Hey Elena, thank you for writing this article for us. I couldnt agree more as im also studying in political area. Young adults tend to use technology that lead them to narsism intead of seeing a bigger picture, cant blame anyone tho but im really worried about this issue. I hope that whoever win this election, the selected ministry of education will eventually make a special subject or sillabus of “how to use technology wisely” like when they had a sillabus about pendidikan pancasila or something like that in my parents’ era. Cheers xx
I think the Thai exceptionalists and the American exceptionalists have a lot in common. They both can slaughter great numbers of ‘the enemy’ in order to perfect their own ‘special’ brand of democracy transplanted among them. And, being exceptional, they are both above criticism by ordinary mortals. And of course all the rules are for the ‘unexceptional’ others who form .. perhaps 94% of the world’s population.
It is becoming increasingly obvious in both cases that, much as they ‘hate to admit it’ … the Final Solution is looming larger and larger for their unexceptional with whom they are both ‘burdened’ and that they will someday – sooner rather than later – be unable further to stay their exceptional hands.
Giles Ungpakorn had an excellent post by a guest contributor on just that connection between the RTA’s treatment of all the Thai minorities, and the reason for it : together, of course they make up the Thai majority.
I’m sure you’ve seen it Vichai, but perhaps some others have not.
By the way, here is a useful guide to the Thai aristocracy that may some in handy as the parade of elite come out to tell us all how this coup is different – just like they did last time.
“Suvit also added, “We lost 20 lives and more than 700 people were injured. They were our great losses. I must stress that the roadmap that will now take 1 year and 3 months will surely not be enough to guarantee successful political reforms”.”
Did Suvit mention that the red shirts were killed in 2010?
And the political reforms under the junta government, for whom – Thai people or elites?
Wow, if this is the mindset of the conservative elite of Thailand and thus – at least partly – that of the junta, we will probably see a block of the Thai airspace for all Western airlines because they might control the Thai population with their chem-trails.
Given the fact that now just doing a specific salute can be a reason for the junta to take you hostage they seem to have gotten really paranoid and completely bonkers.
Is General Walit Rojanapadki in any way related to those two high-ranking Generals from the Noonpadki family who supported General Suchinda in May’92 ? If so, that would be quite some reconciliation with Prem !
David – there is an interesting article in today’s (3/6/) Australian Financial Review by Michael Sainsbury in Chiang Mai, wherein he interviews local leaders of basically the two strands among Red Shirts. First strand wants to give Prayuth time until he’s due for retirement four months from now. Second strand wants to launch Patani-style tactics right now.
Thank you for this interesting take on Thai-USA relations. I have also read your articles in Pratachai on the same subject. I suspect that USA┬┤s public criticism of the military coup may just be the usual lipservice to democracy and human rights.USA foreign policy has always been aligned with rightwing juntas ( South-America) and conservative pro-American capitalist regimes. In Thailand they have always supported the Monarchy and its sycophants against democratic forces of change. There is therefore no reason to suspect that they have changed their policy. Why should they? The old alliances have suited them so well, and they have Thailand in their pocket. I am sure that they are already patting the generals on their backs and telling them not to worry. Public criticism is only for the show.
I was not talking about “import substitution industrialization policies.” I was talking about a policy to strengthen Indonesia’s existing production in non-industrial goods. It isn’t exactly “substitution” for Indonesia to produce more sugar and soybeans, especially when some of the imports of those items are illegal, outside of the government’s quotas, and are artificially suppressing domestic production. Think about Indonesia’s existing situation before reaching for textbook formulas, which, by the way, aren’t always true. It isn’t as if the international market in agricultural goods is a level playing field: the major economies subsidize their agriculture. For instance, most of the sugar Indonesia imports is from Thailand which has heavily subsidized agriculture for a long time. You’re right that Prabowo has endorsed a similar policy but I thought the article made clear my belief that he doesn’t mean a word of what he says about nationalist economics. It is simply false that govt policies to expand domestic production only mean more inefficiency and government debt.
This is an interesting discussion point. There are reports of many raids and arrests in the Khon Kaen area, but I haven’t heard of any armed clashes. Will there perhaps be a pause while those involved in resistance decide on tactics?
Carey is one of the worst offenders. His essay ‘East Timor under Indonesian Occupation 75-99’ repeats all the usual lies and kneejerk anti Indonesian propaganda slurs tailored for the period. My Gran told me that little things determine the big things. Tell fibs, eventually you graduate to porkies and whoppers. Can’t get small details right, can’t be trusted with anything bigger.
