” It seems more likely to me that it came at Abhisit’s initiative — I hope someone can clarify the matter ASAP.
Interesting that on the same page we find The Oxford Union had this debate (below) in January. I won’t hold my breath waiting for something similar here in Thailand.
This House Has No Confidence In The Monarchy
Event Name This House Has No Confidence In The Monarchy
Start Date 29th Jan 2009 8:30pm
End Date
Duration N/A
Description
“Thais and others are having a debate about lese majeste. ”
Therein probably lies the heart of the problem.
This is an issue for Thai people to decide, not Thai Studies academics imagining they are some Free Thailand movement or the Thailand liberation army, Marxist Giles in some farcical TV reality show imagining he is following in the footsteps of his father.
A time when people are hunkered down in the political fox holes like now, is probably the least likely time to get reform in LM.
It’s a sad comment on the state of Thai Studies that this is the only issue that is raised for public discussion, particularly when received western wisdom on a whole assortment of issues, particularly the economy, are coming into question.
Well, he did somehow manage to get a European patent on the “Royal Rainmaking Technology”. As some one who works in IP, I have to say that the U.S. patent application is rather fascinating in its unusual nature. The prosecution is all public information. I like the fact that whenever the application refers to him it is in all caps “HIS MAJESTY THE KING”. And the correspondence address is unique as well. Glad I am not the one who has to deal with examining it.
I thank Giles for revolting against the authoritarianism of current abusive lese majeste law. The abusive lese majeste law must be stopped. It is loud and clear throughout Thailand and across the globe that we will not put up with the injustice law. In addition, we want to see more good people like Giles leads the country. I trust the moral code of Giles. Majority of Thai people want to see change. Thank you Giles for leading us!
I admire Ji’s intellectual strength in applying logic to his argument. I appreciate his values and worldviews, he always adheres to self-respect, dignity, and morality in relation to himself and when he deals with other people. I would not allow anyone to walk all over me. It is a basic human rights to self defense when someone intentionally hurt your emotion or to attack your reputation.
Majority of Thai people is proud of Giles Ungpakorn.
As a Thai having followed the movements in the cyber world and
monitored the behaviors of Thailand’s mainstream media for at least
four years, I would like to convince you all who didn’t really have
access to the kind of information with which I was bombarded
that Dr. Jones’ statements about Thailand and Abhisit’s non-democratic
deeds and thus lack of democracy legitimacy are based on his
profound insights into the sociopolitical factors in Thailand.
You can pick up a few statements here and there that may be a little
exaggerated, but you cannot deny the fact that Abhisit is a moron
who knows nothing about how to be a democratic politician. He
doesn’t know about how to fight fairly like a gentleman, which
is what I would expect from a man from such a strict tradition like
Oxford. Everything else that Dr. Jones, Dr. Giles and many other
critiques say about Abhisit’s roles in the conspiracy to sabotage
the democratic development in Thailand is all based on facts.
Thailand is still a free, easy-going, friendly, livable, and much more,
but it is by no means a democratic country, and Abhisit has done
everything but acted like a gentleman in a democratic system.
mail from FACT
Your own private network is located overseas beyond the reach of Thai censors using an encrypted tunnel so that governments and ISPs won’t even be able to see where you’re surfing. Unlike anonymous Internet proxies, criminal under the cybercrime law, using VPN makes streaming video and audio freely available.
Two simple, free VPN applications are HotSpot Shield (Mac and Windows) <http://www.hotspotshield.com/, AlwaysVPN (Mac, Windows, Linux) and Social VPN (Windows, Linux) http://socialvpn.wordpress.com/. Run the installer and they just work with one click every time you get to a blocked website.
HotSpot Shield (Mac and Windows)
AlwaysVPN (Mac, Windows, Linux)
Social VPN (Windows, Linux)
I commend the United States for beginning to make an objective contribution to Southeast Asian studies based on research and analysis.
“The lese majeste law itself that makes its enforcement and abuse so terrible. There are no limits on the law. Anyone can make the charge. Everything can be construed as lese majeste. This is the reason that the law so easily becomes a political tool. … What is really at question here is that the very nature of this law makes it prone to abuse, and as such, affects freedom of expression in a democratic Thailand.”
