Only a modern democratic education can build capacity and leadership skills needed to achieve meaningful progress anywhere. Burma’s youth are acutely aware of and determined to achieve that, but are up against a reactionary regime of control freaks paying only lip service to the concept.
The First University Students Strike in 1920 against the University Act to consolidate colonial rule came to be commemorated as National Day. The Second University Students Strike in 1936 against the expulsion of Aung San and Ko Nu saw the formation of Ba Ka Tha (ABFSU – All Burma Federation of Student Unions). Two years later the strking oil workers from central Burma marching down to Rangoon were joined by the students and came to be known as the 1300 Ayaydawbon.
This will go down in history as the Third University Students Strike. The new-old regime is desperate to stop them entering the former capital because the ongoing industrial disputes as well as the land grabbing disputes with farmers there would make for an explosive combination and could lead to a true Burmese Spring.
That makes some sense but I still don’t understand why Veera’s piece originally stated (and I am not deluding myself) “and also the Democrats.”. Just sloppy sub-editing, maybe?
[…] death row inmates. Greg Fealy, a scholar of Indonesian politics at Australian National University, says that Jokowi’s domestic and foreign policy troubles raise a worry that “the harsh reality might be that Jokowi,” who never served in a […]
[…] death row inmates. Greg Fealy, a scholar of Indonesian politics at Australian National University, says that Jokowi’s domestic and foreign policy troubles raise a worry that “the harsh reality might be that Jokowi,” who never served in a […]
Jokowi announced in a speech at his alma mater on 9 December that he would deny clemency to prisoners on death row. Drug traffickers were ruining the prospects for future generations of Indonesians. This statement was immediately criticised by Kontras and other human rights groups. All of this was duly reported by the Indonesian media.
For this author, however, who seems to want to blame anybody but Jokowi for his blunders and his harsh attitudes, the executions are somehow a diversion from the president’s ‘current political embarrassment’. Perhaps Jokowi predicted this embarrassment three months ago, showing a gift for telling the future which no doubt also has precedents in wayang lore.
Prasetyo, another fall guy like Megawati, in fact wasn’t on the Gajah Mada podium feeding notes to Jokowi back in December. Bener nggak? as Jokowi would ask in his polished Indonesian.
Many outside observers fell victim to the Jokowi narrative during the drama of last year’s campaign. A moment’s scrutiny of his ‘mental revolution’ concept should have sown the seeds of doubt and scepticism. Be that as it may, there is no excuse now for remaining a victim of that narrative.
Jokowi recently called on Indonesians to be pede (self-confident) vis-a-vis bule (whiteys). Bule and other foreign observers of Indonesian politics should also be pede vis-a-vis Jokowi.
Interesting to note that next door in “democratising” Burma, the same education sector is in turmoil, the nominally civilian regime seeing the country’s students as a threat challenging their grip on power, but NM appears to have chosen to post nothing.
It was prostate cancer that Aris died from, not bowel cancer. Thought I’d point that out as it makes the (already pretty weak) smoking argument somewhat tenuous.
Who is to say it is not the Indonesian electorate that aren’t the ‘divine clowns’ ?
Just as with Odysseus, there is no theatre without an audience to watch.
No, the guards who tried to abduct me was the same group of PDRC guards under Buddha Issara who captured and tortured 2 Special Branch officers for 7 hours at the Chaeng Wattana rally site.
Here the FCCT statement on the abduction attemt: http://fccthai.com/items/1401.html
I have already stated that Dhammakaya’s support for Thaksin and the Red Shirt movement is well known and old news. Religious sects are not exempt from the color division in Thai society, some are Red, and some are Yellow.
Can you please explain to me what your rants have to do with this particular story of mine, or do you just have a bad hair day?
Again, another world-class comment from renowned Asian expert, Cohen, who not only knows everything about Malaysia, he evens knows the undisclosed intentions of writers (e.g. I didn’t know I wanted to impress faculty, let alone ‘tenured faculty’ but thanks to Cohen’s revelation / insight hey that’s not such a bad idea…)
Bravo to he who alone knows what does or does not pass muster.
Please do not lump all ‘Christian’ together! These people belong to certain sects which are not always even acknowledged as Christian. If they come to my door (as they have done), foisting not only bibles, but a certain interpretation as well on me, they will be summarily dealt with, I can assure you!
