In your “about” section on the tab above it says New Mandela
“provides anecdote, analysis and new perspectives on mainland Southeast Asia.”
Which of those does this piece fall under?
Most readers are likely to correctly assume that all Cod’s article offers is just a reworking of an old, dominant perspective that offers no real, evidence-based analysis.
It is, however, packed full of relatively meaningless anecdote that tell us nothing substantiated about Thailand’s monarchy but plenty about the wide-eyed fanaticism of the author.
Given that it is so far from NM’s brief I think the editors should explain why they’ve run a piece that just repackages lines that any serious Thai-watcher would’ve heard 1000s of times before.
Without that explanation all we can assume is that NM has descended into some kind of desperate attempt to “provoke a debate” and get their stats up.
Which is as about as far from academic endeavour as one could get and something which will only diminish NM’s standing as a serious space for discussion.
NT – you appear to be assuming that a significant number of those voting for PT are not “pro-monarchy”. If so, what’s your evidence for such an assumption? It’s certainly not something that I saw reflected in the 2011 campaigning – except, of course, as an allegation propagated by Dems and others opposed to PT. Whatever else it was, the 2011 election wasn’t a referendum on the monarchy.
This is by far the worst article that I have ever read in the NM. The article is full of historical inaccuracies, selectively picked information, rationally flawed arguments, etc.
However, this is nothing far from expectation. Cod Satrusayang is known among Thai social media users as a staunch ultra-royalist.
There are many Thais who would want to write a response to this article. But under the strict and draconian lese majeste law, an alternative point of view in contrary to the official or this writer’s version is prohibited since those doing so could end up in jail for 15 years.
someone asked where Thailand would be without its king?has anyone ever thought about whether it will:- Would have given the military coups,- The military governments- The massacres- So many lies and crimes that happened in the last 65 years- Who was the invisible hand in the background?
Voranai Vanijaka of the Bangkok Post is a pro-ammat columnist. He is not much different from Khun Cod himself. The big question for these two men is why the “silent majority” decided to vote Pheu Thai into the current ruling government in the 2011 general elections? Why did the majority of voters reject the pro-monarchy Democrat Party despite the army boss’s pleas to vote for “good persons”?
May I suggest that the next time you decide to publish this kind of royalist tribute, you preface it with a prominent disclaimer and reminder to all your readers that it is a crime in Thailand to publicly challenge or disagree with much of what the article claims.
Why does New Mandala stoop so low and publish such an unanswerable essay? This is not freedom of speech but a trap for anyone to criticise such a pathetic piece. I for one will not debate with Cod Satrusayang as I do not want to spend years in prison.
Everyone in North Korea loves Kim Jong Un. So much so that they spontaneously stand up in movie theaters in utmost respect. You won’t find anyone criticizing him, so much is their love. He has saved North Korea from Chinese invasion, American invasion, famine and disease. If it wasn’t for Kim Jong Un and his family, North Korea will collapse under corrupt politicians fighting in a parliament. Of course, since Kim is entirely unable to defend himself given his vulnerable status, laws must be made for protection against defamation and what-not. The laws aren’t really necessary though, because everyone loves Kim Jong Un. He isn’t like other leaders around the world, and if you aren’t North Korean you couldn’t possibly understand. Long live Kim.
It was thoughtful of New Mandala to post this exercise in rhetoric. Students of logic will learn much from studying the examples of circular reasoning and “begging the question” that were illustrated within Mr. Satrusayang’s essay.
Excellent review, thanks Inga.
Burmese women by and large do make their own decisions. To paraphrase Karl Marx people make their own history but in circumstances not of their own choosing.
Notwithstanding the inevitable discrimination and exploitation Thailand has been an asset to the peoples of Burma (oppressed and deprived of livelihoods, goods and services, even killed, maimed and driven out of their homes by a brutal military dictatorship), first as a trading partner and source of scarce basic commodities in an indispensable and burgeoning black market, then as a safe haven and a major employer.
Would the exploitation be any less ruthless and the employers any kinder or more generous under the laobans and Western bosses in the SEZs of the newly democratised Burma opening up essentially for business purposes?
