“Uncle SMS” death inspires hypocrisy, indifference among politicians
Originally published at Siam Voices on May 12, 2012 The death of Ampon Tangnoppakul on Monday, known as "Ah Kong" (grandpa) or "Uncle SMS" and imprisoned under the lèse majesté law for allegedly sending inflammatory text messages against the monarchy, has sparked widespread outcry, condemnation and anger — domestic and international alike. However, one group of people that have been very silent on this matter were Thailand's politicians - and if there were any statements from both sides, then they showed the hypocrisy, double standard and sheer cowardice in order to maintain an unstable status quo concerning Article 112 of the Criminal Code.
Among the first to respond when questioned about Ampon's fate and the re-ignited discussion over the lèse majesté law, was Abhisit Vejjajiva of the opposition Democrat party, who said that the death of the 62-year old grandfather "must not be exploited for political gain." He continued:
He said the government was duty-bound to explain what happened to Ampon as he was in the custodial care of the Corrections Department under the supervision of the government.
"Reds told not to exploit Ampon's death", Bangkok Post, May 10, 2012
What Abhisit completely neglects to mention is that it was during his time as prime minister that Ampon was arrested and brought to trial. What he also fails to mention is that it was his own personal secretary Somkiat Klongwattanasak who received those messages and reported them to the police — a fact that Abhisit still denies to have noticed until today, as heard recently at a FCCT event. That almost overshadows that there were no mentions of condolences or anything similar expressed by him reported in the press.
Another public figure who did actually expressed his condolences was (slightly surprisingly) army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, but in the same breath also reminds the people of his idea(ls) of 'being a Thai':
"ประเด็นสำคัญคือ กองทัพเสียใจ ไม่ว่า ใครก็ตามก็ถือว่า เป็นคนไทย ขอให้ทุกคนสำนึกความเป็นคนไทยกันมากๆ ว่า ความเป็นคนไทยต้อง คือ ต้องเคารพกฎหมาย รักชาติ ศาสนา พระมหากษัตริย์"พล.อ.ประยุทธ์กล่าว
"The important thing is that we, the armed forces, are sorry. Whoever [he was], [he was] a Thai. I want everybody to be very aware of being a Thai. Being a Thai means to respect the law, to love the country, religion and the monarchy," said General Prayuth.
""ประยุทธ์"เตือน อย่าดึงปม"อากง"โยงสถาบัน เผยกองทัพเสียใจ ชี้ให้มองความเป็นจริง", Matichon, May 10, 2012
As the kingdom's top soldier, he sees his duty to serve and protect the monarchy from all threats against it, no matter how constructed and perceived they are. Ever since his inception, the army chief has been consistently showing loyalty to the royal institution and vowing to crack down on lèse majesté offenders - because everything else to him is apparently not Thai.
However, it was most anticipated what (if at all) prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra would say about the death of 'Uncle SMS' - it took her five days to say this:
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday she has no plans to amend Section 112 - the lese majeste law - despite an outcry over the death of a 62-year-old man jailed for the offence. (...)
"I want to reaffirm that my government's policy is to stay put," Ms Yingluck said in response to questions about possible reform of the law. I have already told groups who push for amendment that the government's urgent mission is to solve economic problems."
"PM adamant she will not reform lese majeste law", Bangkok Post, May 12, 2012
This is almost a carbon copy of her statement she did in July last year shortly after her party won the elections:
Question: “Do you have any plan to change the 112 law?”
Answer: ”No, for me, I don’t have any idea to change the 112. I would not reform it, because it is not my policy and also this is an issue which is quite sensitive so we have to leave it to the people who have expertise to comment on that. I don’t want to see the misuse of this law regarding his majesty.”
"Will Yingluck amend Thailand’s lese majeste law?", Siam Voices, July 8, 2011
During the months following their election victory, it became clear that the new Yingluck government will NOT push for a reform of Article 112. Even worse, both the MICT minister and deputy prime minister Chalerm have vowed to crackdown even harder on alleged offenders, hinting to be part of a deal with the military not to touch this issue in exchange for a non-intervention against the government and potentially also not intervening against a potential return by Thaksin.
