The hopes that some people had of this coup being led by people genuinely wanting to be neutral and simply keeping the peace are now exposed as dreams with the recent announcements of exactly which people are going to run the country. They’re all anti Thaksin. We can expect new laws/rules designed to engineer a return to govt. by the ‘Democrat’ (sic) party.
I noticed a friend here in Thailand watching Rose speaking on social media today. She watched the whole thing and was quite moved. We talked about the importance of feee speech and how brave Rose is. I thought this was evidence that Rose’s sacrifices are not in vain. Thanks Camille for telling us about her story.
So actually reading many of the posts here and there we seem to live in a very simple world. On one side there are nice pure moral guys acting for their heart. And on the other side we have bad greedy guys who get paid. Thanks to all, I can now remove my brain and store it in a box.
It is actually worse than Hollywood blockbuster!!
I’ve often said that the institution which is totally untouchable is not the monarchy. It’s the army. I just wish there was a Handley who could write about this disgraceful band of thugs. Reform the army (nepotism out), introduce transparency in regard to budgets and purchases, and Thailand can really begin to move forward.
I agree its sort of amazing how even when under royally supported military rule many (most?) Thai people are able to live their lives without too much restriction…
The impact of the coup seems quite selective… as usual the military disturb the lives of politicians and anyone that is seen as active or potentially active in politics, human rights, local and international media, any health workers that try to treat enemies of the state, etc.
Also of course the military atrocities down south, Rohinga refugees, etc continue.
What happens in the country and regions is hardly reported so people in Bangkok hardly know what is happening there whether there is a coup or not.
I guess as long as the education system, noted by several people above, and food keeps being delivered to the markets anyone introverted and complacent about their life can accept the continuing royal and military propaganda that all is well in Thailand and ever will be.
It’s all about respect I live in the UK for 12 years. I has never seen English people disrespect full the queen . Democracy is not about pick one colour and attract the another it’s about doing the right thing for the public. This woman clearly a red shirt supporter who get paid to do this. Before you judge the Army or the Thai people you need to open your eyes and look at wider angle.
Ah, but what proportion of that 34 % figure for NE Thailand, actually living in Bangkok and benefitting from the 25 % GDP and 72 % public expenditure figures, for things like transport, public health, education and other infrastructure in the capital? Due to the false picture generated by having people registered not where they are actually living-working, but where the system wants them to be registered, these sorts of official data analyses have to be treated with extreme caution. I am in no way defending the unbalanced public spending on Bangkok, but I would suggest the inequality is not as severe as the data appears, and the NE does rather better out of BKK than people give credit for. There is also the massive “shadow economy” to consider, which does not enter into World Bank analyses, and which I suspect large sections of the NE profits nicely from, especially those that lead PT in the region.
Thaksin “a mass murdering psychopath” (still looking for the mass murder…)
But Guss the guest is clearly not “engaged in crass, juvenile hate speech” and does not “call someone names” because he/she at least knows that this is not “constructive or progressive”…
According to weakileaks and some embassy cables, Prayuth is representing the interests of the queen (In 2010 he was seen by members of the privy councilas as very “loyal to the queen”). Prem and others in the privy council obviously advised him to succeed to Anupong as army general.
So I pretty much doubt that Prayuth will be this “very exceptional people could think clearly while in rage and/or intoxicatingly lured by the temptations of lucre and power” that you pray for.
He is just here to represent the interest of a certain category of people and their “temptations of lucre and power”.
My advise, if you are not in Thailand (the website is blocked there), is to check this website: http://thaicables.wordpress.com/
Thai tulip: It is your right to love your king. But to you and all others, here is what I have to say:
1. “we used to live peacefully under the monarchy”: peacefully has not always been true. Just remember 1976, 1992 and please pay respect to those who died on those days. The 1976 was clearly ordered by the palace (and whoever was in charge in there); the 1992 massacre came from a dictator that was endorsed by the palace, so even if the king finally intervened to stop the massacre, those who died this day can still thank the palace for allowing the army dictatorship to step in in the first place. Please watch those videos and remember those who died for their ideas and their freedom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64YETFMa0_s&feature=youtube_gdata_player https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siO2u9aRzns&feature=youtu.be
2. I don’t think the crisis in Thailand right now is about whether the king has been doing well or not. It is about the succession and the crown prince, and the fact that the prince is not loved and when in power will not be able to maintain the enormous priviledges that the monarchy and its friends have had for decades. A lot of people have a lot to loose, some of those revealed themselves in the 2014 protests, but many are still hidden behind the scene and lese majeste laws. And those people are ready to do anything, including losing anonymous harmless human lives, to keep their power.
At least acknowledge that. We can love a particular king, but at the same time be cautious about the monarchy as an institution.