Of course, I can’t tip and sort the whole messy wheelie bin of Carey’s ET essay into a comments box, so for starters I refer you to footnote 24, where he approvingly refers to similar such authorities as himself, who claim that the Team Sera paramilitary was based in Viqueque. As anybody who has been there knows, heck all you have to do is just talk to someone from there, Team Sera was based in Baucau led by Agostinho Boavida aka Sera Malik, a former Falintil commander. Not Viqueque Mr Carey.
If Gran is correct, we’d expect things to deteriorate, fib to porkie to whopper. And they do. The great thing about all really good conspiracy theories is they contain some truth around which to construct your conspiracy. Murtopo caused the ET [un]Civil War? Pull t’other one Carey, there’s an Easter Bunny on it. Carey’s ET essay has more in common with UFOlogy than scholarship, like much of the preferred ‘narrative’ Mr W is so curiously determined to peddle.
Prime Minister Abe means well, but he is very naive about Southeast Asia, more so than about China. Japan’s exposure to SE Asia, has been primarily militaristic (70 years ago) and commercial. There are SE Asia experts at Tokyo and Kyoto Universities and elsewhere, but the depth of knowledge in the Japanese Foreign Ministry is low, and is commercially driven. PM Abe likely does not even know what the acronym UMNO stands for, and Japanese
diplomat’s lack of historical, cultural and anthropological knowledge of Southeast Asia, usually focusing on contemporary commercial, military and political ties (which include student and academic exchanges). Toyota and Mitsubishi lost patience with Proton and Malaysian car production, quite a while ago, and large Japanese companies are, with good reason, rather doubtful about Malaysia’s economic solidity for the long haul. In particular, Japanese diplomats are quite unaware of the increasing racial and Islamic
stridency in Malaysia, and focus instead on ‘value-neutral’ economics. This is a mistake, as there are severe human rights abuses in Malaysia, calls for racial and Islamic supremacy, and very brazen attacks against non-Malays, with spurious accusations and pejorative name-calling. The Japanese are unaware of this, as they remain uncomfortable with foreign cultures, even Asian ones. Thus, they prefer to emphasize economic and geostrategic interests vis-a-vis the US and China, but almost entirely ignore human rights and religious issues in Malaysia and ASEAN, in general. The Japanese will claim, in their defense, that they do not want to interfere in other nation’s internal matters. This is historically understandable, but as PM Abe has committed $250 million USD to ASEAN, he should want to know where the money is going. In this instance, as Japan claims it wants a greater stake in Asian (if not global) affairs, which is not unreasonable, it must do so by first admitting that perhaps “Japan doth protest too little”, when it comes to Malaysia and ASEAN in general, and human rights issues, specifically.
So let me get this right: (i) It is difficult to do real research in Laos because of repression, so anecdotes are okay; (ii) Yet research sponsored by state organisations in a repressive country is okay too.
Some academics do tie themselves in knots with the ropes of dictators.
Of course it’s wrong to ban any movie. However, the mismash of regional varieties of Lao (did you know they spoke Isan in Laos?), the unbelievable family relationships, as well as the banal portrayals of village life doom this movie to mediocrity. Perhaps Lao PDR govt has a film critic doing the censoring?
While some would consider the massive high-speed rail proposal to be “ill-conceived,” others would consider it to be an essential component of an up-to-date infrastructural system. The local press inundated us with criticism of the project – we heard all about the lack of transparency – the opportunities for corruption, etc.
But now, Prayuth and his buddies can get in line in the sty, leaving the Shinawatras sucking hind tit. Expect rejoicing at the Bangkok Post and The Nation as they endorse high-speed rail – it began today.
Indonesia need a man who understand about the Plurality of Religions. The basic to build the strong nation because Indonesia is not Islamsnation. Indonesia is democratic Nation. Untill now the FPI is the bad Factor of the Interligios Dialog in Indonesia. They challenge the development of the Nation.
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Student Politics in the Selfie-Age
Hey Elena, thank you for writing this article for us. I couldnt agree more as im also studying in political area. Young adults tend to use technology that lead them to narsism intead of seeing a bigger picture, cant blame anyone tho but im really worried about this issue. I hope that whoever win this election, the selected ministry of education will eventually make a special subject or sillabus of “how to use technology wisely” like when they had a sillabus about pendidikan pancasila or something like that in my parents’ era. Cheers xx
Thailand’s invitation to violence
I think the Thai exceptionalists and the American exceptionalists have a lot in common. They both can slaughter great numbers of ‘the enemy’ in order to perfect their own ‘special’ brand of democracy transplanted among them. And, being exceptional, they are both above criticism by ordinary mortals. And of course all the rules are for the ‘unexceptional’ others who form .. perhaps 94% of the world’s population.