David Streckfuss’s findings concluded that the law itself is the problem. The next step is how can we change the situation given that Abhisit himself has been abusing the lese majeste charge to destroy his political opponents throughout. Abhisit manipulated the lese majeste law to destroy his political opponents dated back to his attack at Jakrapop Penkair about Jakrapop’ s talk at the Foreign Correspondence Club many years back. Also, Giles published the “Coup for the Rich” in 2007. He did not get the lese majeste charge till 2009 Abhisit became prime minister. How could be expect any change from someone who uses lese majeste law to eliminate his political opponents?
I guess permitting the CIA to run covert prisons in Thailand is a recent part of the long-term quid pro quo of the US military supplying equipment for bombing the democratic forces (“communists”) and making rain and allowing the PR team to continue to claim credit…..
I connect via TOT. This morning, or was it yesterday, Asia Sentinel was blocked. OK now.
This afternoon the Lexitron dictionary page at http://www.thaitux.info/dict/ was blocked. I had to go through a proxy in the US to view it. So sometimes I think they just push the wrong buttons.
There was a letter to the editor at the Bangkok Post a few days ago by someone who was trying to find the standard pronunciation of lèse–ma┬╖jes┬╖té. His google search was blocked.
I am able to read Giles’ blog now, and his RSS feed always got through, but the blog itself was blocked for quite awhile. I was unable to reach it then through an overseas proxy, so they were reading the interior contents of IP packets and not just addresses. Had to get something for the 50 million baht they put out for firewalling equipment at the MICT. I wonder if they hired the Israelis to do it? Eavesdropping on communications of all sorts seems to be one of their particular areas of expertise.
Mr. Jones, in your new statement that has been published you state: “Most of the people writing these emails also state that they lack the freedom to speak out against their own government and express fears of reprisals.”
Please name someone who has suffered ‘reprisals’ and detail what those ‘reprisals’ were for criticizing the current coalition government. Not the monarchy, but the government.
Please cite any threat that has been made by this current government against those who have voiced criticisms of it.
Each and every day I read criticisms of the current government in the local press, both in English and Thai.
Thousands of red shirt protesters have gathered in front of Government House on at least two occasions.
Where exactly is this ‘lack of freedom to speak out against their government’ by which your email fans claim they are being oppressed?
I also have never had a problem with NM using CAT’s Hi-net service in Bangkok. However, I, too, often find Prachatai won’t load here but will load immediately using a proxy or HotSpotShield. Always (so far) comes back later. We doubt any keyword filters are being used at present.
I have noticed that there is a message on the web of Oxford Union now stating that the event has been cancelled. If this turns out to be true then it is a deplorable move by Oxford.
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Lee Jones on Abhisit in Oxford
Potemkin Village. Cardboard-cut-out. Empty grandiloquent words. Fresh paint.
Abhisit has no legitimacy. None whatsoever.
-with his party, he lost all the previous elections (latest one december 2007)
-he was “pushed” in the Prime Minister position by a legal coup in the House, with the grotesque betrayal of Newin’s friends (ex Thaksin ally).
Welcome to the Frankenstein Coalition.
So what’s the point to speak about “democracy”, “freedom”, “rule of law”, bla bla bla ?
Abhisit is living indeed in a Potemkin Village : he’s the little mayor of it.
And behind him, we can find the real masters. Who don’t give a rat shit about what the people are thinking and/or voting for. That’s the thai “democracy” at work.
A new Junta would have been way too visible, after the Surayud disaster. Bad PR. So let’s create the PAD, and then Abhisit will do the trick… But not for long. Masks are falling.
No legitimacy also because since this legal coup Abhisit has shown his true colors :
-inane “populist” policies, the same he was accusing Thaksin of (hand out of 2000 THB to 8 millions people, a huge vote buying)
-the boat people scandal
-the lese-majeste hysteria
-the green light for the military to buy 6 ridiculous (but expensive) swedish jet fighters, meanwhile the budget deficit explodes etc.
So yes, Abhisit is a vivid lie, a clumsy red-herring, a disgrace for his country and for all the people who support him because he’s young and looking good (in the middle of old thai godfathers politicians it’s not that hard).
Change with Abhisit ? Yes we can’t.
