In Bangkok Post (March 15), Veera Prateepchaikul asks:
Surprisingly though, human rights advocacy groups who would normally scream foul play the loudest when a Muslim was killed by government forces were completely silent over the Wednesday’s massacre. None of them joined the protests to condemn the insurgents. Did the silence amount to double standard practice?
The problem might be that those groups and individuals have for a long time seen the southern insurgency, the killings and the bombings, as a quasi-justified movement against religio-cultural suppression of Muslims by the Buddhist central Thai state. In short, the state was at fault, not the insurgents were responsible for their acts.
It now seems difficult to turn around and condemn them as radical Islamist terrorists. One thing is for sure: reconciliation does not seem to work under these conditions.
Now ‘non Thai scholars’ and ‘international experts* of Thai studies’ are curious of their future ethical stance. Can I ask you to look back at your role or re-asses the value of your studies, say of about 5-10 years ago. How many of you critical/liberal ‘men of the world’ did really engage in disclosing facts about the Thai monarchy. International community of scholars is as well inseparable to that notion of ‘network monarchy’.
As for Thai academia, the question on freedom is not ‘Will academics be free?’ but ‘Why AREN’T they free?’ We’re talking about the culture of education; the role of education in shaping national consciousness here.
Yala – About 100 Muslim women and children staged a road blocking in a district here Thursday morning to protest and demand the government to arrest those who lobbed grenades into a mosque Wednesday night. The protesters gathered on the Yala-Patae Road in Moo 4 Village in Tambon Baroh of Yaha district at 9 am. They demanded officials to find the culprits in the mosque bomb attack at 8:30 pm Wednesday night. Eleven people were injured in the attack. The protesters also demanded to meet the Yaha district chief.
The Nation 15 March
Of course, they would never block a road to demand that the killers of the eight people in the van would be arrested–after all, the killers are supposed to be their own people. And the killed were merely Buddhists…
“It’s illegal to criticize the monarchy. Period.” The first part is correct, while the second part is not, since all positive law can be changed. Moreover, the political functions of any law can be discussed. This is what the journal Fa Diew Gun and others have been trying to do. However, you are right in saying that as long as the law is in effect (both on paper and in enforcement), academics cannot be excluded. The reference to “extraterritoriality” is a little cheap. Finally, “Since when have academics ever been free to present viewpoints critical of the monarchy?” Looking back, the reigns of King Vajiravudh and King Prajadhipok seem to have been considerably more liberal.
This case has been bungled badly – forget lese majeste – he should have just been deported immediately for vandalism – then they can get on with dealing with important issues like the southern insurgency & corruption.
Jotman – I noticed a couple of interesting quotes on your blog:
Dec 3 2006:
“Human nature being what it is, elites — whether communist, militarist, royalist, or corporatist — tend to be self-serving. That’s because power corrupts. Genuine democracy is the tried and tested safeguard; open society the antidote to this
universal human frailty.”
Mar 5 2007 (from Chang Noi’s column in the Nation about the Fa Dieo Kan special issue on the coup):
“This book argues that the big issue now is not the military or political corruption or populism, but how to prevent an elite minority controlling politics and keeping the masses as passive partners, in part by exploiting the symbolic power of the monarchy.”
Both sound good in theory, but how does it work in practice?
There are many countries that don’t have a monachy, and also many that have open societies, but I am having difficulty coming up with countries that have ‘genuine democracy’ and do not have an elite minority controlling politics and keeping the masses as passive partners.
I can think of a few where the masses think they have some control, but in reality they do not have much influence on ‘business as usual’ for the elites.
There is a new book on vote buying (well, not that new given how long it has taken to get it published): Elections for sale: The causes and consequences of vote buying, ed. by Frederic C. Schaffer, Lynne Rienner. You might want to send a copy of your paper to the editor at [email protected]. He will certainly be interested in your observations, all the more since Allen Hicken has contributed two chapters.
