Ellen Bruno, the filmmaker, has some really good films. I saw her being interviewed on CNN several years ago about her film on Buddhist nuns. Actually went filming with her at the carnival in Maesai, long, long ago.
I wonder how she’s going to pull filming this off. Everyone knows about this problem. Take for instance, my mother-in-law who is a moral person and can see this stuff from the window in the back of her house. She always told me and my wife how the brothel owner would pretend they were one big happy family but when the girls got sick, back to Burma with them. This is a typical example of something that everyone knows about and can see in broad day light but can do nothing about because of the powerful mafia-like locals who control it. And I’d also like to point out that these exploitative brothels have a Thai clientele. At least the one near my mother-in-law’s house. Every book and article I’ve seen published on this topic tries to pin the problem on Farang. Carabao’s song Maesai made years ago is about this problem. Hope she can shine the light of day on it.
I agree with polo. It’s a useless throw-away metaphor. I always think of Samsara when I think of the current political situation, the eternal wheel of suffering.
“Dukkha” is an expletive in Burmese and a key concept in Buddhism with a lot of associated images that could be used: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dukkha
“…the word roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including sorrow, suffering (or pain), affliction, anxiety, dissatisfaction, discomfort, anguish, stress, misery, aversion and frustration.”
Some images:
In classic Sanskrit, the term dukkha was often compared to ***a large potter’s wheel that would screech as it was spun around, and did not turn smoothly***. The opposite of dukkha was the term sukkha, which brought to mind a potter’s wheel that turned smoothly and noiselessly. In other Buddhist-influenced cultures, similar imagery was used to describe dukkha. An example from China is the ***cart with one wheel that is slightly broken, so that the rider is jolted each time the wheel rolls over the broken spot.***
The worst part about this story, as I have blogged, is the explanation over the raid courtesy of Col. Sanserm of the CNS (as well as Col. Thanathip from ISOC):
“р╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╣Ар╕Вр╣Йр╕▓р╕Хр╕гр╕зр╕Ир╕Др╣Йр╕Щр╕Фр╕▒р╕Зр╕Бр╕ер╣Ир╕▓р╕зр╣Ар╕Щр╕╖р╣Ир╕нр╕Зр╕Ир╕▓р╕Бр╕кр╕Зр╕кр╕▒р╕вр╕зр╣Ир╕▓р╕Хр╕Щр╣Ар╕нр╕Зр╕Ир╕░р╕Др╕гр╕нр╕Ър╕Др╕гр╕нр╕Зр╕нр╕▓р╕зр╕╕р╕Шр╕кр╕Зр╕Др╕гр╕▓р╕бр╣Бр╕ер╕░р╕кр╕┤р╣Ир╕Зр╕Ьр╕┤р╕Фр╕Бр╕Ор╕лр╕бр╕▓р╕в
[My translation: The search was [conducted] because [they] suspected that she had war weapons and illegal things there]”
Yes, they were looking for war weapons at Kru Prateep’s house.
I read stuff like this and I’m left scratching my head. The glaring hardship described is quite different from my own experience with Burmees prostitutes.
I am a upper-middle class single Thai man in my late 20’s, and like most of my friends and professional colleagues, I regularly patronize massage parlours. I am a regular customer of “A” (not her real name), a “sideline” prostitute at one of the massage parlours on Ratchadapisek.
A is a Burmese from Rangoon. She is around 20 and was not coerced or trafficked into Thailand. She has worked as a prostitute in Bangkok for about 2 years and speaks good enough Thai to have a real conversation (although she does have a slight accent). She lives alone in a modest apartment, like many young Bangkokians people of her age. She is not held under debt bondage, and she has never been abused by the Cheer Khaek or Khun Mae’s (pimps and mamasans) of her establishment. Her income is typically X0,000 Baht a month, but can reach 1X0,000. That’s a lot of money for Thailand, and she saves most of it.