PS : as for the Oxford story, sure he should be able to come to talk. Because he wouldn’t last 5 minutes during a serious Q&A session.
Lee Jones on Abhisit in Oxford
If as it looks like, the appearance has been cancelled, never mind.
All you outraged Thai “academic” studies people will now be able to watch a “rea” football game, between ManU and Liverpool, instead.
After all, more Thais will care about the result of that game, than some “intellectual” debate, which so many of you seem to see in the same light as a football game.
If you want to be “outraged” like Patrick Krup, rather than be an informed student of the Thai political situation, I suggest you’ll get your rocks off better watching the football.
Otherwise go back to your Thai studies and learn a little more about Thai history and Thai people,both of which, several of you, obviously no little about.
This is not meant as a rant against Thai contributors such as Joy, Susie Wong and so on. They are Thais and their opinions are a lot more relevent (even if I don’t always agree). than the opinions of someone, who opens a few books and thinks they know it all.
Come and live here and work among Thais.
You might then appreciate the real situation a bit better.
David Streckfuss on LM
jonfernquest said:
This is an issue for Thai people to decide, not Thai Studies academics
This is a point worth considering, and I would guess most of us do.
Three points I also consider:
1. There has been a radical escalation of the LM accusation, which I date to the bickering between Sondhi and Thaksin and the King’s hospitalisation. The escalation is of such magnitude that the net is being cast very far and wide, so it is no longer affecting primarily Thais.
2. Jon is very right in frequently calling attention to the privileges enjoyed by non-Thai residents of Thailand. This is a status Jon and I enjoyed when we taught together. I hope you recall, Jon, that it was in part you and I who took it upon ourselves to “complain” about some issues that affected our Thai colleagues more than it affected us. If we complained, very little would happen to us. If they complained, advancement in the Thai academic world would likely be damaged.
I feel the LM discussions have many of the same features. If non-Thais take up the issue, especially where Thai academics may fear for their jobs, it may benefit far more people than the small circles of Thai studies academics.
3. Jon is only partly right in questioning why so much attention is being paid to this issue and not others. Partly, I say, because the same law means many other pressing issues are off limits or discussion is so limited, it cannot unfold in a reasonable way.
Lee Jones on Abhisit in Oxford
Thanks to Lee Jones for his letter to Oxford. Feel like it’s a candle light in the darkness. I agree with all that mentioned in this letter – it’s true. If you are not a Thai you will never really know and understand how Thai people suffer along his way – “Abhisit” to power.
Shame on Oxford to support this most disgusting priminister to talk on democracy. Abhisit is just a slave of dictator who’s so much greedy for power.
David Streckfuss on LM
Yes, Jon, it is really shocking that academics would care about freedom of speech and academic freedom. To say that this is something only the Thai people should “decide” (as if they were actually free to express their opinions on the subject there) is very convenient indeed – much like saying that it’s up to the people of Burma to “decide” what to do about democracy, that it’s up to the people of Zimbabwe to “decide” what to do with Mugabe, that it’s up to the people of Sudan to prosecute Bashir, that it’s up to the people of Tibet to “decide” what to do with Chinese occupation, or that it’s up to the women of Yemen to “decide” what to do with the practice of taking 8 year old brides. No need for international pressure. Come to think of it, there is no need for foreign news bureaus, either. After all, what goes on within the confines of individual countries is no one’s business but their own.
Lee Jones on Abhisit in Oxford
I denounce St John’s College for inviting Abhisit to give a speech about democracy. The man came to power undemocratically; he wasn’t elected by people. He was put on the golden palanquin and paraded to the office by the PAD, the army, the elites, and a host of Thaksin’s enemies, consisting of drug dealers, underground lottery dealers, illegal gambling den owners, loan sharks, pimps, just to mentioned a few.
How can Abhisit give a speech about democracy? He had boycotted a general election and had been behind the mob that seized airports and toppled democratically elected government.
Abhisit is a disgrace to Oxford University and Thailand. If it is necessary for him to deliver a speech, it should be on “Short Cut to P.M. Office” or “The Art of Borrowing Money.”
