DeepBlueSea: As far as I recall, the escalation of violence in the South since 2004 originated Thaksins challenge of the royal power network which disequilibrated the region. As a German national with an expatriate background in Thailand I can reassure that I didn’t meet work mates who complained about 3rd Reich propaganda so far.
The big elephant in the room where any group of left-leaning academics confabulates is communism. Easy to dismiss now, but it was literally a terror in the land back in the day.
Put yourself in the shoes of anyone *not* radicalised in (say 1965) and the re-sacralisation of the monarchy becomes a blindingly obvious thing to do. Read the 1971 blurb above in this context.
People, *it worked*. Along with Malaysia, Thailand was the only SE-Asian Country to successfully kill the beast without creating a mountain of skulls in doing so. If you guys think 1976 was bad (I’m not saying it was nice or fair or not vomit-making, mind you)… try East Java and Bali 1965.
Thing is, a lot of of the folks writing about SE Asia think communism is a feature and not a bug. It drives them nuts that all the usual suspects + the old guy dug deep down into the Thai psyche and pulled out a mystical magical trick that held the line when Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos fell.
So you write blather wondering in some faux ingenuous way why the Monarchy was re-built as it was from Sarit onwards. The real reason is clear as day. But you have to be honest about historical conditions at the time. Of course there were the usual Thai/human secondary issues like other people gaining power, the Kityakaras riding back into town, etc., etc… but finding a mystical bulwark against communism and making it work was the order of the day.
What later happened in those three countries was far more evil than anything that’s gone down in Thailand in living memory. But most of this gets wall papered over. Far more exciting to take on the Thai Monarchy from a distance than have a go at Hun Sen (fatal in 9 cases out of 10 :)).
I’m not supporter of the Thai Monarchy… and it is a truism that everything eventually becomes subject to contradictions, historical ironies, etc… the marxists are right on this one point. The wheel has turned and change is in the air. This however does not in any way imply that things are going to get better without the Chakris in the house.
Like Tito, Franco, and Salazar… once you take away the stifling wet blanket, all kinds of things (both good and bad) crawl out and get breeding in the light of day.
Another obvious point related to basic human nature. People NEED to believe in someone good. Obama-fever people. Buddhism doesn’t provide any kind of ‘saviour figure’ (to East Coast / West Coast Whitey, this is a feature, not a bug – to an indebted peasant, less so). This need is so deep-seated that in the absence of anyone genuinely good, people will fixate on the nearest, best-looking, least obviously evil person (who might be regarded as a monster in a more civilized time and place) – Exhibit A: Zhou Enlai. Obviously the Old Guy fulfills this kind of duty too.
Prasit: At the talk, Aj.Ji mentioned about Thaksin’s corruption, the Takbi’s incident as well as other controversial issues that took place during Thaksin’s term of PM. In his red manifesto, he urges red-shirt people to stop waiting for the return of Thaksin and focus more on democracy. (I think it would be superb if they can do this).
Anyway, I don’t think I’m convinced that Aj.Ji is a supporter of Thaksin. By saying that he believes Thaksin’s policies made him popular among the poor doesn’t mean that he supports the man. There is a clear line between “Thaksin” and “Thaksin’s policies”. What he said could arguably be a praise for the success of the policies as well as political campaigns. Yet, I don’t think it was a praise for Thaksin himself. In other words, if Mr.P offered the same policies as Thaksin, he could have become as popular, etc.
Dear Thai student,
I’m a Thai student too although I’m not in the U.K. I fully understand yr position and sympathize with what u wrote above. It’s very difficult for Thai students to defend aj Giles openly and verbally when there are embassy people around and there is a certainty that these people could harm us and our families. Most Thai students do not have permanent residence (in a western country) let alone another passport that may allow us to flee to another country if we were to be under threat of prosecution from the Thai government.
I’m very glad to see your view here (Thai student’s view) and I believe many Thais agree with and sympathize with Aj Giles.
BTW, K Prasit, when will u drop Taksin and move on to something more important? Giels has stated from the very beginng that Taksin was no angel and he has pointed out lots of wrongs committed during the Taksin era (e.g. extrejudicial killing, Takbai and other violence , murders, abuses in the South). I think the point of this thread is to defend democracy , freedom of speech and very little to do with Taksin.