And I also wonder about the queen in all that. This time, is really the king in charge? Seems to me there is a Prem-Queen-Princess alliance here. The crown prince is away in England, under high security (to avoid being killed?). Game of Thrones is not that far…..
I hate Red shirts but do not support yellow nor military. I understand her thinking and I agree that my country lacks freedom of speech. Anyway I still love the king and some royal members not all. This issue is really hard to discuss in Thailand.
However, after I saw her videos, I must accept that her speech is really rude. It’s strange when she is against Thai royal family but loves the English. In the point that you can view your opinion toward English dynasty, I think this is okay and I do hope Thais can do this too. The fact is if Rose demonstrates her opinion in the polite and educated way, may be it’s more persuasive and agreeable.
For the comparison, it’s ridiculous to say Thailand is similar to North Korea. Even during Coup d’etat, I don’t feel scared at all. I see most people panic especially foreigners, hmm understand. Governed by military seems to be scary, but it’s not like 1984 at all. Sometimes the image of Thai military is not powerful like the old days except they have weapon, this point, yes, it’s make them gain some power but with true feeling, nothing to be scared at all. Admittedly, the politic issue in Thai needs development but We can live as we like which is really contrast to North Korea.
This is how I feel as a Thai who support John Lennon’s idea.
I found the latest government video explaining the comfortable circumstances of the detainees and quoting Jatuporn as saying that everybody is learning to understand opposing views, quite worrying.
Rose is engaged in crass, juvenile hate speech that would not be tolerated anywhere in the world if it were directed at homosexuals, Jews, blacks, or anyone else for that matter. It is not “free speech,” it is slander, calls for violence, and defamation.
She is openly a “red shirt” working in support of a mass murdering psychopath running the country remotely from Dubai – so in other words – aiding and abetting a dangerous convicted criminal.
Defending people like “Rose” undermines REAL free speech and undermines the struggles of people facing REAL censorship.
Furthermore – to claim Rose is an “activist” for cursing and deferring exclusively to vitriol undermines REAL activism. Anyone can call someone names. How is this constructive or progressive? Where is her solution? Allowing the slandering, threatening, and defamation of Thailand’s head of state helps put food in people’s stomach, decrease socioeconomic disparity, and put roofs over people’s heads exactly how?
The most ironic bit of this all is that Andrew Walker of this “free speech” crusade, REGULARLY blocks, bans, and manipulates the comments of people he disagrees with right here on New Mandala!
The scary part is total media blackout of news from the province. All news are Bangkok-centric, of how “happy” people are for coup and the glorious future awaiting Thailand.
But there are virtually no news about how the people outside Bangkok feel. Only news of raids on red shirt stronghold and happy farmers.
That’s why the tension in Bangkok are almost as palpable as the oppressing heat. Eye of the storm.
LOL! This comment is a true GEM!
Accusing AMM of not understand or live in Thailand and “flaming opponent”.
And in the same sweep, calling all other academics in NM as bigots.
I must say, although Roosa is a great historian (especially for his work on G30S), I find the article extremely one-sided, and therefore biased (despite it having many merits). One instance is when he wrote about Jokowi’s Import-substitution policy intentions. Prabowo from Day 1 has endorsed a similar policy, especially in agriculture. Political preferences aside, Import substitution industrialisation policies have proven to create massive inflation, and hence debt, due to the problem of “crisis of capital” – such as what Brazil and Argentina is facing right now. Moreover, we all know the implications of taking production efforts domestically: inefficiency, and more gov’t debt.
Chang Dek #28. That being the case, PTP and the red shirts could have have easily deactivated the establishment’s smear campaign by retiring that one man who represents such a fatal vulnerability to them. If they truly represent an ideology worth fighting for, why are they so dependent on only one leader? Do they have no other leaders, who are independent of Thaksin and can move the ideology forward for the good of the people and win over detractors? I can’t imagine a party in a developed democracy retaining a leader who was such an easy target for critics and persistently brought down the whole party.
The Democrats need to reform to make themselves competitive in elections and by the same token PTP needs to have a serious think about how to revamp themselves, so that they are tolerated by the losers after elections. That’s how developed democracies work in most of the countries where NM posters come from, even though many seem to want something different for Thailand.
Facebook 
Twitter 
Soundcloud 
Youtube 
Rss
Thailand: a “soft revolution” in a happy country
The hopes that some people had of this coup being led by people genuinely wanting to be neutral and simply keeping the peace are now exposed as dreams with the recent announcements of exactly which people are going to run the country. They’re all anti Thaksin. We can expect new laws/rules designed to engineer a return to govt. by the ‘Democrat’ (sic) party.
