Signs of Unease in Thailand
Our Correspondent
31 October 2006
Coup opponents plan a rally to test the limits of public support for new military rulers.
Pro-democracy groups and supporters of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra plan to defy martial law and stage a rally on Wednesday November 1 at Bangkok’s symbolic Sanam Luang protest ground near the royal palace as Thailand’s interim government and its military backers face early signs of dissent after September’s coup.
A little-known group of largely web-based activists calling itself Thai Democratic Citizen announced the protest at a sparsely attended press briefing Tuesday. For many of the budding activists in attendance, it was the first time they had met outside of Internet chat rooms.
“Thailand is not a democracy,” Chanapat na Nakhon, the group’s leader, said to scattered applause. “We will fight until we win.”
Several protests by a few die-hard student groups and left-wing academics after the September 19 coup attracted just a few hundred people as most Thais supported the intervention by palace-endorsed generals to change the course of government.
Thai Democratic Citizen, however, said it expects thousands to show up Wednesday in what may be a test of the power of the Internet to mobilize dissent in Bangkok since the views of the protesters have been scarce in traditional media since the coup.
“I think we can get more than 10,000, but because of martial law maybe people will be scared to come out,” said Chanapat, who says he “favors” Thaksin’s old Thai Rak Thai ruling party but is not a member of the once powerful organization that propelled Thaksin to power in 2001.
The announcement was made with an eye on history. It was held at the Royal Hotel, which sits adjacent to Sanam Luang park and has heavy overtones for those opposed to military rule. During the 1992 pro-democracy protests in which at least 52 were killed, troops were seen shooting protestors and dragging them through the hotel’s bloody lobby. Former army chief and current Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont commanded soldiers during that incident.
Sanam Luang, Thai for “Royal Ground,” is also the site of state ceremonies conducted by King Bhumibol Adulyadej and during the past year supporters and opponents of Thaksin used the park to gather tens of thousands of protesters, who then marched to nearby locations like the Democracy Monument or the Parliament building.
Anti-Thaksin protesters held a week-long camp out in Sanam Luang at one point but could not match the number of people who showed up for a pro-Thaksin rally at Sanam Luang shortly after he called for an early election on February 24.
Some of those rallyists said they were paid by the billionaire politician to show up while others insist that it is a mistake to underestimate Thaksin’s support among the rural poor.
Chanapat said his group receives no financial support from politicians and relies on its members, mostly small business owners, who are launching a media campaign and distributing black protest t-shirts and wristbands.
Previously Chanapat was best known for filing lawsuits against leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, the anti-Thaksin coalition led by publisher Sondhi Limthongkul, that led early protests. Chanapat had urged police to investigate the group’s leaders for urging royal intervention as a way to oust Thaksin.
The group also filed formal charges with the Department of Special Investigation, Thailand’s equivalent of the FBI, against coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin on September 26, a week after the coup. Although the interim constitution promulgated by the coup leaders absolves them of wrongdoing, the protesters claim that the charges were filed before that constitution took effect.
The group said it wants to reinstate the 1997 Constitution, which was suspended by the junta, and let the coup leaders know that what they did is unacceptable. They wish to restore the dignity of the King, whose image, they claim, was hurt after he was forced to endorse the coup under dubious circumstances.
Prior to Tuesday’s press conference, the group circulated an email that contained a link to a video clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCWKM0UK7Ns) that claims Bhumibol, who is treated like a god in Thailand, did not support the coup. Others saw the king’s endorsement of the junta–as well as the prominent roles in the interim government given to his close advisers–as the primary reason why the public at large has stayed relatively quiet since the putsch.
The king has not made any public statements directly about the coup (other than to tell Cabinet members to help rebuild the country’s image), but met with the generals hours after they rolled tanks into Bangkok and endorsed each one of their proposals. The video clip appears to take the king’s silence as a sign that he didn’t support the coup, which allows the protesters to claim they are fighting for the monarch–an essential component for legitimizing any political movement in Thailand.
The video asks why the king’s voice is edited out of a snippet of his meeting with General Sonthi and Prime Minister Surayud broadcast to the public on state television. It then shows documents saying Sonthi should be arrested for “destabilizing the country,” and concludes with calls for a “War of the People” on November 1.
