Thailand Politics

[Seydlitz]

It really doesn't matter who's in charge, we'll always be at best, merely tolerated, and largely remain victims of various double-standards and prejudices. All Thais are brainwashed xenophobes, institutionally conditioned by the ruling Thai Nazis to be protectionist, suspicious, ultra-right-wing nationalists.

And in return most Farangs look down on the Thais as being unable to properly run their own country, which incidentally is not too far from the mark, even by their standards.

Regrettably, we have to adjust to the sad fact that we will never be able to run it for them (and for us…). Mind you, we do not really need to run the entire country. A few international concessions like in the China of the ‘30s in the areas we hold dearest (Pattaya, Phuket, Samui, Hua Hin perhaps) would be more than enough, I guess.

[Daddy07]

...It really doesn't matter who's in charge, we'll always be at best, merely tolerated, and largely remain victims of various double-standards and prejudices. All Thais are brainwashed xenophobes, institutionally conditioned by the ruling Thai Nazis to be protectionist, suspicious, ultra-right-wing nationalists.

While not an ideal situation, I'm happy enough with the status quo.

My concern is the possibility of being treated like the Jews in Nazi Germany after 1933. You know ... a knock at the door in the middle of the night. I can abide a few double standards and prejudices, but not the loss of my life or property.

Actually, from my persepctive, I'm treated pretty well right now as a Farang.

[Old Thai Hand]

We have but one major concern with the coming transition: How will the Farang be treated?

I don't know that this particular transition will have any impact on how Farang are treated, despite the fact that HRH despises Farang. He won't be the one setting policy.

But, it is interesting that regardless of the current govt.'s hatred of Taksin, they have reversed none of his draconian policies regarding visa regulations and in fact, successive govt.s since he was deposed have made staying here even tougher for us than he ever did.

It really doesn't matter who's in charge, we'll always be at best, merely tolerated, and largely remain victims of various double-standards and prejudices. All Thais are brainwashed xenophobes, institutionally conditioned by the ruling Thai Nazis to be protectionist, suspicious, ultra-right-wing nationalists.

[Run Mann]

New Video on Thai PM Vejjajiva on CNN, he's smooth.


http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video...bhist.thai.cnn

[Daddy07]

...one always has the shining example of 1917 to remind us that the ruling class does not win every time. (A more apt comparison than Iran 1979 I think - what do you gents think?).

I think that one ruling class was exchanged for another, tens of millions of human beings met their deaths, and nothing changed for the better.

Ruling classes ... they are all the same, regardless of political persuasion.

We have but one major concern with the coming transition: How will the Farang be treated?

[Opebo]

It is obvious that we all have a lot to fear as this reign is coming to an end, but IMHO the worst case scenario is not the most probable. Or at least that is what I want to believe…

I agree. Personally I don't give much credence to the idea that 'reverence' for any one person is really going to control masses who are deeply angry about their own condition, treatment, and interests. I think that in general systems of oppression have deep roots - look at my own sad land: the US has no revered person, and yet everyone accepts their exploitation. Fear always lies behind the hubris and delusion that keeps the serfs in line.

If you look at what happened with the red-shirts - just a brief display of opposition and then rapid caving in to the man with the gun - I think we can see that Thais simply fear power. It is ingrained in them, and probably all the successor(s) will have to do is a few weeks show of brutality to get things in line. Of course I could be wrong - one always has the shining example of 1917 to remind us that the ruling class does not win every time. (A more apt comparison than Iran 1979 I think - what do you gents think?).

[Terry Terrier]

Man the new PM is getting hammered on the BBC for whipping and towing those refugees out to sea. Reports make Thailand look draconian. All they show are jail houses, young girls getting locked up, over crowding, many died, etc.

We laughed at his exposure when caught lying to Jonathan Head about his party's connections to the PAD, but it is so sad to see him being so squirmingly, uncomfortably dishonest covering for his Army controllers over a major human rights abuse issue:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&v=FF3zqBK_gNU

Times are clearly so desperate nowadays that one of the very few politicians who was capable of navigating Thailand away from it's impending abyss has been trashed by the latest mob of unsavoury incumbents .

[Terry Terrier]

Just as the Thai govt. is failing in its attempt to muzzle the Internet, and in particular any site deemed "a threat to national security" (i.e. sites critical of the monarchy, critical of the govt., or which show Thai women in an unfavourable light), this "open letter", which has been making the rounds is at best an unconvincing critique aimed not just at The Economist, but the international media, in general in a feeble attempt at shoring up a disintegrating status quo.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009...n_30102294.php

The Thai press falls lock-step into place behind the establsiment's attempt to maintain the now very thin veneer of respect for the monarchy. While the Thai elite, the Thai govt. and the Thai press continue to try to convince everyone that the much-loved King and the monarchy are one-in-the-same, the truth is quite different.

As the now, much-less-visible King becomes increasingly frail, and stares into the rapidly approaching abyss of his own mortality, the appologists for the monarchy, (which has been, since the 1960s nothing more than a symbolic umbrella to protect the vested interest of the few) are becoming increasingly strident and unconvincing in their arguments. With the recent unrest, major cracks are forming in the shell of blind obedience that has protected the powerful for far too long. For the first time, the royal family, and especially the queen are being criticized by large segments of the disenfranchised populace, something that would have been unthinkable even a couple of years ago.

The more visible street battles of the yellows and the reds are merely the tip of the iceberg. Many other, unreported protests and disturbances occur on a weekly basis that, while not directly related to the main battles are more significantly an indication of an ongoing, wide-spread malaise and dissatisfaction with the lot in life of the vast majority of Thais.

