As usual from Mr Graham, a well considered and articulated piece. SBY is being underused,particularly that he is so comfortable with the West and in paricluar Australia.
Aceh and Kelantan are mostly indistinguishable. I find it highly unlikely that Indonesia can balance ‘Islam Hadari’ with strict Shaf’i Sunni Islam, let alone balance Hukum Shari’a (Islamic Law) with Civil Law. The Muftis in Aceh are also as stupid as the ones in Malaysia, painting tight jeans on women. No doubt the Mufti spend as much time staring at female Aurat (prohibited bodily areas, like hair) as painting jeans and ripping off village women. Are they going to ban the Matrilineal culture of the Minangkabau next ? After all, that is technically illegal in Islam, as are female Muftis, which are known in Uighur society in Western China. The simple reality is that syncretic Islam, practiced in Indonesia and Malaysia, can never become fully ‘pure’ Arabised Islam, no matter how hard Hadi Awang in Malaysia and comparable “Islamic scholars” try in Indonesia. If misogyny, human rights abuse, especially of women, racism, religious intolerance and a corrupt judiciary are to be excised from society, in Malaysia and Indonesia, Hukum Shari’a must be eradicated and the original Turkish model (minus the ethnic intolerance) of Kemal Ataturk must be instituted in the Archipelago or Aceh will not simply remain a “special case” in Indonesia.
The behavior of men in public spaces has nothing to do with the state of sexual revolution of women in which country whatsoever.
Nor does it have to do with males being sex starved, or not.
It has to do with the organisation of a society as Pratibha writes in her article.
There is no justification whatsoever for one person to harras or attack another, regardless of gender, unless it is about self defence.
There is at least one Thai journalist who keeps the world on daily notice of lese majeste cases in Thailand.
I expect she’ll keep on reporting …. until LM injustice ends.
HONG KONG (AFP) – Thai journalist Mutita Chuachang has won the 2015 Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize for her powerful and persistent reporting of royal defamation cases that have multiplied under the country’s military rulers.
The prize honours journalists working in difficult conditions in Asia, and is named after a crusading AFP reporter who died in 2007 at the age of 64 after a career covering wars and other historic events.
Mutita, 33, was recognised for her dogged efforts to record cases of alleged lese majeste for the online newspaper Prachatai, which publishes in Thai and English.
Women in India unlike women in Burma about 10 years ago and women in Thailand around the Vietnam War haven’t gone through a sexual revolution yet.
I thought most people know that when sex between man and woman is not a consensual social pleasure but a honor-bound activity only practiced in marriage the sex-starved males normally harass sexually-repressive females.
I’m wondering, Tyrell, if you or anyone else has figures on how many were summonsed for attitude adjustment but succeeded in evading it and remain at large with dangerously unadjusted attitudes. I know some such as Sombat tried and failed, some such as Chaturon made initial symbolic refusals to the summons and some such as Pavin and a few other relatively well-known names succeeded but what of the others? Thanks by the way for this overview of the situation. I did notice however an omission when you mentioned the various circumstances in which the junta has allowed political gatherings. It seems to me that if your name is Suthep or Phra Buddha Issara it’s fine to hold a political gathering.
Very interesting article, Richard. I observed similar developments towards “unity in diversity” among the Karen communities in Sheffield (UK). For instance, on 1st May 2015 the leaders of the Karen Community Association UK invited me and my husband to attend the New Year Celebration of the Burmese Community in Sheffield. We drove from the local Methodist Church to this Buddhist celebration. There was Burmese and Karen food. We were told it was the first time that the Karen joined in Burmese community celebration.
Perhaps more such local peace-making efforts are necessary to bridge the divides among the peoples of Burma (Myanmar).
Most repressive since the late 1970s? Since who? Since Chomanan? How many 50 year prison sentences were handed out then? How many union organizers went on lockdown for publishing magazine articles? How many poets were murdered in cold blood? How many PMs were publicly threatened with rape and having their son’s elementary school blown up with them in it? How many prison activists abducted and tortured? How many media outlets on total soviet bloc censorship? How many soldiers with total impunity to do what ever they want? How many trade union activists across the board straight up fined what little money they have? How many women put in lockdown for public speaking? How much money from education funneled directly to civil servants to shut them up? How many unarmed cops or day workers were shot point blank? How many fatherless kids manufactured? How many journalists summoned and thrown into the hole? How much public debt incurred to buy toy submarines? How many home invasions in Isaan? How many direct threats to “get” people’s family members first in order to send a message? How many AG subsidies became “schemes”? How many army boys making statements like “this is a battle” against the civilian population? In the 70s did the entire civilian population walk around with guns to their heads? How many peaceful students expelled from school or flat terrorized for just opening their mouth? And/or completely surrounded by spineless “journalists” or “academics” of all stripes who barely managed to see any of it in in?
