As Christine would say “They would, wouldn’t they?”
It is their reason for existence. But remember AI is a one of those “Ko paung ko hlun htaung” tayar of Yathegyi U Phyauk seik. If you pound your own thigh, you do it ever so gently – while retaining to do as you wish on others- and block the possibility of other to do the real deed. Ask Suzanne Nossel, a prominent of member of Council on Foreign Relations a charitable institution although owned by David (i.e. Rockefeller) doing untold good around the world, lately via Angelina Jolie.
What is it they say about truth being the first casualty? This however is not war, not on the surface at least, aside the longest running civil war on earth…perhaps just a little local difficulty to some. And it ain’t Adam Smith’s ‘unseen hand’ either. Where transparency is like gold dust what can you expect? Round after round of horse trading behind closed doors.
For all the deception and manipulation ‘the people will win through’ this time round, Ohn. Unless one is overly keen to dismiss an entire nation as dupes and ne’er-do-wells of course. Can’t win ’em all, can you?
Burmese can read and write alright. Even in English as seen since the time of the Great White Raj.
And as seen so many times good at group bullying and exploitation of the weak. But when it comes to single person individualistic independent thought and deep independent learning,
In a democracy people have to know about the “horrors of Martial Law” before the horrors are integrated into their beliefs, attitudes and voting patterns.
Has a comprehensive history of the Marcos regime even been written yet? (Cambridge history series, for example)
And if and when a history of the Marcos era is written, will it even be available for Filipinos to read? In the one “National Bookstore” ?
Voters will essentially be memoryless about “the Najibs of Malaysia, the Shinawatras of Thailand, the Hun Sens of Cambodia” until historians of Southeast Asia provide them with these memories.
The misplaced perfectionism of writing for academic audiences must be replaced with just getting the word out to the general public.
The simple, plain Rankean “what actually happened” narrative history of murder, torture, imprisonment, extrajudicial killings (cf Death Squad Duterte, likely future president) and even starvation (on Negros) of the Marcos regime needs to be impressed upon people by scholars and teachers so that they are not doomed to repeat history by simply now knowing about it.
The saga of the Marcoses serve as the inspiration for kleptocractic families of Asia: the Najibs of Malaysia, the Shinawatras of Thailand , the Hun Sens of Cambodia …. etcetera etcetera …..
This is a good review of Tourism as an important element of Thai economy. As the article implied, and others mentioned, the statistics of “tourism” as a percent of overall GDP can be fiddled with–mainly because as a “service”, it can be difficult to say what exactly is a tourist service and what is not. Do we count the extra few seats purchased for a bus ride down to Phuket from Bangkok in this number or not? That one foreigner happened to eat at the noodle stand in on such-and-such random street stall in Chinatown as tourism or not?
If one did not blink one would realise that none of this “historic” success is nothing whatsoever to do with that truly pathetic “people’s power” or any tiny bit of brain of Aung San Suu Kyi or this and that “western” or “eastern” country or anyone but that master tactician Than Shwe actually implementing that dead Italian communist thinker Gramsci’ “passive revolution” where the real power holder gives a little bit of “fun square” to the idiotic masses to gloat and boast when he quietly and peacefully gets on with his work.
Then the “west”. Just ask the “white” commentators here apart from educating us all how to think on theses sacred pages who else is paying them either as a substantive position, temporary contract or that funny word “advice”. In fact one of them would be revealing.
Than Shwe has intricate network of spies, spies who spy on spies and battalions of information collectors and analysers.
All Aung San Suu Kyi has is herself with no one she trusts and multitude of “western” direct and indirect advisers with her native hostility to the masses who simply don’t get the point.
Chinese are bad. No doubt. But worse will b th time to come.
Move on we must from the past unfettered,yet the evidence of #4 is glaring.
Might is right, even worst, white might is better has some how sunken into the collective souls of our citizenry.
