This debate and focus here appears to have turned inward. In the nature of things, the elephant in the room is the Tatmadaw and the central argument should be what to do with the beast since it clearly has gone bad. Instead, arguing tactics rather than strategy, one has questions here concerning how much fodder to extend or withhold, whether to offer sweet words to the recalcitrant tusker or berate it or, ignoring its ability to reproduce, hope it grows old and dies or goes soft. Or whether the beast can be induced to develop a schizophrenic character and chew itself into some form of debility. Or debates over which training techniques to adopt or discard, how many years the mahouts have been in training, who controls them from afar them or doesn’t, whether the audience and trainers should be limited by nationality or even by local ethnicity, and whether neighboring elephants and their herds should be involved or not.
One thought here, though, about any perceived need to lessen paranoia amongst the security caste. While one should take into account that all conflicts have local contexts–which cannot be explained 100 percent by academic models–a little more paranoia might not be a bad thing.
In recent memory, offering 1979 as an example, it was neither the Ugandans who solved their own problems nor the Cambodians. And in the case of the latter so much misery had been visited upon them from outside, doing so would have been more than difficult. Whether through outside maneuver or self-delusion or both, the paranoia of both irredeemable leaderships ratcheted upwards and both embarked on foolish adventures whose consequences lessened, if not ended, the misery of many of their peoples. Amin felt Julius Nyerere had not accorded the rotund Field Marshal the expected and proper filial affection (should Nyerere have done so in the interests of peace and non-intereference?) so he attacked Tanzania, while the murderous Anghka convinced themselves they were more than a match for what was probably then the world’s best light infantry. Amin’s rule was swiftly decapitated and Pol Pot’s pushed to the edges though certainly not eliminated. In both cases, dealing directly with the elephant in the room did not herald a completely new dawn but it meant that positive change could happen, albeit with slow measured steps and occasional missteps. This is lacking in Burma today.
Whether through trade networks, diplomatic channels, personal networks or other forms of interconnectedness, people outside Burma are by definition involved in Burma (and the reverse can be true as well) and at some level with all sides. Better questions would be who calls the shots (and yes, here it should be local) and how they can work together a strategy that will either take down or completely transform the elephant in the room. Change will happen in Burma and it may well surprise one and all as to when and how. Only afterwards will analysts offer that its precise nature was inevitable and should have been foreseen.
Hi Derek, I just read what you had to say about the KNU. You sound very delusional and are completely off mark. Maybe you are misquoted, if you are I apologise. However as said in an earlier remarke I have made on this site, some Christian organisations have a lot to answer for regardiong creating disunity amongst the Karen on the border and are playing right into the hands of Burmese Military Intelligence and the Junta Generals. Your type righteous religious zealot crap is what is destroying the unity of the Karen people. You come along with hollow promises and religious zeal, then run off back to America and tout how you have converted the Karen people and leave a complete mess behind. The truth is you didn’t convert any heathens at all, you simply poached people who were already
Christians, then turned them against their family and friends because
these family and friends would not become born again, therefore you said they were not real Christians, creating division and disunity within the KNU . You and your ilk should go to Afghanistan and Iraq and preach your rubbish there. The Muslim extremists would take great pride in cutting your head off with a blunt knife. I do not feel that you are a true Christian, you come across as an uninformed, egotistical, big mouthed yank wanting to bolster your own standing amongst the Pentecostal faith in order to stay in the spotlight. I strongly suggest you stick to Christian conversion of non-Christians and refrain from trying to be a psyudo Karen politician and be a true Christian, not a nation wrecker. You are not a true peace maker, you are a trouble maker. I know Timothy, he was a nice guy until he fell under the spell of zealous Pentecostal preachers who steadily eroded his beliefs in Karen unity. These are dangerous practices you are undertaking. I feel that you are partially responsible for creating this untennable situation and ultimately responsible for many Karen on Karen deaths. You would be best placed saving soles than trying to be a politician.
Moe Aung, you raise many of the problems in dealing with the Burma situation, which makes finding workable solutions all the more difficult. I don’t expect any breakthroughs in the near future so we will probably be debating these same points for some time into the future. Sadly the Burmese people can expect little relief anytime soon, and they know it, so they will just have to struggle on, as they have been doing for so long.
Don, Burmese do not have a monopoly on solving political problems by violence. You only need to look at the world around you, including the great western liberal democracies. When it comes to the crunch, out comes the gunboats, or shall I say stealth bombers. Even the “troubles” in N Ireland or Kent State University wasn’t that long ago.