The video link has been posted on several chat forums, where dissent against the coup has been most vocal. The junta initially shut down these websites, but now they are up and running again.
While claiming the king was not involved in the coup, the protest leaders were relentless in attacking Prem Tinsulanonda, a retired general and former prime minister who heads the king’s 19-member privy council and is widely seen as the main actor behind the scenes of the coup.
“There is no way we can have democracy with Prem so powerful,” Chanapat said. Waranchai Chokchana, a perennial losing candidate in elections for Bangkok governor, added: “Thailand has three prime ministers now: Prem, Surayud and Sonthi.”
Nopporn Narimchaingtai, another member of Thai Democratic Citizen chimed in: “It’s sick that the generals and Prem used His Majesty the King to take over power. General Prem does not speak for the King.”
Due to his proximity to the king, it is unusual for the 86-year-old Prem to receive sustained public criticism. Yet the respected senior statesman has been under intense media scrutiny since he met with Pojaman Shinawatra, Thaksin’s wife, last week. Thaksin’s opponents, who already fear that corruption probes will yield nothing of substance, now worry that Prem has cut a secret deal that will allow the deposed premier to return to Thailand unscathed.
Coup leader Sonthi has ordered the Assets Examination Committee, which is investigating Thaksin, to tell the public what it has found. Last week, Sonthi admitted the investigations might not turn up anything.
With the chattering classes ratcheting up the volume, anti-junta activists say the silent majority might take action. Rumors persist that thousands of Thaksin supporters in rural Thailand–which formed the base for his massive electoral wins in 2001, 2005 and the voided 2006 poll–are waiting for martial law to be lifted before holding protest rallies.
Other small signs of dissent have surfaced, such as a pro-Thaksin comic book and the distribution of pamphlets attacking the coup leaders. And while few expect a huge rally this week, a larger than expected crowd could add momentum to nascent protest. It is a threat the junta leaders are taking seriously.
Chalit Pukphasuk, the air force chief who is a deputy leader of the junta, reaffirmed this week that martial law would remain in place for the foreseeable future due to existing “undercurrents.”
“If we can get 10,000 people to protest in Bangkok, then it’s very likely that similar protests will start to spring up around the country,” said a leader of Wayupat, which means Phoenix in English, a web-based organization that claims to have between 500 and 1,000 members.
“Things are beginning to become unstable,” he added. “We have a secret network that is already mobilized, and we plan to keep pressing ahead.”
[…] It was only a matter of time before stories about the planned filming of Rambo IV: In The Serpent’s Eye started seeping out.┬ It is slated to be filmed in a Thai national park in the far north┬ over the coming dry season.┬ The global media just gorges on this kind of story and, well, why not?┬ […]
To Krid (9) yes I still have my faith in caretaker PM Surayud and junta chief General Sonthi. I have learned to appreciate the extent of menace Thaksin Shinawatra and his gang of crooks were clearly capable of and wish the Generals godspeed in their clean up tasks ahead.
I only have to place myself in the shoes of General Sonthi/PM Surayud and I immediately grasp the difficult clean-up tasks ahead for both these gentlemen. Uprooting the Thaksin regime and its remnants to eliminate its further menace to the peace and stability of the Kingdom of Thailand would take a long time (hopefully 12 months but longer if the General feel the urgency to extend) and may require unpopular measures.
I am willing to give General Sonthi and PM Surayud the benefits of my doubts. So far they have not carried out any abuse and they have not scandalized.
Let us pause and pay respects to 2,500 tormented souls killed by Thaksin Shinawatra the Executioner.
There is anguish and torment in those 2,500 innocent souls that Thaksin Shinawatra caused to be killed. None of those victims deserve to die, nor, die in such horrific and inhumane circumstances. There was nothing in the constitution nor by parliament’s assent that gave authority to Thaksin Shinawatra, even with his powers as Prime Minister, to employ extreme prejudice against these 2,500 defenseless villagers merely suspects (in ya ba trafficking) by way of some dubious blacklists that in no way gave license to abandon due process merely on say so of Thaksin Shinawatra.