What, pray tell, did Chomanan or anybody else do in the late 70s under god’s blue heaven to make them equal to or ~worse~ than this business?
From the review it appears this book overlooks the strong role and success Laos persons with disabilities have at Para-Olympic level. If we are to learn from the fundamental institutions and evolution of modern sport, the author would have been wise to cast a more inclusive net to this thesis, and provide a rationale that explains the success of Laos persons with disabilities, who have succeeded without a strong level of institutional support or interest in their achievements
I would like to elaborate on the above statement. In the case of foreigners, the threat is not the government, but the “rotten to the core” Justice System. Victims of the system are more or less helpless.
THAILAND,HUB OF CROOKED LAWYERS !
the main issue with the critical comments on here was that the same points were repeated so many times… it would be better to record the point and move on… even if rebutted it jsut gets boring trying to bludgeon us all by repetition
I admire Noam Chomsky and Pavin both of them manging to get rational information out to the world over and through the mess and fog that we usually read… thank you guys… keep up the good work … hopefully somehow the world will stop sliding backwards soon.
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Why we still need SBY
As usual from Mr Graham, a well considered and articulated piece. SBY is being underused,particularly that he is so comfortable with the West and in paricluar Australia.
‘Lesbianism’ and detention in Aceh
Aceh and Kelantan are mostly indistinguishable. I find it highly unlikely that Indonesia can balance ‘Islam Hadari’ with strict Shaf’i Sunni Islam, let alone balance Hukum Shari’a (Islamic Law) with Civil Law. The Muftis in Aceh are also as stupid as the ones in Malaysia, painting tight jeans on women. No doubt the Mufti spend as much time staring at female Aurat (prohibited bodily areas, like hair) as painting jeans and ripping off village women. Are they going to ban the Matrilineal culture of the Minangkabau next ? After all, that is technically illegal in Islam, as are female Muftis, which are known in Uighur society in Western China. The simple reality is that syncretic Islam, practiced in Indonesia and Malaysia, can never become fully ‘pure’ Arabised Islam, no matter how hard Hadi Awang in Malaysia and comparable “Islamic scholars” try in Indonesia. If misogyny, human rights abuse, especially of women, racism, religious intolerance and a corrupt judiciary are to be excised from society, in Malaysia and Indonesia, Hukum Shari’a must be eradicated and the original Turkish model (minus the ethnic intolerance) of Kemal Ataturk must be instituted in the Archipelago or Aceh will not simply remain a “special case” in Indonesia.
Southeast Asian snapshots
Whoa.. wait..
Fadli Zon’s hat and ties was confiscated by Indonesia Anti-Graft Commision? I’ve just known it from here. Thanks.
Treading the night in Thailand
At Aung Moe
The behavior of men in public spaces has nothing to do with the state of sexual revolution of women in which country whatsoever.
Nor does it have to do with males being sex starved, or not.
It has to do with the organisation of a society as Pratibha writes in her article.
There is no justification whatsoever for one person to harras or attack another, regardless of gender, unless it is about self defence.
NLD needs to lift the standard
Thank Buddha Tin Oo didn’t cravenly bow down to Sheikh Hasina Wajed or New Mandala. He remains wise and his detractors remain befuddled by Myanmar.
The decline of Lao civil society
Good for thoughts
NLD needs to lift the standard
With the benefit of hindsight, after watching Tin Oo cravenly bow down in front of Wirathu, I was 100% wrong about this. Oh well.
Lèse-majesté today
There is at least one Thai journalist who keeps the world on daily notice of lese majeste cases in Thailand.
I expect she’ll keep on reporting …. until LM injustice ends.
HONG KONG (AFP) – Thai journalist Mutita Chuachang has won the 2015 Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize for her powerful and persistent reporting of royal defamation cases that have multiplied under the country’s military rulers.
The prize honours journalists working in difficult conditions in Asia, and is named after a crusading AFP reporter who died in 2007 at the age of 64 after a career covering wars and other historic events.
Mutita, 33, was recognised for her dogged efforts to record cases of alleged lese majeste for the online newspaper Prachatai, which publishes in Thai and English.