Even more interesting than the maximum sentence is the minimum sentence. He pleaded guilty to five counts of lèse majesté, with each count having a minimum sentence of 3 years.
That’s at least 15 years in rotting in a jail. Unless if he’s pardoned by the King, of course. But then again, the King has never pardoned anybody who has been convicted of lèse majesté…
Generally, an academic conference is an academic conference. It serves the exchange of knowledge. However, this idea might be seen as too “western” from a Thailand-based “Thai Studies” approach, especially under the prevailing political-ideological conditions. Thus, the theme of “globalization” versus “localism” is reproduced, and the illusion of a realized supra-national “scientific community” of “Thai Studies” exposed. Thai studies remains an essentially cross-cultural enterprise.
Will academics be free to present “viewpoints and research findings” that are critical of the monarchy…?
Since when have academics ever been free to present viewpoints critical of the monarchy? It’s illegal to criticize the monarchy. Period.
Will free academic discussion at the conference be constrained by the lèse majesté law?
What is it about academics that makes them think they are above the law? And foreigners haven’t had extraterritoriality rights in Thailand for the past 50 years.
A little dig on Pakitpao’s case. Paemika seem to admit having an affair. Now, a university student in prestigious Chula having sex with married man. Surely this goes way beyond an ultra-sexy dress. How come no one come out and chastise her on this…
May be she need more than 15 days of public work?
Tosakan asks “Why is this a important story, especially with all the other things going on in Thailand?”
Good question. The Lesse Mageste law — under which Mr. Oliver Jufer is being tried — continues to represent a serious obstacle to Thailand’s emergence as a fully functioning democracy. It was cited in justification of the recent coup, and it continues to stifle political discourse in Thailand.
There are few stories more important to the future of Thailand than a story that exposes the nature of this law. International exposure to Mr. Jufer’s plight could well lead more Thais to question the need for repressive law. Besides, any time, anywhere that a human being is subjected to the threat of punishment, the severity of which so outrageously exceeds the crime, you have major human rights story and therefore an absolutely important story, regardless of whether the story has wider political implications (as this one certainly does). Mr. Oliver Jufer’s life matters. Period.
I have written more about this issue at my blog, Jotman.com. Also see my recent posts on Thai-style democracy, Paul Handley’s biography of King Bhumibol, and the writings of Thongchai Winichakul.
Thanks for posting all these photos, Nich. In mid-2001 I did a two week Intrepid tour to Yunnan on my way home from Japan. We went south and did a float trip down the Mekong, followed by a trek to a little village for a homestay. I remember our Australian guide pointing to the hills about a kilometer away and telling us that was Burma. Unfortunately at the time I knew next to nothing about Burma or the cultures and politics of the region. I couldn’t even say for sure if the village we stayed in was Dai or not. How I wish I could go back and see all the things I missed! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of your Yunnan posts.
Jie Gao is 7 kilometres from Ruili, just across the river (and a very big bridge). It abuts the Shan State quite directly.
No need for unpleasant shivers over this particular Dai-Jinghpo cultural park. It is a well maintained little spot with fountains and the obligatory Manau poles.
It seemed a nice little spot – hemmed in by the big buildings of downtown Jie Gao.
Tosakan’s comment: “…throwing trash in the streets, having brothels on every street, riding motorbikes on sidewalks, becoming a politician to steal from the public, etc are generally things that are not conducive to advanced civilization.”
> throwing trash in the streets
In Yangon, Burma common practice was to throw trash off apartment balconies right onto the street in crowded urban areas (along with dog poisoning with baited meat). Large mounds of trash on the side of the roads in most neighborhoods.
Thailand is a model of cleanliness in this respect, although the common practice of casually throwing garbage off boat, out bus or train window, is a little appalling, enough for the ugly head of the inner moralizer monster inside of me (like the movie Alien) to rear its ugly head.