The last story I read was the yellow mob attack against Nostitz person; but I was not aware that there was an attempt to kidnap Nostitz! Criminals! But tell us that abduction attempt Mr. Nostitz. – maybe the same yellow terror group who tortured the janitor to extract ‘intelligence’ (of what exactly I have to wonder considering the janitor’s capabilities) was involved?
But you are angry because Dhammakaya is not a red citadel I presumed it is?
OMG… The Christians have been handing out “free” religious material for years and years. Going from door to door like irritating hardcore sales people as well.
So, please, get of your high horse…
Reality and facts make for a good argument in a discussion. Hiding and twisting info does not.
“Like sexual desire, political society, too, is impossible. Like a dream lodged in an attractive body, a perfect politics is something which cannot be attained”.
Again, Laclau or Zizek or any other dropped name to impress tenured faculty has no bearing on Malaysia. Freud and Jung likely have a lot more bearing on the analysis of Dr Mahathir, for example, than Mr Lau’s weak analysis of Malaysia.
A statement that sits well in academia and yet has no meaning at all in relationship to Malaysia, which is following a trajectory towards a nominal Islamic State, does not pass muster.
What have your somewhat incoherent ramblings to do with the topic of this story – which i have done more than a year ago, and has the topic of Gotee’s stage, and a garbage collector who has been tortured by PDRC guards?
Any comments on the topic of the story? Or do you just try to fish for an argument?
And yes, i have been aware for the past ten years that Dhammakaya supports Thaksin. And Santi Asoke supports the Yellow Alliance. And Buddha Issara supports the Yellow Alliance – even controlled many of the PDRC’s most brutal armed militants. Some of them tried to abduct me almost a year ago.
Nothing really new about the involvement of various political sects in Thailand’s color politics.
It is actually Weng Tojirakarn’s words, not Veera’s. Veera has not properly marked the quotation in his opinion piece. Weng said that Wat Phra Dhammakaya “р╣Ар╕Ыр╣Зр╕Щ р╕Рр╕▓р╕Щр╕Бр╕│р╕ер╕▒р╕Зр╕кр╕│р╕Др╕▒р╕Нр╕Вр╕нр╕З р╕Эр╣Ир╕▓р╕вр╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕Кр╕▓р╕Шр╕┤р╕Ыр╣Др╕Хр╕в р╕Эр╣Ир╕▓р╕вр╕Др╕Щр╣Ар╕кр╕╖р╣Йр╕нр╣Бр╕Фр╕З р╕Эр╣Ир╕▓р╕в р╕Щр╕Ыр╕К. р╕Эр╣Ир╕▓р╕вр╕нр╕Фр╕╡р╕Хр╕Щр╕▓р╕вр╕Бр╕п р╕Чр╕▒р╕Бр╕йр╕┤р╕У” (“is an important power base of the democratic camp, the Red Shirt camp, the UDD camp, the camp of former PM Thaksin”). He used “р╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕Кр╕▓р╕Шр╕┤р╕Ыр╣Др╕Хр╕в” (prachathippatai) not “р╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕Кр╕▓р╕Шр╕┤р╕Ыр╕▒р╕Хр╕вр╣М” (prachathipat), so he obviously referred to the “democratic camp” in the red-shirt sense, not to the “Democrat Party”.
There are some interesting semantics here. When Veera’s article, from which you have taken your quote, first appeared in the Bangkok Post it called the Dhammakaya monks “a power base of both Thaksin, the UDD and also the Democrats” (sic upper case “D”). The use of the word ‘also” seemed to acknowledge the apparent anomaly. Now, on re-reading the article, I notice that that original form of words has been replaced with “and the democratic (sic lower case “d”) movement”, just as you have quoted. What are we to infer? It would appear to be either (1) that Veera now wanted to disguise the fact that the Dhammakaya Wat had actually been politically even-handed in its support of the political parties or (2) that he does indeed recognise that Thaksin and the UDD are indeed the true representatives of the “democratic movement” in Thailand.
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Academic freedom in Thailand
Thanks, Nich, for the excellent Mizzima article.
Only a modern democratic education can build capacity and leadership skills needed to achieve meaningful progress anywhere. Burma’s youth are acutely aware of and determined to achieve that, but are up against a reactionary regime of control freaks paying only lip service to the concept.