Thorns of the Thai rose
I noticed a friend here in Thailand watching Rose speaking on social media today. She watched the whole thing and was quite moved. We talked about the importance of feee speech and how brave Rose is. I thought this was evidence that Rose’s sacrifices are not in vain. Thanks Camille for telling us about her story.
Thorns of the Thai rose
So actually reading many of the posts here and there we seem to live in a very simple world. On one side there are nice pure moral guys acting for their heart. And on the other side we have bad greedy guys who get paid. Thanks to all, I can now remove my brain and store it in a box.
It is actually worse than Hollywood blockbuster!!
Thailand, what next?
Which man? Two spring to mind.
Thailand, what next?
I’ve often said that the institution which is totally untouchable is not the monarchy. It’s the army. I just wish there was a Handley who could write about this disgraceful band of thugs. Reform the army (nepotism out), introduce transparency in regard to budgets and purchases, and Thailand can really begin to move forward.
Thorns of the Thai rose
Jay…
I agree its sort of amazing how even when under royally supported military rule many (most?) Thai people are able to live their lives without too much restriction…
The impact of the coup seems quite selective… as usual the military disturb the lives of politicians and anyone that is seen as active or potentially active in politics, human rights, local and international media, any health workers that try to treat enemies of the state, etc.
Also of course the military atrocities down south, Rohinga refugees, etc continue.
What happens in the country and regions is hardly reported so people in Bangkok hardly know what is happening there whether there is a coup or not.
I guess as long as the education system, noted by several people above, and food keeps being delivered to the markets anyone introverted and complacent about their life can accept the continuing royal and military propaganda that all is well in Thailand and ever will be.
Thorns of the Thai rose
It’s all about respect I live in the UK for 12 years. I has never seen English people disrespect full the queen . Democracy is not about pick one colour and attract the another it’s about doing the right thing for the public. This woman clearly a red shirt supporter who get paid to do this. Before you judge the Army or the Thai people you need to open your eyes and look at wider angle.
Thailand, what next?
Ah, but what proportion of that 34 % figure for NE Thailand, actually living in Bangkok and benefitting from the 25 % GDP and 72 % public expenditure figures, for things like transport, public health, education and other infrastructure in the capital? Due to the false picture generated by having people registered not where they are actually living-working, but where the system wants them to be registered, these sorts of official data analyses have to be treated with extreme caution. I am in no way defending the unbalanced public spending on Bangkok, but I would suggest the inequality is not as severe as the data appears, and the NE does rather better out of BKK than people give credit for. There is also the massive “shadow economy” to consider, which does not enter into World Bank analyses, and which I suspect large sections of the NE profits nicely from, especially those that lead PT in the region.
Thorns of the Thai rose
Thaksin “a mass murdering psychopath” (still looking for the mass murder…)
But Guss the guest is clearly not “engaged in crass, juvenile hate speech” and does not “call someone names” because he/she at least knows that this is not “constructive or progressive”…
Thorns of the Thai rose
According to weakileaks and some embassy cables, Prayuth is representing the interests of the queen (In 2010 he was seen by members of the privy councilas as very “loyal to the queen”). Prem and others in the privy council obviously advised him to succeed to Anupong as army general.
So I pretty much doubt that Prayuth will be this “very exceptional people could think clearly while in rage and/or intoxicatingly lured by the temptations of lucre and power” that you pray for.
He is just here to represent the interest of a certain category of people and their “temptations of lucre and power”.
My advise, if you are not in Thailand (the website is blocked there), is to check this website: http://thaicables.wordpress.com/
Thorns of the Thai rose
Thai tulip: It is your right to love your king. But to you and all others, here is what I have to say:
1. “we used to live peacefully under the monarchy”: peacefully has not always been true. Just remember 1976, 1992 and please pay respect to those who died on those days. The 1976 was clearly ordered by the palace (and whoever was in charge in there); the 1992 massacre came from a dictator that was endorsed by the palace, so even if the king finally intervened to stop the massacre, those who died this day can still thank the palace for allowing the army dictatorship to step in in the first place. Please watch those videos and remember those who died for their ideas and their freedom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64YETFMa0_s&feature=youtube_gdata_player
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siO2u9aRzns&feature=youtu.be
2. I don’t think the crisis in Thailand right now is about whether the king has been doing well or not. It is about the succession and the crown prince, and the fact that the prince is not loved and when in power will not be able to maintain the enormous priviledges that the monarchy and its friends have had for decades. A lot of people have a lot to loose, some of those revealed themselves in the 2014 protests, but many are still hidden behind the scene and lese majeste laws. And those people are ready to do anything, including losing anonymous harmless human lives, to keep their power.
At least acknowledge that. We can love a particular king, but at the same time be cautious about the monarchy as an institution.