Every Thai should be shamed if they ignore these anguished 2,500 souls crying for justice against their executioner Thaksin Shinawatra.
“….Surely it must be Canberra! As a faithful ally in the campaign for military-imposed democracy Australia….” naughty,naughty Andrew Walker.
What ever happened to the Australian Goverment Annex based at the ANU?
Nganadeeleg, IMHO just to wait and see is not enough. The junta has so far performed extremely poorly, not least in the corruption investigations. It seems more like paralysis and infighting (Pridiyathorn-Jaruvan), and lifting their cronies into position. So I mean critical review of their performance, especially in the constituiton drafting process. I did not suggest to hold elections with Thaksin running but even the junta has been ambivalent on this.
[…] A couple of questions. First, has Sondhi got shy about speaking in English? His English presentation in London seemed very eloquent indeed. Second, why the defensive disclaimer? If the Southeast Asia Center is worried about criticism why not stage this as a discussion/debate between alternative viewpoints. Surely coup instigator Sondhi would agree. And, finally, after London and Seattle, where next? Surely it must be Canberra! As a faithful ally in the campaign for military-imposed democracy Australia must surely feature on Sondhi’s itinerary. I can’t promise coyote dancers but I can promise a warm welcome. […]
In my humble opinion, “sufficient” economy if possible to implement as actual plan, will take a long, long time to reach full effect. It seem to comprise element of nationalism, protection of natural resources, and economic plan that reign-in growth.
This remind me of China’s long-term economic plan.
To put in a long-term plan that restrict growth and focus on area development, that would be real interesting for political campaign planner in the next election.
Thanks, Andrew, for a great postinng that draws our attention to the perils of nativism. In recent weeks, the Thai papers have been full of articles spouting nonsense about “Thai style democracy.” In a recent posting on my blog, jotman.com, I explain why talk of “Thai style deomocracy” is every bit as dangerous as “Bush style democracy” in the USA. In fact, it stems from the same pernicious ideological roots as the extreme right-wing agenda of American Christianists.
Great comment Chris, and I want to take up some of these issues in relation to the ongoing discussion of “voodoo”. Will post on this soon.
My intention was not to use the picture to illustrate what happened at Nong Khai (though it is a picture from a major Buddhist festival). But what I have seen of “coyote dancing” (on the web) seems very similar to what the girl in the photograph was doing (along with a large group of other dancers).
Thanks for the clarification Andrew – perhaps it may be drawing a bit of a long bow to use an image taken from somewhere near Chaing Mai to represent something happening in Nong Khai. Don’t you think? So… we still don’t know what the actual behaviour was that caused offence. I was interested in seeing if it was just another morlum performance – something that you see all over the northeast that included ‘run of the mill’ hang khreuang dances or something new (perhaps ‘coyote dancers’) and ‘lurid’ that really did deserve the Queens attention (I’ll be sure to check them out too if I get the chance).
I’m probably jumping in a bit early here and could really end up with my foot in my mouth. But here goes.
There could be another explanation for the response from the Queen. It also seems to me that whenever there is any type of ‘crisis’ in Thailand it also brings on a massive crisis of identity – a crisis with the concept of ‘Thainess’ itself. There seems to be an assumption that if everybody performed like the ideal ‘Thai’ then there wouldn’t have been a crisis in the first place. I know that, in its legal sense, to be ‘Thai’ is to be a citizen of nation state of Thailand. However, and this has been pointed out by many eminent commentators, culturally ‘Thai’ stresses Siamese (or central Thai or ‘Bangkok’ or what ever you want to call them) cultural values, in terms of very narrow and specified ideas of language, monarchy, religion and state that have been promoted by so called ‘nation’ building ‘leaders’ over the last 100 or so years. And it seems to me that whenever there is a crisis the resultant return to governments of the ‘elite’, ‘strongmen’, ‘dictators’ or ‘Thai democracy’ there is a retreat to, and a renewed promotion of, these very specified ideas of ‘Thainess’. Within this understanding of being ‘Thai’ there is not much room for difference.
