“Penetrating” further into markets ? Please tell me that really was a Sleudian Frip ? Chinese sex toy market ? Where do you think American and European ones are made ? “Inflatable lovers” Don’t you mean indefatigable lovers ? Enough…Basta ! You are really beginning to push it, you know.
I don’t find the world “here” all that different from the world “out there”.
There are people in the so-called “West” who are convinced terrorism is a problem with Islam, that America kills millions in order to do good in the world, and that free market capitalism is a natural human condition.
The tendency of all and sundry to make out that the Thai situation is somehow unique to Thailand is simply a measure of how blinkered they remain to realities in other regions.
When Althusser proposed that “ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence”, he wasn’t thinking of Thais and their fantasy worlds.
Not so different, Prasit. The notion that democracy stinks, and monarchs and generals smell like roses has been heavily promoted to serve the interests of the traditional Thai power hierarchy. In western capitalism, other irrational loyalties and hatreds are promoted because they provide profits for media organisations and their clients, most notably the weapons industry.
This is not the first time that Thai football fans have behaved poorly in Vientiane. I was in Vientiane in December 2009 when the Thais were surprisingly eliminated before the knockout rounds from the men’s football competition at the Southeast Asian Games. The Vietnamese were advancing, as were the Lao, and it was interesting that many people on the streets in Vientiane were sincerely cheering for the Vietnamese. Moreover, many regular people were glad that the Thais had been eliminated. The Thais were not happy, and apparently left a bad mess at some of their accommodations, including smearing human feces in one or more rooms. They fled across the border to Thailand before they could be held accountable for their bad behavior.
Hopefully this sort of thing will not happen in the future.
Speaking of pleasure and pain, the sex toy industry is penetrating further into Chinese markets. On 11 November, Taobao did well in sex toy sales for ‘Singles Day’. Plenty of inflatable sex dolls were up for grabs.
But users of Taobao sex toys have complained that inflatable lovers exploded during sex. No wonder Chinese sexologists have been calling for the industry to be standardised.
[…] followed suit. Despite the ban, Cambodia has reported illegal trade of sand smuggling from the Koh Kong province in recent years. The Myeik, Kawthaung and Tanithayi regions of Myanmar (an untapped market for […]
So my lady, can you or any one else explain just why the CP rebelled when all he had to do was shut his mouth and all those riches would have fallen automatically into his lap?
This, to me, seems to be at the root of the problem.
Talking to any Thai supporter of the junta and you will be surprised how firmly they are convinced that the junta is fighting corruption. It is a very different world here, far different than any sensible discussion in this forum could imagine of.
According to a report by Public Finance International:
“Myanmar’s electricity transmission network is to get an $80m upgrade, the Asian Development Bank has announced.”
The Dutch based corporation Aggreko’s website reports a project it successfully completed in Myingyan:
“Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise (MEPE), a department of the country’s Ministry of Electric Power, sought an experienced power provider who could install and run an interim power station during the dry season and beyond.
With the availability of local natural gas from the China-Myanmar pipeline, Aggreko worked with the customer to set up a high-pressure gas reduction facility, allowing gas to be captured and optimised for use as an efficient fuel source.
Thank you for this most interesting article. I think that only the very na├пve could ever have believed the intentions of the junta to eradicate corruption from the body politic of Thailand. It was merely a mantra to justify their seizure of power and plunder the fruits of victory.
[…] edustajien kontolla, ei voida sanoa, ett├д etniset ryhmittym├дt olisivat vaalien myöt├д p├д├дsseet osalliseksi kansallisen tason p├д├дtöksentekoon. NLD:n haasteena onkin nyt vaalituloksesta huolimatta pyrki├д saamaan etniset ryhm├дt mukaan […]
[…] kesken├д├дn ja vallan kanssa jatkossakin. Maan perustuslaki on suunniteltu niin, ett├д se suojelee armeijaa siviilihallinnolta. Esimerkkej├д on useita: 25 % parlamentin paikoista on armeijan hallussa, puolustus-, sis├дasiain- […]
The most interesting thing about this story is why it’s a story at all. Or more specifically, why the story is being published in the Thai press. Corruption is the quotidian state of the Thai armed forces – almost their raison d’etre. But under a united military government, one would have expected the news outlets to have been bullied and intimidated into shutting up about this story. It appears that they are being allowed – and by some accounts, actively encouraged – to keep digging. That may suggest something interesting is afoot. More interesting that corruption in the Thai army, or the hypocrisy of the whistling mob, anyway.
The question of objectivity in the social science is of course a loaded one, and as you know (being an anthropologist) it depends on your sub-field which kind of questions you ask and how you think they can be answered. For the Riggs context, the point is that you try to start with an attempt at objectivity, i.e. asking what is rather than beginning right away with a preconceived notion of what there should be. In Fred’s case, there is also a very important attempt at model-building for the development context with which to get closer to “what is”. (And yes this is constituted by perception as well and so on and so on, but for someone like Riggs there were real people with real economic interests having real power, and so on, and at least that was part of the story.)