>having brothels on every street,
Is having them hidden, as people tell me they are in Burma, any better? My mother-in-law who is the very essence of jai-yen, shakes in anger as she tells of how the young Burmese women in the brothel, very visible, almost literally in back of her house, are sent back to Burma to die when it becomes obvious they’ve contracted AIDS.
She also tells me how babies who are aborted are pulled out with their hands in a praying position, as if begging for mercy. My point, it’s not that rural people are not often outraged, they are just powerless in the face of entrenched local interests.
Human trafficking, bonded indebtedness (i.e. slavery), young underage prostitutes, all very visible to everyone, along with their customers, who are locals, not the foreigners you’d think they’d be from reading Thailand’s English language newspapers.
Bangkok eventually shut down the brothels of Chiang Rai that used to line the road to the Old Airport, in this respect Bangkok, the center, morally trumped the periphery. Decentralisation would have only perpetuated it.
> riding motorbikes on sidewalks,
Already a new law against this in Bangkok.
“Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, president of the Zambuling Institute for Human Transformation, which supports the forum, says several advanced Western economies are materially rich but spiritually poor.”
Sounds non-falsifiable. From his biography, doesn’t look like he’s engaged with real people and real issues.
I think it is interesting that you pointed this out.
I noticed that the coverage has also been extensive as well.
Why is this a important story, especially with all the other things going on in Thailand?
Also, this guy was a drunk who committed an act of vandalism, an act that happens a million different times in a million different places all over the world every day.
The fact that Mr. Oliver is up for 75 years in prison for this act of “vandalism” undermines the Thai notion that the king is above politics, but, ironically, Oliver’s act was only so political to the extent that he was angry that nobody was selling booze on the
king’s birthday.
Also, what was the intent of the lese majeste law in ancient Thailand?
The purpose was to prevent princes and nobles from conspiring to overthrow the monarchy, because conspiracies against the monarchy and regicide were the norm rather than the exception back in the day. And many commoners despised the monarchy because they were forced to get tattooed and do corvee labor.
Further, back in the day, the image of the monarch was sacred and it wasn’t meant to be plastered everywhere like it is now. (To prove my point, where are all the images and paintings of previous kings?) People weren’t supposed to look at the king in a form. How things have changed in such an Orwellian fashion in the age of mass media!
Katherine Bowie in her village scout book said that
the ubiquitous placing of the King’s image everywhere in Thailand began as a CIA/USIA program to spread loyalty to the monarchy to the masses to counter the threat of communism.
During the mid-Rattanakosin period, people criticized the king all the time. Ironically, the Thai press was freer when it was run by foreigners during the mid 19th century than it is now. Dr. Dan Beach Bradley and King Mongkut used to have debates in the newspapers about Thai culture and government policy. During the reign of King Vajirayudh, the king would also write his own newspapers columns in response to what others have said about him. Rama 7 was openly attacked for his policies all the time.
In the modern era, the lese majeste laws were used as a tool to persecute enemies of the military dictatorships. See the case of Ajarn Sulak.
So, I go back to my original question, why is this international news?
Also, if the Thais wanted to keep this hush hush, why didn’t they just make a deal with him and send him home?
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Bombs in the South: Hotel, Shopping Centres, Big C
In Bangkok Post (March 15), Veera Prateepchaikul asks:
Surprisingly though, human rights advocacy groups who would normally scream foul play the loudest when a Muslim was killed by government forces were completely silent over the Wednesday’s massacre. None of them joined the protests to condemn the insurgents. Did the silence amount to double standard practice?
The problem might be that those groups and individuals have for a long time seen the southern insurgency, the killings and the bombings, as a quasi-justified movement against religio-cultural suppression of Muslims by the Buddhist central Thai state. In short, the state was at fault, not the insurgents were responsible for their acts.
It now seems difficult to turn around and condemn them as radical Islamist terrorists. One thing is for sure: reconciliation does not seem to work under these conditions.
A Thai Studies boycott?
