Of course, “Christian name” is not in the Bible, it is a fairly recent invention coming from the when babies were baptised and named. You refer to an “immense need and or pressure”to change names to Christian names…this is not the case in Cambodia. Most Christians give their children Cambodian names and only some choose Bible names.
Religious types always like to create religious significance and tension when there is non – Be it Christians like the above or Muslims, like in Muslim majority countries.
The Muslims are a litttle more violent due to 15th century mentality, but Christians are more damning – no excuse for this behavior whatsoever.
Christianity is a religion, not a culture, but this differentiation is often lost on the lowly educated in third world countries and also lost on the “upper crust” of third world countries who really want to cosy up to “rich whites” for support.
Simple example is the so called “Christian names” adopted – where in the bible, testaments etc is there such a thing as “Christian name”? Yet there is immense need and or pressure for newly minted christians in the third world to change their names to “Christian name”??!!??
A good piece by Dr Jim Taylor but lacking as he concentrates mainly on students.
There are many struggles taking place in Thailand but are small.
The landless forest dwellers being evicted from their villages. The mines which spew out pollution in Isaan. Coal fired power stations on the coast which has recently been the go ahead by Prayut will 44. Trades unionists struggling for better conditions. Rice and rubber farmers.
Where the UDD failed miserably was not uniting industrial workers with the broad movement.
I should point out that many organised workers were afraid to join in with the UDD for fear of their corrupt unions as employers.
Until all these and others not mentioned here unite in common struggle then there will probably not be democracy in Thailand.
The dynasty politics is not a democratic way forward. Thaksin should be thanked for what he achieved and villified for his failures.
As far as the internal fight within the palace the masses have only a cursory interest in who wins as they will not gain anything but misery.
Aung Kyi who?! Speculation is bound to kick into high gear as NLD leaders say one thing today and retract it tomorrow while mum’s the word with Amay Suu if you’ll forgive the pun. She has appointed herself the sole spokesperson, aside being the chairperson, on not just the delicate matter of ‘transfer of power’ but policy matters, period.
Couldn’t agree more. The Bamar, albeit by and large a mongrel race wherein probably lies their strength, and the gene pool is getting richer in Burmese towns and cities, must lay ‘their imperial ghost’ to rest once and for all.
ASSK’s work is cut out since she must forge a federal union of the willing and not the old one of coercion. This is one Herculean task that can be her greatest legacy to posterity. Joining the New World Order has already been achieved by the generals, so economic change with a significantly beneficial impact on and transformation of public sector services is unlikely to be her forte.
Nich is in good company to have judged the ethnic voters’ intention and the outcome on the day wrong. The issue however is not that they have too few parties but quite on the contrary partly reflecting the inherent diversity within each major minority group and region. The Shan for instance have been a major group in all Kachin State towns and cities, and an apparent injustice had been done to them when Myitkyina and Bhamo fell within their domains. We now have a newly formed armed group of the Red Shan (Shan-ni in Burmese) or Tai-leng. And this is not to mention that the Palaung or Ta’ang and the Wa in Shan State constitute the Shan’s own domestic conundrum in self-determination.
And in deepest darkest Siem Reap there’s a guesthouse called the Mandalay. I asked the proprietor why, and he shrugged ad said he just liked the sound of the name.
Like so much of the world, Buddhism has been transformed by the information revolution.
Thai state Buddhism may be dying, but in its place has come Youtube Buddhism, and some of the biggest names in this space are Thai monks, or monks coming from the Thai tradition.
These monks are also able to access the original Pali texts and make their own interpretations. The e-Tipitaka for instance enables monks and lay follows to search the Tipitaka online and learn what the Buddha really said….
I would think that the situation in Thailand in regard to the current health of the King, and the Royal succession, would be a topic of great interest for analysis. Given that Thailand is the central player in ASEAN, its current military government (with its connection to the Royal Court), its penchant for military coups, the military government moving ever closer to China, almost as a sycophant and mendicant client of China (especially in the face of Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea) … and so on … all make for interesting and important observation.