The First University Students Strike in 1920 against the University Act to consolidate colonial rule came to be commemorated as National Day. The Second University Students Strike in 1936 against the expulsion of Aung San and Ko Nu saw the formation of Ba Ka Tha (ABFSU – All Burma Federation of Student Unions). Two years later the strking oil workers from central Burma marching down to Rangoon were joined by the students and came to be known as the 1300 Ayaydawbon.
This will go down in history as the Third University Students Strike. The new-old regime is desperate to stop them entering the former capital because the ongoing industrial disputes as well as the land grabbing disputes with farmers there would make for an explosive combination and could lead to a true Burmese Spring.
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
That makes some sense but I still don’t understand why Veera’s piece originally stated (and I am not deluding myself) “and also the Democrats.”. Just sloppy sub-editing, maybe?
Academic freedom in Thailand
Thanks Moe Aung,
Last month I wrote a piece about the topic for Mizzima.
Best wishes to all,
Nich
Jokowi: modern man of the people or divine clown?
Yeah, better watch out for all those foreign bullies, I mean Bules.
The unfulfilled promise of Joko Widodo
[…] death row inmates. Greg Fealy, a scholar of Indonesian politics at Australian National University, says that Jokowi’s domestic and foreign policy troubles raise a worry that “the harsh reality might be that Jokowi,” who never served in a […]
The unfulfilled promise of Joko Widodo
[…] death row inmates. Greg Fealy, a scholar of Indonesian politics at Australian National University, says that Jokowi’s domestic and foreign policy troubles raise a worry that “the harsh reality might be that Jokowi,” who never served in a […]
Jokowi: modern man of the people or divine clown?
Jokowi announced in a speech at his alma mater on 9 December that he would deny clemency to prisoners on death row. Drug traffickers were ruining the prospects for future generations of Indonesians. This statement was immediately criticised by Kontras and other human rights groups. All of this was duly reported by the Indonesian media.
For this author, however, who seems to want to blame anybody but Jokowi for his blunders and his harsh attitudes, the executions are somehow a diversion from the president’s ‘current political embarrassment’. Perhaps Jokowi predicted this embarrassment three months ago, showing a gift for telling the future which no doubt also has precedents in wayang lore.
Prasetyo, another fall guy like Megawati, in fact wasn’t on the Gajah Mada podium feeding notes to Jokowi back in December. Bener nggak? as Jokowi would ask in his polished Indonesian.
Many outside observers fell victim to the Jokowi narrative during the drama of last year’s campaign. A moment’s scrutiny of his ‘mental revolution’ concept should have sown the seeds of doubt and scepticism. Be that as it may, there is no excuse now for remaining a victim of that narrative.
Jokowi recently called on Indonesians to be pede (self-confident) vis-a-vis bule (whiteys). Bule and other foreign observers of Indonesian politics should also be pede vis-a-vis Jokowi.
Academic freedom in Thailand
Interesting to note that next door in “democratising” Burma, the same education sector is in turmoil, the nominally civilian regime seeing the country’s students as a threat challenging their grip on power, but NM appears to have chosen to post nothing.
Just a lady – Part II
It was prostate cancer that Aris died from, not bowel cancer. Thought I’d point that out as it makes the (already pretty weak) smoking argument somewhat tenuous.
Jokowi: modern man of the people or divine clown?
Who is to say it is not the Indonesian electorate that aren’t the ‘divine clowns’ ?
Just as with Odysseus, there is no theatre without an audience to watch.
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
No, the guards who tried to abduct me was the same group of PDRC guards under Buddha Issara who captured and tortured 2 Special Branch officers for 7 hours at the Chaeng Wattana rally site.
Here the FCCT statement on the abduction attemt:
http://fccthai.com/items/1401.html
I have already stated that Dhammakaya’s support for Thaksin and the Red Shirt movement is well known and old news. Religious sects are not exempt from the color division in Thai society, some are Red, and some are Yellow.
Can you please explain to me what your rants have to do with this particular story of mine, or do you just have a bad hair day?
Laclau and populism in Malaysia
Again, another world-class comment from renowned Asian expert, Cohen, who not only knows everything about Malaysia, he evens knows the undisclosed intentions of writers (e.g. I didn’t know I wanted to impress faculty, let alone ‘tenured faculty’ but thanks to Cohen’s revelation / insight hey that’s not such a bad idea…)
Bravo to he who alone knows what does or does not pass muster.