For Susie
I don’t think so that the majority of Thais are worry about these matters. Most of Thai people couldnot afford for enough foods and good health care service. So why they have to pay attention on these things.
Thailand is inevitable evolved and changed from many good or bad people. Thai king and his royal family are existing and contributing for the development for very long time, not that unknown man.
S. sivalak have been charged with lese majeste several times, but he never has been jailed or sentenced because he didn’t take any political side. He did everything for his academic freedom and sincere to Thais, while Giles has a doubtful background to join the red shirts. His own personality and behaviour are also not respectful and he always lacks evidences to support his own statements.
When people attacks other personally, they don’t have reason to debate.!
We are not always coming from the wealthy family. Most of thai students received goverment scholarships which paid for less than 8500 pounds a year. Some of us were working with the poorest people in Thailand and we see a lot of real world that some one who just sit, sleep and eat in their home country.
I have stated clearly that Taksin has adopted other policies as his credit and he also amended that for his own interest as the marketing policy. The problems are occuring in the practical level. That goverment put the financial burden to the hospitals with non-reality data on people demand.
People demand increases abruptly disproportionate to the real health problems as Gile’s idea. Co-payment is the way to balance the demand. Progressive taxation system is only the part that I agree with Giles.
I think that he did not clear himself for being Taksin’s supporter.
And he didn’t said much about les majeste but he just criticize the king and praise the other side.
Majority of Thais want change. We ask the world to help us bring progress to this oppressive society.
Did the NAZI also use the culture factor? If we do not allow progress to take place peacefully. Violence will spread from Southern region to other parts of the country.
first of all I really appreciate this excellent website. But for my feeling the whole lese-majeste discussion is a bit onesided. True, Thailand faces massive deficits concerning basic human and democratic rights. No doubt about that and of course the propaganda blurs the ordinary perception of what is actually happening in Thai politics.
But did anybody ask why the Thais (which are not part of the political arena) have this sentiment? As an institution the monarch as the “thammaraj” represents a set of Buddhist core values (generosity, virtue, compassion, freedom from wrong ambitions, control of anger, modesty, defending the Buddhist teachings,…). I think I don’t have to mention that Theravadan Buddhism, including the reformed Thammayud is an example of egalitarianism.
So what happened in thats forum? Westerners would stand up and defend the values their culture is based on, and so do the Thais. That the means don’t justify ends is for sure.
Minor as it may be, I think it’s worth noting that the message board post says “a better country,” not merely another country. The comment is indicative of that common defensive attitude which holds that Thailand is “objectively” inferior to Western, and some other Asian, nations. This belief seems to me to be grounded in some Thais’ (clearly buddhist-influenced) notions of race: the anxiety over the status of “farang” in Thai society is most interestingly neutralized (and hyperbolically valorized) in “luuk krueng,” for example. The farang parents of such people forever remain markedly un-Thai in their essential character, according to this culture-internal logic, as do all foreigners who have lived for extended periods in Thailand, or closely studied Thai culture, while such bi-racial children are objects of mass-media fetishization, etc, etc.
As many observers of Thai culture and politics have surely noted, this antinomic attitude towards supposedly superior “others” is hardly uncommon and I think this comes through, however obliquely, in this post, and much of the Thai discourse on LM.
I myself attended the talk. I agree that on the surface it looked like many of the Thais were there to defended their values, i.e. Thainess and King. These are people that spoke out after the talk, and were the group that Lee Jones probably noticed the most and reported here.
However, I believe the way they were there doing just that made the talk even more worthwhile to many others ‘silent’ Thai audience. Those that were probably half-agree and half dis-agree with Giles in the beginning. Those that were confusing because their support to social justice is still being bounded by the notion of being a ‘good Thai’. The opportunity to see the clash of arguments, or even clash of values, and use their rationality to critically evaluate who made more sense, is crucial for many of the ‘silent Thais’ who attended the talk.