This litany of #1-8 is a beware of white intent warning especially to those younger generations who follow DASSSK.
The other significance of the pointed facts are reminder of problems generated that has evolved for worst often, so that the blame game can be apportioned without being white washed by some posters here.
Better still a secular state free from Islam. Malays are historical immigrants Orang Asal are the indigenous animist people of Malaysia who recognise adat cutomary law not alien Arab colonial law. Malaiysia needs de Islamifying
actually there is a controversial religious point of view which favors the LGBTQ, i found the perspective in a documentary movie: For the Bible Tells me so, also from Muslim perspective: Jihad for Love. those both films explain that faith can get along with the our sexual identity (LGBTQ).
Still tilting at windmills? How can we forget history? But whilst some things never change, gunboat diplomacy and assassinations are out of fashion whereas the battle for hearts and minds plays an important role nowadays. Time we moved on from dwelling over the past and started building bridges for the future in both domestic and international arenas.
Hi Frank, Been some time since we last communicated. Cheers Kerry http://sidharta.com.au
Google my name to catch up on what I have been doing since Vietnam. Kerry B. Collison
Sounds like a fascinating book. Biography, memoirs, oral histories and translations to make them accessible, like that of Dr Frank Palmos are so essential to providing micro-historical or “history from below” sources and seem to be underrated as scholarly contributions in the university, which is probably why there is not enough of them. They are more important than cooking up new theories. Wish there was more of this sort of thing for Burmese history. Thanks 🙂
Duncan Graham has captured the essential spirit and the fundamental strengths of Indonesian society which endure today, outside the polish and buzz of cities’ powerful and wealthy middle classes and the enduring marginal, noisy minority hoping for a clerical state, a push that has always been there since Proclamation. Kecik’s story in our enhanced translation now gets the attention it deserves as an smooth, accurate portrayal of the first days of the Indonesian Republic.
I was born in Thailand, and I had seen and remembered things that had caused me tremendously sad and desperately destroyed with situations. However, a wonderful and kind American Air Force saved me and my girls, my children are educated and; we have lived happily in America.
Having taught on two occasions in an intensive seminar programme organized by the Central European University (and financed by the Open Societies) for the Faculty of the International Relations and Politics Department of the Universities of Yangon ad Mandalay, I can attest to the enthusiasm of young Burmese academics to come rapidly ‘up to steam’ in these disciplines and be part of global debates.
Rebuilding a strong academic community in Myanmar is going to take one or two generations and shall require a long term commitment. Fortunately in the Burmese diaspora there are fine scholars in many disciplines. However given the low salary levels in Myanmar itself they have little financial incentive to return. International donors could usefully make a contribution in this area.
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Universities in a democratic Myanmar
As Christine would say “They would, wouldn’t they?”
It is their reason for existence. But remember AI is a one of those “Ko paung ko hlun htaung” tayar of Yathegyi U Phyauk seik. If you pound your own thigh, you do it ever so gently – while retaining to do as you wish on others- and block the possibility of other to do the real deed. Ask Suzanne Nossel, a prominent of member of Council on Foreign Relations a charitable institution although owned by David (i.e. Rockefeller) doing untold good around the world, lately via Angelina Jolie.
Universities in a democratic Myanmar
Amnesty has called for the release of the student leaders such as Phyo Phyo Aung as well as all prisoners of conscience, directly appealing to the incoming NLD government.
Britain and Myanmar friends again
Word is the second VP Henry Van Thio is a CIA mole as is Joseph Fisher allegedly assigned by MI6 earlier before the elections.
What is it they say about truth being the first casualty? This however is not war, not on the surface at least, aside the longest running civil war on earth…perhaps just a little local difficulty to some. And it ain’t Adam Smith’s ‘unseen hand’ either. Where transparency is like gold dust what can you expect? Round after round of horse trading behind closed doors.