One suspects that there was little chance of any mods or rockers crooning about either the fascist regime or where its figureheads stuffed their tampons in the 50s in England either.
Amazing what a few years can do to make apparent differences into similarities.
Given that on New Mandala there is a general consensus that there is nothing “better than Thaksin”, it is hard to know what to make of such an article.
Anyone with even a slight familiarity with Thai history knows that the military consistently outdoes the politicians in terms of corruption and slipshod handling of pretty much anything to do with governing the country. Nothing new here at all.
Ever since “communism” slipped out of the ideologue’s grasp as a stick with which to beat opponents, “corruption” has been the ‘c-word’ of choice for those who wish to emphasize their superior “goodness” in the endless competition for moral supremacy that in Thailand stands in for and undermines anything remotely resembling democratic politics.
So, Khun Wongtibun, instead of telling us what is wrong with all and sundry in the fields of political power in Thailand, why not tell us what you intend to do about it?
AFter all, academics and pundits of various stripes have written enough text to sink the Titanic while simultaneously rearranging the deckchairs on it when it comes to delineating the problems with Thai politics.
What is needed is action.
But I suspect that all action in the political sphere is viewed as ‘corrupt’ by the kind of “good people” who write articles like this as well as the plethora of meaningless constitutions that substitute for the rule of law in Thailand.
When “Good People” receive cash/kickbacks/commissions/percentages/etc in Thailand, it is NOT “corruption”. Rather it is what is owed to them due to their high position, good intentions, honest efforts and beautiful Karma from their exemplary past lives. Their proper and well-deserved reward under the unwritten rules of the Thousand Year Old Thai Patronage System. Only when “bad” people, especially “bad” people connected with Thaksin, receive cash/kickbacks/commissions/percentages/etc, it is “corruption”.
Everybody in Thailand knows this. It is an essential part of “Thainess”.
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Sex robots and the sex trade
Olivia,
“Penetrating” further into markets ? Please tell me that really was a Sleudian Frip ? Chinese sex toy market ? Where do you think American and European ones are made ? “Inflatable lovers” Don’t you mean indefatigable lovers ? Enough…Basta ! You are really beginning to push it, you know.
Still better than Thaksin?
I don’t find the world “here” all that different from the world “out there”.
There are people in the so-called “West” who are convinced terrorism is a problem with Islam, that America kills millions in order to do good in the world, and that free market capitalism is a natural human condition.
The tendency of all and sundry to make out that the Thai situation is somehow unique to Thailand is simply a measure of how blinkered they remain to realities in other regions.
When Althusser proposed that “ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence”, he wasn’t thinking of Thais and their fantasy worlds.
Still better than Thaksin?
Not so different, Prasit. The notion that democracy stinks, and monarchs and generals smell like roses has been heavily promoted to serve the interests of the traditional Thai power hierarchy. In western capitalism, other irrational loyalties and hatreds are promoted because they provide profits for media organisations and their clients, most notably the weapons industry.
Soccer wars in Southeast Asia
This is not the first time that Thai football fans have behaved poorly in Vientiane. I was in Vientiane in December 2009 when the Thais were surprisingly eliminated before the knockout rounds from the men’s football competition at the Southeast Asian Games. The Vietnamese were advancing, as were the Lao, and it was interesting that many people on the streets in Vientiane were sincerely cheering for the Vietnamese. Moreover, many regular people were glad that the Thais had been eliminated. The Thais were not happy, and apparently left a bad mess at some of their accommodations, including smearing human feces in one or more rooms. They fled across the border to Thailand before they could be held accountable for their bad behavior.
Hopefully this sort of thing will not happen in the future.
Sex robots and the sex trade
Speaking of pleasure and pain, the sex toy industry is penetrating further into Chinese markets. On 11 November, Taobao did well in sex toy sales for ‘Singles Day’. Plenty of inflatable sex dolls were up for grabs.
But users of Taobao sex toys have complained that inflatable lovers exploded during sex. No wonder Chinese sexologists have been calling for the industry to be standardised.
See: http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1859315/how-china-successfully-redrew-global-financial-map-aiib
Singapore’s insatiable hunger for sand
[…] followed suit. Despite the ban, Cambodia has reported illegal trade of sand smuggling from the Koh Kong province in recent years. The Myeik, Kawthaung and Tanithayi regions of Myanmar (an untapped market for […]
The crisis behind ‘A Kingdom in Crisis’
So my lady, can you or any one else explain just why the CP rebelled when all he had to do was shut his mouth and all those riches would have fallen automatically into his lap?
This, to me, seems to be at the root of the problem.
Still better than Thaksin?
Nothing can be done about it, unless you don’t mind giving up your life in the process. FOOBAR just about covers it.
Still better than Thaksin?
Talking to any Thai supporter of the junta and you will be surprised how firmly they are convinced that the junta is fighting corruption. It is a very different world here, far different than any sensible discussion in this forum could imagine of.