Patrick Jory, amongst others has argued that the process of democratisation and political decentralisation that had occurred over the last 15 years or so in Thailand had given birth to a resurgence in ethnic cultures and language. This resurgence was not only evident in so called non Tai ‘minority’ ethnic cultures but could be seen within different Tai groups as well (i.e. the Lao) One of the most visible areas of ethnic Lao cultural reassurance has been in the arts, particularly in music (Rock Sadert – a northeast version of the Warumi Band is a favourite), music performance (I would include morlum and hang khreuang dancing in this category) and flim. (Did anyone see ‘Yam Yasothorn’ last year – suitably subtitled in Thai so that the Bangkok crowd could get it). And I fear that it is this flowering of really viberant cultural production that is going to suffer now that there is a return to an absolute centralised model of power.
I wonder if this performance at Nong Khai and the Queens comments is just the start of the process of winding back difference and diversity within the new ‘democratic’ Thailand.
Vichai, your faith in Sonthi is surprising considering that in a few short weeks he already lied about:
Installing a civilian gov. – The PM is a military crony of Prem and Sonthi. The NLA has 76 military and police officers, by far the largest group. Protagonis Meechai is pro-military/bureacracy and contra-people.
Calling elections within one year – This is already extended to about 17 months.
Stepping aside – The government, NLA, constitution council and all committees are puppets of the junta and the coup leaders plan to join a new political party (Seri Thai) to cling to power. Besides that, Thaksin’s coup plans are just as unproven as the black magic allegations which are relevant only for believers in black magic anyway.
Finally, we can do more than wait or Thailand will fall back into a state of arrested development under authoritarian rule that it was so comfortable in for centuries and which is not an option in a globalized world.
Who the heck is gonna go to make merit (e.g., give donations) if there aren’t any dancing girls and worldly entertainment? I’m saying this as a realist – if you take away the entertainment, the only people who will go and make donations will be old people and folks who have done some major sinning. Oh, and the royal family of course. Their generous patronage of kathin ceremonies nationwide is well documented.
Lets just hope the Queen also doesn’t see any videos about what goes on at Soprano, Forte, or Orbit. If she did, those fine places could go the way of the Sao Cheer Beer (beer waitresses in tight skirts adorned with logos of the beer companies), which have been banned by the junta. Those girls were making an honest living, and over night, their jobs were deemed illegal.
Heck, if the Queen knew what was going on Patpong and what that did to the “good for the image of the country,” we could kiss those places goodbye as well.
Andrew W – Have you abandoned your village research project about Thaksin Shinawatra, his Isan followers, and the Khmer voodoo powers Thaksin wields on the poor?
Thaksin giving handouts + black magic totally enthralled the Isans to Thaksin Shinawatra. That is my theory and it is up to you Andrew to disprove it.
I never did claim that a military rule is democratic, did I? The only thing I suggested was Thaksin’s rule had never been democratic and Thaksin was bent on carrying the Kingdom to a long military rule, via his own coup, a la Ferdinand Marcos.
I also claimed that General Sonthi’s intevention was a godsend. General Sonthi said the coup was necessary to remove a danger to the Kingdom of Thailand and his intervention will make it possible to reform the constitution of Thailand to prevent the type of abuses perpetrated by Thaksin.
I believe General Sonthi. Whether or not this forum believe General Sonthi or not is academic.
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Thai style democracy – “Asian values” reborn?
Signs of Unease in Thailand
Our Correspondent
31 October 2006
Coup opponents plan a rally to test the limits of public support for new military rulers.
Pro-democracy groups and supporters of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra plan to defy martial law and stage a rally on Wednesday November 1 at Bangkok’s symbolic Sanam Luang protest ground near the royal palace as Thailand’s interim government and its military backers face early signs of dissent after September’s coup.
A little-known group of largely web-based activists calling itself Thai Democratic Citizen announced the protest at a sparsely attended press briefing Tuesday. For many of the budding activists in attendance, it was the first time they had met outside of Internet chat rooms.
“Thailand is not a democracy,” Chanapat na Nakhon, the group’s leader, said to scattered applause. “We will fight until we win.”
Several protests by a few die-hard student groups and left-wing academics after the September 19 coup attracted just a few hundred people as most Thais supported the intervention by palace-endorsed generals to change the course of government.