Sadly the junta understands only one language, and though no students of Mao they seem to have a visceral belief in his dictum, “political power comes from the barrel of the gun”. They never hesitate to use it on unarmed people, do they? So it’d be only fair to level the playing field a bit. The late dictator Ne Win’s famous speech in 1962 after killing the students and blowing up the union building was “sword against sword, spear against spear”. If only the country were flush with AK47s and RPGs as in Iraq and Afghanistan.
No, the international community is not addressing the situation, and I agree too that the Burmese will have to fight their own battles not just metaphorically. Also that outsiders, particularly “great white saviours” or “white knights in shining armour” for whatever the reason – humanitarian, crusading, mercenary, personal glory – taking sides selectively with ethnic Christian insurgencies, will only increase the paranoia and reinforce the stereotype, and more importantly play into the hands of the generals whose raison d’etre, let’s not forget, is holding the union together.
It was this thread that lead me to actually get into the jungles of Burma, I would hope that Mika made it there as well. I know of several others who have made it into Burma and back. A couple of those people emailed me my own posts that had been copied from this thread, to inclued a reporter who will publish a story about the KNLA soon.
I would like to see this thread continue as it is a very informative source for people with questions about getting to Burma under their own power.
Mr. Everett, I have looked at your website and read everything there, very interesting. I used to teach improvised explosives and weapons at a school in California and understood what you were talking about in reguards to “mixing” and making your shape charges. After a friend turned himself into pink mist I swore off creating my own special blends. Do NOT try this at home kids.
The photos there on your site are very interesting. I will be posting my website here for people to visit. There will be new photos there as well. I will buy your book once it is attainable here in the US. Right now I am trying to save up to go back to Burma.
I hope you have better book sales than that Bleming fellow has had.
I will be in contact with you soon.( off site)
Cheers Mate, Jack
[…] quote follows an earlier archival posting that highlighted religious change in the highlands of mainland Southeast Asia. As a missionary linguist Ola Hanson was a major […]
Moe Aumg, I agree that the situation in Burma poses a real dilemma. In the end it is up to the Burmese themselves to decide how best to deal with this but personally I do not believe that violence is going to make things better, even though that is the traditional Burmese method of solving political problems. In my view it is irresponsible for outsiders to be encouraging this approach because it is the Burmese people who will suffer even more as a result, not those sitting comfortably before their TVs or computers somewhere outside the country. What is needed is a serious rethinking of how positive change can be promoted in Burma, with the least amount of damage in the process. Sadly I do not see that happening. What we get is a lot of rhetoric about “responsibility to protect” and other apparently tough statements, with no practical results on the ground, except to make the generals even more suspicious and reclusive. This has been going on for so long that it is totally predictable, and it has produced zero results. That alone should eventually lead people to believe that there must be a better way but it does not seem to be doing so. This poverty of serious thought about how to address the situation there is the real tragedy of Burma, in my view.
Why? Haven’t you heard?
Prof. Poovadon (sic), from PAD, are calling the three website as anti-monarchy, one is Prachathai and another is Hi-thaksin (dont ask me what the third one is).
He sure know how to write a speech, only one article but contain everything…monarchy, marxist, racist, sexist, and even George Soros!
nganadeeleg: Anti-monarchy camp? There is such a camp? As in a pro-Republican group? I have seen Republican and heard claims of some big movement, but I don’t see it. Some are annoyed at Prem and his role, but it is extremely rare I see anything about wanting to get rid of the monarchy. So royalist Samak is the head of the movement of the party which the republicans support? Why no dress down from HM the King last Thursday then?
There is also an article in todays Australian Newspaper on me that shed’s some more light on the military juntas inaction to assist people in the Irrawaddy Delta after the recent cyclone there:
It is almost 18 months since this post on foreign fighters in Burma was first put up on New Mandala. It has, since then, been read many thousands of times. And there are fifty comments that do help shed much light on the issues that were originally raised.
But, somewhat curiously, we have still to learn anything more of Finnish “Mika” – the original inspiration for the post. Does anyone know what happened to him? Did he actually make it to the KNLA? Or was this a non-story right from the start?
It would be nice to close the circle. And surely someone out there knows what happened, or was even part of it…
I’m off conferencing but nearly all past and current Thai laws are online with discrete search terms, often in both Thai & English. I am almost certain I have posted the old & new acts along with English translations. I must have them and would be happy to attach them to email in 10 days or so.