As a “sideline”, she is not forced to work on a fixed schedule or sit inside the “fishbowl”, but can come and wait for customers on the sofas whenever she wants. Half of her fee 2,500 Baht goes the the massage parlour, and she retains all of her tips. If she trusts a customer enough, she’ll meet him outside the massage parlour and not have to share anything with the pimp. She is extremely strict about using condoms, and the only unsafe thing she’s ever done with me is kiss me on the mouth. She can reject a customer, even after they have gone up into the room. She is, in fact, like any other attractive young Thai lady of modest means who chooses to become a prostitute. I have never seen, after visiting hundreds of girls in dozens of massage parlours, anybody younger than 18 or anybody who was visibly abused or coerced into having sex with me.
I do not know her visa status, but I know she does go back to Rangoon from time to time, travelling via Chiang Rai. Her family has a small shop in Rangoon. Her family is not poor, but neither is it rich. She plans to retire soon and use her savings to build a small business back home.
The only abuse she ever mentioned was getting arrested by a police officer while she was in a car with a bunch of her Burmese friends. The police officer demanded sex with her, but her Cheer Khaek later intervened and paid the officer a X0,000 Baht bribe. She paid the Cheer Khaek off within a few months.
I’m guess that there are worse examples of the Burmese-Thai sex trade. I don’t think activists like the Lintners are lying to the public. But I suspect that they might be exaggerating the seriousness of the situation, or painting it in overly broad brush-strokes.
Why couldn’t it be that the people are the elephant and the military are the not-so-brilliant man? At this point who crushes who is still unknown — maybe they live together seeking alms like those chang-and-mahout teams from Sisaket.
Anyway, that show how useless the metaphor can be. But given Bernstein’s long history of fondness for gross generalization about China, about which he knows much more, it’s not surprising. Another tourist-eye view of the situation.
Dear Nee: If you think Thaksin is behind the rumours about the prince, then you haven’t been exposed to the Bangkok rumour mill very long. Rumours on the CP are long-standing and most of those were resurrected over the past two months.
Obviously Anon you don’t know anything about boots. Spit shine combat boots get that label literally because one has to spit on them to get the glassy-shiny reflection effect . . .
And you don’t get anything from the generals from your kisses Anon except the boot smacked at your slobbering mouth. The way to the generals’ hearts is through their pockets . . . . Thaksin would have told you that.
Thaksin Shinawatra made his initial fortune from four telecom concessions awarded by government at a time when military influence was strong. He had to lobby generals to get these concessions, and he had to reward them. In one famous instance, he gave a general a Daimler. At the launch of his satellite, he said “I could not have this day without Big Jod,” meaning General Sunthorn, the head of the 1991 coup junta.
linkage to: pioneer.netserv.chula.ac.th/~ppasuk/honestmistakemonash.doc
Following General Sunthorn’s death due to cancer, a scandal arose over the distribution of his estate. His will left most of his approximately 150 million U.S. dollar fortune to his mistress. His wife sued to have the will declared void. However, questions arose on how a general earning a little over US$1,000 a month could accumulate such a large personal fortune. Because Thaksin Shinawatra had publicly acknowledged “Big Jod” or General Sunthorn as man responsible for Shinawatra Group’s existence, public suspicion lingers that Thaksin Shinawatra himself may have been the ‘mysterious source’ of General Sunthorn’s unusual wealth.
Thaksin probably learned “big-time” corruption during Shinawatra’s formative years while “working” the generals to get the juicy telcom licenses, or, corruption may have already been in his DNA.
Yes, there should be a system for online voting. However, doesn’t this apathy you note represent a much maligned & not-so-liberal constitution rather well?
Let’s see whether Vichai N. and Serf can swallow their pride and campaign against the military junta – the same military whose boots are still shiny from their kisses – as hard and as emotionally as they campaigned against the Thaksin government.
UNQUOTE
What campaign against Thaksin Anon? What pride Anon? The pride of boneheads like Jakrapob or Saprang. I’m not a Thai citizen, but I do have an opinion. Opinions are not street campaigns. In case you haven’t noticed, farangs cut zero ice in Thailand. But I kiss no one’s boots, and have no intention of wearing yellow like the cop-outs on both sides of this conflict. The campaign against Thaksin was conducted by Sonthi Limthongkul – another person who I deeply distrust.