Christians do not “refuse to honour the ancestors” – what they do not participate in is the worship/appeasement of the spirits of the dead which is what these ceremonies are all about. Cambodians believe that if this appeasement is not done, then the spirits will be angry and bad luck will follow. A Cambodian Christian honours their ancestors in the same way you and I would, but do not need to offer prayers, food, incense etc for appeasement purposes. I have heard of Cambodian Christians who go to the pagoda with Buddhist family out of respect but pray to Jesus instead in their hearts.
From my limited perspective it appears that the NLD vote in ethnic areas represents a strategic anti-military vote rather than any decrease in significance of “ethnic nationalism”.
It’s doubtful whether anyone in Burma missed the significance of the absolute necessity of NLD gaining a supermajority of 75% of seats to have the legislative power to alter the constitution. Ethnic voters voted accordingly.
Any suggestion that the ethnic tensions and demands that have long characterized Burmese political reality will go away under a democratically-elected “autocrat-in-waiting” like DASSK is naive at best.
One can only hope there will be more honest reporting about Burma as it transitions to “democracy” over the next couple of years than Thailand gets in the international press.
It was a highly interesting article and would like to learn more from you about your field observation since I am the ph.d candidate focusing on democratic governance of Vietnam. I wonder what other challenges you think from the Vietnam-style participatory decision-making process. I hope to exchange some thoughts with you.
Many Israelis are dual citizen holding another passport mostly through European ancestry. Statistics in ‘unfriendly’ nations of SEAsia could not give a good picture of trade and travels.
Not to undermine the situation in Palestine, reminds me of a save palestine campaign in Jakarta business district a while back. The permanent donation booth in some office buildings and the placard holdings hijab wearing activists were literally meters away from beggars and slum hawkers eking a living.
Maybe Indonesian needs to concern more about their brethens on their own yard than those thousand miles away. I doubt even average Gazan family living in shelters willing to survive on subsistence diet of instant noodles and occasional eggs like most of Indonesia
You seem to forgot to mention Rabin visited Indonesia and met Suharto in 1993.
Indonesian are pro-Palestinian, and not so much anti-Israel / anti-Jewish. Paul Wolfowitz was well liked by Indonesians when he was Ambassador to Indonesia.
Shouldn’t premiers and presidents of Asean countrieds receive Saudi Royalty monetary gifts too? Indonesia’s PM certainly is more deserving, for example, than Malsysia’s PM if the Saudi Royal’s gift formula revolves around size of Muslim population served and served well.
The Asean foreign ministers should convene and get to the Arab royal bottom (pun intended) of the Najib affair.
Strongman? Definitely. PM Najib is as untouchable as a Saudi Royal. And the alibi that the 1MDB found in Najib’s bank account was a personal donation from a Saudi Royal was verified by Malaysia’s top Prosecutor General to be true — no need for explanations why or what and in exchange for what favor the equivalent of a whopping US$681 million was made. No honest or dishonest mistake there. – PM Najaib deserved that gift of gazillions from the Saudi Royal.
End of story.
Now let us wait when the streets of KL erupts with vulcanic wrath of disgust…….
Malaysia pretends it has no policy, but thousands of Chinese and Indian Christians from Malaysia visit Israel yearly, even a few Malays. The brother of the Prince of Johor at the time of Yitzhak Rabin’s death came to the funeral in Tel-Aviv. Indonesia’s policy is more liberal and has been for some time. How do you think Gus Dur not only went to Israel, eight times, but advocated for direct ties, and the Abdurrahman Wahid Institute pushes tolerance and respect and has an office in Tel-Aviv which awarded several prizes to Gus Dur, good friends with both Rabin and Shimon Peres. This is all open-source information, easy to access on the net. I also knew Gus Dur, both in Indonesia and Tel-Aviv. As for Malaysia, it’s quite simple, many Chinese (and some Tamil) evangelicals and Catholics come from Malaysia, their passports are given detachable entry visas which are taken upon return to KL. The Israeli Immigration Authorities do not stamp Malaysian passports, as if this is a big secret !!! PM Najib and all Malaysians know this. It is irrelevant that Israel is the only forbidden name in a Malaysian passport. There is never any proof that any Malaysian went to Israel, since there are no direct flights, and single lay-overs don’t require passport stamps. Malaysia know this but pretends, like so many things that are an illusion locally, that it doesn’t happen. Trade between Israel and Malaysia via Singapore and Vietnam is about $30 billion a year, nothing like trade between China and Israel, but the Trade Ministry has fumbled by first denying and then admitting and then denying, that such trade exists. Malaysia can denounce Israel and disinvite athletes all it wants, but everyone with a half a brain, knows UMNO is hypocritical and they use anti-Semitism to garner votes in a nation that rarely has more than 200 Jews (fewer Israelis) at one time. It’s a grand hoax, and the object of derision is not Israel. Just another great Malaysian invention. Malaysia’s status in the world has, let’s just say, hit rock bottom and blaming Jews and Israel isn’t going to raise it, something some Muslim nations, like Egypt and Mauritania and Morocco have found out.