For all the deception and manipulation ‘the people will win through’ this time round, Ohn. Unless one is overly keen to dismiss an entire nation as dupes and ne’er-do-wells of course. Can’t win ’em all, can you?
Universities in a democratic Myanmar
In terms of following you, yes.
Independent learning and challenging you, hm……..
Burmese can read and write alright. Even in English as seen since the time of the Great White Raj.
And as seen so many times good at group bullying and exploitation of the weak. But when it comes to single person individualistic independent thought and deep independent learning,
The return of the Marcoses
In a democracy people have to know about the “horrors of Martial Law” before the horrors are integrated into their beliefs, attitudes and voting patterns.
Has a comprehensive history of the Marcos regime even been written yet? (Cambridge history series, for example)
And if and when a history of the Marcos era is written, will it even be available for Filipinos to read? In the one “National Bookstore” ?
Voters will essentially be memoryless about “the Najibs of Malaysia, the Shinawatras of Thailand, the Hun Sens of Cambodia” until historians of Southeast Asia provide them with these memories.
The misplaced perfectionism of writing for academic audiences must be replaced with just getting the word out to the general public.
The simple, plain Rankean “what actually happened” narrative history of murder, torture, imprisonment, extrajudicial killings (cf Death Squad Duterte, likely future president) and even starvation (on Negros) of the Marcos regime needs to be impressed upon people by scholars and teachers so that they are not doomed to repeat history by simply now knowing about it.
The return of the Marcoses
The saga of the Marcoses serve as the inspiration for kleptocractic families of Asia: the Najibs of Malaysia, the Shinawatras of Thailand , the Hun Sens of Cambodia …. etcetera etcetera …..
Horror headlines, tourism and the Thai junta
This is a good review of Tourism as an important element of Thai economy. As the article implied, and others mentioned, the statistics of “tourism” as a percent of overall GDP can be fiddled with–mainly because as a “service”, it can be difficult to say what exactly is a tourist service and what is not. Do we count the extra few seats purchased for a bus ride down to Phuket from Bangkok in this number or not? That one foreigner happened to eat at the noodle stand in on such-and-such random street stall in Chinatown as tourism or not?
Immediately after the 2014 coup, the CIA estimates that tourism took a hit of 6-7%. Honestly, that is not that much. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2116.html#th
Thanks for sharing! -thomas
Britain and Myanmar friends again
Well, quite so “A Ko Gyi Moe Aung”.
If one did not blink one would realise that none of this “historic” success is nothing whatsoever to do with that truly pathetic “people’s power” or any tiny bit of brain of Aung San Suu Kyi or this and that “western” or “eastern” country or anyone but that master tactician Than Shwe actually implementing that dead Italian communist thinker Gramsci’ “passive revolution” where the real power holder gives a little bit of “fun square” to the idiotic masses to gloat and boast when he quietly and peacefully gets on with his work.
Then the “west”. Just ask the “white” commentators here apart from educating us all how to think on theses sacred pages who else is paying them either as a substantive position, temporary contract or that funny word “advice”. In fact one of them would be revealing.
Than Shwe has intricate network of spies, spies who spy on spies and battalions of information collectors and analysers.
All Aung San Suu Kyi has is herself with no one she trusts and multitude of “western” direct and indirect advisers with her native hostility to the masses who simply don’t get the point.
Chinese are bad. No doubt. But worse will b th time to come.
Britain and Myanmar friends again
Ah Ko Gyi Moe Aung
Move on we must from the past unfettered,yet the evidence of #4 is glaring.
Might is right, even worst, white might is better has some how sunken into the collective souls of our citizenry.
This litany of #1-8 is a beware of white intent warning especially to those younger generations who follow DASSSK.
The other significance of the pointed facts are reminder of problems generated that has evolved for worst often, so that the blame game can be apportioned without being white washed by some posters here.
