Indonesia has had many good foreign ministers. Diplomacy played a very important part in the struggle for independence in the years 1945-49, so it is perhaps understandable why so many Indonesian foreign ministers have been highly capable. Incidentally, two former foreign ministers who were extremely helpful to me were Mohammad Roem and Roeslan Abdulgani.
Mochtar, still alive at 87, has been one of Indonesia’s great experts on the law of the sea. He played a very important role in achieving international acceptance of Indonesia’s status as an archipelagic state. I see this as one of Indonesia’s main diplomatic triumphs since it became independent. Mochtar would certainly consider the Chinese ramming incident as a violation of Indonesian rights under UNCLOS, which is what I believe. I don’t know exactly what Ali Alatas’ attitude would have been, but am happy to accept your judgement.
Retno Marsudi’s appointment was one of the unfortunate results of Jokowi’s inexperience in national government. I can only guess what Luhut Panjaitan, who is a much savvier operator in foreign affairs, thinks of her.
This is really quite a serious matter. As you say, a stronger Indonesian response would probably have prompted caution in the future on Xi’s part. If China comes to dominate the whole of the South China Sea, there will be serious repercussions for Indonesia.
If laymen want to understand the topic of the Royalty in Thailand they’re more likely to get a better picture from a journalist than an academic. A journalist while doing research will still highlight evidence based on events rather than academic theses. For the laymen the trying of simplifying things would be a better service than insisting on many references as a footnote. They’d probably ignore most of that. To simplify it, the fact that the Monarchy ceased to be absolute in the 30s changed the paradigm in Thai life. The constitutional monarchy became the front for the ruling classes. They still needed the appearance to control the uneducated masses but they didn’t need a King to tell them what to do. The only time the King was useful to them when there were powerstruggles in the military. The numerous coups were needing a circuit breaker and the King was a handy tool. This made a mostly bloodless change possible. The Buddhist principles were seemingly maintained. Their problems became acute with he appearance of Thaksin who wasn’t part of the establishment. That coincided with Thailand emerging as an Asian economic tiger. It looked like that Thaksinism was going to sideline Monarchism, other than a ceremonial tourist attraction, similar to the British Royal family. The new Thailand according to Thaksin didn’t need a front for governance, only as a decorative entity. The establishment railed against it as it sidelined their constituency. The maintaining of the Royal family in this context is essential to them. That’s why Prayuth is so dictatorial. He is trying to turn the clock back. In the long run he can’t succeed, the Thais are growing up,are more educated and internet savvy and the consumer society engulfed them . You can’t satiate people with pomp and ceremony and blind faith. The fruits of economic riches must be shared a bit more than royalist traditions, Thaksin understood this and I think Marshall does too. His book is more of a political essay than anything else.
The recent move by Thailand DSI to ask the court to issue an arrest warrant for Dhammakaya temple’s abbot Phra Dhammacayo is in fact the real dangerous path the country is heading. Most monks from both Dhammayut and Mahanikaya camps know the DSI’s move is the brainchild of Phra Buddha Issara. This monk who has the full backing of the junta knows that his real target is the abbot of Wat Paknam, who is endorsed by the Mahathera Samakhom (Council of Elders consisting of both Dhammayut and Mahanikaya senior monks) as the next Supreme Patriarch. If Dhammacayo is issued an arrest warrant and officially become a suspect in corruption scandal, then the Wat Paknam abbot will be discredited because he is the Preceptor (Uppajhaya) of Dhammacayo. So he is not fit to be next Supreme Patriarch.
This is the dangerous path that the junta will have to tread. Just look at this statistics: the Mahanikaya camp has 31,890 temples and 256,826 monks while Dhammayut camp only has 1987 temples and 33,189 monks nationwide. Junta advisers are luckily aware of the fact that dealing with Buddhist monks are more complicated than dealing with red shirts.
I agree with Ken Ward’s assessment about Retno Marsudi’s performance as foreign minister. Muchtar Kusumaatmaja or Ali Alatas would have reacted stronger even though both men realized that maintaining good relations with the PRC is important and will benefit both countries. I can also imagine Xi Jinping telling his men not to start another incident with the Indonesians.