The only way is to organise and fight for their rights. No relying on the quasi-civilian govt or the dear Lady now looking out for number one and so very keen on development ├а la the Washington Consensus never mind the ongoing civil war, sectarian violence and land seizures.
Money makes the world go round, eh, plan B? What’s with the begging basket case mentality? The dependency culture and the poverty trap beckoning.
Priorities, stupid! The domestic market interlinked with land and food production, income growth for farming communities underpinned by improvements in infrastructure and small scale farm mechanisation geared to their needs, security of land tenure and availability of credit at reasonable rates.
STOP THE WAR!
STOP LAND SEIZURES!
PEACE, LAND AND FOOD!
Close but NO money
Suharto hated America despite purported support.
1) Indonesia never enjoy near 3 decades of useless careless policy.
2) The ethnic strife within Indonesia pale in comparison to Myanmar.
3) Indonesia is one of the biggest aid receiver next to (guess who) Bangladesh!
These near redeemable differences with ramifications of each that was not dealt with within Myanmar has now created the 3rd generational problems.
Anyone with haft a sense of statistic must realize that the quagmire now involve at least 8 even assuming a minimum dichotomous nature of each lost opportunity.
1. What do you think will be the most important issue that the new government must address?
BN or Pakatan who ever wins, the first thing they have to do is to dismantle all race base policies which is considered the toughest of all tasks, failing which the winner will be demonized.
Religious freedom must be guarded and Fed Constitution should be amended to make way for the same, for now the Syariah law is made superior to civil laws of the country.
All races in the country should be treated equal.
Malaysians today wants a real democracy and not dictatorship disguising as democracy.
Malaysians want real separations of power and the executive should not mock the parliament and judiciary for example the Speaker comes from the ruling party all biased.
All kind of racial discrimination should end abruptly and all Malaysians should be looked upon equally.
Election should be clean and fair and the electoral must not be tainted with fake and bogus voters.
All schools in the nation should be streamlined as national schools i.e. the Malay National School, The Chinese National School, and the Tamil National School fully government aided.
Poverty should be eradicated at all cost and a minimum salary of RM1500.00 must be enforced both for the government and the private sectors.
Crime should be reduced to zero. The IPCMC should come into force to address the same.
The registrar of societies should be neutral and all interference by the government directly or indirectly should be stopped.
Stateless Malaysians issue should be addressed and all Malaysian born citizens should be immediately given the citizenship with birth certificates and blue Identity Cards without bureaucratic interference.
2. What do you think is Barisan Nasional’s greatest strength?
BN strength? Their DIVIDE & RULE POLICY.
3. What do you think is Barisan Nasional’s greatest weakness?
Instead of initiating real change for the rakyat they prefer to give handouts to tackle voters to put them back in power.
4. What do you think is Pakatan Rakyat’s greatest strength?
The Makkal Sakthi spirit which is now diminishing. They should dismantle their race base parties to merge into one single Malaysian Malaysia party.
5. What do you think is Pakatan Rakyat’s greatest weakness?
Like BN, not acknowledging the legitimate rights of all Malaysians, keep playing the race and religion game, trying to create a BN clone.
6. What is your hope for Malaysia?
For Malaysia to become a better place to live in a peaceful environment for all.
Facebook 
Twitter 
Soundcloud 
Youtube 
Rss
Why Thailand needs its king
In your “about” section on the tab above it says New Mandela
“provides anecdote, analysis and new perspectives on mainland Southeast Asia.”
Which of those does this piece fall under?
Most readers are likely to correctly assume that all Cod’s article offers is just a reworking of an old, dominant perspective that offers no real, evidence-based analysis.
It is, however, packed full of relatively meaningless anecdote that tell us nothing substantiated about Thailand’s monarchy but plenty about the wide-eyed fanaticism of the author.
Given that it is so far from NM’s brief I think the editors should explain why they’ve run a piece that just repackages lines that any serious Thai-watcher would’ve heard 1000s of times before.
Without that explanation all we can assume is that NM has descended into some kind of desperate attempt to “provoke a debate” and get their stats up.
Which is as about as far from academic endeavour as one could get and something which will only diminish NM’s standing as a serious space for discussion.