The politics of hudud in Malaysia
Better still a secular state free from Islam. Malays are historical immigrants Orang Asal are the indigenous animist people of Malaysia who recognise adat cutomary law not alien Arab colonial law. Malaiysia needs de Islamifying
Morality and LGBT rights in Indonesia
actually there is a controversial religious point of view which favors the LGBTQ, i found the perspective in a documentary movie: For the Bible Tells me so, also from Muslim perspective: Jihad for Love. those both films explain that faith can get along with the our sexual identity (LGBTQ).
Prabowo’s game plan
Yep, but don’t expect any of the foreign reporters, let alone ANU researchers, to mention that in their writing.
Britain and Myanmar friends again
Still tilting at windmills? How can we forget history? But whilst some things never change, gunboat diplomacy and assassinations are out of fashion whereas the battle for hearts and minds plays an important role nowadays. Time we moved on from dwelling over the past and started building bridges for the future in both domestic and international arenas.
The days when boys became men
Hi Frank, Been some time since we last communicated. Cheers Kerry
http://sidharta.com.au
Google my name to catch up on what I have been doing since Vietnam. Kerry B. Collison
The days when boys became men
Sounds like a fascinating book. Biography, memoirs, oral histories and translations to make them accessible, like that of Dr Frank Palmos are so essential to providing micro-historical or “history from below” sources and seem to be underrated as scholarly contributions in the university, which is probably why there is not enough of them. They are more important than cooking up new theories. Wish there was more of this sort of thing for Burmese history. Thanks 🙂
The days when boys became men
Duncan Graham has captured the essential spirit and the fundamental strengths of Indonesian society which endure today, outside the polish and buzz of cities’ powerful and wealthy middle classes and the enduring marginal, noisy minority hoping for a clerical state, a push that has always been there since Proclamation. Kecik’s story in our enhanced translation now gets the attention it deserves as an smooth, accurate portrayal of the first days of the Indonesian Republic.
Britain and Myanmar friends again
Gallipoli must surely come to mind as an Aussie.
Nich
Treachery against Myanmar started century b/f Gallipoli.
Treachery! Deep, wide and still Raw to the quick.
1) Undeclared war using British East India as proxy.
2) Ceremoniously degrade the last monarch, even though not well like, unspeakably disposed.
3) Designating Myanmar as a province of India.
4) “Colonial Village Act” that makes the simple life of rural citizenry subjected to abuse by the Indian and undeclared yet assured White Supremacy.
5) Unspeakable cruelty to put down Saya San rebellion.
6) Origination of self serving Opium trade and ethnic divisions.
7) Lip service yet meddling in the events wih still unanswered questions leading to the assassination of DASSK father.
8) Knowingly Taking side against the well beings of MYANMAR CITIZENRY during BSPP and SPDC eras.
Can go on until one cry uncle. YEt the normalization do not even address all those points let alone provide a spirit of redemption.
Let by gone be bygone, eh.
I hope DASSK and the new MYanmar leaders remember #4.
Because the British still relish the olden days of Empire With no Sunset concept.
Britain and Myanmar friends again
Things are definitely looking better still in this respect since ASSK is set to become education minister as well as foreign minister among others.
Crown Prince’s family update?
I was born in Thailand, and I had seen and remembered things that had caused me tremendously sad and desperately destroyed with situations. However, a wonderful and kind American Air Force saved me and my girls, my children are educated and; we have lived happily in America.
Universities in a democratic Myanmar
Having taught on two occasions in an intensive seminar programme organized by the Central European University (and financed by the Open Societies) for the Faculty of the International Relations and Politics Department of the Universities of Yangon ad Mandalay, I can attest to the enthusiasm of young Burmese academics to come rapidly ‘up to steam’ in these disciplines and be part of global debates.
Rebuilding a strong academic community in Myanmar is going to take one or two generations and shall require a long term commitment. Fortunately in the Burmese diaspora there are fine scholars in many disciplines. However given the low salary levels in Myanmar itself they have little financial incentive to return. International donors could usefully make a contribution in this area.