Having lived in Thailand for many years and traveling here for years prior to moving permanently, followed Thaksin during the years 2001-2006 and this country was coming out of the biggest financial trouble in decades when he took over and turned the economy around. As mentioned, the national health care system (I have visited some of the hospitals in this system and many 1000s, of poor Thais have been saved from death and illnesses due to these hospitals). This country was doing very well during the Thaksin years, but then the Generals always want to upset the apple cart and destroy progress. Did Thaksin get involved with corruption? Of course he did since corruption is in the Thai DNA which I experience here in my business continually. He just did not “share” the pie with others who thought they should receive some benefits. Since Thaksin was removed from office, there has been nothing but total problems in this country and divisions without a leadership other than the current military dictatorship which stiffles free speech (let’s go for an attitude adjustment), public gatherings, and not not allowing anyone to freely comment upon the draft Constitution (how many have there been since 1932?) and want the People to just vote on it based upon the gov’t sending representatives to explain “their” side of the benefits to vote for it. Too bad to see what an amazing country and people being forced into an un-democratic referendum process. Strong political leadership does not equal strong military dictatorship with autocratic decisions as to what is the “best” for the Thai people.
Yeah,sure,that’s because “The Donald” will loose these elections.And about this “fact”,that 80% of thais support the military,I think you should stop reading the mainstream press(like Bangkok Post or Nation or wathewer)and try to dig a little,mainly in the internet,you will find there is a lot of anger and backlash against this corrupt government.
Quite brilliant, and in a nutshell, your analysis.The “good people” of course drive around in Ferraris, send their kinds to expensive international schools, and marry their daughters at the Mandarin Oriental.One needs a nasty military regime to protect their interests.
You miss the point about Thailand’s proposed constitution which is to ensure that the position of the oligarchs to whom you refer shall remain as secure as it is now under the present military regime.
Despite some very dubious recent polls, it would surprise me very much if even a simple majority actually support the junta at all, particularly If you consider the very consistent nature of the results of all six general elections between 2001 and 2014. If they had anything like the level of support you refer to, why would the generals need to go to such extreme measures and court so much criticism simply in order to prepare the ground for the referendum?
‘ignorant voters keep electing “bad people”.’ We have the same problem in the USA because candidates for election in both countries are owned and controlled by oligarchs.
The American public has lost faith in its electoral system for the same reason as Thais. That’s why 80% of Thais support the current military government.
A brief addition on the second problem, ignorant voters:
Borwornsak Uwanno, as chairperson of the 2015 CDC, squarely remained within this long-standing, but outdated aphichon discourse when he noted that the CDC needed to change the culture of the “people” (р╕гр╕▓р╕йр╕Ор╕г, ratsaton), who were followers and not interested in politics into a culture of “citizens” (р╕Юр╕ер╣Ар╕бр╕╖р╕нр╕З, phonlamueang), who had political awareness and felt responsibility towards society (Matichon Online, 29 May 2015). To make things clear, he added, “Using the word citizens (phonlamueang) is not just about discourse. Rather, it is an attempt to change the ratsaton culture regarding vote-buying.” One of the spokespersons of this CDC, Pakorn Priyakon, added that, according to their constitution draft, “the state has the duty to create (р╕кр╕гр╣Йр╕▓р╕З, sang) citizens in the democratic system of government with the king as head,” so that the citizens will have quality, depend on themselves, are responsible to themselves, respect the principle of equality, respect differences, respect the rights of others, respect the rules, have discipline, adhere to correctness, be conscious of their responsibility to society and the common good (р╕Ир╕╕р╕ер╕кр╕▓р╕г 2015:17). Obviously, all these qualities were found lacking with the country’s existing crop of people. Thus, the aphichon had to write what one could call an “educational constitution” aiming to create “the new Thai citizen,” and at the same time giving those who they deemed to have the necessary qualities privileged political space in a number of newly-established committees.