After the talk many Thai students were noticably affected by the messages given by Giles, and the dogmatic counter-arguments made by some Thais. It is probably the first time they heard people discussing openly and critically in public about the role of monarchy in Thai politics. Most importantly, many started questioning some moral values they were taken for granted all along their lives. The process of re-evaluating moral value is slower than some would wish, but the effect is there and cannot be neglected.
Therefore, overall, I believe what happened there was more positive than what Lee Jones described here.
Thank you Giles Ungpakorn for speaking out for the majority of Thais who are so unhappy with the current situation of the country.
We cannot continue with the existing system where calculative and opportunistic people get reward while good people have to fled the country.
It is inevitable that Thailand is moving toward being the Republic of Siam where good people do not have to leave the country anymore. The country which the Ungpakorn has been contributing to its existence and progress.
Even now, Thai intellectual society depends heavily on your elder brother’s newspaper Prachatai to discuss public affairs important to our well being and security. The name Ungpakorn is in the heart and mind of every Thais that Ungpakorn can be trust to always speak truth to us.
You are up against what is called hegemonic challenge against the Hegemon. It is the highest level of difficulty situation. The other side is organized, planned, and well coordinated at every levels: individual, national, and international level. They have the capability of the 9/11 inside the US. Your leadership is critical.
You Oxford types should stop theorizing and actually get into the field and help educate the rural poor.
This is exactly what my advice to the PAD would have been ever since they started their movement. This advice should also apply to the current establishment of Thailand. And probably Ji’s audience at Oxford as well. Of course, the PAD types probably don’t think it’s worth their trouble to educate the rural, since the poor are supposedly too stupid anyways. It’s much easier to just take away their votes instead.
KNU Colonel faces trial in Thai Court
New Delhi (Mizzima) – Leader of an ethnic Karen resistance group, Colonel Ner Dah Mya is facing trial in a court in Thailand, charged with illegal possession of a weapon , an official of the group said.
Saw David Taw, a Central Committee member of the Karen National Union, on Friday told Mizzima that Col Ner Dah Mya , son of the late Karen leader Saw Bo Mya, was facing trial at the Tak provincial court in Thailand, after he was released on bail on January 19.
The context for recognizing the importance of the lese majeste law might be seen in this recent reference to “Nation, Religion, Monarchy” (translated from a Thai-language pamphlet):
“The national identity that is at the core of national security means the institutions of nation, religion, and monarchy. In the promotion of national identity, every person and every sector must have loyalty to all three institutions and join hands in promoting the security of these three institutions.”
(Somphon Thepasith ([2008]) Prawatisat chart thai kup ekalak khong chart. Khwamsamkhan khong sathaban chart satsana phramakasat [National Thai history and state identity. The importance of the institutions of nation, religion, king]. Bangkok: Mulanithi Somphon Thepasit phuea satsana lae patthana sangkhom.)
In 1971, it sounded like this:
“The King and the People become one. The Throne and the Nation become one, and a profound meaning is thus given to the Thai Throne. It becomes the personification of the Thai nationhood, the symbol of the Nation’s unity and independence, the invariable constant above the inconstancies of politics, indeed, as it is written to be, the repository of the sacred trust of the whole nation.”
(Office of His Majesty’s Private Secretariat (1971) A Memoir of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich Press.)
The Monarchy thus is a key element of national survival, and the embodiment of the Nation. Therefore, abolishing lese majesty is seen as destructing the current conception of the Monarchy, and with this the survival of the Nation is at acute risk. Stripping the monarchy of its mythical and sacral quality by subjecting it to open criticism crushes the entire model.
This might seem to be a rather odd worldview given that Thailand is supposed to be a democracy (with whatever adjective), and that “Nation, Religion, Monarchy” as a justification of hierarchical society and absolute monarchy predates 1932. However, even more odd is that even in our “modern” times such a great number of people really put their hearts in defending this ideology.
(Having attended the talk myself). I was under an impression that many of my fellows (Thai students) agreed with Aj.Ji. After all, what he said was common knowledge everybody, if they care enough to listen and research, are aware of. I personally agreed with many of his points, but wasn’t brave enough to defend him or express my view.
I guess I was too afraid the Embassy people could track me down and throw me in jail. Call me coward.. but I only have 1 Thai passport. Lese Majeste had been perfectly effective at shutting our mouths up all along. How couldn’t it be as effective then?