Nevertheless Yingluck's repeated refusal to touch the issue of lèse majesté is betraying a substantial part of her and the Pheu Thai Party's supporter base - many of which were hoping for a reform since they were the most targeted group under this law. Their loyalty has been put on the test before and a recent visit by Yingluck with Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda, regarded by many among her supporters as a nemesis, has divided opinions among the red shirts.
It appears that all sides have decided to maintain the status quo for the sake of stability. However, this stability of upholding Article 112 is not sustainable, as with each victim the opposition to this law will grow and could result in a backlash against the current government. The prisoners bear the brunt of a political battle, in which all sides could ultimately lose all their supporters.
Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Hamburg, Germany. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and on Facebook here.
Tongue-Thai’ed! Part IX: The 'Cib that Frabs' - Dems target PM Yingluck's gaffes
Originally published at Siam Voices on October 5, 2011 “Tongue-Thai’ed!” encapsulates the most baffling, amusing, confusing, outrageous and appalling quotes from Thai politicians and other public figures – in short: everything we hear that makes us go “Huh?!”. Check out all past entries here.
Last Sunday the Twitter account of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was 'hacked' - or rather somebody knows the password already or has guessed it correctly, which isn't necessarily 'hacking'.
There is a German saying that goes, "Who has the damage, doesn't need to provide for the ridicule". And to add injury to insult, Miss Chitpas Bhirombhakdi, the daughter of the executive vice-president of Singha Corporation, thus often-referred to as the “Singha-heiress” and now deputy spokeswoman for the now opposition Democrat Party (read about her debut here), has tweeted on Monday morning:
สื่อของ ยิ่งลักษณ์ นับวันจะถูกบีบให้เหลือน้อยลง สัมภาษณ์สดก็ไม่ได้ ออกทีวีก็ไม่เป็น ออกวิทยุก็พูดผิด ทวิตเตอร์ก็ถูกปิด ทีมงานเหนื่อย!
Yingluck's media outlets are dwindling by the days - she doesn't give live interviews, doesn 't do TV, mixes things up on [her] radio [show], now [her] Twitter [account] got closed! Her staff's exhausted!
Tweet by @TANTchitpas on October 3, 2011 at 08:41:48 , translation by me
This is the latest in a string of mocks and roasts against Yingluck and her government ever since the Democrat Party was booted out. Here's just a selection of attacks by the Democrat Party. Astonishingly and strangely enough, in a The Nation article on Yingluck's Twitter mishaps the editors somehow sneaked in a whole paragraph with something that has nothing to do with the actual story:
Yingluck also came under criticism from Democrat spokesman Chavanont Intarakolmalyasut for mispronouncing ya faek (vetiver grass) as ya praek (pesty grass). "Even when the prime minister was reading a script, she read it wrong," he said.
She should apologise for her slip-up during her weekly radio address, he said, adding that he did not think it would be funny if 15.7 million Pheu Thai supporters decided to grow weeds instead of vetiver grass for flood prevention.
Democrat MP Watchara Phetthong said Yingluck had made too many gaffes lately. Her misleading remarks about the Navy's submarine procurement request came just last week, followed by the inability to distinguish between the grass to prevent soil erosion and the weed, he said.
"Hacker of PM's twitter account 'identified'", The Nation, October 4, 2011
Before that several Democrat MPs have called the either Yingluck or her government a "puppet PM", being "obessed with helping Thaksin" and one even her a "ninja" - all that only just happened last September!
But the cake takes the aforementioned Watchara Petchthong who said this after Yingluck's radio slip-up:
"ผมถือได้ว่ารัฐบาลชุดนี้หลอกลวงพี่น้องประชาชน น่าจะเรียกได้ว่าเป็นรัฐบาล “แปตอหลู” และผมยืนยันว่าจะเรียกรัฐบาลว่าอย่างนี้ (...)"
"I say that this government has fooled the people, so you can say this government is a "cib that frabs" and I insist to [continue] call this government [like this] (...)"
"ส.ส.ปชป.ให้ฉายา'แปตอหลู' จี้นายกฯขอโทษพูดผิด", Thai Rath, October 2, 2011
Now, in order to understand what Watchara has called this government, we have to explain what "cib that frabs" or in original "แปตอหลู" (pronounced bae-dtoh-loo) actually means: If you want say something indirectly in Thai, people like to swap out letters that results in total gibberish. But if you put it into the right order, you would get "ปูตอแหล" (pronounced "pou-dtoh-lae"). ปู ("Pou") is Yingluck's nickname, while "ตอแหล" ("dtoh-lae") means to lie or to fib, though this word is only used for women. All in all then we would get the "crab that fibs" - which is a rather convoluted way to say that this government is lying.