There are plenty of analysis about the power structure if the new charter comes into effect. There are less talk about freedom. Will people be allowed to express their thoughts? What about peaceful protests? Press freedom?
We folks aligned with the “bad people” know when the “good people” have won. Forget any dreams of education for your children. Condemn your sons to a lifetime of endless drudgery and your daughters to brothels and sweatshops. Look on as slovenly “good people” fatten on ill-gotten riches, backed by a military designed not to protect the nation but to entrench the elite. It is how it has been – and how it forever will be. That’s what constitutions are for, don’t you know . .
Life on earth is going through a major mass extinction as a result of human overpopulation and the huge ecological footprint of the Western lifestyle. The data of science show us that the way we live is unsustainable and we need to change it.
The death of species is not generally the result of conscious actions by people that can be dealt with by the law as infringements of rights. The threat of legal punishment is probably not an effective way of stopping people doing things whose bad consequences they are barely aware of. People don’t like punishment. They react politically against the punishers, and most importantly, reject the evidence of their “bad” behaviour.
Probably the only effective ways to tackle the problem are: to give people a better understanding of ecological science and the evidence based on it; more love for the natural world that supports them; and more love for their grand-children who will have to live in the desert their ignorant behaviour has created.
Special rights for animals that look and behave more like humans is barely touching the surface of the problem. If that is all we can manage to achieve, all is lost.
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Thailand’s containment constitution
Thailand is the new Burma. Burma is the new Thailand.
Jakarta left all at sea by island clash with China
Indonesia has had many good foreign ministers. Diplomacy played a very important part in the struggle for independence in the years 1945-49, so it is perhaps understandable why so many Indonesian foreign ministers have been highly capable. Incidentally, two former foreign ministers who were extremely helpful to me were Mohammad Roem and Roeslan Abdulgani.
Mochtar, still alive at 87, has been one of Indonesia’s great experts on the law of the sea. He played a very important role in achieving international acceptance of Indonesia’s status as an archipelagic state. I see this as one of Indonesia’s main diplomatic triumphs since it became independent. Mochtar would certainly consider the Chinese ramming incident as a violation of Indonesian rights under UNCLOS, which is what I believe. I don’t know exactly what Ali Alatas’ attitude would have been, but am happy to accept your judgement.
Retno Marsudi’s appointment was one of the unfortunate results of Jokowi’s inexperience in national government. I can only guess what Luhut Panjaitan, who is a much savvier operator in foreign affairs, thinks of her.
This is really quite a serious matter. As you say, a stronger Indonesian response would probably have prompted caution in the future on Xi’s part. If China comes to dominate the whole of the South China Sea, there will be serious repercussions for Indonesia.
Andrew MacGregor Marshall’s royalist history
If laymen want to understand the topic of the Royalty in Thailand they’re more likely to get a better picture from a journalist than an academic. A journalist while doing research will still highlight evidence based on events rather than academic theses. For the laymen the trying of simplifying things would be a better service than insisting on many references as a footnote. They’d probably ignore most of that. To simplify it, the fact that the Monarchy ceased to be absolute in the 30s changed the paradigm in Thai life. The constitutional monarchy became the front for the ruling classes. They still needed the appearance to control the uneducated masses but they didn’t need a King to tell them what to do. The only time the King was useful to them when there were powerstruggles in the military. The numerous coups were needing a circuit breaker and the King was a handy tool. This made a mostly bloodless change possible. The Buddhist principles were seemingly maintained. Their problems became acute with he appearance of Thaksin who wasn’t part of the establishment. That coincided with Thailand emerging as an Asian economic tiger. It looked like that Thaksinism was going to sideline Monarchism, other than a ceremonial tourist attraction, similar to the British Royal family. The new Thailand according to Thaksin didn’t need a front for governance, only as a decorative entity. The establishment railed against it as it sidelined their constituency. The maintaining of the Royal family in this context is essential to them. That’s why Prayuth is so dictatorial. He is trying to turn the clock back. In the long run he can’t succeed, the Thais are growing up,are more educated and internet savvy and the consumer society engulfed them . You can’t satiate people with pomp and ceremony and blind faith. The fruits of economic riches must be shared a bit more than royalist traditions, Thaksin understood this and I think Marshall does too. His book is more of a political essay than anything else.