Adding to the composition of attendees reported by Lee Jones, there were also at least 1 government official from the Thai Embassy in London, and 1 government official from Thailand whose job was to monitor and record the talk.
I wish the feedback from the audiences could be less 1-sided. I wish I had more courage to say that I don’t agree with using “The Thai Way” as an excuse, that I think the Lese Majeste should be repealed, that I think the monarchy is hindering the development of democracy in Thailand. I wanted to explain all those things to my fellow Thai citizen. Alas, it’s a shame that the most I could do was to give a round of applaud to Aj.Ji at the end of the talk. I hope that day of free speech will come to us soon.
I don’t care about Heath Dollar as it’s nothing news.
But I do care about is this item…
‘The book was submitted to the Palace, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Thai Ministry of Culture for approval. The book was also accepted in to the National Library of Thailand and issued an ISBN number in 2005’
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Spying on the Red Shirts
According to the report, the two army boys were beaten up and one ended up in hospital. Of course the yellow shirts would have done the same.
But this comes on the heels of the red shirt thugs who stopped the Gay Pride parade in Chiang Mai last week. That was a Thai-driven parade with a major anti-AIDS focus. Just how nasty the red shirts’ efforts were is just beginning to emerge, eg from the Nation:
http://xpress.nationmultimedia.com/2009/02/27/lifestyle/lifestyle_5621.php
A couple of pics here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zjayl/page2/
Giles may be right that the red shirts are a mixed bunch. But they’re quickly discrediting themselves as a legitimate protest movement.
Report on “Lèse Majesté in Thailand: The Enemy of Democracy”
Bravo for Giles, a sensible Thai with a sensible voice. I am glad he spoke at Oxford. This should make some Oxford alumni–you know who–see the light.
Thailand: Love it or leave it
DeepBlueSea: As far as I recall, the escalation of violence in the South since 2004 originated Thaksins challenge of the royal power network which disequilibrated the region. As a German national with an expatriate background in Thailand I can reassure that I didn’t meet work mates who complained about 3rd Reich propaganda so far.
Thailand: Love it or leave it
The big elephant in the room where any group of left-leaning academics confabulates is communism. Easy to dismiss now, but it was literally a terror in the land back in the day.
Put yourself in the shoes of anyone *not* radicalised in (say 1965) and the re-sacralisation of the monarchy becomes a blindingly obvious thing to do. Read the 1971 blurb above in this context.
People, *it worked*. Along with Malaysia, Thailand was the only SE-Asian Country to successfully kill the beast without creating a mountain of skulls in doing so. If you guys think 1976 was bad (I’m not saying it was nice or fair or not vomit-making, mind you)… try East Java and Bali 1965.
Thing is, a lot of of the folks writing about SE Asia think communism is a feature and not a bug. It drives them nuts that all the usual suspects + the old guy dug deep down into the Thai psyche and pulled out a mystical magical trick that held the line when Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos fell.
So you write blather wondering in some faux ingenuous way why the Monarchy was re-built as it was from Sarit onwards. The real reason is clear as day. But you have to be honest about historical conditions at the time. Of course there were the usual Thai/human secondary issues like other people gaining power, the Kityakaras riding back into town, etc., etc… but finding a mystical bulwark against communism and making it work was the order of the day.
What later happened in those three countries was far more evil than anything that’s gone down in Thailand in living memory. But most of this gets wall papered over. Far more exciting to take on the Thai Monarchy from a distance than have a go at Hun Sen (fatal in 9 cases out of 10 :)).
I’m not supporter of the Thai Monarchy… and it is a truism that everything eventually becomes subject to contradictions, historical ironies, etc… the marxists are right on this one point. The wheel has turned and change is in the air. This however does not in any way imply that things are going to get better without the Chakris in the house.
Like Tito, Franco, and Salazar… once you take away the stifling wet blanket, all kinds of things (both good and bad) crawl out and get breeding in the light of day.