Why we still need SBY
A well-written and reasoned commentary, that is fair to SBY and Indonesia.
Treading the night in Thailand
Women in India unlike women in Burma about 10 years ago and women in Thailand around the Vietnam War haven’t gone through a sexual revolution yet.
I thought most people know that when sex between man and woman is not a consensual social pleasure but a honor-bound activity only practiced in marriage the sex-starved males normally harass sexually-repressive females.
Dissent and dictatorship in Thailand
I’m wondering, Tyrell, if you or anyone else has figures on how many were summonsed for attitude adjustment but succeeded in evading it and remain at large with dangerously unadjusted attitudes. I know some such as Sombat tried and failed, some such as Chaturon made initial symbolic refusals to the summons and some such as Pavin and a few other relatively well-known names succeeded but what of the others? Thanks by the way for this overview of the situation. I did notice however an omission when you mentioned the various circumstances in which the junta has allowed political gatherings. It seems to me that if your name is Suthep or Phra Buddha Issara it’s fine to hold a political gathering.
Roots of difference
Very interesting article, Richard. I observed similar developments towards “unity in diversity” among the Karen communities in Sheffield (UK). For instance, on 1st May 2015 the leaders of the Karen Community Association UK invited me and my husband to attend the New Year Celebration of the Burmese Community in Sheffield. We drove from the local Methodist Church to this Buddhist celebration. There was Burmese and Karen food. We were told it was the first time that the Karen joined in Burmese community celebration.
Perhaps more such local peace-making efforts are necessary to bridge the divides among the peoples of Burma (Myanmar).
Dissent and dictatorship in Thailand
Most repressive since the late 1970s? Since who? Since Chomanan? How many 50 year prison sentences were handed out then? How many union organizers went on lockdown for publishing magazine articles? How many poets were murdered in cold blood? How many PMs were publicly threatened with rape and having their son’s elementary school blown up with them in it? How many prison activists abducted and tortured? How many media outlets on total soviet bloc censorship? How many soldiers with total impunity to do what ever they want? How many trade union activists across the board straight up fined what little money they have? How many women put in lockdown for public speaking? How much money from education funneled directly to civil servants to shut them up? How many unarmed cops or day workers were shot point blank? How many fatherless kids manufactured? How many journalists summoned and thrown into the hole? How much public debt incurred to buy toy submarines? How many home invasions in Isaan? How many direct threats to “get” people’s family members first in order to send a message? How many AG subsidies became “schemes”? How many army boys making statements like “this is a battle” against the civilian population? In the 70s did the entire civilian population walk around with guns to their heads? How many peaceful students expelled from school or flat terrorized for just opening their mouth? And/or completely surrounded by spineless “journalists” or “academics” of all stripes who barely managed to see any of it in in?
What, pray tell, did Chomanan or anybody else do in the late 70s under god’s blue heaven to make them equal to or ~worse~ than this business?
A conversation with Chomsky
I think Prayuth has declared Pavin “not Thai”
Review of Embodied Nation
From the review it appears this book overlooks the strong role and success Laos persons with disabilities have at Para-Olympic level. If we are to learn from the fundamental institutions and evolution of modern sport, the author would have been wise to cast a more inclusive net to this thesis, and provide a rationale that explains the success of Laos persons with disabilities, who have succeeded without a strong level of institutional support or interest in their achievements
Dissent and dictatorship in Thailand
I would like to elaborate on the above statement. In the case of foreigners, the threat is not the government, but the “rotten to the core” Justice System. Victims of the system are more or less helpless.
THAILAND,HUB OF CROOKED LAWYERS !
A conversation with Chomsky
the main issue with the critical comments on here was that the same points were repeated so many times… it would be better to record the point and move on… even if rebutted it jsut gets boring trying to bludgeon us all by repetition
I admire Noam Chomsky and Pavin both of them manging to get rational information out to the world over and through the mess and fog that we usually read… thank you guys… keep up the good work … hopefully somehow the world will stop sliding backwards soon.
btw how much does ystem Justification Theory explain why the mass of us people dont take sensible control away from mad politicians? see:
https://newmatilda.com//2015/08/19/truth-hurts-science-behind-why-people-dont-care-about-death-our-planet-and-democracy
Dissent and dictatorship in Thailand
You’re not far wrong there. Take this piece from Prachatai for example.
“No one is safe in Thailand”
Ethnic learning gaps in Vietnam
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