While it is important that an opposition keeps the government in check and gives a nudge here and there when the occasion arises, it is interesting, if not revealing, to see how they criticize and for what and also what they actually say.
Just because we have a new government, it doesn’t mean they all suddenly stop saying stupid things. If you come across any verbosities that you think might fit in here send us an email at siamvoices [at] gmail.com or tweet us @siamvoices.
Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.
Subs or choppers? Thailand's military build-up hits a snag
Originally published at Siam Voices on October 4, 2011 The Nation wrote last week:
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the naval proposal to buy six U-206 submarines, worth Bt6.9 billion, from Germany, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said. (...)
The approval came as the last minute before the deal would expire on September 30.
The six submarines would be decommissioned by the German Navy. Four would be refurbished before the deployment in the Gulf of Thailand and two are slated for spare parts.
"Purchase of six used submarines approved: Yingluck", The Nation, September 27, 2011
Back in January, the Thai Navy voiced interest in buying two used submarines from the German Navy at an estimated cost of 6-7 billion Baht (US$195m - $228m). Over the course of the year the offer has increased to buy six submarines for about $257m from Germany, while there was a competing offer from Korea (source in German here). With this planned purchase, the Thai Navy is meant to launch its long-held ambitious plans to set up a submarine fleet, despite the doubtful strategic utilization. For one, the Gulf of Thailand is said to be too shallow for submarines.
However...
Leaving the [cabinet] meeting, Yingluck appeared slightly confused when asked if the Cabinet gave the green light to separate military plans to buy the German submarines and US-made Blackhawk helicopters.
"I don't recall that. The Cabinet discussed 37 points today [yesterday] and had no reservation. Regarding the submarine plan, it has been approved. But for the Blackhawks, there's some issues about the price that requires a discussion with the Budget Bureau," she said early yesterday afternoon.
However, about two hours later, after the prime minister's words had been reported by the online media, deputy government spokesman Chalitrat Chantharubeksa walked through the afternoon rain to the Government House press room to correct the prime minister's statement.
He said that the Cabinet did not consider the submarine-purchase plan yesterday.
"The prime minister may be mixed up between submarines and helicopters. In fact, she referred to helicopters," the deputy spokesman said, adding that the Army request to buy eight French-made helicopters was approved by the Cabinet. "She thought the question was about the eight helicopters."
He also joked that the inaccurate media reports stemming from the prime minister's "mix-up" might have "caused the Navy to be happy".
"PM's submarine 'mix-up'", The Nation, September 28, 2011
That is, of course, a completely different subject. As the Thai military has suffered the loss of three Bell 121 Huey helicopters within just over a week in July, killing a total of 17 people, the military officials have grounded all helicopters of that type and demanded new ones. That now seems to be the case - unless the government got something mixed up again...!
Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.
Thai PM Yingluck's Twitter account hacked
Originally published at Siam Voices on October 2, 2011 The Twitter account of Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (@PouYingluck) has apparently been taken over by hackers on Sunday morning between 10.22am and 10.43am, and sent out tweets which were critical of the government and its policies. So far, there have been eight such tweets:
This country is a business. We serve our own, not the Thai people. We do this for those who support/sponsor us, not those who disagree with us.
Where are the chances for the poor people? We have have exploited the poor, gave them hope only for their votes so that our group can benefit from it.
Where is the sustainability? Solving the flood problems isn't just looking good for the pictures but a collective effort of those with knowledge to find a long-term solution.
Is it time already that our country changes for the better, not just for looking good for the pictures in order to capitalize for their own corporations, relatives and the others who benefit.
The most important thing for this country is education. Why are they handing out tablet [PCs] but not fixing the curriculum or support the teachers by paying [them] more?
Why are [we] fixated by mega projects [such as] the mass landfill, building the world's tallest buildings, which doesn't have to do anything with this country.
Thailand needs change! It's time that everybody in this country wakes up! The stupidity must end!
If she cannot protect her own Twitter account, how can this country be protected then? Think about it...