It is becoming increasingly obvious in both cases that, much as they ‘hate to admit it’ … the Final Solution is looming larger and larger for their unexceptional with whom they are both ‘burdened’ and that they will someday – sooner rather than later – be unable further to stay their exceptional hands.
Thailand’s invitation to violence
Giles Ungpakorn had an excellent post by a guest contributor on just that connection between the RTA’s treatment of all the Thai minorities, and the reason for it : together, of course they make up the Thai majority.
I’m sure you’ve seen it Vichai, but perhaps some others have not.
Songsuda Yodmani and the 2014 coup
By the way, here is a useful guide to the Thai aristocracy that may some in handy as the parade of elite come out to tell us all how this coup is different – just like they did last time.
http://www.soravij.com/aristocracy/index.html
First up:
Somtow Sucharitkul
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1136073
SP Somtow is a pen name
http://www.soravij.com/aristocracy/Sucharitkul/sucharitkul.html
Songsuda Yodmani and the 2014 coup
“Suvit also added, “We lost 20 lives and more than 700 people were injured. They were our great losses. I must stress that the roadmap that will now take 1 year and 3 months will surely not be enough to guarantee successful political reforms”.”
Did Suvit mention that the red shirts were killed in 2010?
And the political reforms under the junta government, for whom – Thai people or elites?
Songsuda Yodmani and the 2014 coup
Wow, if this is the mindset of the conservative elite of Thailand and thus – at least partly – that of the junta, we will probably see a block of the Thai airspace for all Western airlines because they might control the Thai population with their chem-trails.
Given the fact that now just doing a specific salute can be a reason for the junta to take you hostage they seem to have gotten really paranoid and completely bonkers.
Who’s who in the Thai coup?
Is General Walit Rojanapadki in any way related to those two high-ranking Generals from the Noonpadki family who supported General Suchinda in May’92 ? If so, that would be quite some reconciliation with Prem !
“Foreign influence” in Red Shirt demonstrations
David – there is an interesting article in today’s (3/6/) Australian Financial Review by Michael Sainsbury in Chiang Mai, wherein he interviews local leaders of basically the two strands among Red Shirts. First strand wants to give Prayuth time until he’s due for retirement four months from now. Second strand wants to launch Patani-style tactics right now.
Songsuda Yodmani and the 2014 coup
Dear Pavin,
Thank you for this interesting take on Thai-USA relations. I have also read your articles in Pratachai on the same subject. I suspect that USA┬┤s public criticism of the military coup may just be the usual lipservice to democracy and human rights.USA foreign policy has always been aligned with rightwing juntas ( South-America) and conservative pro-American capitalist regimes. In Thailand they have always supported the Monarchy and its sycophants against democratic forces of change. There is therefore no reason to suspect that they have changed their policy. Why should they? The old alliances have suited them so well, and they have Thailand in their pocket. I am sure that they are already patting the generals on their backs and telling them not to worry. Public criticism is only for the show.
Songsuda Yodmani and the 2014 coup
Recommended parallel reading:
Naew Na columnist exposes the western superpower plot to destroy Thailand
Sukarno’s two bodies
I was not talking about “import substitution industrialization policies.” I was talking about a policy to strengthen Indonesia’s existing production in non-industrial goods. It isn’t exactly “substitution” for Indonesia to produce more sugar and soybeans, especially when some of the imports of those items are illegal, outside of the government’s quotas, and are artificially suppressing domestic production. Think about Indonesia’s existing situation before reaching for textbook formulas, which, by the way, aren’t always true. It isn’t as if the international market in agricultural goods is a level playing field: the major economies subsidize their agriculture. For instance, most of the sugar Indonesia imports is from Thailand which has heavily subsidized agriculture for a long time. You’re right that Prabowo has endorsed a similar policy but I thought the article made clear my belief that he doesn’t mean a word of what he says about nationalist economics. It is simply false that govt policies to expand domestic production only mean more inefficiency and government debt.
“Foreign influence” in Red Shirt demonstrations
This is an interesting discussion point. There are reports of many raids and arrests in the Khon Kaen area, but I haven’t heard of any armed clashes. Will there perhaps be a pause while those involved in resistance decide on tactics?
“Foreign influence” in Red Shirt demonstrations
It is difficult, but not impossible.
Have you ever tried?