Interesting piece by Dr Muhammad Zulfikar. I suppose it is not surprising because Malaysia has a somewhat similar policy and in fact I was told while in Israel the only really friendly countries in this part of the world are Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Lao PDR and China.
In fact an Israeli company is the single largest foreign direct investor in Vietnamese agriculture aka the massive dairying venture in Nghe An, the birthplace of Ho Chi Minh.
It is a bit unfair to label all holders of Israeli Passports as dyed-in-the-wool Zionists and enemies of the Palestinian people or indeed other Arab people.
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Christianity in Cambodia
Of course, “Christian name” is not in the Bible, it is a fairly recent invention coming from the when babies were baptised and named. You refer to an “immense need and or pressure”to change names to Christian names…this is not the case in Cambodia. Most Christians give their children Cambodian names and only some choose Bible names.
Christianity in Cambodia
Religious types always like to create religious significance and tension when there is non – Be it Christians like the above or Muslims, like in Muslim majority countries.
The Muslims are a litttle more violent due to 15th century mentality, but Christians are more damning – no excuse for this behavior whatsoever.
Christianity is a religion, not a culture, but this differentiation is often lost on the lowly educated in third world countries and also lost on the “upper crust” of third world countries who really want to cosy up to “rich whites” for support.
Simple example is the so called “Christian names” adopted – where in the bible, testaments etc is there such a thing as “Christian name”? Yet there is immense need and or pressure for newly minted christians in the third world to change their names to “Christian name”??!!??
The trouble with Thailand’s new democracy
A good piece by Dr Jim Taylor but lacking as he concentrates mainly on students.
There are many struggles taking place in Thailand but are small.
The landless forest dwellers being evicted from their villages. The mines which spew out pollution in Isaan. Coal fired power stations on the coast which has recently been the go ahead by Prayut will 44. Trades unionists struggling for better conditions. Rice and rubber farmers.
Where the UDD failed miserably was not uniting industrial workers with the broad movement.
I should point out that many organised workers were afraid to join in with the UDD for fear of their corrupt unions as employers.
Until all these and others not mentioned here unite in common struggle then there will probably not be democracy in Thailand.
The dynasty politics is not a democratic way forward. Thaksin should be thanked for what he achieved and villified for his failures.
As far as the internal fight within the palace the masses have only a cursory interest in who wins as they will not gain anything but misery.
Predicting Myanmar’s next president
Aung Kyi who?! Speculation is bound to kick into high gear as NLD leaders say one thing today and retract it tomorrow while mum’s the word with Amay Suu if you’ll forgive the pun. She has appointed herself the sole spokesperson, aside being the chairperson, on not just the delicate matter of ‘transfer of power’ but policy matters, period.
At this rate she’d better get herself cloned.
Misjudging Myanmar’s ethnic vote
Sorry, I meant – when Myitkyina and Bhamo fell within the Kachin domains – at the time of Burma’s independence.
Misjudging Myanmar’s ethnic vote
Couldn’t agree more. The Bamar, albeit by and large a mongrel race wherein probably lies their strength, and the gene pool is getting richer in Burmese towns and cities, must lay ‘their imperial ghost’ to rest once and for all.