At this time nothing is known about the people behind these messages other than the fact that the last word in the last tweet is the politeness-particle ครับ ("khrap"), which exposes the hacker to be male. At the time of publishing the tweets are still there, but according to TAN Network, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology has been "informed and is investigating".
Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.
Did a monk really predict 'damage once Thailand has a female PM'?
Originally published at Siam Voices on September 20, 2011 Thais can be a superstitious bunch of people. Whether it's amulets or tattoos, many just do not want to take any chances. When it comes to political fortune telling, much attention is paid to the men, who have gained such wisdom to give a prophecy about how the balance of power will play out in the future. Some of them are (intentionally) cryptic, some are more concrete (but yet wrong) - nevertheless, such things regularly make the headlines in Thailand, as seen recently when former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was surveying the flooding situation in Sing Buri province:
(ที่มา ข่าวสดออนไลน์)
(...) นายอภิสิทธิ์ได้เข้านมัสการพระธรรมสิงหบุราจารย์ (หรือหลวงปู่จรัญ ฐิตธมฺโม) ที่วัดอัมพวัน (...) พร้อมกับสนทนาขอข้อมูลและคำแนะนำถึงการแก้ไขสถานการณ์น้ำท่วม (...)
ในระหว่างการสนทนาหลวงพ่อจรัญ กล่าวกับนายอภิสิทธิ์และกลุ่มสื่อมวลชน (...) เคยได้อ่านคำทำนายของหลวงพ่อฤาษีลิงดำกันหรือยัง (...) ถ้าประเทศไทยมีนายกฯ เป็นผู้หญิงจะทำให้บ้านเมืองเสียหาย มีปัญหา จึงขอให้นายอภิสิทธิ์รักษาเนื้อ รักษาตัวให้ดี เพราะจะได้กลับมาเป็นนายกฯ อีกครั้งหนึ่งแน่ (...)
(via Khao Sod Online)
(...) Abhisit paid respect to Phra Dharma Singha Bhurajarn (also known as Luang Pho Jaran) at Wat Amphawan (...) and to discuss the flood situation.
During the the discussion, Luang Pho Jaran asked if Abhisit or members of the press (...) have read the prophecies by Luang Pho Ruesi Ling Dam. (...) "If Thailand has a female prime minister, the country will take damage and have problems." Thus, [Luang Pho Jaran told] Mr. Abhisit should take good care of himself, since he will surely be prime minister a second time. (...)
""หลวงปู่จรัญ" ยกคำทำนายฤาษีลิงดำทัก "มาร์ค" นั่งนายกฯรอบ2 เหตุผู้นำหญิงทำบ้านเมืองเสียหาย", Matichon, September 16, 2011, translation by me
Now that sounds very concrete and something that Abhisit and like-minded people probably love to hear at the moment. But if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. When you look at another Thai newspaper, things kind of start to appear not the same way as they did at the beginning. Thai Rath ran the headline "Double premiership awaits, Mark rejoices, Ruesi Ling Dam predicts" and wrote in their subheader:
หลวงพ่อจรัญ ยกคำทำนายเกจิดังหลวงพ่อฤษีลิงดำ ทัก"มาร์ค"จะได้รีเทิร์นนายกรัฐมนตรีรอบสอง แนะรักษาเนื้อรักษาตัวให้ดี เพื่อจะได้กลับมาดูแลทุกข์สุขของประชาชน...
Luang Pho Jaran cites prophecy by Luang Pho Ruesi Ling Dam that "Mark" [Abhisit's nickname] will return as prime minister for a second time, advises him to take good care of himself in order to take care of the people again...
"ได้เบิ้ลนายกฯ มาร์คปลื้ม ฤษีลิงดำทำนาย", Thai Rath, September 16, 2011
Now who said what? And has any monk predicted chaos once this country is governed by a woman? And how can the monk foresee a second prime minister tenure for Abhisit? This small religious gaffe prompted Wat Tha Sung, the temple of the aforementioned Luang Pho Ruesi Ling Dam to issue following statement:
ตามที่มีข่าวลงในหน้าหนังสือพิมพ์หลายฉบับ นับตั้งแต่วันที่ 16 กันยายน 2554 ทางทีมงานฯ เว็บวัดท่าซุงขอชี้แจงว่า เป็นความเข้าใจคลาดเคลื่อนในเรื่อง "คำทำนาย" เหล่านี้ เพราะสมัยที่พระเดชพระคุณหลวงพ่อพระราชพรหมยาน "ฤาษีลิงดำ" ท่านไม่เคยมีคำทำนายเหล่านี้ออกมาเผยแพร่ เพราะท่านไม่ได้เข้าไปยุ่งเกี่ยวในด้านการเมืองแต่อย่างใด (...)