Thai Democratic Citizen, however, said it expects thousands to show up Wednesday in what may be a test of the power of the Internet to mobilize dissent in Bangkok since the views of the protesters have been scarce in traditional media since the coup.
“I think we can get more than 10,000, but because of martial law maybe people will be scared to come out,” said Chanapat, who says he “favors” Thaksin’s old Thai Rak Thai ruling party but is not a member of the once powerful organization that propelled Thaksin to power in 2001.
The announcement was made with an eye on history. It was held at the Royal Hotel, which sits adjacent to Sanam Luang park and has heavy overtones for those opposed to military rule. During the 1992 pro-democracy protests in which at least 52 were killed, troops were seen shooting protestors and dragging them through the hotel’s bloody lobby. Former army chief and current Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont commanded soldiers during that incident.
Sanam Luang, Thai for “Royal Ground,” is also the site of state ceremonies conducted by King Bhumibol Adulyadej and during the past year supporters and opponents of Thaksin used the park to gather tens of thousands of protesters, who then marched to nearby locations like the Democracy Monument or the Parliament building.
Anti-Thaksin protesters held a week-long camp out in Sanam Luang at one point but could not match the number of people who showed up for a pro-Thaksin rally at Sanam Luang shortly after he called for an early election on February 24.
Some of those rallyists said they were paid by the billionaire politician to show up while others insist that it is a mistake to underestimate Thaksin’s support among the rural poor.
Chanapat said his group receives no financial support from politicians and relies on its members, mostly small business owners, who are launching a media campaign and distributing black protest t-shirts and wristbands.
Previously Chanapat was best known for filing lawsuits against leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, the anti-Thaksin coalition led by publisher Sondhi Limthongkul, that led early protests. Chanapat had urged police to investigate the group’s leaders for urging royal intervention as a way to oust Thaksin.
The group also filed formal charges with the Department of Special Investigation, Thailand’s equivalent of the FBI, against coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin on September 26, a week after the coup. Although the interim constitution promulgated by the coup leaders absolves them of wrongdoing, the protesters claim that the charges were filed before that constitution took effect.
The group said it wants to reinstate the 1997 Constitution, which was suspended by the junta, and let the coup leaders know that what they did is unacceptable. They wish to restore the dignity of the King, whose image, they claim, was hurt after he was forced to endorse the coup under dubious circumstances.
Prior to Tuesday’s press conference, the group circulated an email that contained a link to a video clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCWKM0UK7Ns) that claims Bhumibol, who is treated like a god in Thailand, did not support the coup. Others saw the king’s endorsement of the junta–as well as the prominent roles in the interim government given to his close advisers–as the primary reason why the public at large has stayed relatively quiet since the putsch.
The king has not made any public statements directly about the coup (other than to tell Cabinet members to help rebuild the country’s image), but met with the generals hours after they rolled tanks into Bangkok and endorsed each one of their proposals. The video clip appears to take the king’s silence as a sign that he didn’t support the coup, which allows the protesters to claim they are fighting for the monarch–an essential component for legitimizing any political movement in Thailand.
The video asks why the king’s voice is edited out of a snippet of his meeting with General Sonthi and Prime Minister Surayud broadcast to the public on state television. It then shows documents saying Sonthi should be arrested for “destabilizing the country,” and concludes with calls for a “War of the People” on November 1.
The video link has been posted on several chat forums, where dissent against the coup has been most vocal. The junta initially shut down these websites, but now they are up and running again.
While claiming the king was not involved in the coup, the protest leaders were relentless in attacking Prem Tinsulanonda, a retired general and former prime minister who heads the king’s 19-member privy council and is widely seen as the main actor behind the scenes of the coup.
“There is no way we can have democracy with Prem so powerful,” Chanapat said. Waranchai Chokchana, a perennial losing candidate in elections for Bangkok governor, added: “Thailand has three prime ministers now: Prem, Surayud and Sonthi.”
Nopporn Narimchaingtai, another member of Thai Democratic Citizen chimed in: “It’s sick that the generals and Prem used His Majesty the King to take over power. General Prem does not speak for the King.”