GE13 commentary – Timothy Daniels
Possibly the first advisory firm (international or domestic) to state that investors will be better off under Pakatan Rakyat.
Why Thailand needs its king
Since the Somyot case and the furore over the FCCT I do worry that Mew Mandala is going downhill.
Why Thailand needs its king
NT – you appear to be assuming that a significant number of those voting for PT are not “pro-monarchy”. If so, what’s your evidence for such an assumption? It’s certainly not something that I saw reflected in the 2011 campaigning – except, of course, as an allegation propagated by Dems and others opposed to PT. Whatever else it was, the 2011 election wasn’t a referendum on the monarchy.
Why Thailand needs its king
Does Thailand need generals who refuse to follow orders from the elected government and only obey the King (or Queen or Privy Council)?
Does Thailand need a Constitution Court and Judiciary who do not follow any actual laws but only the instructions of the King and his representatives?
Does Thailand need an out-sized network of Royals who operate entirely above and outside any legal framework with total entitlement and impunity?
Why Thailand needs its king
This is by far the worst article that I have ever read in the NM. The article is full of historical inaccuracies, selectively picked information, rationally flawed arguments, etc.
However, this is nothing far from expectation. Cod Satrusayang is known among Thai social media users as a staunch ultra-royalist.
There are many Thais who would want to write a response to this article. But under the strict and draconian lese majeste law, an alternative point of view in contrary to the official or this writer’s version is prohibited since those doing so could end up in jail for 15 years.
Why Thailand needs its king
someone asked where Thailand would be without its king?has anyone ever thought about whether it will:- Would have given the military coups,- The military governments- The massacres- So many lies and crimes that happened in the last 65 years- Who was the invisible hand in the background?
Why Thailand needs its king
Voranai Vanijaka of the Bangkok Post is a pro-ammat columnist. He is not much different from Khun Cod himself. The big question for these two men is why the “silent majority” decided to vote Pheu Thai into the current ruling government in the 2011 general elections? Why did the majority of voters reject the pro-monarchy Democrat Party despite the army boss’s pleas to vote for “good persons”?
Why Thailand needs its king
May I suggest that the next time you decide to publish this kind of royalist tribute, you preface it with a prominent disclaimer and reminder to all your readers that it is a crime in Thailand to publicly challenge or disagree with much of what the article claims.
Why Thailand needs its king
Why does New Mandala stoop so low and publish such an unanswerable essay? This is not freedom of speech but a trap for anyone to criticise such a pathetic piece. I for one will not debate with Cod Satrusayang as I do not want to spend years in prison.
Why Thailand needs its king
Everyone in North Korea loves Kim Jong Un. So much so that they spontaneously stand up in movie theaters in utmost respect. You won’t find anyone criticizing him, so much is their love. He has saved North Korea from Chinese invasion, American invasion, famine and disease. If it wasn’t for Kim Jong Un and his family, North Korea will collapse under corrupt politicians fighting in a parliament. Of course, since Kim is entirely unable to defend himself given his vulnerable status, laws must be made for protection against defamation and what-not. The laws aren’t really necessary though, because everyone loves Kim Jong Un. He isn’t like other leaders around the world, and if you aren’t North Korean you couldn’t possibly understand. Long live Kim.
Cross-border Shan: Naw Kham and Twet Nga Lu
Another recent drug-lord who operated in that area was Lo Hsing-Han, but the Burmese military junta and Singapore protected him:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/apr/08/johnsweeney.theobserver
Before that there was that infamous Khun Sa (Chang Chi-Fu), who died a few years ago:
http://www.economist.com/node/10097596
Drug warlords are a dime a dozen in that region!
Why Thailand needs its king
It was thoughtful of New Mandala to post this exercise in rhetoric. Students of logic will learn much from studying the examples of circular reasoning and “begging the question” that were illustrated within Mr. Satrusayang’s essay.
Review of Thailand’s Hidden Workforce
Excellent review, thanks Inga.
Burmese women by and large do make their own decisions. To paraphrase Karl Marx people make their own history but in circumstances not of their own choosing.