After reports in several newspaper on September 16, 2011, Wat Tha Sung wants to clarify that there is a misinterpretation of the "prophecy" because Luang Pho Ruesi Ling Dam has never said such things because his holiness has not intervened into politics at all. (...)
ฉะนั้น ทางทีมงานฯ จึงขอยืนยันว่า แม้ในปัจจุบันนี้ทางวัดท่าซุงก็มิได้เชื่อถือคำทำนายเหล่านี้ โดยเฉพาะคำพูดของหลวงพ่อจรัญใน "ไทยรัฐ" ที่กล่าวว่า "หลวงพ่อฤษีลิงดำ ทัก"มาร์ค"จะได้รีเทิร์นนายกรัฐมนตรีรอบสอง" นั้นเป็นไปไม่ได้แน่นอน เพราะหลวงพ่อฤาษีลิงดำท่านมรณภาพไปนานแล้ว และหากเป็นคำพูดจากหลวงพ่อจรัญด้วย คิดว่าท่านคงจะเข้าใจผิดอย่างแน่นอน
We insist that the temple now does not believe in that prophecy, especially Luang Pho Jaran's quote in "Thai Rath" that "Luang Pho Ruesi Ling Dam predicts that "Mark" will return as prime minister for a second time" - that is definitely impossible because Luang Pho Ruesi Ling Dam has passed away a long time ago [in 1992]
ถ้าท่านผู้อ่านเทียบเคียงกับหนังสือพิมพ์ทั้งสองฉบับนี้แล้ว [และ] "ข่าวสด" ที่อ้างหลวงปู่จรัลบอกว่า ถ้าประเทศไทยมีนายกฯ เป็นผู้หญิงจะทำให้บ้านเมืองเสียหาย มีปัญหา จะเห็นว่าการเสนอข่าวก็ยังไม่ตรงกัน แต่ถึงอย่างไรก็ทำให้ทางวัดเสียหาย และเกิดความข้องใจในโลกออนไลน์ เพราะมีการนำข้อข่าวเหล่านี้ไปโพสต์ออกความเห็นกันมีทั้งลบและบวก บางคนก็มีการจ้วงจาบไปโดยรู้เท่าไม่ถึงการณ์
If the readers compare both newspapers [and] "Khao Sod"'s citation of Luang Pho Jaran, that if Thailand has a female prime minister he country will take damage and have problems, you will see that their reporting is not the same. But nevertheless it brings the temple into disrepute and raises doubt online because this will be posted to express their opinions, which has both its positive and negative sides. Some will show disrespect because of that limited knowledge [about the subject].
ด้วยเหตุนี้ จึงขอให้ทุกท่านที่ได้อ่านข่าวนี้แล้ว โปรดใช้วิจารณญาณไตร่ตรอง "ข่าว" (...)
We request all readers to use caution towards "news" (...)
Official Statement by Wat Tha Sung, September 17, 2011, translated by me
Thanks to shoddy reporting by both Khao Sod and Thai Rath some people have unnecessarily raised their hopes that things might change sooner than later and have posthumously attributed a monk with an outlandish prophecy. Call it karma, call it fate, but again: if something's too good to be true, it probably is.
Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.
Survey reveals Thailand's next defense minister should come from the military - again!
Originally published at Siam Voices on July 16, 2011 On Thursday, the commander-in-chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha has broken his silence since the elections on July 3 (but also broke his promise not to comment on anything until a new government has formed, as earlier reported here) and announced his wish for one certain, important cabinet post:
Prayuth said the search for the new defence minister was not a topic for public discussion, hinting about closed-door talks between the military and the incoming government.
The new minister should be known for high ethical standards and held in high esteem by the armed forces, he said, arguing that the office holder should be in a position to bring about an amicable atmosphere between the military and the government.
"I think it is too soon to comment on who would be fit for the job but I prefer a military officer because he could understand the feelings of fellow soldiers," he said.