The band-aid still largely holding the pieces all together, however precariously is the image and myth of the King, and to a much lesser extent, the institutional, feudalistic brainwashing to which most Thais still obediently subscribe.

When the King dies, it will all come crashing down, despite the lame attempts of people like the author of the above "open letter" to maintain the self-serving and false illusions needed by those in power to justify their continual plundering and oppression of the country.

The biggest problem is that there is no "shining light" unifying figure on the near horizon. Abhisit is quite clean, but he stepped up to the plate too soon and in extremely dodgy circumstances. He blew his chance.

We can only hope and pray that things don't descent into civil war.

[Old Thai Hand]

Just as the Thai govt. is failing in its attempt to muzzle the Internet, and in particular any site deemed "a threat to national security" (i.e. sites critical of the monarchy, critical of the govt., or which show Thai women in an unfavourable light), this "open letter", which has been making the rounds is at best an unconvincing critique aimed not just at The Economist, but the international media, in general in a feeble attempt at shoring up a disintegrating status quo.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009...n_30102294.php

The Thai press falls lock-step into place behind the establsiment's attempt to maintain the now very thin veneer of respect for the monarchy. While the Thai elite, the Thai govt. and the Thai press continue to try to convince everyone that the much-loved King and the monarchy are one-in-the-same, the truth is quite different.

As the now, much-less-visible King becomes increasingly frail, and stares into the rapidly approaching abyss of his own mortality, the appologists for the monarchy, (which has been, since the 1960s nothing more than a symbolic umbrella to protect the vested interest of the few) are becoming increasingly strident and unconvincing in their arguments. With the recent unrest, major cracks are forming in the shell of blind obedience that has protected the powerful for far too long. For the first time, the royal family, and especially the queen are being criticized by large segments of the disenfranchised populace, something that would have been unthinkable even a couple of years ago.

The more visible street battles of the yellows and the reds are merely the tip of the iceberg. Many other, unreported protests and disturbances occur on a weekly basis that, while not directly related to the main battles are more significantly an indication of an ongoing, wide-spread malaise and dissatisfaction with the lot in life of the vast majority of Thais.

The band-aid still largely holding the pieces all together, however precariously is the image and myth of the King, and to a much lesser extent, the institutional, feudalistic brainwashing to which most Thais still obediently subscribe.

When the King dies, it will all come crashing down, despite the lame attempts of people like the author of the above "open letter" to maintain the self-serving and false illusions needed by those in power to justify their continual plundering and oppression of the country.

[Jeff46]

I went for a walk in the Silom neighborhood early this morning and I was amazed at the number of soldiers and police guarding the Dusit Thani Hotel where an ASEAN health summit is underway. Didn't see very many lethal weapons, though.

The Abhisit government is obviously taking no chances after the ASEAN debacle in Pattaya last month.

It looked like a potential war zone out there, but funny thing, there was not a protester in sight.

http://www.reuters.com/news/video?vi...videoChannel=1

[Fon Tok]

I went for a walk in the Silom neighborhood early this morning and I was amazed at the number of soldiers and police guarding the Dusit Thani Hotel where an ASEAN health summit is underway. Didn't see very many lethal weapons, though.

The Abhisit government is obviously taking no chances after the ASEAN debacle in Pattaya last month.

It looked like a potential war zone out there, but funny thing, there was not a protester in sight.

[Terry Terrier]

I don't have a crystal ball. So, I don't know, either what will happen. But, at the moment, at least, like the reds and the yellows, there are two antatogistic factions within the family, with corresponding and competing loyalties within the armed forces and the police. If, this isn't resolved internally, it could spill out into the general populace with disastrous results.

IMO it will require considerably more than an internal resolution to sort this one out. There will have to be some major PR drives very quickly after the major event. And no amount of intimidation by the 'security forces' will have much effect. As for controlling that damned modern media, it's like trying to package mist in a box!

[Old Thai Hand]

I wonder about that. I mean, it is indubitable that the reverence is for the person and not the institution, but the said person has been notoriously very frail and for all practical purposes out of the loop for quite some time now. As for the reverence, it is probably much less now than it was 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago.

It is obvious that we all have a lot to fear as this reign is coming to an end, but IMHO the worst case scenario is not the most probable. Or at least that is what I want to believe…

I don't have a crystal ball. So, I don't know, either what will happen. But, at the moment, at least, like the reds and the yellows, there are two antatogistic factions within the family, with corresponding and competing loyalties within the armed forces and the police. If, this isn't resolved internally, it could spill out into the general populace with disastrous results.

[Seydlitz]

When the man goes, in the not-to-distant future, so will go the reverence. Then, all hell will break loose making Monday's demonstrations and violence seem like a mild disagreement, by comparison.

I wonder about that. I mean, it is indubitable that the reverence is for the person and not the institution, but the said person has been notoriously very frail and for all practical purposes out of the loop for quite some time now. As for the reverence, it is probably much less now than it was 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago.

It is obvious that we all have a lot to fear as this reign is coming to an end, but IMHO the worst case scenario is not the most probable. Or at least that is what I want to believe…

[LittleBigMan]

I have heard and read what many econmic experts have been predicting for some time even before Obama came to office when it comes to the dollar versus the baht. The U.S. is printing too much money and once it is circulated it will de-value the dollar not only in Thailand but throughout the world. If Thailand wasn't having problems like the rest of the world the dollar versus the baht might be 25/1 so at 35/1 and being on a budget I'm just happy it's not even 31/1 as it was last year!

Aside from the above I will do as OTH, and defer back to Giotto for his comments if any.

LBM