ASSK’s work is cut out since she must forge a federal union of the willing and not the old one of coercion. This is one Herculean task that can be her greatest legacy to posterity. Joining the New World Order has already been achieved by the generals, so economic change with a significantly beneficial impact on and transformation of public sector services is unlikely to be her forte.
Nich is in good company to have judged the ethnic voters’ intention and the outcome on the day wrong. The issue however is not that they have too few parties but quite on the contrary partly reflecting the inherent diversity within each major minority group and region. The Shan for instance have been a major group in all Kachin State towns and cities, and an apparent injustice had been done to them when Myitkyina and Bhamo fell within their domains. We now have a newly formed armed group of the Red Shan (Shan-ni in Burmese) or Tai-leng. And this is not to mention that the Palaung or Ta’ang and the Wa in Shan State constitute the Shan’s own domestic conundrum in self-determination.
Burma and the Kipling mystique
And in deepest darkest Siem Reap there’s a guesthouse called the Mandalay. I asked the proprietor why, and he shrugged ad said he just liked the sound of the name.
Buddhist politics and Thailand’s dangerous path
Like so much of the world, Buddhism has been transformed by the information revolution.
Thai state Buddhism may be dying, but in its place has come Youtube Buddhism, and some of the biggest names in this space are Thai monks, or monks coming from the Thai tradition.
These monks are also able to access the original Pali texts and make their own interpretations. The e-Tipitaka for instance enables monks and lay follows to search the Tipitaka online and learn what the Buddha really said….
Tackling the region’s policy challenges
I would think that the situation in Thailand in regard to the current health of the King, and the Royal succession, would be a topic of great interest for analysis. Given that Thailand is the central player in ASEAN, its current military government (with its connection to the Royal Court), its penchant for military coups, the military government moving ever closer to China, almost as a sycophant and mendicant client of China (especially in the face of Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea) … and so on … all make for interesting and important observation.
Burma and the Kipling mystique
…yes…sadly the fantasy of kipling’s mandalay do not match the sad rundown grand buildings of its former glory days….
Christianity in Cambodia
Christians do not “refuse to honour the ancestors” – what they do not participate in is the worship/appeasement of the spirits of the dead which is what these ceremonies are all about. Cambodians believe that if this appeasement is not done, then the spirits will be angry and bad luck will follow. A Cambodian Christian honours their ancestors in the same way you and I would, but do not need to offer prayers, food, incense etc for appeasement purposes. I have heard of Cambodian Christians who go to the pagoda with Buddhist family out of respect but pray to Jesus instead in their hearts.
Misjudging Myanmar’s ethnic vote
From my limited perspective it appears that the NLD vote in ethnic areas represents a strategic anti-military vote rather than any decrease in significance of “ethnic nationalism”.
It’s doubtful whether anyone in Burma missed the significance of the absolute necessity of NLD gaining a supermajority of 75% of seats to have the legislative power to alter the constitution. Ethnic voters voted accordingly.
Any suggestion that the ethnic tensions and demands that have long characterized Burmese political reality will go away under a democratically-elected “autocrat-in-waiting” like DASSK is naive at best.
One can only hope there will be more honest reporting about Burma as it transitions to “democracy” over the next couple of years than Thailand gets in the international press.
Grassroots democracy made in Vietnam
It was a highly interesting article and would like to learn more from you about your field observation since I am the ph.d candidate focusing on democratic governance of Vietnam. I wonder what other challenges you think from the Vietnam-style participatory decision-making process. I hope to exchange some thoughts with you.
Indonesia’s Israeli passport pain
Many Israelis are dual citizen holding another passport mostly through European ancestry. Statistics in ‘unfriendly’ nations of SEAsia could not give a good picture of trade and travels.
Not to undermine the situation in Palestine, reminds me of a save palestine campaign in Jakarta business district a while back. The permanent donation booth in some office buildings and the placard holdings hijab wearing activists were literally meters away from beggars and slum hawkers eking a living.