Thank you, Serhat, for the DVD; I’m looking forward to it on my return.
Does anyone have any idea where we can find a copy of ‘Soul of a Nation’?
Beautifully and poetically put Grasshopper.
I suspect the ever resourceful Thais will figure a way around it (if an expat-Thai like myself can) – such as establishing a very attractive skilled migration and citizenship program. We’ll have lots of Thai-Swedes, Thai-Germans, Thai-Russians, Thai-Aussies…etc. living and working in towns, large and small, around the country. This may result in another housing bubble with problems of its own. We’ll also have a new demanding and influential voting bloc (apart from those pesky Bangkokians!) – maybe even a Farang-Rak-Thai Party…
On a more serious and immediate note, Peak Oil and USD300/gallon oil won’t just take Thai tourism and tourism culture down, it will take the whole world economy with it… We are talking about a global addiction here and the hangover will be long and deadly… On the other hand, a new hydrogen-era might just take us back where oil left off…
Katreya is definitely not “light relief.”
Charming though.
Her persona seems a tad bit artificial.
Glad to see all her housemates know how to comb their hair.
Is the Hippy Party a real political party or a t-shirt company?
I’d buy a Jakrapob “guilty of Lese Majeste” shirt, if it wasn’t for the foul language, must be imitating our dear leader Samak.
As Dan pointed out, HM already made a public statement as to who the legitimate leader is.
And he said Samak has to do a good job if he wants to retain the support of the people, which is true of any democratically elected leader in a parliamentary system.
You’re faulting him for not coming out and telling the PAD they can’t exercise their constitutional right to protest, and for not telling them to pack up and go home.
But he didn’t tell the UDD or DAAD to pack up and go home either.
In your zero-sum analysis, he’s either on your side or he’s on the side of “evil.”
Defender of which “democracy” Andrew? ‘TRT/PPP-Election-Win- Equates-With-License-T0-Freely-Rob-Thailand’ or ‘Democrat/PAD-Democrat-Unless-Cannot-Win-Election-Then-Coup-Is-OK’???
If you are happy with PMThaksin/TRT party and all that they stand for as prime minister/ruling party of Australia and that they abide by the working definition of “democracy” as practiced in Oz – then I might just get your point. If not, it is still a complete mystery…
And I agree with Pracharat here, let the other stakeholders – politicians, bureaucrats, armed forces, the new phenomenon of ‘un-Thai’ ultra-assertiveness (PAD), other political/apolitical, rural/urban Thais etc…etc… sort this out for themselves. It is a test of Thailand’ s political maturity – and if achieved without a coup, bloodshed or HMK’s public intervention, then there must be progress and it must be better/good.
I am caught out by PAD’s extreme assertiveness myself and was initially unsure what to make of it (being used to Siamese compromises). They remind me interestingly of an Australian visitor I was stuck in Bangkok traffic with (some 10-12 years ago) who said, if this kind of traffic happened in his country, people will be out on the streets demanding that the government do something about it NOW… “That will never happen in Thailand” was my reply then…
We will know, in time, whether this civic assertiveness – inspired by the one and only one PMThaksin – is a sign of Thai political maturity or not.
On that note, I think the “a word from on high” should be from PMThaksin to PPP – “please govern the country as best you could – with transparency and little/no corruption. Let the checks-and-balances work so don’t avoid censure debates and interfere with independent agencies. Don’t try to amend the constitution to white-wash me and don’t intervene in my court cases…Only if, you as government, function this way, can we mend the country’s deep divisions…etc…etc.” . The problem is his actions rarely matches his words…
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JSEAS special issue on Burma is out now
This debate and focus here appears to have turned inward. In the nature of things, the elephant in the room is the Tatmadaw and the central argument should be what to do with the beast since it clearly has gone bad. Instead, arguing tactics rather than strategy, one has questions here concerning how much fodder to extend or withhold, whether to offer sweet words to the recalcitrant tusker or berate it or, ignoring its ability to reproduce, hope it grows old and dies or goes soft. Or whether the beast can be induced to develop a schizophrenic character and chew itself into some form of debility. Or debates over which training techniques to adopt or discard, how many years the mahouts have been in training, who controls them from afar them or doesn’t, whether the audience and trainers should be limited by nationality or even by local ethnicity, and whether neighboring elephants and their herds should be involved or not.