Now ‘non Thai scholars’ and ‘international experts* of Thai studies’ are curious of their future ethical stance. Can I ask you to look back at your role or re-asses the value of your studies, say of about 5-10 years ago. How many of you critical/liberal ‘men of the world’ did really engage in disclosing facts about the Thai monarchy. International community of scholars is as well inseparable to that notion of ‘network monarchy’.
As for Thai academia, the question on freedom is not ‘Will academics be free?’ but ‘Why AREN’T they free?’ We’re talking about the culture of education; the role of education in shaping national consciousness here.
Bombs in the South: Hotel, Shopping Centres, Big C
About 100 Muslim women, children block Yala road
Yala – About 100 Muslim women and children staged a road blocking in a district here Thursday morning to protest and demand the government to arrest those who lobbed grenades into a mosque Wednesday night. The protesters gathered on the Yala-Patae Road in Moo 4 Village in Tambon Baroh of Yaha district at 9 am. They demanded officials to find the culprits in the mosque bomb attack at 8:30 pm Wednesday night. Eleven people were injured in the attack. The protesters also demanded to meet the Yaha district chief.
The Nation 15 March
Of course, they would never block a road to demand that the killers of the eight people in the van would be arrested–after all, the killers are supposed to be their own people. And the killed were merely Buddhists…
A Thai Studies boycott?
“It’s illegal to criticize the monarchy. Period.” The first part is correct, while the second part is not, since all positive law can be changed. Moreover, the political functions of any law can be discussed. This is what the journal Fa Diew Gun and others have been trying to do. However, you are right in saying that as long as the law is in effect (both on paper and in enforcement), academics cannot be excluded. The reference to “extraterritoriality” is a little cheap. Finally, “Since when have academics ever been free to present viewpoints critical of the monarchy?” Looking back, the reigns of King Vajiravudh and King Prajadhipok seem to have been considerably more liberal.
Oliver Jufer, royal graffiti and global news
anon: Do you have details of how many people have actually been convicted of lese majeste, and the time they served in jail?
Oliver Jufer, royal graffiti and global news
This case has been bungled badly – forget lese majeste – he should have just been deported immediately for vandalism – then they can get on with dealing with important issues like the southern insurgency & corruption.
Jotman – I noticed a couple of interesting quotes on your blog:
Dec 3 2006:
“Human nature being what it is, elites — whether communist, militarist, royalist, or corporatist — tend to be self-serving. That’s because power corrupts. Genuine democracy is the tried and tested safeguard; open society the antidote to this
universal human frailty.”
Mar 5 2007 (from Chang Noi’s column in the Nation about the Fa Dieo Kan special issue on the coup):
“This book argues that the big issue now is not the military or political corruption or populism, but how to prevent an elite minority controlling politics and keeping the masses as passive partners, in part by exploiting the symbolic power of the monarchy.”
Both sound good in theory, but how does it work in practice?
There are many countries that don’t have a monachy, and also many that have open societies, but I am having difficulty coming up with countries that have ‘genuine democracy’ and do not have an elite minority controlling politics and keeping the masses as passive partners.
I can think of a few where the masses think they have some control, but in reality they do not have much influence on ‘business as usual’ for the elites.
I suppose it’s all relative.
More on the rural constitution …
There is a new book on vote buying (well, not that new given how long it has taken to get it published): Elections for sale: The causes and consequences of vote buying, ed. by Frederic C. Schaffer, Lynne Rienner. You might want to send a copy of your paper to the editor at [email protected]. He will certainly be interested in your observations, all the more since Allen Hicken has contributed two chapters.
Oliver Jufer, royal graffiti and global news
Even more interesting than the maximum sentence is the minimum sentence. He pleaded guilty to five counts of lèse majesté, with each count having a minimum sentence of 3 years.
That’s at least 15 years in rotting in a jail. Unless if he’s pardoned by the King, of course. But then again, the King has never pardoned anybody who has been convicted of lèse majesté…
A Thai Studies boycott?