Chinese megaprojects and the vote
According to a report by Public Finance International:
“Myanmar’s electricity transmission network is to get an $80m upgrade, the Asian Development Bank has announced.”
The Dutch based corporation Aggreko’s website reports a project it successfully completed in Myingyan:
“Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise (MEPE), a department of the country’s Ministry of Electric Power, sought an experienced power provider who could install and run an interim power station during the dry season and beyond.
With the availability of local natural gas from the China-Myanmar pipeline, Aggreko worked with the customer to set up a high-pressure gas reduction facility, allowing gas to be captured and optimised for use as an efficient fuel source.
The Devil’s Discus – in Thai
Pete, can you make a copy – I pay you for it.
Urgent needed.
Thank you
Still better than Thaksin?
Thank you for this most interesting article. I think that only the very na├пve could ever have believed the intentions of the junta to eradicate corruption from the body politic of Thailand. It was merely a mantra to justify their seizure of power and plunder the fruits of victory.
Hope, division and the vote
[…] edustajien kontolla, ei voida sanoa, ett├д etniset ryhmittym├дt olisivat vaalien myöt├д p├д├дsseet osalliseksi kansallisen tason p├д├дtöksentekoon. NLD:n haasteena onkin nyt vaalituloksesta huolimatta pyrki├д saamaan etniset ryhm├дt mukaan […]
The realities of power in Myanmar
[…] kesken├д├дn ja vallan kanssa jatkossakin. Maan perustuslaki on suunniteltu niin, ett├д se suojelee armeijaa siviilihallinnolta. Esimerkkej├д on useita: 25 % parlamentin paikoista on armeijan hallussa, puolustus-, sis├дasiain- […]
Still better than Thaksin?
The most interesting thing about this story is why it’s a story at all. Or more specifically, why the story is being published in the Thai press. Corruption is the quotidian state of the Thai armed forces – almost their raison d’etre. But under a united military government, one would have expected the news outlets to have been bullied and intimidated into shutting up about this story. It appears that they are being allowed – and by some accounts, actively encouraged – to keep digging. That may suggest something interesting is afoot. More interesting that corruption in the Thai army, or the hypocrisy of the whistling mob, anyway.
The crisis behind ‘A Kingdom in Crisis’
The question of objectivity in the social science is of course a loaded one, and as you know (being an anthropologist) it depends on your sub-field which kind of questions you ask and how you think they can be answered. For the Riggs context, the point is that you try to start with an attempt at objectivity, i.e. asking what is rather than beginning right away with a preconceived notion of what there should be. In Fred’s case, there is also a very important attempt at model-building for the development context with which to get closer to “what is”. (And yes this is constituted by perception as well and so on and so on, but for someone like Riggs there were real people with real economic interests having real power, and so on, and at least that was part of the story.)
Still better than Thaksin?
How exquisitely fitting that Corruption Park is an ostentatious memorial to former ├Ьberpatrons.
The crisis behind ‘A Kingdom in Crisis’
One suspects that there was little chance of any mods or rockers crooning about either the fascist regime or where its figureheads stuffed their tampons in the 50s in England either.
Amazing what a few years can do to make apparent differences into similarities.
Still better than Thaksin?
Given that on New Mandala there is a general consensus that there is nothing “better than Thaksin”, it is hard to know what to make of such an article.
Anyone with even a slight familiarity with Thai history knows that the military consistently outdoes the politicians in terms of corruption and slipshod handling of pretty much anything to do with governing the country. Nothing new here at all.
Ever since “communism” slipped out of the ideologue’s grasp as a stick with which to beat opponents, “corruption” has been the ‘c-word’ of choice for those who wish to emphasize their superior “goodness” in the endless competition for moral supremacy that in Thailand stands in for and undermines anything remotely resembling democratic politics.
So, Khun Wongtibun, instead of telling us what is wrong with all and sundry in the fields of political power in Thailand, why not tell us what you intend to do about it?
AFter all, academics and pundits of various stripes have written enough text to sink the Titanic while simultaneously rearranging the deckchairs on it when it comes to delineating the problems with Thai politics.
What is needed is action.
But I suspect that all action in the political sphere is viewed as ‘corrupt’ by the kind of “good people” who write articles like this as well as the plethora of meaningless constitutions that substitute for the rule of law in Thailand.
Maybe it’s a cultural thing?
Still better than Thaksin?
When “Good People” receive cash/kickbacks/commissions/percentages/etc in Thailand, it is NOT “corruption”. Rather it is what is owed to them due to their high position, good intentions, honest efforts and beautiful Karma from their exemplary past lives. Their proper and well-deserved reward under the unwritten rules of the Thousand Year Old Thai Patronage System. Only when “bad” people, especially “bad” people connected with Thaksin, receive cash/kickbacks/commissions/percentages/etc, it is “corruption”.
Everybody in Thailand knows this. It is an essential part of “Thainess”.