Lee Jones on Abhisit in Oxford
A pity if, as posted, Abhisit’s talk is canceled. I’m not at all sure that is a “deplorable move by Oxford.” It seems more likely to me that it came at Abhisit’s initiative — I hope someone can clarify the matter ASAP.
Interesting that on the same page we find The Oxford Union had this debate (below) in January. I won’t hold my breath waiting for something similar here in Thailand.
This House Has No Confidence In The Monarchy
Event Name This House Has No Confidence In The Monarchy
Start Date 29th Jan 2009 8:30pm
End Date
Duration N/A
Description
http://www.oxford-union.org/term_events/this_house_has_no_confidence_in_the_monarchy
David Streckfuss on LM
“Thais and others are having a debate about lese majeste. ”
Therein probably lies the heart of the problem.
This is an issue for Thai people to decide, not Thai Studies academics imagining they are some Free Thailand movement or the Thailand liberation army, Marxist Giles in some farcical TV reality show imagining he is following in the footsteps of his father.
A time when people are hunkered down in the political fox holes like now, is probably the least likely time to get reform in LM.
It’s a sad comment on the state of Thai Studies that this is the only issue that is raised for public discussion, particularly when received western wisdom on a whole assortment of issues, particularly the economy, are coming into question.
International scholars call for reform of Thailand’s lese majeste law
[…] (now with a total of over 170 names).┬ I have placed the list of additional signatories in my original post about the […]
David Streckfuss on LM
…Perhaps Prime Minister Abhisit will use his Saturday morning on St. Giles…
It should read “St Johns CollegeтАО”
Though many people think that Prof. Giles is a very good person, he is not yet a Saint. 🙂
“Super Sandwich” for northern Thailand
Well, he did somehow manage to get a European patent on the “Royal Rainmaking Technology”. As some one who works in IP, I have to say that the U.S. patent application is rather fascinating in its unusual nature. The prosecution is all public information. I like the fact that whenever the application refers to him it is in all caps “HIS MAJESTY THE KING”. And the correspondence address is unique as well. Glad I am not the one who has to deal with examining it.
Report on “Lèse Majesté in Thailand: The Enemy of Democracy”
I thank Giles for revolting against the authoritarianism of current abusive lese majeste law. The abusive lese majeste law must be stopped. It is loud and clear throughout Thailand and across the globe that we will not put up with the injustice law. In addition, we want to see more good people like Giles leads the country. I trust the moral code of Giles. Majority of Thai people want to see change. Thank you Giles for leading us!
I admire Ji’s intellectual strength in applying logic to his argument. I appreciate his values and worldviews, he always adheres to self-respect, dignity, and morality in relation to himself and when he deals with other people. I would not allow anyone to walk all over me. It is a basic human rights to self defense when someone intentionally hurt your emotion or to attack your reputation.
Majority of Thai people is proud of Giles Ungpakorn.
Lee Jones on Abhisit in Oxford
As a Thai having followed the movements in the cyber world and
monitored the behaviors of Thailand’s mainstream media for at least
four years, I would like to convince you all who didn’t really have
access to the kind of information with which I was bombarded
that Dr. Jones’ statements about Thailand and Abhisit’s non-democratic
deeds and thus lack of democracy legitimacy are based on his
profound insights into the sociopolitical factors in Thailand.
You can pick up a few statements here and there that may be a little
exaggerated, but you cannot deny the fact that Abhisit is a moron
who knows nothing about how to be a democratic politician. He
doesn’t know about how to fight fairly like a gentleman, which
is what I would expect from a man from such a strict tradition like
Oxford. Everything else that Dr. Jones, Dr. Giles and many other
critiques say about Abhisit’s roles in the conspiracy to sabotage
the democratic development in Thailand is all based on facts.
Thailand is still a free, easy-going, friendly, livable, and much more,
but it is by no means a democratic country, and Abhisit has done
everything but acted like a gentleman in a democratic system.
Lese majeste-related web pages blocked in Thailand?
mail from FACT
Your own private network is located overseas beyond the reach of Thai censors using an encrypted tunnel so that governments and ISPs won’t even be able to see where you’re surfing. Unlike anonymous Internet proxies, criminal under the cybercrime law, using VPN makes streaming video and audio freely available.