Due to his proximity to the king, it is unusual for the 86-year-old Prem to receive sustained public criticism. Yet the respected senior statesman has been under intense media scrutiny since he met with Pojaman Shinawatra, Thaksin’s wife, last week. Thaksin’s opponents, who already fear that corruption probes will yield nothing of substance, now worry that Prem has cut a secret deal that will allow the deposed premier to return to Thailand unscathed.
Coup leader Sonthi has ordered the Assets Examination Committee, which is investigating Thaksin, to tell the public what it has found. Last week, Sonthi admitted the investigations might not turn up anything.
With the chattering classes ratcheting up the volume, anti-junta activists say the silent majority might take action. Rumors persist that thousands of Thaksin supporters in rural Thailand–which formed the base for his massive electoral wins in 2001, 2005 and the voided 2006 poll–are waiting for martial law to be lifted before holding protest rallies.
Other small signs of dissent have surfaced, such as a pro-Thaksin comic book and the distribution of pamphlets attacking the coup leaders. And while few expect a huge rally this week, a larger than expected crowd could add momentum to nascent protest. It is a threat the junta leaders are taking seriously.
Chalit Pukphasuk, the air force chief who is a deputy leader of the junta, reaffirmed this week that martial law would remain in place for the foreseeable future due to existing “undercurrents.”
“If we can get 10,000 people to protest in Bangkok, then it’s very likely that similar protests will start to spring up around the country,” said a leader of Wayupat, which means Phoenix in English, a web-based organization that claims to have between 500 and 1,000 members.
“Things are beginning to become unstable,” he added. “We have a secret network that is already mobilized, and we plan to keep pressing ahead.”
http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=244&Itemid=31
DDAY 1 NOV 06 at 4 PM onwards
Thai style democracy – “Asian values” reborn?
Amusing and insightful opinion piece in The Nation:
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/11/01/opinion/opinion_30017665.php
New Rambo and Free Burma
[…] It was only a matter of time before stories about the planned filming of Rambo IV: In The Serpent’s Eye started seeping out.┬ It is slated to be filmed in a Thai national park in the far north┬ over the coming dry season.┬ The global media just gorges on this kind of story and, well, why not?┬ […]
Thai style democracy – “Asian values” reborn?
To ‘disgusted’ (5) you should not be.
To Krid (9) yes I still have my faith in caretaker PM Surayud and junta chief General Sonthi. I have learned to appreciate the extent of menace Thaksin Shinawatra and his gang of crooks were clearly capable of and wish the Generals godspeed in their clean up tasks ahead.
I only have to place myself in the shoes of General Sonthi/PM Surayud and I immediately grasp the difficult clean-up tasks ahead for both these gentlemen. Uprooting the Thaksin regime and its remnants to eliminate its further menace to the peace and stability of the Kingdom of Thailand would take a long time (hopefully 12 months but longer if the General feel the urgency to extend) and may require unpopular measures.
I am willing to give General Sonthi and PM Surayud the benefits of my doubts. So far they have not carried out any abuse and they have not scandalized.
Surayud to bring love, harmony and virtue (with strengthened military potential)!
Let us pause and pay respects to 2,500 tormented souls killed by Thaksin Shinawatra the Executioner.
There is anguish and torment in those 2,500 innocent souls that Thaksin Shinawatra caused to be killed. None of those victims deserve to die, nor, die in such horrific and inhumane circumstances. There was nothing in the constitution nor by parliament’s assent that gave authority to Thaksin Shinawatra, even with his powers as Prime Minister, to employ extreme prejudice against these 2,500 defenseless villagers merely suspects (in ya ba trafficking) by way of some dubious blacklists that in no way gave license to abandon due process merely on say so of Thaksin Shinawatra.
Every Thai should be shamed if they ignore these anguished 2,500 souls crying for justice against their executioner Thaksin Shinawatra.
Surayud to bring love, harmony and virtue (with strengthened military potential)!
The goal of education is “Virtue before knowledge”?
Sounds like something from North Korea or Myanmar or even Russia in the 1920s
But surely not Thailand?