Buddhist politics and Thailand’s dangerous path
The recent move by Thailand DSI to ask the court to issue an arrest warrant for Dhammakaya temple’s abbot Phra Dhammacayo is in fact the real dangerous path the country is heading. Most monks from both Dhammayut and Mahanikaya camps know the DSI’s move is the brainchild of Phra Buddha Issara. This monk who has the full backing of the junta knows that his real target is the abbot of Wat Paknam, who is endorsed by the Mahathera Samakhom (Council of Elders consisting of both Dhammayut and Mahanikaya senior monks) as the next Supreme Patriarch. If Dhammacayo is issued an arrest warrant and officially become a suspect in corruption scandal, then the Wat Paknam abbot will be discredited because he is the Preceptor (Uppajhaya) of Dhammacayo. So he is not fit to be next Supreme Patriarch.
This is the dangerous path that the junta will have to tread. Just look at this statistics: the Mahanikaya camp has 31,890 temples and 256,826 monks while Dhammayut camp only has 1987 temples and 33,189 monks nationwide. Junta advisers are luckily aware of the fact that dealing with Buddhist monks are more complicated than dealing with red shirts.
Jakarta left all at sea by island clash with China
I agree with Ken Ward’s assessment about Retno Marsudi’s performance as foreign minister. Muchtar Kusumaatmaja or Ali Alatas would have reacted stronger even though both men realized that maintaining good relations with the PRC is important and will benefit both countries. I can also imagine Xi Jinping telling his men not to start another incident with the Indonesians.
Donald Trump is Thailand’s friend
Having lived in Thailand for many years and traveling here for years prior to moving permanently, followed Thaksin during the years 2001-2006 and this country was coming out of the biggest financial trouble in decades when he took over and turned the economy around. As mentioned, the national health care system (I have visited some of the hospitals in this system and many 1000s, of poor Thais have been saved from death and illnesses due to these hospitals). This country was doing very well during the Thaksin years, but then the Generals always want to upset the apple cart and destroy progress. Did Thaksin get involved with corruption? Of course he did since corruption is in the Thai DNA which I experience here in my business continually. He just did not “share” the pie with others who thought they should receive some benefits. Since Thaksin was removed from office, there has been nothing but total problems in this country and divisions without a leadership other than the current military dictatorship which stiffles free speech (let’s go for an attitude adjustment), public gatherings, and not not allowing anyone to freely comment upon the draft Constitution (how many have there been since 1932?) and want the People to just vote on it based upon the gov’t sending representatives to explain “their” side of the benefits to vote for it. Too bad to see what an amazing country and people being forced into an un-democratic referendum process. Strong political leadership does not equal strong military dictatorship with autocratic decisions as to what is the “best” for the Thai people.
The quiet erosion of parliamentary immunity in Cambodia
Chris: not sure much deconstruction of proposed constitutional amendments in Thailand: it is pretty obvious what the drafters have in mind.
Thailand’s containment constitution
An interesting and quite convincing argument of an attempt towards a form of “cultural revolution”.
Thailand’s containment constitution
Yeah,sure,that’s because “The Donald” will loose these elections.And about this “fact”,that 80% of thais support the military,I think you should stop reading the mainstream press(like Bangkok Post or Nation or wathewer)and try to dig a little,mainly in the internet,you will find there is a lot of anger and backlash against this corrupt government.
Counting the cost of 1MDB
[…] New Mandala […]
Thailand’s containment constitution
Quite brilliant, and in a nutshell, your analysis.The “good people” of course drive around in Ferraris, send their kinds to expensive international schools, and marry their daughters at the Mandarin Oriental.One needs a nasty military regime to protect their interests.
Thailand’s containment constitution
You miss the point about Thailand’s proposed constitution which is to ensure that the position of the oligarchs to whom you refer shall remain as secure as it is now under the present military regime.