Two simple, free VPN applications are HotSpot Shield (Mac and Windows) <http://www.hotspotshield.com/, AlwaysVPN (Mac, Windows, Linux) and Social VPN (Windows, Linux) http://socialvpn.wordpress.com/. Run the installer and they just work with one click every time you get to a blocked website.
HotSpot Shield (Mac and Windows)
AlwaysVPN (Mac, Windows, Linux)
Social VPN (Windows, Linux)
David Streckfuss on LM
I commend the United States for beginning to make an objective contribution to Southeast Asian studies based on research and analysis.
“The lese majeste law itself that makes its enforcement and abuse so terrible. There are no limits on the law. Anyone can make the charge. Everything can be construed as lese majeste. This is the reason that the law so easily becomes a political tool. … What is really at question here is that the very nature of this law makes it prone to abuse, and as such, affects freedom of expression in a democratic Thailand.”
David Streckfuss’s findings concluded that the law itself is the problem. The next step is how can we change the situation given that Abhisit himself has been abusing the lese majeste charge to destroy his political opponents throughout. Abhisit manipulated the lese majeste law to destroy his political opponents dated back to his attack at Jakrapop Penkair about Jakrapop’ s talk at the Foreign Correspondence Club many years back. Also, Giles published the “Coup for the Rich” in 2007. He did not get the lese majeste charge till 2009 Abhisit became prime minister. How could be expect any change from someone who uses lese majeste law to eliminate his political opponents?
“Super Sandwich” for northern Thailand
I guess permitting the CIA to run covert prisons in Thailand is a recent part of the long-term quid pro quo of the US military supplying equipment for bombing the democratic forces (“communists”) and making rain and allowing the PR team to continue to claim credit…..
Lese majeste-related web pages blocked in Thailand?
I connect via TOT. This morning, or was it yesterday, Asia Sentinel was blocked. OK now.
This afternoon the Lexitron dictionary page at http://www.thaitux.info/dict/ was blocked. I had to go through a proxy in the US to view it. So sometimes I think they just push the wrong buttons.
There was a letter to the editor at the Bangkok Post a few days ago by someone who was trying to find the standard pronunciation of lèse–ma┬╖jes┬╖té. His google search was blocked.
I am able to read Giles’ blog now, and his RSS feed always got through, but the blog itself was blocked for quite awhile. I was unable to reach it then through an overseas proxy, so they were reading the interior contents of IP packets and not just addresses. Had to get something for the 50 million baht they put out for firewalling equipment at the MICT. I wonder if they hired the Israelis to do it? Eavesdropping on communications of all sorts seems to be one of their particular areas of expertise.
I think I read that Australia, too, has a problem with internet censorship. Reporters Without Borders has a report on it : Internet monitored and controlled, even in democracies
The organisation draws particular attention to Australia and South Korea, where recent measures may endanger online free expression.
Have you experienced any difficult on your end?
I think we are all going to have to adopt encryption just to be able to communicate. This certainly seems to be the age of the Right the world around.
Lee Jones on Abhisit in Oxford
Mr. Jones, in your new statement that has been published you state: “Most of the people writing these emails also state that they lack the freedom to speak out against their own government and express fears of reprisals.”
Please name someone who has suffered ‘reprisals’ and detail what those ‘reprisals’ were for criticizing the current coalition government. Not the monarchy, but the government.
Please cite any threat that has been made by this current government against those who have voiced criticisms of it.
Each and every day I read criticisms of the current government in the local press, both in English and Thai.
Thousands of red shirt protesters have gathered in front of Government House on at least two occasions.
Where exactly is this ‘lack of freedom to speak out against their government’ by which your email fans claim they are being oppressed?
Lese majeste-related web pages blocked in Thailand?
I also have never had a problem with NM using CAT’s Hi-net service in Bangkok. However, I, too, often find Prachatai won’t load here but will load immediately using a proxy or HotSpotShield. Always (so far) comes back later. We doubt any keyword filters are being used at present.
Lee Jones on Abhisit in Oxford
I have noticed that there is a message on the web of Oxford Union now stating that the event has been cancelled. If this turns out to be true then it is a deplorable move by Oxford.
http://www.oxford-union.org/term_events/prime_minister_of_thailand-abhisit_vejjajiva