One thought here, though, about any perceived need to lessen paranoia amongst the security caste. While one should take into account that all conflicts have local contexts–which cannot be explained 100 percent by academic models–a little more paranoia might not be a bad thing.
In recent memory, offering 1979 as an example, it was neither the Ugandans who solved their own problems nor the Cambodians. And in the case of the latter so much misery had been visited upon them from outside, doing so would have been more than difficult. Whether through outside maneuver or self-delusion or both, the paranoia of both irredeemable leaderships ratcheted upwards and both embarked on foolish adventures whose consequences lessened, if not ended, the misery of many of their peoples. Amin felt Julius Nyerere had not accorded the rotund Field Marshal the expected and proper filial affection (should Nyerere have done so in the interests of peace and non-intereference?) so he attacked Tanzania, while the murderous Anghka convinced themselves they were more than a match for what was probably then the world’s best light infantry. Amin’s rule was swiftly decapitated and Pol Pot’s pushed to the edges though certainly not eliminated. In both cases, dealing directly with the elephant in the room did not herald a completely new dawn but it meant that positive change could happen, albeit with slow measured steps and occasional missteps. This is lacking in Burma today.
Whether through trade networks, diplomatic channels, personal networks or other forms of interconnectedness, people outside Burma are by definition involved in Burma (and the reverse can be true as well) and at some level with all sides. Better questions would be who calls the shots (and yes, here it should be local) and how they can work together a strategy that will either take down or completely transform the elephant in the room. Change will happen in Burma and it may well surprise one and all as to when and how. Only afterwards will analysts offer that its precise nature was inevitable and should have been foreseen.
Volunteering to fight in Burma
I look forward to seeing your site Jack.
Volunteering to fight in Burma
Hi Derek, I just read what you had to say about the KNU. You sound very delusional and are completely off mark. Maybe you are misquoted, if you are I apologise. However as said in an earlier remarke I have made on this site, some Christian organisations have a lot to answer for regardiong creating disunity amongst the Karen on the border and are playing right into the hands of Burmese Military Intelligence and the Junta Generals. Your type righteous religious zealot crap is what is destroying the unity of the Karen people. You come along with hollow promises and religious zeal, then run off back to America and tout how you have converted the Karen people and leave a complete mess behind. The truth is you didn’t convert any heathens at all, you simply poached people who were already
Christians, then turned them against their family and friends because
these family and friends would not become born again, therefore you said they were not real Christians, creating division and disunity within the KNU . You and your ilk should go to Afghanistan and Iraq and preach your rubbish there. The Muslim extremists would take great pride in cutting your head off with a blunt knife. I do not feel that you are a true Christian, you come across as an uninformed, egotistical, big mouthed yank wanting to bolster your own standing amongst the Pentecostal faith in order to stay in the spotlight. I strongly suggest you stick to Christian conversion of non-Christians and refrain from trying to be a psyudo Karen politician and be a true Christian, not a nation wrecker. You are not a true peace maker, you are a trouble maker. I know Timothy, he was a nice guy until he fell under the spell of zealous Pentecostal preachers who steadily eroded his beliefs in Karen unity. These are dangerous practices you are undertaking. I feel that you are partially responsible for creating this untennable situation and ultimately responsible for many Karen on Karen deaths. You would be best placed saving soles than trying to be a politician.
Bamboo and Rats and Famine
[…] years back I posted brief reflections on the sporadic “rat plagues” that have devastating implications for people in northern […]
JSEAS special issue on Burma is out now
Moe Aung, you raise many of the problems in dealing with the Burma situation, which makes finding workable solutions all the more difficult. I don’t expect any breakthroughs in the near future so we will probably be debating these same points for some time into the future. Sadly the Burmese people can expect little relief anytime soon, and they know it, so they will just have to struggle on, as they have been doing for so long.
JSEAS special issue on Burma is out now
Don, Burmese do not have a monopoly on solving political problems by violence. You only need to look at the world around you, including the great western liberal democracies. When it comes to the crunch, out comes the gunboats, or shall I say stealth bombers. Even the “troubles” in N Ireland or Kent State University wasn’t that long ago.
Sadly the junta understands only one language, and though no students of Mao they seem to have a visceral belief in his dictum, “political power comes from the barrel of the gun”. They never hesitate to use it on unarmed people, do they? So it’d be only fair to level the playing field a bit. The late dictator Ne Win’s famous speech in 1962 after killing the students and blowing up the union building was “sword against sword, spear against spear”. If only the country were flush with AK47s and RPGs as in Iraq and Afghanistan.