Only 5 out of 10. Rewrite your essay after rugby on Saturday….more thorough research required
Sondhi in Seattle
“….Surely it must be Canberra! As a faithful ally in the campaign for military-imposed democracy Australia….” naughty,naughty Andrew Walker.
What ever happened to the Australian Goverment Annex based at the ANU?
And why can’t the ANU provide coyote dancers?
Thai style democracy – “Asian values” reborn?
Nganadeeleg, IMHO just to wait and see is not enough. The junta has so far performed extremely poorly, not least in the corruption investigations. It seems more like paralysis and infighting (Pridiyathorn-Jaruvan), and lifting their cronies into position. So I mean critical review of their performance, especially in the constituiton drafting process. I did not suggest to hold elections with Thaksin running but even the junta has been ambivalent on this.
SOAS discussion on the Thai coup
[…] A couple of questions. First, has Sondhi got shy about speaking in English? His English presentation in London seemed very eloquent indeed. Second, why the defensive disclaimer? If the Southeast Asia Center is worried about criticism why not stage this as a discussion/debate between alternative viewpoints. Surely coup instigator Sondhi would agree. And, finally, after London and Seattle, where next? Surely it must be Canberra! As a faithful ally in the campaign for military-imposed democracy Australia must surely feature on Sondhi’s itinerary. I can’t promise coyote dancers but I can promise a warm welcome. […]
Chang Noi on “sufficiency” under the Surayud regime
In my humble opinion, “sufficient” economy if possible to implement as actual plan, will take a long, long time to reach full effect. It seem to comprise element of nationalism, protection of natural resources, and economic plan that reign-in growth.
This remind me of China’s long-term economic plan.
To put in a long-term plan that restrict growth and focus on area development, that would be real interesting for political campaign planner in the next election.
Thai style democracy – “Asian values” reborn?
Thanks, Andrew, for a great postinng that draws our attention to the perils of nativism. In recent weeks, the Thai papers have been full of articles spouting nonsense about “Thai style democracy.” In a recent posting on my blog, jotman.com, I explain why talk of “Thai style deomocracy” is every bit as dangerous as “Bush style democracy” in the USA. In fact, it stems from the same pernicious ideological roots as the extreme right-wing agenda of American Christianists.
Thai style democracy – “Asian values” reborn?
“we can do more than wait…..” What do you propose, Krid?
Are you proposing to bring back Thaksin and hold elections now?
What would happen to the corruption investigations then?
Lewd dancing and Buddhist festivals
Great comment Chris, and I want to take up some of these issues in relation to the ongoing discussion of “voodoo”. Will post on this soon.
My intention was not to use the picture to illustrate what happened at Nong Khai (though it is a picture from a major Buddhist festival). But what I have seen of “coyote dancing” (on the web) seems very similar to what the girl in the photograph was doing (along with a large group of other dancers).
Lewd dancing and Buddhist festivals
Thanks for the clarification Andrew – perhaps it may be drawing a bit of a long bow to use an image taken from somewhere near Chaing Mai to represent something happening in Nong Khai. Don’t you think? So… we still don’t know what the actual behaviour was that caused offence. I was interested in seeing if it was just another morlum performance – something that you see all over the northeast that included ‘run of the mill’ hang khreuang dances or something new (perhaps ‘coyote dancers’) and ‘lurid’ that really did deserve the Queens attention (I’ll be sure to check them out too if I get the chance).
I’m probably jumping in a bit early here and could really end up with my foot in my mouth. But here goes.
There could be another explanation for the response from the Queen. It also seems to me that whenever there is any type of ‘crisis’ in Thailand it also brings on a massive crisis of identity – a crisis with the concept of ‘Thainess’ itself. There seems to be an assumption that if everybody performed like the ideal ‘Thai’ then there wouldn’t have been a crisis in the first place. I know that, in its legal sense, to be ‘Thai’ is to be a citizen of nation state of Thailand. However, and this has been pointed out by many eminent commentators, culturally ‘Thai’ stresses Siamese (or central Thai or ‘Bangkok’ or what ever you want to call them) cultural values, in terms of very narrow and specified ideas of language, monarchy, religion and state that have been promoted by so called ‘nation’ building ‘leaders’ over the last 100 or so years. And it seems to me that whenever there is a crisis the resultant return to governments of the ‘elite’, ‘strongmen’, ‘dictators’ or ‘Thai democracy’ there is a retreat to, and a renewed promotion of, these very specified ideas of ‘Thainess’. Within this understanding of being ‘Thai’ there is not much room for difference.