A lesson for researchers
Carey is one of the worst offenders. His essay ‘East Timor under Indonesian Occupation 75-99’ repeats all the usual lies and kneejerk anti Indonesian propaganda slurs tailored for the period. My Gran told me that little things determine the big things. Tell fibs, eventually you graduate to porkies and whoppers. Can’t get small details right, can’t be trusted with anything bigger.
Of course, I can’t tip and sort the whole messy wheelie bin of Carey’s ET essay into a comments box, so for starters I refer you to footnote 24, where he approvingly refers to similar such authorities as himself, who claim that the Team Sera paramilitary was based in Viqueque. As anybody who has been there knows, heck all you have to do is just talk to someone from there, Team Sera was based in Baucau led by Agostinho Boavida aka Sera Malik, a former Falintil commander. Not Viqueque Mr Carey.
If Gran is correct, we’d expect things to deteriorate, fib to porkie to whopper. And they do. The great thing about all really good conspiracy theories is they contain some truth around which to construct your conspiracy. Murtopo caused the ET [un]Civil War? Pull t’other one Carey, there’s an Easter Bunny on it. Carey’s ET essay has more in common with UFOlogy than scholarship, like much of the preferred ‘narrative’ Mr W is so curiously determined to peddle.
After the coup
Be warned: “the three finger salute” is now a serious offense to the ruling junta – arrest and to the military stockade for the offenders.
“Three-fingers” was an inappropriate choice anyway. The ‘single-finger’ sign, preferably the middle digit perhaps is more politcally correct?
Dissonance in Malaysia-Japan relations
Prime Minister Abe means well, but he is very naive about Southeast Asia, more so than about China. Japan’s exposure to SE Asia, has been primarily militaristic (70 years ago) and commercial. There are SE Asia experts at Tokyo and Kyoto Universities and elsewhere, but the depth of knowledge in the Japanese Foreign Ministry is low, and is commercially driven. PM Abe likely does not even know what the acronym UMNO stands for, and Japanese
diplomat’s lack of historical, cultural and anthropological knowledge of Southeast Asia, usually focusing on contemporary commercial, military and political ties (which include student and academic exchanges). Toyota and Mitsubishi lost patience with Proton and Malaysian car production, quite a while ago, and large Japanese companies are, with good reason, rather doubtful about Malaysia’s economic solidity for the long haul. In particular, Japanese diplomats are quite unaware of the increasing racial and Islamic
stridency in Malaysia, and focus instead on ‘value-neutral’ economics. This is a mistake, as there are severe human rights abuses in Malaysia, calls for racial and Islamic supremacy, and very brazen attacks against non-Malays, with spurious accusations and pejorative name-calling. The Japanese are unaware of this, as they remain uncomfortable with foreign cultures, even Asian ones. Thus, they prefer to emphasize economic and geostrategic interests vis-a-vis the US and China, but almost entirely ignore human rights and religious issues in Malaysia and ASEAN, in general. The Japanese will claim, in their defense, that they do not want to interfere in other nation’s internal matters. This is historically understandable, but as PM Abe has committed $250 million USD to ASEAN, he should want to know where the money is going. In this instance, as Japan claims it wants a greater stake in Asian (if not global) affairs, which is not unreasonable, it must do so by first admitting that perhaps “Japan doth protest too little”, when it comes to Malaysia and ASEAN in general, and human rights issues, specifically.
“Foreign influence” in Red Shirt demonstrations
So let me get this right: (i) It is difficult to do real research in Laos because of repression, so anecdotes are okay; (ii) Yet research sponsored by state organisations in a repressive country is okay too.
Some academics do tie themselves in knots with the ropes of dictators.
Banning The Rocket
Of course it’s wrong to ban any movie. However, the mismash of regional varieties of Lao (did you know they spoke Isan in Laos?), the unbelievable family relationships, as well as the banal portrayals of village life doom this movie to mediocrity. Perhaps Lao PDR govt has a film critic doing the censoring?
Thaksin Thinks, Prayuth Acts
While some would consider the massive high-speed rail proposal to be “ill-conceived,” others would consider it to be an essential component of an up-to-date infrastructural system. The local press inundated us with criticism of the project – we heard all about the lack of transparency – the opportunities for corruption, etc.
But now, Prayuth and his buddies can get in line in the sty, leaving the Shinawatras sucking hind tit. Expect rejoicing at the Bangkok Post and The Nation as they endorse high-speed rail – it began today.
Campaigning on religious nationalism
Indonesia need a man who understand about the Plurality of Religions. The basic to build the strong nation because Indonesia is not Islamsnation. Indonesia is democratic Nation. Untill now the FPI is the bad Factor of the Interligios Dialog in Indonesia. They challenge the development of the Nation.