No, the international community is not addressing the situation, and I agree too that the Burmese will have to fight their own battles not just metaphorically. Also that outsiders, particularly “great white saviours” or “white knights in shining armour” for whatever the reason – humanitarian, crusading, mercenary, personal glory – taking sides selectively with ethnic Christian insurgencies, will only increase the paranoia and reinforce the stereotype, and more importantly play into the hands of the generals whose raison d’etre, let’s not forget, is holding the union together.
Volunteering to fight in Burma
It was this thread that lead me to actually get into the jungles of Burma, I would hope that Mika made it there as well. I know of several others who have made it into Burma and back. A couple of those people emailed me my own posts that had been copied from this thread, to inclued a reporter who will publish a story about the KNLA soon.
I would like to see this thread continue as it is a very informative source for people with questions about getting to Burma under their own power.
Mr. Everett, I have looked at your website and read everything there, very interesting. I used to teach improvised explosives and weapons at a school in California and understood what you were talking about in reguards to “mixing” and making your shape charges. After a friend turned himself into pink mist I swore off creating my own special blends. Do NOT try this at home kids.
The photos there on your site are very interesting. I will be posting my website here for people to visit. There will be new photos there as well. I will buy your book once it is attainable here in the US. Right now I am trying to save up to go back to Burma.
I hope you have better book sales than that Bleming fellow has had.
I will be in contact with you soon.( off site)
Cheers Mate, Jack
Mission to Burma, and to the Lahu, and the rest…
[…] quote follows an earlier archival posting that highlighted religious change in the highlands of mainland Southeast Asia. As a missionary linguist Ola Hanson was a major […]
JSEAS special issue on Burma is out now
Moe Aumg, I agree that the situation in Burma poses a real dilemma. In the end it is up to the Burmese themselves to decide how best to deal with this but personally I do not believe that violence is going to make things better, even though that is the traditional Burmese method of solving political problems. In my view it is irresponsible for outsiders to be encouraging this approach because it is the Burmese people who will suffer even more as a result, not those sitting comfortably before their TVs or computers somewhere outside the country. What is needed is a serious rethinking of how positive change can be promoted in Burma, with the least amount of damage in the process. Sadly I do not see that happening. What we get is a lot of rhetoric about “responsibility to protect” and other apparently tough statements, with no practical results on the ground, except to make the generals even more suspicious and reclusive. This has been going on for so long that it is totally predictable, and it has produced zero results. That alone should eventually lead people to believe that there must be a better way but it does not seem to be doing so. This poverty of serious thought about how to address the situation there is the real tragedy of Burma, in my view.
Leave the PA(S)D alone!
Why? Haven’t you heard?
Prof. Poovadon (sic), from PAD, are calling the three website as anti-monarchy, one is Prachathai and another is Hi-thaksin (dont ask me what the third one is).
He sure know how to write a speech, only one article but contain everything…monarchy, marxist, racist, sexist, and even George Soros!
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000073952
Leave the PA(S)D alone!
nganadeeleg: Anti-monarchy camp? There is such a camp? As in a pro-Republican group? I have seen Republican and heard claims of some big movement, but I don’t see it. Some are annoyed at Prem and his role, but it is extremely rare I see anything about wanting to get rid of the monarchy. So royalist Samak is the head of the movement of the party which the republicans support? Why no dress down from HM the King last Thursday then?
Volunteering to fight in Burma
I never heard of the guy or any Finish blokes working there.
I have some ionformation on the Karen in Burma on my website if anybody is interedted:
http://www.dangerousdaveeverett.com
There is also an article in todays Australian Newspaper on me that shed’s some more light on the military juntas inaction to assist people in the Irrawaddy Delta after the recent cyclone there:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23910490-28737,00.html
Hope you guys find it interesting.
Cheers,
Dave
Volunteering to fight in Burma
It is almost 18 months since this post on foreign fighters in Burma was first put up on New Mandala. It has, since then, been read many thousands of times. And there are fifty comments that do help shed much light on the issues that were originally raised.
But, somewhat curiously, we have still to learn anything more of Finnish “Mika” – the original inspiration for the post. Does anyone know what happened to him? Did he actually make it to the KNLA? Or was this a non-story right from the start?
It would be nice to close the circle. And surely someone out there knows what happened, or was even part of it…
Best wishes to all,
Nich
Puer tea – store with care!