Direct confrontation with the junta/military is not something I would foist on ordinary people. But the likes of Chamlong, Sonthi Lim, Thaksin and the PTV shower are more than willing to spill other people’s blood for THEIR long-term benefit.
The reality is that Thaksin’s always dubious reform process has failed miserably. The military has failed to live up to its promises. The monarchy is weak and has been hijacked by an elite that will resort to all foul means to stay in power at any cost. Confrontation with such a system is not practical. The system has to be subverted with stealth. To do that, the ordinary electorate will need networks of their own; NOT those handed down to it by some dishonest businessman or insincere army officer. No quick fix, Anon! Unlike Thaksin’s false promises that wasted another ten years of the ordinary citizen’s time
I have visited the longneck camps, first as a curious tourist but subsequently as a captivated friend. The Karenni are a gentle, generous and egalitarian people. I know a couple of the women who’ve removed their rings; it’s my impression that it wasn’t a rejecton of their culture, but rather a protest against their exploitation by the Thai authorities. Zember, mentioned above, was offered resettlement in New Zealand along with several family members. The local Thai authorities refused to grant them exit visas, with the bogus rationale that it would destroy longneck culture for them to leave.
As for being shunned by village elders for removing the rings, I have not observed that. Some elders may be disappointed for one reason or other, but everyone with whom I’ve spoken understands the young women’s situation, and supports their protest.
P.S. I have a fun party game where everyone tries to escape from a prison on an island in the middle of the Chao Phraya river where THaksin sends people for revenge after he comes back from exile.
It’s fun to play and it’s not real, but it is a little creepy, because it could be real.
Fear of the revenge of Thaksin seems to be driving the whole process. Chang Noi on managed democracy:
“This is not a bad reconstruction of the semi-democracy or Premocracy of the 1980s…there is still one problem. Who is going to be the prime minister at the centre of this elaborate structure? Unless this choice can be carefully managed, there remains the possibility that the Thaksinites could sneak back, wreck all the delicate construction work of the last year, and even ***wreak revenge***.” http://www.geocities.com/changnoi2/risks.htm
Patron-client relations may be lined up in such a way that all roads lead back to Thaksin:
“The Matchima group has positioned itself for this role. Its members were, of course, formerly fervent supporters of Thaksin. Indeed, the intertwined strands stretch a long way back. Matchima’s head, Somsak Thepsuthin, is the political heir of Montri Pongpanich who gave Thaksin the sweetheart mobile phone concession that made Thaksin rich. There is a risk that ***such a party could operate as nominee of the junta and nominee of Thaksin at the same time.*** What irony.”
The court decision blackballing the 111 TRT executives actually played into Thaksin’s hands because it leaves no viable successor:
“When the Constitution Tribunal judges banned all 111 TRT executives, they clearly deviated from the junta’s script. Ideally such a party should be led by a prominent businessman, respectable ex-minister, or someone of high social standing. So far there is no convincing candidate for this role.”
This began a long time ago when all potential leaders outside of the TRT began to dry up. By concentrating all power in its hands like a gigantic political vaccuum machine, the ghost of TRT lives on. Who is going to be the Maw Pii?
So what would the gossipers and gossip passers say when they sawa The Crown Prince happy and perfectly healthy photos appear on the news ( T.V. , newsopapaer, internet and maganzines)?
The person who is behind such costly spreading of the online news as well as widespread gossip is the one we all know, the ousted master corrupt Thugsin.
Beacuse the Crown Prince is number 1 heir to the throne, he is the main target of attack of greedy and power seeker.
We do not personally know the prince but feel that Thai people need to aware of these crooks’ intetntions.
Whether he is popular or not is not the question.
He does his duty and has helped relieved his father, the King more and more each day. In fact, all members of the Royal Household work very hard.