Another obvious point related to basic human nature. People NEED to believe in someone good. Obama-fever people. Buddhism doesn’t provide any kind of ‘saviour figure’ (to East Coast / West Coast Whitey, this is a feature, not a bug – to an indebted peasant, less so). This need is so deep-seated that in the absence of anyone genuinely good, people will fixate on the nearest, best-looking, least obviously evil person (who might be regarded as a monster in a more civilized time and place) – Exhibit A: Zhou Enlai. Obviously the Old Guy fulfills this kind of duty too.
Report on “Lèse Majesté in Thailand: The Enemy of Democracy”
Prasit: At the talk, Aj.Ji mentioned about Thaksin’s corruption, the Takbi’s incident as well as other controversial issues that took place during Thaksin’s term of PM. In his red manifesto, he urges red-shirt people to stop waiting for the return of Thaksin and focus more on democracy. (I think it would be superb if they can do this).
Anyway, I don’t think I’m convinced that Aj.Ji is a supporter of Thaksin. By saying that he believes Thaksin’s policies made him popular among the poor doesn’t mean that he supports the man. There is a clear line between “Thaksin” and “Thaksin’s policies”. What he said could arguably be a praise for the success of the policies as well as political campaigns. Yet, I don’t think it was a praise for Thaksin himself. In other words, if Mr.P offered the same policies as Thaksin, he could have become as popular, etc.
Report on “Lèse Majesté in Thailand: The Enemy of Democracy”
Dear Thai student,
I’m a Thai student too although I’m not in the U.K. I fully understand yr position and sympathize with what u wrote above. It’s very difficult for Thai students to defend aj Giles openly and verbally when there are embassy people around and there is a certainty that these people could harm us and our families. Most Thai students do not have permanent residence (in a western country) let alone another passport that may allow us to flee to another country if we were to be under threat of prosecution from the Thai government.
I’m very glad to see your view here (Thai student’s view) and I believe many Thais agree with and sympathize with Aj Giles.
BTW, K Prasit, when will u drop Taksin and move on to something more important? Giels has stated from the very beginng that Taksin was no angel and he has pointed out lots of wrongs committed during the Taksin era (e.g. extrejudicial killing, Takbai and other violence , murders, abuses in the South). I think the point of this thread is to defend democracy , freedom of speech and very little to do with Taksin.
Report on “Lèse Majesté in Thailand: The Enemy of Democracy”
For Susie
I don’t think so that the majority of Thais are worry about these matters. Most of Thai people couldnot afford for enough foods and good health care service. So why they have to pay attention on these things.
Thailand is inevitable evolved and changed from many good or bad people. Thai king and his royal family are existing and contributing for the development for very long time, not that unknown man.
S. sivalak have been charged with lese majeste several times, but he never has been jailed or sentenced because he didn’t take any political side. He did everything for his academic freedom and sincere to Thais, while Giles has a doubtful background to join the red shirts. His own personality and behaviour are also not respectful and he always lacks evidences to support his own statements.
When people attacks other personally, they don’t have reason to debate.!
Report on “Lèse Majesté in Thailand: The Enemy of Democracy”
And for answer Jeffrey,
We are not always coming from the wealthy family. Most of thai students received goverment scholarships which paid for less than 8500 pounds a year. Some of us were working with the poorest people in Thailand and we see a lot of real world that some one who just sit, sleep and eat in their home country.
Report on “Lèse Majesté in Thailand: The Enemy of Democracy”
About the universal health care system,
I have stated clearly that Taksin has adopted other policies as his credit and he also amended that for his own interest as the marketing policy. The problems are occuring in the practical level. That goverment put the financial burden to the hospitals with non-reality data on people demand.
People demand increases abruptly disproportionate to the real health problems as Gile’s idea. Co-payment is the way to balance the demand. Progressive taxation system is only the part that I agree with Giles.
I think that he did not clear himself for being Taksin’s supporter.
And he didn’t said much about les majeste but he just criticize the king and praise the other side.
Thailand: Love it or leave it
Majority of Thais want change. We ask the world to help us bring progress to this oppressive society.
Did the NAZI also use the culture factor? If we do not allow progress to take place peacefully. Violence will spread from Southern region to other parts of the country.
Thanks to Harry for your helping hand!