Thorns of the Thai rose
And I also wonder about the queen in all that. This time, is really the king in charge? Seems to me there is a Prem-Queen-Princess alliance here. The crown prince is away in England, under high security (to avoid being killed?). Game of Thrones is not that far…..
Thorns of the Thai rose
I hate Red shirts but do not support yellow nor military. I understand her thinking and I agree that my country lacks freedom of speech. Anyway I still love the king and some royal members not all. This issue is really hard to discuss in Thailand.
However, after I saw her videos, I must accept that her speech is really rude. It’s strange when she is against Thai royal family but loves the English. In the point that you can view your opinion toward English dynasty, I think this is okay and I do hope Thais can do this too. The fact is if Rose demonstrates her opinion in the polite and educated way, may be it’s more persuasive and agreeable.
For the comparison, it’s ridiculous to say Thailand is similar to North Korea. Even during Coup d’etat, I don’t feel scared at all. I see most people panic especially foreigners, hmm understand. Governed by military seems to be scary, but it’s not like 1984 at all. Sometimes the image of Thai military is not powerful like the old days except they have weapon, this point, yes, it’s make them gain some power but with true feeling, nothing to be scared at all. Admittedly, the politic issue in Thai needs development but We can live as we like which is really contrast to North Korea.
This is how I feel as a Thai who support John Lennon’s idea.
Thailand, what next?
I found the latest government video explaining the comfortable circumstances of the detainees and quoting Jatuporn as saying that everybody is learning to understand opposing views, quite worrying.
Thorns of the Thai rose
Rose is engaged in crass, juvenile hate speech that would not be tolerated anywhere in the world if it were directed at homosexuals, Jews, blacks, or anyone else for that matter. It is not “free speech,” it is slander, calls for violence, and defamation.
She is openly a “red shirt” working in support of a mass murdering psychopath running the country remotely from Dubai – so in other words – aiding and abetting a dangerous convicted criminal.
Defending people like “Rose” undermines REAL free speech and undermines the struggles of people facing REAL censorship.
Furthermore – to claim Rose is an “activist” for cursing and deferring exclusively to vitriol undermines REAL activism. Anyone can call someone names. How is this constructive or progressive? Where is her solution? Allowing the slandering, threatening, and defamation of Thailand’s head of state helps put food in people’s stomach, decrease socioeconomic disparity, and put roofs over people’s heads exactly how?
The most ironic bit of this all is that Andrew Walker of this “free speech” crusade, REGULARLY blocks, bans, and manipulates the comments of people he disagrees with right here on New Mandala!
Thorns of the Thai rose
I’m not going to say much here but please read this blogs https://www.facebook.com/notes/meaw-davis/l%C3%A8se-majest%C3%A9-those-who-dare-defy-the-king-of-thailand/10152469306162216 Many thanks.
Thailand, what next?
The scary part is total media blackout of news from the province. All news are Bangkok-centric, of how “happy” people are for coup and the glorious future awaiting Thailand.
But there are virtually no news about how the people outside Bangkok feel. Only news of raids on red shirt stronghold and happy farmers.
That’s why the tension in Bangkok are almost as palpable as the oppressing heat. Eye of the storm.
Condemnation of the coup
LOL! This comment is a true GEM!
Accusing AMM of not understand or live in Thailand and “flaming opponent”.
And in the same sweep, calling all other academics in NM as bigots.
You, sir, made my day! Love it!
Flame on!
Sukarno’s two bodies
I must say, although Roosa is a great historian (especially for his work on G30S), I find the article extremely one-sided, and therefore biased (despite it having many merits). One instance is when he wrote about Jokowi’s Import-substitution policy intentions. Prabowo from Day 1 has endorsed a similar policy, especially in agriculture. Political preferences aside, Import substitution industrialisation policies have proven to create massive inflation, and hence debt, due to the problem of “crisis of capital” – such as what Brazil and Argentina is facing right now. Moreover, we all know the implications of taking production efforts domestically: inefficiency, and more gov’t debt.
Thailand, what next?
Chang Dek #28. That being the case, PTP and the red shirts could have have easily deactivated the establishment’s smear campaign by retiring that one man who represents such a fatal vulnerability to them. If they truly represent an ideology worth fighting for, why are they so dependent on only one leader? Do they have no other leaders, who are independent of Thaksin and can move the ideology forward for the good of the people and win over detractors? I can’t imagine a party in a developed democracy retaining a leader who was such an easy target for critics and persistently brought down the whole party.
The Democrats need to reform to make themselves competitive in elections and by the same token PTP needs to have a serious think about how to revamp themselves, so that they are tolerated by the losers after elections. That’s how developed democracies work in most of the countries where NM posters come from, even though many seem to want something different for Thailand.