"Prayuth prefers military officer for defence minister", The Nation, July 14, 2011
And almost as if this was planned deliberately, a recent Suan Dusit survey has revealed this:
Suan Dusit Poll reported that 70.96 per cent of the respondents said the next defence minister should be a senior military officer because he understands well about discipline of military, has years of experiences and are respected by soldiers. A total of 27.83 per cent of them said the new defense chief should be a capable person acceptable to soldiers.
Some 23.82 per cent of the respondents expected the next defence minister to be a good person who protects military’s dignity and wants to create good image of the armed forces and to protect the country’s sovereignty, according to Suan Dusit Poll.
"Poll: Defence Minister should be soldier", Bangkok Post, July 16
These results are both astonishing, but yet unsurprising. It shows how deep the military is entrenched in Thai society and how present they still are in everyday life. Nevertheless, ever since the re-politicization thanks to the 2006 coup, the armed forces are reclaiming it's space, not only evident in the rising military budget. Having another military officer (with the outgoing General Prawit Wongsuwan) further solidifies the state within a state. In normal democracies, the armed forces are under civilian control - but this is Thailand...!
There have been suggestions that designated prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra might take over the position of defense minister as well, something that past prime minister have done so in the past, most notably Chuan Leekpai and the late Samak Sundaravej. But she quickly came out to deny these rumors. With the new government still taking shape, the position of defense minister is one to watch for and to see if the next few years will be stable or not.
Exclusive: ‘This is not the last straw for Thai democracy’ – Suranand Vejjajiva
Originally published at Siam Voices on July 15, 2011 This is part two of Siam Voices' exclusive interview with Suranand Vejjajiva, former Cabinet Minister under Thaksin Shinawatra, now a politicial columnist for the Bangkok Post and host of "The Commentator" on VoiceTV.
In this second installment, Suranand talks to Saksith Saiyasombut about a wide range of topics, including the fate of the red shirts, the future of the Democrat Party, our education crisis, the state of the media and Thaksin. For part one, click here.
Saksith Saiyasombut: Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law, has been blamed to be partly responsible that Thailand has been downgraded by several media freedom watchdogs as for it‘s decreasing freedom of speech. Do you think a Pheu Thai government is capable to improve on this?
Suranand Vejjajiva: Oh yes, if they‘re willing to. The Democrat Party could have done it, too. The enforcement of that law, that it leaves to individual judgement, is problematic. A policeman can interpret the law differently. What the outgoing government has done is to string this law together with the Computer Crimes Act (CCA), all for political purposes. I don‘t agree with this development at all - let everyone speak their mind! To answer your question: Pheu Thai would definitely get into trouble, there‘ll be people attacking them...
...if they would tweak Article 122 or its application. But there are also other aspects they could improve on...
...they could improve the Computer Crimes Act. A lot of groups have been proposing for a change.
Exactly, even though the MICT has proposed a new draft of the CCA, which was even worse - which hasn‘t materialized yet...
...luckily...
Let‘s talk about the red shirt movement, what will happen to them now?
It‘s a good sign that the red shirt leaders are running for office and they should perform their duties as such. But the red shirts as a movement is a political phenomenon that should be studied and they should keep it up, they should improve and reform - make it a mature political movement and they will be an important political force, if they believe in protecting democracy. They have to prove themselves, too. A lot of people are accusing them for being just a vehicle for Thaksin to come back to power. Now, if they prove themselves to be just that and forget the people, then they will suffer. I don‘t wish to see that - the same can be said even for the yellow shirts! If they would have developed into a real political movement - fine!
Is it - for the lack of a better word - 'appropriate' if any of the red leaders-now-elected-MPs would get a cabinet post?
It‘s all political negotiation. For me personally, I don‘t mind because they would have to prove themselves and as long as they do not use their new power to intervene with their own cases, that‘s fine.
What about the new opposition, the Democrat Party...
...the new opposition with the old leaders? (laughs)
Well, will there be the old leaders or will there be new faces taking over, since Abhisit is now a burnt commodity?
It‘s quite a shame, but at the same Abhisit would be a liability to the Democrats for now. He‘s still very young and there‘re still ways to vindicate him - but with the 91 deaths hanging over his government, it‘s going to be hard. It‘s going to be a liability if he is still the opposition leader. The Democrats probably need a new face. But if they can‘t find one - Abhisit is still one of the strongest candidate on this side of the aisle, he has been protecting the conservatives and the establishment.