Thailand: Love it or leave it
Hi Nicolas,
first of all I really appreciate this excellent website. But for my feeling the whole lese-majeste discussion is a bit onesided. True, Thailand faces massive deficits concerning basic human and democratic rights. No doubt about that and of course the propaganda blurs the ordinary perception of what is actually happening in Thai politics.
But did anybody ask why the Thais (which are not part of the political arena) have this sentiment? As an institution the monarch as the “thammaraj” represents a set of Buddhist core values (generosity, virtue, compassion, freedom from wrong ambitions, control of anger, modesty, defending the Buddhist teachings,…). I think I don’t have to mention that Theravadan Buddhism, including the reformed Thammayud is an example of egalitarianism.
So what happened in thats forum? Westerners would stand up and defend the values their culture is based on, and so do the Thais. That the means don’t justify ends is for sure.
Thailand: Love it or leave it
Minor as it may be, I think it’s worth noting that the message board post says “a better country,” not merely another country. The comment is indicative of that common defensive attitude which holds that Thailand is “objectively” inferior to Western, and some other Asian, nations. This belief seems to me to be grounded in some Thais’ (clearly buddhist-influenced) notions of race: the anxiety over the status of “farang” in Thai society is most interestingly neutralized (and hyperbolically valorized) in “luuk krueng,” for example. The farang parents of such people forever remain markedly un-Thai in their essential character, according to this culture-internal logic, as do all foreigners who have lived for extended periods in Thailand, or closely studied Thai culture, while such bi-racial children are objects of mass-media fetishization, etc, etc.
As many observers of Thai culture and politics have surely noted, this antinomic attitude towards supposedly superior “others” is hardly uncommon and I think this comes through, however obliquely, in this post, and much of the Thai discourse on LM.
Two new reports on Nargis relief disappoint
report AFTER THE STORM 23.02.
scrbd english MUST READ
http://www.scribd.com/doc/12832439/ExecSum-After-the-Storm-Final-23Feb09
how Junta blocked Intern.Aid_voices from Delta
Report on “Lèse Majesté in Thailand: The Enemy of Democracy”
I myself attended the talk. I agree that on the surface it looked like many of the Thais were there to defended their values, i.e. Thainess and King. These are people that spoke out after the talk, and were the group that Lee Jones probably noticed the most and reported here.
However, I believe the way they were there doing just that made the talk even more worthwhile to many others ‘silent’ Thai audience. Those that were probably half-agree and half dis-agree with Giles in the beginning. Those that were confusing because their support to social justice is still being bounded by the notion of being a ‘good Thai’. The opportunity to see the clash of arguments, or even clash of values, and use their rationality to critically evaluate who made more sense, is crucial for many of the ‘silent Thais’ who attended the talk.
After the talk many Thai students were noticably affected by the messages given by Giles, and the dogmatic counter-arguments made by some Thais. It is probably the first time they heard people discussing openly and critically in public about the role of monarchy in Thai politics. Most importantly, many started questioning some moral values they were taken for granted all along their lives. The process of re-evaluating moral value is slower than some would wish, but the effect is there and cannot be neglected.
Therefore, overall, I believe what happened there was more positive than what Lee Jones described here.
Report on “Lèse Majesté in Thailand: The Enemy of Democracy”
Thank you Giles Ungpakorn for speaking out for the majority of Thais who are so unhappy with the current situation of the country.
We cannot continue with the existing system where calculative and opportunistic people get reward while good people have to fled the country.
It is inevitable that Thailand is moving toward being the Republic of Siam where good people do not have to leave the country anymore. The country which the Ungpakorn has been contributing to its existence and progress.
Even now, Thai intellectual society depends heavily on your elder brother’s newspaper Prachatai to discuss public affairs important to our well being and security. The name Ungpakorn is in the heart and mind of every Thais that Ungpakorn can be trust to always speak truth to us.
You are up against what is called hegemonic challenge against the Hegemon. It is the highest level of difficulty situation. The other side is organized, planned, and well coordinated at every levels: individual, national, and international level. They have the capability of the 9/11 inside the US. Your leadership is critical.
May God save the Ungpakorn!
Report on “Lèse Majesté in Thailand: The Enemy of Democracy”
You Oxford types should stop theorizing and actually get into the field and help educate the rural poor.