Generally, an academic conference is an academic conference. It serves the exchange of knowledge. However, this idea might be seen as too “western” from a Thailand-based “Thai Studies” approach, especially under the prevailing political-ideological conditions. Thus, the theme of “globalization” versus “localism” is reproduced, and the illusion of a realized supra-national “scientific community” of “Thai Studies” exposed. Thai studies remains an essentially cross-cultural enterprise.
A Thai Studies boycott?
Don’t be absurd…
Will academics be free to present “viewpoints and research findings” that are critical of the monarchy…?
Since when have academics ever been free to present viewpoints critical of the monarchy? It’s illegal to criticize the monarchy. Period.
Will free academic discussion at the conference be constrained by the lèse majesté law?
What is it about academics that makes them think they are above the law? And foreigners haven’t had extraterritoriality rights in Thailand for the past 50 years.
In sufficient clothing
A little dig on Pakitpao’s case. Paemika seem to admit having an affair. Now, a university student in prestigious Chula having sex with married man. Surely this goes way beyond an ultra-sexy dress. How come no one come out and chastise her on this…
May be she need more than 15 days of public work?
Good of Chula to rule it as personal matter.
Oliver Jufer, royal graffiti and global news
Tosakan asks “Why is this a important story, especially with all the other things going on in Thailand?”
Good question. The Lesse Mageste law — under which Mr. Oliver Jufer is being tried — continues to represent a serious obstacle to Thailand’s emergence as a fully functioning democracy. It was cited in justification of the recent coup, and it continues to stifle political discourse in Thailand.
There are few stories more important to the future of Thailand than a story that exposes the nature of this law. International exposure to Mr. Jufer’s plight could well lead more Thais to question the need for repressive law. Besides, any time, anywhere that a human being is subjected to the threat of punishment, the severity of which so outrageously exceeds the crime, you have major human rights story and therefore an absolutely important story, regardless of whether the story has wider political implications (as this one certainly does). Mr. Oliver Jufer’s life matters. Period.
I have written more about this issue at my blog, Jotman.com. Also see my recent posts on Thai-style democracy, Paul Handley’s biography of King Bhumibol, and the writings of Thongchai Winichakul.
– Blogger Jotman
Sino-Thai “tree of friendship” at the border
Tara,
Do you have any pictures of that trip? It could be an interesting “now and then” comparison.
Nicholas, do the Jinghpo in Yunnan use the same script as the Jinghpaw in Burma? How about the Rawang?
Oliver Jufer, royal graffiti and global news
He’s being jailed because junta heir-apparent Saprang Kalayanamitr suspects that Thaksin hired Jufer to insult the King. I’m not kidding! See here.
Sino-Thai “tree of friendship” at the border
Thanks for posting all these photos, Nich. In mid-2001 I did a two week Intrepid tour to Yunnan on my way home from Japan. We went south and did a float trip down the Mekong, followed by a trek to a little village for a homestay. I remember our Australian guide pointing to the hills about a kilometer away and telling us that was Burma. Unfortunately at the time I knew next to nothing about Burma or the cultures and politics of the region. I couldn’t even say for sure if the village we stayed in was Dai or not. How I wish I could go back and see all the things I missed! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of your Yunnan posts.
Sino-Thai “tree of friendship” at the border
Hi Amateur,
Jie Gao is 7 kilometres from Ruili, just across the river (and a very big bridge). It abuts the Shan State quite directly.
No need for unpleasant shivers over this particular Dai-Jinghpo cultural park. It is a well maintained little spot with fountains and the obligatory Manau poles.
It seemed a nice little spot – hemmed in by the big buildings of downtown Jie Gao.
Nich
Sino-Thai “tree of friendship” at the border
Is that around Ruili? The Dai script is in fact Tai Mao (Northern Shan) script!
I can’t help having a very unpleasant shiver over “cultural parks”.
Morality and sufficiency postponed?