Thaksin is very jealous of the King so he tries in evey way, directly and back-stabbing, to damage his reputation and happiness. the King is the force of unity that keeps people united and live harmoniously for over sixty years. So he is in the way of Thaksin who is so ambitious to become the president and set his own empire. Of course who would accept a crook like him.
The bad karma that he did to this nation and our King will return to him. He and his family will never have a happy and peaceful life. His billion baht can not help. Those who did good receive good in return, those who did bad and said bad things certainly will repay for their evil deeds!
There is some very naive politics in this exchange. If one wanted to make the no case – and I’m not sure that it is even worth doing as a grassroots political strategy – is almost impossible at present, and especially for those identified here as pro-Thaksin.
The military and police have everything pretty much tied down. Almost impossible to get TV or radio time – remember when we complained that Thaksin controlled all the media? He doesn’t anymore, and the “news” is more controlled than I can ever remember.
Going door-to-door sounds like a nice liberal thing to do, but could it be done? Just having posters that propose a no case gets you into trouble. In the rural areas I’ve been to, the military and police are preventing “pro-Thaksin” groups doing much of anything at all – on a recent rural trip east of Bangkok, I went through 10 police checks in 100 kms.
To be realistic then, it is probably politically better to concentrate on the promised election (see the ex-TRT moves of the last couple of days). But even there, if the current military moves are a preview of what they will do in the election, even this kind of political activism might be a waste of time, effort and money.
Let’s see whether Vichai N. and serf can swallow their pride and campaign against the military junta – the same military whose boots are still shiny from their kisses – as hard and as emotionally as they campaigned against the Thaksin government.
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Talk and film on child prostitutes
Ellen Bruno, the filmmaker, has some really good films. I saw her being interviewed on CNN several years ago about her film on Buddhist nuns. Actually went filming with her at the carnival in Maesai, long, long ago.
I wonder how she’s going to pull filming this off. Everyone knows about this problem. Take for instance, my mother-in-law who is a moral person and can see this stuff from the window in the back of her house. She always told me and my wife how the brothel owner would pretend they were one big happy family but when the girls got sick, back to Burma with them. This is a typical example of something that everyone knows about and can see in broad day light but can do nothing about because of the powerful mafia-like locals who control it. And I’d also like to point out that these exploitative brothels have a Thai clientele. At least the one near my mother-in-law’s house. Every book and article I’ve seen published on this topic tries to pin the problem on Farang. Carabao’s song Maesai made years ago is about this problem. Hope she can shine the light of day on it.
On metaphor in Thai politics
I agree with polo. It’s a useless throw-away metaphor. I always think of Samsara when I think of the current political situation, the eternal wheel of suffering.
“Dukkha” is an expletive in Burmese and a key concept in Buddhism with a lot of associated images that could be used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dukkha
“…the word roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including sorrow, suffering (or pain), affliction, anxiety, dissatisfaction, discomfort, anguish, stress, misery, aversion and frustration.”
Some images:
In classic Sanskrit, the term dukkha was often compared to ***a large potter’s wheel that would screech as it was spun around, and did not turn smoothly***. The opposite of dukkha was the term sukkha, which brought to mind a potter’s wheel that turned smoothly and noiselessly. In other Buddhist-influenced cultures, similar imagery was used to describe dukkha. An example from China is the ***cart with one wheel that is slightly broken, so that the rider is jolted each time the wheel rolls over the broken spot.***
A free debate?
The worst part about this story, as I have blogged, is the explanation over the raid courtesy of Col. Sanserm of the CNS (as well as Col. Thanathip from ISOC):
“р╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╣Ар╕Вр╣Йр╕▓р╕Хр╕гр╕зр╕Ир╕Др╣Йр╕Щр╕Фр╕▒р╕Зр╕Бр╕ер╣Ир╕▓р╕зр╣Ар╕Щр╕╖р╣Ир╕нр╕Зр╕Ир╕▓р╕Бр╕кр╕Зр╕кр╕▒р╕вр╕зр╣Ир╕▓р╕Хр╕Щр╣Ар╕нр╕Зр╕Ир╕░р╕Др╕гр╕нр╕Ър╕Др╕гр╕нр╕Зр╕нр╕▓р╕зр╕╕р╕Шр╕кр╕Зр╕Др╕гр╕▓р╕бр╣Бр╕ер╕░р╕кр╕┤р╣Ир╕Зр╕Ьр╕┤р╕Фр╕Бр╕Ор╕лр╕бр╕▓р╕в
[My translation: The search was [conducted] because [they] suspected that she had war weapons and illegal things there]”
Yes, they were looking for war weapons at Kru Prateep’s house.