This is exactly what my advice to the PAD would have been ever since they started their movement. This advice should also apply to the current establishment of Thailand. And probably Ji’s audience at Oxford as well. Of course, the PAD types probably don’t think it’s worth their trouble to educate the rural, since the poor are supposedly too stupid anyways. It’s much easier to just take away their votes instead.
Karen Colonel reportedly out on bail
KNU Colonel faces trial in Thai Court
New Delhi (Mizzima) – Leader of an ethnic Karen resistance group, Colonel Ner Dah Mya is facing trial in a court in Thailand, charged with illegal possession of a weapon , an official of the group said.
Saw David Taw, a Central Committee member of the Karen National Union, on Friday told Mizzima that Col Ner Dah Mya , son of the late Karen leader Saw Bo Mya, was facing trial at the Tak provincial court in Thailand, after he was released on bail on January 19.
http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/1774-knu-colonel-faces-trial-in-thai-court.html
Thailand: Love it or leave it
The context for recognizing the importance of the lese majeste law might be seen in this recent reference to “Nation, Religion, Monarchy” (translated from a Thai-language pamphlet):
“The national identity that is at the core of national security means the institutions of nation, religion, and monarchy. In the promotion of national identity, every person and every sector must have loyalty to all three institutions and join hands in promoting the security of these three institutions.”
(Somphon Thepasith ([2008]) Prawatisat chart thai kup ekalak khong chart. Khwamsamkhan khong sathaban chart satsana phramakasat [National Thai history and state identity. The importance of the institutions of nation, religion, king]. Bangkok: Mulanithi Somphon Thepasit phuea satsana lae patthana sangkhom.)
In 1971, it sounded like this:
“The King and the People become one. The Throne and the Nation become one, and a profound meaning is thus given to the Thai Throne. It becomes the personification of the Thai nationhood, the symbol of the Nation’s unity and independence, the invariable constant above the inconstancies of politics, indeed, as it is written to be, the repository of the sacred trust of the whole nation.”
(Office of His Majesty’s Private Secretariat (1971) A Memoir of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich Press.)
The Monarchy thus is a key element of national survival, and the embodiment of the Nation. Therefore, abolishing lese majesty is seen as destructing the current conception of the Monarchy, and with this the survival of the Nation is at acute risk. Stripping the monarchy of its mythical and sacral quality by subjecting it to open criticism crushes the entire model.
This might seem to be a rather odd worldview given that Thailand is supposed to be a democracy (with whatever adjective), and that “Nation, Religion, Monarchy” as a justification of hierarchical society and absolute monarchy predates 1932. However, even more odd is that even in our “modern” times such a great number of people really put their hearts in defending this ideology.
Report on “Lèse Majesté in Thailand: The Enemy of Democracy”
(Having attended the talk myself). I was under an impression that many of my fellows (Thai students) agreed with Aj.Ji. After all, what he said was common knowledge everybody, if they care enough to listen and research, are aware of. I personally agreed with many of his points, but wasn’t brave enough to defend him or express my view.
I guess I was too afraid the Embassy people could track me down and throw me in jail. Call me coward.. but I only have 1 Thai passport. Lese Majeste had been perfectly effective at shutting our mouths up all along. How couldn’t it be as effective then?
Adding to the composition of attendees reported by Lee Jones, there were also at least 1 government official from the Thai Embassy in London, and 1 government official from Thailand whose job was to monitor and record the talk.
I wish the feedback from the audiences could be less 1-sided. I wish I had more courage to say that I don’t agree with using “The Thai Way” as an excuse, that I think the Lese Majeste should be repealed, that I think the monarchy is hindering the development of democracy in Thailand. I wanted to explain all those things to my fellow Thai citizen. Alas, it’s a shame that the most I could do was to give a round of applaud to Aj.Ji at the end of the talk. I hope that day of free speech will come to us soon.
Heath Dollar on Harry’s literary ambition
I don’t care about Heath Dollar as it’s nothing news.
But I do care about is this item…
‘The book was submitted to the Palace, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Thai Ministry of Culture for approval. The book was also accepted in to the National Library of Thailand and issued an ISBN number in 2005’