So if it‘s not going to be Abhisit, he thinks it should be someone from his fraction like (outgoing finance minister) Korn Chatikavanij or (former Bangkok governor) Apirak Kosayodhin - they have to work it out among themselves.
So it would be best to have a fresh new start with new faces?
Looking from Pheu Thai‘s point of view, it would be good if Abhisit stays! (laughs)
Speaking of new faces, how do you explain that Chuwit Kalomvisit‘s Rak Prathet Thai Party could get four seats? Was this a protest movement?
Yes, you have to give him credit. He is very energetic, he could get his message across - even though he looks crazy sometimes. And his message is easy and direct. But at the same time, a lot of people were thinking to „Vote No“, but once the PAD took that position, many people were thinking ,What am I going to do with my protest vote?‘ - they gave it to Chuwit.
Especially a lot of young people...
...especially a lot of young people who are bored of politics! Which happens in a lot of countries!
But at least in other countries there‘s a vocal part of the youth who are standing up against wrongdoings...
...and they are more organized...
...but here in Thailand, they are virtually invisible!
It‘ because of our weak education. The political consciousness and democratic principles need to be taught in school. Thai schools are still very authoritative and not bold enough to open up to let their students talk and speak [their mind]. It‘s not like the Western schools, it‘s a cultural thing that you have to develop. It hurts in a way, it makes the institutions weak, bad politicians can still remain in office - people basically don‘t really care!
Despite the fact the outgoing government has thrown more money at the problem, there are now more and more international reports indicating that the Thai education system is producing not very skilled labors and also in English proficiency we are falling behind. And then comes Pheu Thai and their most memorable education policy is „Free tablet PCs for all“...
In my opinion, giving out free tablet PCs is still better than just giving out free uniforms. Because at least the tablet PC can - if done right - open up access to information for the students, and it would also solve other problems, like printing frauds. But I agree with you, it‘s deeper than that!
It doesn‘t take gadgets to solve this problem, which are more fundamental...
...it‘s the fundamental attitude of the Ministry of Education towards education!
I‘m not very convinced there will be much change by the next government.
No, which will hurt us even more. It‘ll take a decade, it would take two or three generations to change the education system, but you have to begin somewhere. And I agree with you, if they don‘t do it now...
...we will have another lost generation?
Yes.
A weak society needs a strong media to at least uphold the pillars of society, but we don't have that as well.
We don‘t! As seen in many foreign countries, a strong public television system really helps a society to develop - we don‘t have it here. We tried to do it a lot of times, but that was no real public service television.
What I‘m trying to say is, I see a direct correlation between weak education and weak media. So there's less of a sense to challenge, criticize and openly question things that are needed to be addressed.
Well, we were just talking about the campaign. If we were in the United States or Germany, a good 90 per cent of the Thai campaign policies would have been shot down by the press, because they would been well researched with reports, graphics; arguing wether this is feasible - but you don‘t see that in Thai press, they would just ask that academic, then this academic and that‘s it! Just soundbites!
British academic Duncan McCargo wrote a book about the Thai press ("Politics & the Press in Thailand: Media Machinations"), which is 10 years old, his research is 15 years old...
...and it‘s still valid - unfortunately!
He says, among many other things, that the Thai media mostly lacks a „sense of duty to explain the political process“. Can there be change as well, even in these very solid, top-down structures?
I hope so, there are a lot of good publishing houses and newspapers. But you don‘t see any quality papers á la New York Times or you don‘t see an investigative television show. I hope the young generation will be able to use the internet more wisely. But we don‘t have a strong enough education system to create an opportunity for them to question the information they are getting, then they will be fooled like everyone else.
Getting back to politics: will this transition of power be smooth?
For the sake of the country, I‘d like to see that. Whether Pheu Thai is good or bad - give them a chance to run the country, at best for four years. If they have done well, re-elect them; if not, throw them out of the office! That‘s the simple democratic principle.
But to answer your question: I doubt it, there‘ll be a lot of challenges. Now, if the challenges come within the parliamentary system, fine. But if it‘s not, then there will be trouble.
Is this one of the reasons why there‘ll be an intervention from an undemocratic force or is it still too early to say?