Talk and film on child prostitutes
I read stuff like this and I’m left scratching my head. The glaring hardship described is quite different from my own experience with Burmees prostitutes.
I am a upper-middle class single Thai man in my late 20’s, and like most of my friends and professional colleagues, I regularly patronize massage parlours. I am a regular customer of “A” (not her real name), a “sideline” prostitute at one of the massage parlours on Ratchadapisek.
A is a Burmese from Rangoon. She is around 20 and was not coerced or trafficked into Thailand. She has worked as a prostitute in Bangkok for about 2 years and speaks good enough Thai to have a real conversation (although she does have a slight accent). She lives alone in a modest apartment, like many young Bangkokians people of her age. She is not held under debt bondage, and she has never been abused by the Cheer Khaek or Khun Mae’s (pimps and mamasans) of her establishment. Her income is typically X0,000 Baht a month, but can reach 1X0,000. That’s a lot of money for Thailand, and she saves most of it.
As a “sideline”, she is not forced to work on a fixed schedule or sit inside the “fishbowl”, but can come and wait for customers on the sofas whenever she wants. Half of her fee 2,500 Baht goes the the massage parlour, and she retains all of her tips. If she trusts a customer enough, she’ll meet him outside the massage parlour and not have to share anything with the pimp. She is extremely strict about using condoms, and the only unsafe thing she’s ever done with me is kiss me on the mouth. She can reject a customer, even after they have gone up into the room. She is, in fact, like any other attractive young Thai lady of modest means who chooses to become a prostitute. I have never seen, after visiting hundreds of girls in dozens of massage parlours, anybody younger than 18 or anybody who was visibly abused or coerced into having sex with me.
I do not know her visa status, but I know she does go back to Rangoon from time to time, travelling via Chiang Rai. Her family has a small shop in Rangoon. Her family is not poor, but neither is it rich. She plans to retire soon and use her savings to build a small business back home.
The only abuse she ever mentioned was getting arrested by a police officer while she was in a car with a bunch of her Burmese friends. The police officer demanded sex with her, but her Cheer Khaek later intervened and paid the officer a X0,000 Baht bribe. She paid the Cheer Khaek off within a few months.
I’m guess that there are worse examples of the Burmese-Thai sex trade. I don’t think activists like the Lintners are lying to the public. But I suspect that they might be exaggerating the seriousness of the situation, or painting it in overly broad brush-strokes.
On metaphor in Thai politics
http://www.norporkor.com/violet-memorandum.html
On metaphor in Thai politics
Why couldn’t it be that the people are the elephant and the military are the not-so-brilliant man? At this point who crushes who is still unknown — maybe they live together seeking alms like those chang-and-mahout teams from Sisaket.
Anyway, that show how useless the metaphor can be. But given Bernstein’s long history of fondness for gross generalization about China, about which he knows much more, it’s not surprising. Another tourist-eye view of the situation.
Thailand’s crown prince
Dear Nee: If you think Thaksin is behind the rumours about the prince, then you haven’t been exposed to the Bangkok rumour mill very long. Rumours on the CP are long-standing and most of those were resurrected over the past two months.
A free debate?
Obviously Anon you don’t know anything about boots. Spit shine combat boots get that label literally because one has to spit on them to get the glassy-shiny reflection effect . . .
And you don’t get anything from the generals from your kisses Anon except the boot smacked at your slobbering mouth. The way to the generals’ hearts is through their pockets . . . . Thaksin would have told you that.