Despite some very dubious recent polls, it would surprise me very much if even a simple majority actually support the junta at all, particularly If you consider the very consistent nature of the results of all six general elections between 2001 and 2014. If they had anything like the level of support you refer to, why would the generals need to go to such extreme measures and court so much criticism simply in order to prepare the ground for the referendum?
Thailand’s containment constitution
Since the 2014 coup Japanese investment in Thailand has fallen by 81%. EU investment has fallen from 86.7 billion baht to just 2 billion baht.
Thailand’s containment constitution
So you believe every poll conducted under the illegal military junta.
If that were so, why is Prayut terrified of people expressing their opposition to the charter and threatening terms of 10 years in prison?
Thailand’s containment constitution
‘ignorant voters keep electing “bad people”.’ We have the same problem in the USA because candidates for election in both countries are owned and controlled by oligarchs.
The American public has lost faith in its electoral system for the same reason as Thais. That’s why 80% of Thais support the current military government.
Thailand’s containment constitution
A brief addition on the second problem, ignorant voters:
Borwornsak Uwanno, as chairperson of the 2015 CDC, squarely remained within this long-standing, but outdated aphichon discourse when he noted that the CDC needed to change the culture of the “people” (р╕гр╕▓р╕йр╕Ор╕г, ratsaton), who were followers and not interested in politics into a culture of “citizens” (р╕Юр╕ер╣Ар╕бр╕╖р╕нр╕З, phonlamueang), who had political awareness and felt responsibility towards society (Matichon Online, 29 May 2015). To make things clear, he added, “Using the word citizens (phonlamueang) is not just about discourse. Rather, it is an attempt to change the ratsaton culture regarding vote-buying.” One of the spokespersons of this CDC, Pakorn Priyakon, added that, according to their constitution draft, “the state has the duty to create (р╕кр╕гр╣Йр╕▓р╕З, sang) citizens in the democratic system of government with the king as head,” so that the citizens will have quality, depend on themselves, are responsible to themselves, respect the principle of equality, respect differences, respect the rights of others, respect the rules, have discipline, adhere to correctness, be conscious of their responsibility to society and the common good (р╕Ир╕╕р╕ер╕кр╕▓р╕г 2015:17). Obviously, all these qualities were found lacking with the country’s existing crop of people. Thus, the aphichon had to write what one could call an “educational constitution” aiming to create “the new Thai citizen,” and at the same time giving those who they deemed to have the necessary qualities privileged political space in a number of newly-established committees.
Thailand’s containment constitution
There are plenty of analysis about the power structure if the new charter comes into effect. There are less talk about freedom. Will people be allowed to express their thoughts? What about peaceful protests? Press freedom?
Thailand’s containment constitution
We folks aligned with the “bad people” know when the “good people” have won. Forget any dreams of education for your children. Condemn your sons to a lifetime of endless drudgery and your daughters to brothels and sweatshops. Look on as slovenly “good people” fatten on ill-gotten riches, backed by a military designed not to protect the nation but to entrench the elite. It is how it has been – and how it forever will be. That’s what constitutions are for, don’t you know . .
Orangutans and ‘non-human’ rights
Life on earth is going through a major mass extinction as a result of human overpopulation and the huge ecological footprint of the Western lifestyle. The data of science show us that the way we live is unsustainable and we need to change it.
The death of species is not generally the result of conscious actions by people that can be dealt with by the law as infringements of rights. The threat of legal punishment is probably not an effective way of stopping people doing things whose bad consequences they are barely aware of. People don’t like punishment. They react politically against the punishers, and most importantly, reject the evidence of their “bad” behaviour.
Probably the only effective ways to tackle the problem are: to give people a better understanding of ecological science and the evidence based on it; more love for the natural world that supports them; and more love for their grand-children who will have to live in the desert their ignorant behaviour has created.
Special rights for animals that look and behave more like humans is barely touching the surface of the problem. If that is all we can manage to achieve, all is lost.
Thailand’s containment constitution
Has anyone by chance found an English translation of the draft charter? If so, could you link to it?