Tea fans,
In response to Jinghong’s article there is now a long and very detailed discussion of Puer tea storage over at Cha Dao. Certainly worth a look.
Best wishes to all,
Nich
The Devil’s Discus – in Thai
I’m off conferencing but nearly all past and current Thai laws are online with discrete search terms, often in both Thai & English. I am almost certain I have posted the old & new acts along with English translations. I must have them and would be happy to attach them to email in 10 days or so.
Thank you, Serhat, for the DVD; I’m looking forward to it on my return.
Does anyone have any idea where we can find a copy of ‘Soul of a Nation’?
Swedes love Thailand…and Australia in second place
Beautifully and poetically put Grasshopper.
I suspect the ever resourceful Thais will figure a way around it (if an expat-Thai like myself can) – such as establishing a very attractive skilled migration and citizenship program. We’ll have lots of Thai-Swedes, Thai-Germans, Thai-Russians, Thai-Aussies…etc. living and working in towns, large and small, around the country. This may result in another housing bubble with problems of its own. We’ll also have a new demanding and influential voting bloc (apart from those pesky Bangkokians!) – maybe even a Farang-Rak-Thai Party…
On a more serious and immediate note, Peak Oil and USD300/gallon oil won’t just take Thai tourism and tourism culture down, it will take the whole world economy with it… We are talking about a global addiction here and the hangover will be long and deadly… On the other hand, a new hydrogen-era might just take us back where oil left off…
Leave the PA(S)D alone!
24 June 2008
This link and its other constituent links provides some very interesting information and commentaries.
http://sanpaworn.vissaventure.com/log/187/a-right-royal-hatchet-job
I was surprised at the depth of observations and willingness of the writer to come out and speculate in an appropriately academic way.
Hippy, hippy shake
Katreya is definitely not “light relief.”
Charming though.
Her persona seems a tad bit artificial.
Glad to see all her housemates know how to comb their hair.
Is the Hippy Party a real political party or a t-shirt company?
I’d buy a Jakrapob “guilty of Lese Majeste” shirt, if it wasn’t for the foul language, must be imitating our dear leader Samak.
Any chance of a word from on high?
As Dan pointed out, HM already made a public statement as to who the legitimate leader is.
And he said Samak has to do a good job if he wants to retain the support of the people, which is true of any democratically elected leader in a parliamentary system.
You’re faulting him for not coming out and telling the PAD they can’t exercise their constitutional right to protest, and for not telling them to pack up and go home.
But he didn’t tell the UDD or DAAD to pack up and go home either.
In your zero-sum analysis, he’s either on your side or he’s on the side of “evil.”
Any chance of a word from on high?
Defender of which “democracy” Andrew? ‘TRT/PPP-Election-Win- Equates-With-License-T0-Freely-Rob-Thailand’ or ‘Democrat/PAD-Democrat-Unless-Cannot-Win-Election-Then-Coup-Is-OK’???
If you are happy with PMThaksin/TRT party and all that they stand for as prime minister/ruling party of Australia and that they abide by the working definition of “democracy” as practiced in Oz – then I might just get your point. If not, it is still a complete mystery…
And I agree with Pracharat here, let the other stakeholders – politicians, bureaucrats, armed forces, the new phenomenon of ‘un-Thai’ ultra-assertiveness (PAD), other political/apolitical, rural/urban Thais etc…etc… sort this out for themselves. It is a test of Thailand’ s political maturity – and if achieved without a coup, bloodshed or HMK’s public intervention, then there must be progress and it must be better/good.
I am caught out by PAD’s extreme assertiveness myself and was initially unsure what to make of it (being used to Siamese compromises). They remind me interestingly of an Australian visitor I was stuck in Bangkok traffic with (some 10-12 years ago) who said, if this kind of traffic happened in his country, people will be out on the streets demanding that the government do something about it NOW… “That will never happen in Thailand” was my reply then…
We will know, in time, whether this civic assertiveness – inspired by the one and only one PMThaksin – is a sign of Thai political maturity or not.
On that note, I think the “a word from on high” should be from PMThaksin to PPP – “please govern the country as best you could – with transparency and little/no corruption. Let the checks-and-balances work so don’t avoid censure debates and interfere with independent agencies. Don’t try to amend the constitution to white-wash me and don’t intervene in my court cases…Only if, you as government, function this way, can we mend the country’s deep divisions…etc…etc.” . The problem is his actions rarely matches his words…