Thaksin Shinawatra made his initial fortune from four telecom concessions awarded by government at a time when military influence was strong. He had to lobby generals to get these concessions, and he had to reward them. In one famous instance, he gave a general a Daimler. At the launch of his satellite, he said “I could not have this day without Big Jod,” meaning General Sunthorn, the head of the 1991 coup junta.
linkage to: pioneer.netserv.chula.ac.th/~ppasuk/honestmistakemonash.doc
Following General Sunthorn’s death due to cancer, a scandal arose over the distribution of his estate. His will left most of his approximately 150 million U.S. dollar fortune to his mistress. His wife sued to have the will declared void. However, questions arose on how a general earning a little over US$1,000 a month could accumulate such a large personal fortune. Because Thaksin Shinawatra had publicly acknowledged “Big Jod” or General Sunthorn as man responsible for Shinawatra Group’s existence, public suspicion lingers that Thaksin Shinawatra himself may have been the ‘mysterious source’ of General Sunthorn’s unusual wealth.
Thaksin probably learned “big-time” corruption during Shinawatra’s formative years while “working” the generals to get the juicy telcom licenses, or, corruption may have already been in his DNA.
Disenfranchising Thailand’s mobile workforce
Yes, there should be a system for online voting. However, doesn’t this apathy you note represent a much maligned & not-so-liberal constitution rather well?
A free debate?
Who is impersonating Vichai? There is something we agree upon.
True Thailand?
I bet Andrew & Patiwat are giggling at the latest news about Samak & Chavalit being on the shortlist of candidates to lead the new TRT party.
Democracy at work?
A free debate?
QUOTE
anon | July 30th, 2007 at 10:14 am
Let’s see whether Vichai N. and Serf can swallow their pride and campaign against the military junta – the same military whose boots are still shiny from their kisses – as hard and as emotionally as they campaigned against the Thaksin government.
UNQUOTE
What campaign against Thaksin Anon? What pride Anon? The pride of boneheads like Jakrapob or Saprang. I’m not a Thai citizen, but I do have an opinion. Opinions are not street campaigns. In case you haven’t noticed, farangs cut zero ice in Thailand. But I kiss no one’s boots, and have no intention of wearing yellow like the cop-outs on both sides of this conflict. The campaign against Thaksin was conducted by Sonthi Limthongkul – another person who I deeply distrust.
Direct confrontation with the junta/military is not something I would foist on ordinary people. But the likes of Chamlong, Sonthi Lim, Thaksin and the PTV shower are more than willing to spill other people’s blood for THEIR long-term benefit.
The reality is that Thaksin’s always dubious reform process has failed miserably. The military has failed to live up to its promises. The monarchy is weak and has been hijacked by an elite that will resort to all foul means to stay in power at any cost. Confrontation with such a system is not practical. The system has to be subverted with stealth. To do that, the ordinary electorate will need networks of their own; NOT those handed down to it by some dishonest businessman or insincere army officer. No quick fix, Anon! Unlike Thaksin’s false promises that wasted another ten years of the ordinary citizen’s time
Bound by tradition
I have visited the longneck camps, first as a curious tourist but subsequently as a captivated friend. The Karenni are a gentle, generous and egalitarian people. I know a couple of the women who’ve removed their rings; it’s my impression that it wasn’t a rejecton of their culture, but rather a protest against their exploitation by the Thai authorities. Zember, mentioned above, was offered resettlement in New Zealand along with several family members. The local Thai authorities refused to grant them exit visas, with the bogus rationale that it would destroy longneck culture for them to leave.
As for being shunned by village elders for removing the rings, I have not observed that. Some elders may be disappointed for one reason or other, but everyone with whom I’ve spoken understands the young women’s situation, and supports their protest.
A free debate?
P.S. I have a fun party game where everyone tries to escape from a prison on an island in the middle of the Chao Phraya river where THaksin sends people for revenge after he comes back from exile.
It’s fun to play and it’s not real, but it is a little creepy, because it could be real.
A free debate?