IIS Quran distribution – one response
Please do not lump all ‘Christian’ together! These people belong to certain sects which are not always even acknowledged as Christian. If they come to my door (as they have done), foisting not only bibles, but a certain interpretation as well on me, they will be summarily dealt with, I can assure you!
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
The last story I read was the yellow mob attack against Nostitz person; but I was not aware that there was an attempt to kidnap Nostitz! Criminals! But tell us that abduction attempt Mr. Nostitz. – maybe the same yellow terror group who tortured the janitor to extract ‘intelligence’ (of what exactly I have to wonder considering the janitor’s capabilities) was involved?
But you are angry because Dhammakaya is not a red citadel I presumed it is?
IIS Quran distribution – one response
OMG… The Christians have been handing out “free” religious material for years and years. Going from door to door like irritating hardcore sales people as well.
So, please, get of your high horse…
Reality and facts make for a good argument in a discussion. Hiding and twisting info does not.
Laclau and populism in Malaysia
“Like sexual desire, political society, too, is impossible. Like a dream lodged in an attractive body, a perfect politics is something which cannot be attained”.
Again, Laclau or Zizek or any other dropped name to impress tenured faculty has no bearing on Malaysia. Freud and Jung likely have a lot more bearing on the analysis of Dr Mahathir, for example, than Mr Lau’s weak analysis of Malaysia.
A statement that sits well in academia and yet has no meaning at all in relationship to Malaysia, which is following a trajectory towards a nominal Islamic State, does not pass muster.
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
What have your somewhat incoherent ramblings to do with the topic of this story – which i have done more than a year ago, and has the topic of Gotee’s stage, and a garbage collector who has been tortured by PDRC guards?
Any comments on the topic of the story? Or do you just try to fish for an argument?
And yes, i have been aware for the past ten years that Dhammakaya supports Thaksin. And Santi Asoke supports the Yellow Alliance. And Buddha Issara supports the Yellow Alliance – even controlled many of the PDRC’s most brutal armed militants. Some of them tried to abduct me almost a year ago.
Nothing really new about the involvement of various political sects in Thailand’s color politics.
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
It is actually Weng Tojirakarn’s words, not Veera’s. Veera has not properly marked the quotation in his opinion piece. Weng said that Wat Phra Dhammakaya “р╣Ар╕Ыр╣Зр╕Щ р╕Рр╕▓р╕Щр╕Бр╕│р╕ер╕▒р╕Зр╕кр╕│р╕Др╕▒р╕Нр╕Вр╕нр╕З р╕Эр╣Ир╕▓р╕вр╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕Кр╕▓р╕Шр╕┤р╕Ыр╣Др╕Хр╕в р╕Эр╣Ир╕▓р╕вр╕Др╕Щр╣Ар╕кр╕╖р╣Йр╕нр╣Бр╕Фр╕З р╕Эр╣Ир╕▓р╕в р╕Щр╕Ыр╕К. р╕Эр╣Ир╕▓р╕вр╕нр╕Фр╕╡р╕Хр╕Щр╕▓р╕вр╕Бр╕п р╕Чр╕▒р╕Бр╕йр╕┤р╕У” (“is an important power base of the democratic camp, the Red Shirt camp, the UDD camp, the camp of former PM Thaksin”). He used “р╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕Кр╕▓р╕Шр╕┤р╕Ыр╣Др╕Хр╕в” (prachathippatai) not “р╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕Кр╕▓р╕Шр╕┤р╕Ыр╕▒р╕Хр╕вр╣М” (prachathipat), so he obviously referred to the “democratic camp” in the red-shirt sense, not to the “Democrat Party”.
IIS Quran distribution – one response
‘foisted’? c’mon. it’s like a product sample which you’re free to accept, reject or accept and leave on the shelf.
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
There are some interesting semantics here. When Veera’s article, from which you have taken your quote, first appeared in the Bangkok Post it called the Dhammakaya monks “a power base of both Thaksin, the UDD and also the Democrats” (sic upper case “D”). The use of the word ‘also” seemed to acknowledge the apparent anomaly. Now, on re-reading the article, I notice that that original form of words has been replaced with “and the democratic (sic lower case “d”) movement”, just as you have quoted. What are we to infer? It would appear to be either (1) that Veera now wanted to disguise the fact that the Dhammakaya Wat had actually been politically even-handed in its support of the political parties or (2) that he does indeed recognise that Thaksin and the UDD are indeed the true representatives of the “democratic movement” in Thailand.