Notwithstanding the inevitable discrimination and exploitation Thailand has been an asset to the peoples of Burma (oppressed and deprived of livelihoods, goods and services, even killed, maimed and driven out of their homes by a brutal military dictatorship), first as a trading partner and source of scarce basic commodities in an indispensable and burgeoning black market, then as a safe haven and a major employer.
Would the exploitation be any less ruthless and the employers any kinder or more generous under the laobans and Western bosses in the SEZs of the newly democratised Burma opening up essentially for business purposes?
The only way is to organise and fight for their rights. No relying on the quasi-civilian govt or the dear Lady now looking out for number one and so very keen on development ├а la the Washington Consensus never mind the ongoing civil war, sectarian violence and land seizures.
Is Malaysia’s electoral system ready for GE13
[…] Is Malaysia’s electoral system ready for GE13 (asiapacific.anu.edu.au) […]
Malaysian Indians and democratisation
Great article
On Myanmar’s plural society
Money makes the world go round, eh, plan B? What’s with the begging basket case mentality? The dependency culture and the poverty trap beckoning.
Priorities, stupid! The domestic market interlinked with land and food production, income growth for farming communities underpinned by improvements in infrastructure and small scale farm mechanisation geared to their needs, security of land tenure and availability of credit at reasonable rates.
STOP THE WAR!
STOP LAND SEIZURES!
PEACE, LAND AND FOOD!
Everyday ethnic tensions in Myanmar
Well, you know best mate. Obvious, innit?
On Myanmar’s plural society
Close but NO money
Suharto hated America despite purported support.
1) Indonesia never enjoy near 3 decades of useless careless policy.
2) The ethnic strife within Indonesia pale in comparison to Myanmar.
3) Indonesia is one of the biggest aid receiver next to (guess who) Bangladesh!
These near redeemable differences with ramifications of each that was not dealt with within Myanmar has now created the 3rd generational problems.
Anyone with haft a sense of statistic must realize that the quagmire now involve at least 8 even assuming a minimum dichotomous nature of each lost opportunity.
GE13 Malaysia – Sonia Randhawa
1. What do you think will be the most important issue that the new government must address?
BN or Pakatan who ever wins, the first thing they have to do is to dismantle all race base policies which is considered the toughest of all tasks, failing which the winner will be demonized.
Religious freedom must be guarded and Fed Constitution should be amended to make way for the same, for now the Syariah law is made superior to civil laws of the country.
All races in the country should be treated equal.
Malaysians today wants a real democracy and not dictatorship disguising as democracy.
Malaysians want real separations of power and the executive should not mock the parliament and judiciary for example the Speaker comes from the ruling party all biased.
All kind of racial discrimination should end abruptly and all Malaysians should be looked upon equally.
Election should be clean and fair and the electoral must not be tainted with fake and bogus voters.
All schools in the nation should be streamlined as national schools i.e. the Malay National School, The Chinese National School, and the Tamil National School fully government aided.
Poverty should be eradicated at all cost and a minimum salary of RM1500.00 must be enforced both for the government and the private sectors.
Crime should be reduced to zero. The IPCMC should come into force to address the same.
The registrar of societies should be neutral and all interference by the government directly or indirectly should be stopped.
Stateless Malaysians issue should be addressed and all Malaysian born citizens should be immediately given the citizenship with birth certificates and blue Identity Cards without bureaucratic interference.
2. What do you think is Barisan Nasional’s greatest strength?
BN strength? Their DIVIDE & RULE POLICY.
3. What do you think is Barisan Nasional’s greatest weakness?
Instead of initiating real change for the rakyat they prefer to give handouts to tackle voters to put them back in power.
4. What do you think is Pakatan Rakyat’s greatest strength?
The Makkal Sakthi spirit which is now diminishing. They should dismantle their race base parties to merge into one single Malaysian Malaysia party.
5. What do you think is Pakatan Rakyat’s greatest weakness?
Like BN, not acknowledging the legitimate rights of all Malaysians, keep playing the race and religion game, trying to create a BN clone.
6. What is your hope for Malaysia?
For Malaysia to become a better place to live in a peaceful environment for all.
Independent Citizen Journalist.