Fear of the revenge of Thaksin seems to be driving the whole process. Chang Noi on managed democracy:
“This is not a bad reconstruction of the semi-democracy or Premocracy of the 1980s…there is still one problem. Who is going to be the prime minister at the centre of this elaborate structure? Unless this choice can be carefully managed, there remains the possibility that the Thaksinites could sneak back, wreck all the delicate construction work of the last year, and even ***wreak revenge***.”
http://www.geocities.com/changnoi2/risks.htm
Patron-client relations may be lined up in such a way that all roads lead back to Thaksin:
“The Matchima group has positioned itself for this role. Its members were, of course, formerly fervent supporters of Thaksin. Indeed, the intertwined strands stretch a long way back. Matchima’s head, Somsak Thepsuthin, is the political heir of Montri Pongpanich who gave Thaksin the sweetheart mobile phone concession that made Thaksin rich. There is a risk that ***such a party could operate as nominee of the junta and nominee of Thaksin at the same time.*** What irony.”
The court decision blackballing the 111 TRT executives actually played into Thaksin’s hands because it leaves no viable successor:
“When the Constitution Tribunal judges banned all 111 TRT executives, they clearly deviated from the junta’s script. Ideally such a party should be led by a prominent businessman, respectable ex-minister, or someone of high social standing. So far there is no convincing candidate for this role.”
This began a long time ago when all potential leaders outside of the TRT began to dry up. By concentrating all power in its hands like a gigantic political vaccuum machine, the ghost of TRT lives on. Who is going to be the Maw Pii?
Thailand’s crown prince
So what would the gossipers and gossip passers say when they sawa The Crown Prince happy and perfectly healthy photos appear on the news ( T.V. , newsopapaer, internet and maganzines)?
The person who is behind such costly spreading of the online news as well as widespread gossip is the one we all know, the ousted master corrupt Thugsin.
Beacuse the Crown Prince is number 1 heir to the throne, he is the main target of attack of greedy and power seeker.
We do not personally know the prince but feel that Thai people need to aware of these crooks’ intetntions.
Whether he is popular or not is not the question.
He does his duty and has helped relieved his father, the King more and more each day. In fact, all members of the Royal Household work very hard.
Thaksin is very jealous of the King so he tries in evey way, directly and back-stabbing, to damage his reputation and happiness. the King is the force of unity that keeps people united and live harmoniously for over sixty years. So he is in the way of Thaksin who is so ambitious to become the president and set his own empire. Of course who would accept a crook like him.
The bad karma that he did to this nation and our King will return to him. He and his family will never have a happy and peaceful life. His billion baht can not help. Those who did good receive good in return, those who did bad and said bad things certainly will repay for their evil deeds!
United Front statement
http://ptv1.bravehost.com/clip_hot/violet_memorandum1.html
A conduit of vulnerability or prosperity?
…I heard a rumour that this route was recently closed for several days following the arrest of some Hmong in Huay Xai.
This has not filtered down into any of the back-packer blogs and we heard nothing in the Golden Triangle but does anyone know more?
A free debate?
There is some very naive politics in this exchange. If one wanted to make the no case – and I’m not sure that it is even worth doing as a grassroots political strategy – is almost impossible at present, and especially for those identified here as pro-Thaksin.
The military and police have everything pretty much tied down. Almost impossible to get TV or radio time – remember when we complained that Thaksin controlled all the media? He doesn’t anymore, and the “news” is more controlled than I can ever remember.
Going door-to-door sounds like a nice liberal thing to do, but could it be done? Just having posters that propose a no case gets you into trouble. In the rural areas I’ve been to, the military and police are preventing “pro-Thaksin” groups doing much of anything at all – on a recent rural trip east of Bangkok, I went through 10 police checks in 100 kms.
To be realistic then, it is probably politically better to concentrate on the promised election (see the ex-TRT moves of the last couple of days). But even there, if the current military moves are a preview of what they will do in the election, even this kind of political activism might be a waste of time, effort and money.
A free debate?
Let’s see whether Vichai N. and serf can swallow their pride and campaign against the military junta – the same military whose boots are still shiny from their kisses – as hard and as emotionally as they campaigned against the Thaksin government.