Tosakan’s comment: “…throwing trash in the streets, having brothels on every street, riding motorbikes on sidewalks, becoming a politician to steal from the public, etc are generally things that are not conducive to advanced civilization.”
> throwing trash in the streets
In Yangon, Burma common practice was to throw trash off apartment balconies right onto the street in crowded urban areas (along with dog poisoning with baited meat). Large mounds of trash on the side of the roads in most neighborhoods.
Thailand is a model of cleanliness in this respect, although the common practice of casually throwing garbage off boat, out bus or train window, is a little appalling, enough for the ugly head of the inner moralizer monster inside of me (like the movie Alien) to rear its ugly head.
>having brothels on every street,
Is having them hidden, as people tell me they are in Burma, any better? My mother-in-law who is the very essence of jai-yen, shakes in anger as she tells of how the young Burmese women in the brothel, very visible, almost literally in back of her house, are sent back to Burma to die when it becomes obvious they’ve contracted AIDS.
She also tells me how babies who are aborted are pulled out with their hands in a praying position, as if begging for mercy. My point, it’s not that rural people are not often outraged, they are just powerless in the face of entrenched local interests.
Human trafficking, bonded indebtedness (i.e. slavery), young underage prostitutes, all very visible to everyone, along with their customers, who are locals, not the foreigners you’d think they’d be from reading Thailand’s English language newspapers.
Bangkok eventually shut down the brothels of Chiang Rai that used to line the road to the Old Airport, in this respect Bangkok, the center, morally trumped the periphery. Decentralisation would have only perpetuated it.
> riding motorbikes on sidewalks,
Already a new law against this in Bangkok.
“Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, president of the Zambuling Institute for Human Transformation, which supports the forum, says several advanced Western economies are materially rich but spiritually poor.”
Sounds non-falsifiable. From his biography, doesn’t look like he’s engaged with real people and real issues.
Oliver Jufer, royal graffiti and global news
I think it is interesting that you pointed this out.
I noticed that the coverage has also been extensive as well.
Why is this a important story, especially with all the other things going on in Thailand?
Also, this guy was a drunk who committed an act of vandalism, an act that happens a million different times in a million different places all over the world every day.
The fact that Mr. Oliver is up for 75 years in prison for this act of “vandalism” undermines the Thai notion that the king is above politics, but, ironically, Oliver’s act was only so political to the extent that he was angry that nobody was selling booze on the
king’s birthday.
Also, what was the intent of the lese majeste law in ancient Thailand?
The purpose was to prevent princes and nobles from conspiring to overthrow the monarchy, because conspiracies against the monarchy and regicide were the norm rather than the exception back in the day. And many commoners despised the monarchy because they were forced to get tattooed and do corvee labor.
Further, back in the day, the image of the monarch was sacred and it wasn’t meant to be plastered everywhere like it is now. (To prove my point, where are all the images and paintings of previous kings?) People weren’t supposed to look at the king in a form. How things have changed in such an Orwellian fashion in the age of mass media!
Katherine Bowie in her village scout book said that
the ubiquitous placing of the King’s image everywhere in Thailand began as a CIA/USIA program to spread loyalty to the monarchy to the masses to counter the threat of communism.
During the mid-Rattanakosin period, people criticized the king all the time. Ironically, the Thai press was freer when it was run by foreigners during the mid 19th century than it is now. Dr. Dan Beach Bradley and King Mongkut used to have debates in the newspapers about Thai culture and government policy. During the reign of King Vajirayudh, the king would also write his own newspapers columns in response to what others have said about him. Rama 7 was openly attacked for his policies all the time.
In the modern era, the lese majeste laws were used as a tool to persecute enemies of the military dictatorships. See the case of Ajarn Sulak.
So, I go back to my original question, why is this international news?
Also, if the Thais wanted to keep this hush hush, why didn’t they just make a deal with him and send him home?
The Chula bookshop saga
P.S.: The authorities seem to have blocked the web site http://www.hi-thaksin.net.