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>My God, can you imagine how many people would revolt if they had
>the same access to information that ASTV fans do?

And the amount of “misinformation” on ASTV, to take widely inflated crowd figures as just one example, how does that figure into the mix?

I admit that I don’t keep ASTV on all the time — can anyone tell me how much airtime they have given people like Dr. Weng, Jon and Giles U., and other such people who don’t agree with their views?

I take it you’ve seen Manager Group’s Thailand Outlook Channel website (http://www.thailandoutlook.tv/)? Its “Your Say” section with messages from far-flung people with no last names is pretty clearly generated – which is to say fabricated – in-house.

Call me old-fashioned, but these sorts of things bother me.

On one level I enjoyed the Rambo 4 movie. I like action movies, and Stallone always delivers in that regard.

But I was also disappointed because the movie was about westerners, and a westerner who had to rescue them. The Karens don’t make a real appearance until the very end of the movie – after Rambo has taken care of all the heavy lifting.

In reality, The KNLA is doing all the heavy lifting. They’re doing the fighting, the suffering, the dying.
Yes, a few foreigners have died while assisting the KNLA, but their numbers are miniscule, which is also a reflection of how many have fought over there.

Since we’re talking movies here, in The Dogs of War, Cat Shannon (Christopher Walken) tells the rebels, “It’s your war. You gotta do it”, meaning that he and his fellow mercenaries will assist the rebels, but that the rebels will have to do the heavy lifting. But in the end, one of the four mercenaries does in fact get killed. A 25% casualty rate in any army is bad, but when there’s only four guys to begin with, it’s a catastrophe.

Do the foreigners assisting the KNLA make a positive difference? With the possible exception of Derek Melton, I would argue that they do.
They bring to the table fresh thinking, derived from years in professional armies. And they provide a morale boost to people who think the world has forgotten them.
Yes, there have been some that provided less than exemplary service, and others that provided comic relief. “Beggars can’t be choosy” applies here. The KNLA doesn’t pay these men, so it doesn’t get to choose who knocks on their door. As an example, I would direct your attention to the film, “Let’s get Harry”, where some guys try to rescue their friend by hiring a mercenary. It’s a perfect example of what one gets when looking for tough men – a few dozen wannabees, and one diamond.
BUT – some of the volunteers who have assisted the KNLA have been top drawer.
David Everett’s later problems aside, he is/was a professional soldier, coming to the KNLA from the ranks of the Australian SAS.
Many others have come from elite units as well – The U.S. special forces, British SAS and SBS, French Foreign Legion. These are not people to trifle with.
Jack Slade is also a former professional soldier, though I will leave it to him to give his own bonafides.

Derek Melton doesn’t get much play on New Mandala, probably because he gets it from Soldier of Fortune magazine, being friends with Bob Brown, the publisher.
But Melton isn’t a soldier – he’s a policeman in “wide spot in the road” Oklahoma. And when he isn’t policing the streets, he’s the pastor of a small church.
The problem with Melton is that he has decided that the KNLA should lay down their arms, and to that end has allied himself with a breakaway faction of the KNLA. I understand that he is no longer welcome in any KNLA camps.

Back to Jack Slade for a moment. That guy amazes me with his energy in regards to assisting the Karen people. No, all the Burmese people.
He gathers up books, clothes and medicines, then packs them up and ships it all off directly to the people who need it. With his own money.
He works with a Buddhist monastery, gathering up donations, talking to church and social groups, beating the bushes for assistance.
He stands on the side of the road, jar in hand, collecting spare change.
Basically, he put his own life on hold to help someone else.
There can be no criticisms of this guy. His actions are in the finest traditions of Christian fellowship, putting others before self.

I have never personally been offended by the word “mercenary”. But when you talk or write about the many foreigners who have assisted the KNLA over the years, “mercenary” is the wrong word to use.
These guys don’t get paid. They’re strictly volunteers, coming over on their own dime, risking their lives – and sometimes freedom – to assist the KNLA.
Sure, some of them are sociopaths, adventurers and con men. But when the lead starts flying, those types are usually the first ones to look for the door.
Most of the foreign volunteers have high ideals, looking to right wrongs. They see the war in Burma as a strictly black and white issue, with no shades of gray. The tatmadaw is evil, and the KNLA is righteous. Period. End of discussion. What’s not to like and admire about these guys.

Are the foreign volunteers prolonging the war? I seriously doubt it. With the exception of the contingent in the mid to late 80’s, the number of volunteers has been very small, showing up in ones and twos.
What they do provide is an opportunity for journalists to write about something more than miserable refugee camps, or the latest atrocity committed by the SPDC. People enjoy reading about adventurers, those who go and do (Everett), as opposed to those who go and wring their hands (Melton).

Apparently I’m not the Robert Horn “you know” because I’ve never had to leave Burma involuntarily.

I also sincerely doubt you, Don Jameson, know any Robert Horn.

First you said I had never set foot in Burma. Now you’re saying I left the country involuntarily.

The fact that you are making things up speaks volumes about your analysis of the situation in Burma.

If this is the Robert Horn I know perhaps he should engage in full disclosure by explaining why he left Burma involuntarily, and not because of the miliary government there. The brief snippets on this blog help to understand the sort of convoluted thinking that got him into trouble then. Apparently he has not learned anything from this experience or any others he may have had since then.

It is always oversimplifying to make blanket statements about individuals or groups, be they Thais, farangs, Sondhis, etc. So whatever is said with as broad stroke should always be read with the proverbial grain of salt.
“The average Thai” does not exist, as there is no “average person” except in statistics. But stating that Thais in general really know what’s going on is appealing to long lost hope. They don’t. Just bring up a few things like ASTV first began bringing up, and before that Dr, Jermsak, and you will get really surprised faces. That’s why these people gathered in Bangkok are generally ASTV fans. They have seen the light, my friends. And that is why the so-called elected government here does not want ASTV or its like on regular TV. My God, can you imagine how many people would revolt if they had the same access to information that ASTV fans do?

Frank G Anderson: Bhumibol’s original statement in the BBC documentary is in English.

Yes, we should deal with political problems with the law, and peaceful protests are within the law.

While I agree that military coups don’t serve the nation, neither do governments that use their power to attempt to change the law to prevent themselves or their bank-rollers from being found guilty of breaking the law.