Patrick Jory, amongst others has argued that the process of democratisation and political decentralisation that had occurred over the last 15 years or so in Thailand had given birth to a resurgence in ethnic cultures and language. This resurgence was not only evident in so called non Tai ‘minority’ ethnic cultures but could be seen within different Tai groups as well (i.e. the Lao) One of the most visible areas of ethnic Lao cultural reassurance has been in the arts, particularly in music (Rock Sadert – a northeast version of the Warumi Band is a favourite), music performance (I would include morlum and hang khreuang dancing in this category) and flim. (Did anyone see ‘Yam Yasothorn’ last year – suitably subtitled in Thai so that the Bangkok crowd could get it). And I fear that it is this flowering of really viberant cultural production that is going to suffer now that there is a return to an absolute centralised model of power.
I wonder if this performance at Nong Khai and the Queens comments is just the start of the process of winding back difference and diversity within the new ‘democratic’ Thailand.
Thai style democracy – “Asian values” reborn?
Vichai, your faith in Sonthi is surprising considering that in a few short weeks he already lied about:
Installing a civilian gov. – The PM is a military crony of Prem and Sonthi. The NLA has 76 military and police officers, by far the largest group. Protagonis Meechai is pro-military/bureacracy and contra-people.
Calling elections within one year – This is already extended to about 17 months.
Stepping aside – The government, NLA, constitution council and all committees are puppets of the junta and the coup leaders plan to join a new political party (Seri Thai) to cling to power. Besides that, Thaksin’s coup plans are just as unproven as the black magic allegations which are relevant only for believers in black magic anyway.
Finally, we can do more than wait or Thailand will fall back into a state of arrested development under authoritarian rule that it was so comfortable in for centuries and which is not an option in a globalized world.
Lewd dancing and Buddhist festivals
Who the heck is gonna go to make merit (e.g., give donations) if there aren’t any dancing girls and worldly entertainment? I’m saying this as a realist – if you take away the entertainment, the only people who will go and make donations will be old people and folks who have done some major sinning. Oh, and the royal family of course. Their generous patronage of kathin ceremonies nationwide is well documented.
Lets just hope the Queen also doesn’t see any videos about what goes on at Soprano, Forte, or Orbit. If she did, those fine places could go the way of the Sao Cheer Beer (beer waitresses in tight skirts adorned with logos of the beer companies), which have been banned by the junta. Those girls were making an honest living, and over night, their jobs were deemed illegal.
Heck, if the Queen knew what was going on Patpong and what that did to the “good for the image of the country,” we could kiss those places goodbye as well.
Lewd dancing and Buddhist festivals
Andrew W – Have you abandoned your village research project about Thaksin Shinawatra, his Isan followers, and the Khmer voodoo powers Thaksin wields on the poor?
Thaksin giving handouts + black magic totally enthralled the Isans to Thaksin Shinawatra. That is my theory and it is up to you Andrew to disprove it.
Thai style democracy – “Asian values” reborn?
I never did claim that a military rule is democratic, did I? The only thing I suggested was Thaksin’s rule had never been democratic and Thaksin was bent on carrying the Kingdom to a long military rule, via his own coup, a la Ferdinand Marcos.
I also claimed that General Sonthi’s intevention was a godsend. General Sonthi said the coup was necessary to remove a danger to the Kingdom of Thailand and his intervention will make it possible to reform the constitution of Thailand to prevent the type of abuses perpetrated by Thaksin.
I believe General Sonthi. Whether or not this forum believe General Sonthi or not is academic.
All we can all do is wait.
Lewd dancing and Buddhist festivals
The photo is from my own research in northern Thailand.
Lewd dancing and Buddhist festivals
I saw the report but could not find any of the images or TV footage to comment on. Is that photo you published from Nong Khai?