Maybe Indonesian needs to concern more about their brethens on their own yard than those thousand miles away. I doubt even average Gazan family living in shelters willing to survive on subsistence diet of instant noodles and occasional eggs like most of Indonesia
The realities of power in Myanmar
[…] The military continues to dominate key state agencies. […]
Indonesia’s Israeli passport pain
You seem to forgot to mention Rabin visited Indonesia and met Suharto in 1993.
Indonesian are pro-Palestinian, and not so much anti-Israel / anti-Jewish. Paul Wolfowitz was well liked by Indonesians when he was Ambassador to Indonesia.
Malaysia’s ‘strongman’?
Shouldn’t premiers and presidents of Asean countrieds receive Saudi Royalty monetary gifts too? Indonesia’s PM certainly is more deserving, for example, than Malsysia’s PM if the Saudi Royal’s gift formula revolves around size of Muslim population served and served well.
The Asean foreign ministers should convene and get to the Arab royal bottom (pun intended) of the Najib affair.
Malaysia’s ‘strongman’?
Strongman? Definitely. PM Najib is as untouchable as a Saudi Royal. And the alibi that the 1MDB found in Najib’s bank account was a personal donation from a Saudi Royal was verified by Malaysia’s top Prosecutor General to be true — no need for explanations why or what and in exchange for what favor the equivalent of a whopping US$681 million was made. No honest or dishonest mistake there. – PM Najaib deserved that gift of gazillions from the Saudi Royal.
End of story.
Now let us wait when the streets of KL erupts with vulcanic wrath of disgust…….
Indonesia’s Israeli passport pain
Malaysia pretends it has no policy, but thousands of Chinese and Indian Christians from Malaysia visit Israel yearly, even a few Malays. The brother of the Prince of Johor at the time of Yitzhak Rabin’s death came to the funeral in Tel-Aviv. Indonesia’s policy is more liberal and has been for some time. How do you think Gus Dur not only went to Israel, eight times, but advocated for direct ties, and the Abdurrahman Wahid Institute pushes tolerance and respect and has an office in Tel-Aviv which awarded several prizes to Gus Dur, good friends with both Rabin and Shimon Peres. This is all open-source information, easy to access on the net. I also knew Gus Dur, both in Indonesia and Tel-Aviv. As for Malaysia, it’s quite simple, many Chinese (and some Tamil) evangelicals and Catholics come from Malaysia, their passports are given detachable entry visas which are taken upon return to KL. The Israeli Immigration Authorities do not stamp Malaysian passports, as if this is a big secret !!! PM Najib and all Malaysians know this. It is irrelevant that Israel is the only forbidden name in a Malaysian passport. There is never any proof that any Malaysian went to Israel, since there are no direct flights, and single lay-overs don’t require passport stamps. Malaysia know this but pretends, like so many things that are an illusion locally, that it doesn’t happen. Trade between Israel and Malaysia via Singapore and Vietnam is about $30 billion a year, nothing like trade between China and Israel, but the Trade Ministry has fumbled by first denying and then admitting and then denying, that such trade exists. Malaysia can denounce Israel and disinvite athletes all it wants, but everyone with a half a brain, knows UMNO is hypocritical and they use anti-Semitism to garner votes in a nation that rarely has more than 200 Jews (fewer Israelis) at one time. It’s a grand hoax, and the object of derision is not Israel. Just another great Malaysian invention. Malaysia’s status in the world has, let’s just say, hit rock bottom and blaming Jews and Israel isn’t going to raise it, something some Muslim nations, like Egypt and Mauritania and Morocco have found out.
Indonesia’s Israeli passport pain
Interesting piece by Dr Muhammad Zulfikar. I suppose it is not surprising because Malaysia has a somewhat similar policy and in fact I was told while in Israel the only really friendly countries in this part of the world are Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Lao PDR and China.
In fact an Israeli company is the single largest foreign direct investor in Vietnamese agriculture aka the massive dairying venture in Nghe An, the birthplace of Ho Chi Minh.
It is a bit unfair to label all holders of Israeli Passports as dyed-in-the-wool Zionists and enemies of the Palestinian people or indeed other Arab people.