It‘s too early to say! The advantage for us right now is, after the recent events in the world, like the Arab Spring, are cautionary tales for people who try to exercise power outside the framework of democracy. But I also think that Pheu Thai‘s action in government will be important: appoint good and capable cabinet ministers, prove themselves that they are fair and transparent, no corruption cases - this would help. But if they come in and do the same thing - what I‘m scared of is that people will lose faith in democracy.
Haven‘t many people already lost their faith in the current democratic system, especially the youth?
Yes, even some of the rural people - there was a whole village that didn‘t come out to vote at all! But at the same time I think it‘s not the last straw! But if the next government does the same mistakes the Democrats did and disappoint the people, then the military would see this as an excuse to say: "Let‘s get in!" But that‘s not the solution!
Of course there‘s a dark, shadowy figure looming around this whole political crisis, it‘s of course Thaksin. Do you think Thaksin should have kept his mouth shut in the last few months?
I don‘t mind. If he feels he‘s been treated unfairly, let him say so. People talk a lot in this country. But whatever he says, he has to live with the consequences, like everyone else.
But nevertheless Yingluck got a big boost, because she‘s Thaksin‘s sister.
Yes! Thaksin is both an asset and a liability. He‘s certainly an asset - his vision, his connections, his networks, his charisma...
...his ego...
...I mean, he has the drive, to put it that way. But on the other hand he is a liability because he has so many political enemies.
The question many are asking is if Yingluck can stand on her own as a PM.
That is going to be important for the country. Yes, she is Thaksin‘s sister, she can‘t deny that. And in reality Thaksin is helping out a lot. But in a short period of time, she has been a successful campaigner. Now she has to prove, in an even shorter period time, that she can run the country. We have to give her that chance.
Will this government, and the red shirt movement as well, be capable and willing to move beyond Thaksin?
This is what they have to sit down and talk about.
Is this country able to?
Oh yes, definitely! There will be a day, where Thaksin is too old and you have to move on.
Will he come back?
I think so. He should come home, but to power? That‘s going to be another problem.
Khun Suranand, thank you very much!
What I've been up to lately... (aka Shameless Self-Plugging)
Phew, what a week that was! As regular readers of my blog know, I do not write too many exclusive posts for my personal blog here. Most of the time, all the posts I write for Siam Voices are being republished here and form time to time I post a personal column almost every sixth month - so since my last one was a recap of 2010, a new one is overdue. And you came around at the right time, because there's a lot to tell you about the last few days and weeks...
So, even the last person must have recognized that I'm in Bangkok right now, where I'll spent nearly all of this summer working (as a journalist), researching (for my final thesis) and if there's still time for some little fun (for my own sanity). The first two weeks of my stay so far has been almost entirely work-centric - there was an election nonetheless!
So here's a list of posts I've written or other things I've been involved in (Note: This post, among other articles, should have gone up long, long time ago. Apologies!):
Siam Voices/Asian Correspondent - June 24, 2011 "Thailand’s Democrat Party rally: Reclaiming (the truth about) Rajaprasong" A field report from the Democrat's rally at Rajaprasong, the same place where over a year ago the red shirts seized. Deputy prime minister Suthep Tuangsaban wanted to show 'the truth' about what happened during the violent clashes a year ago, while prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva warns people that a vote for the opposition Pheu Thai Party is a vote for Thaksin.
Siam Voices/Asian Correspondent - June 27, 2011 "‘Justice Delayed, Justice Denied’ – A public seminar on last year’s violence and what has (not) happened since" As an interesting contrast to the Rajaprasong rally by the Democrat Party, this public forum at Thammasat University has several speeches on what has (not) happened ever since the violent crackdown on the protests. Spoiler: Not much...
Thaizeit.de - June 29, 2011 "Wir sind ein gespaltenes Land" ("We are a devided country") A Thailand-based, German language website conducted an interview with me about the current political situation. I particularly like the description "Thai-hanseatic" and my answer to the last question (if necessary, put through a translator).
Siam Voices/Asian Correspondent - July 1, 2011 "Pheu Thai Party rallies in Nakhon Ratchasima – a photo essay" Another day on the campaign trail, we followed Yingluck Shinawatra to a Pheu Thai Party rally in Nakhon Ratchasima (also known as Korat). I'm surprised that me and my cameraman (I'm on double duty for IHLAS News Agency) were let onto the stage that easily and at the time Yingluck came, there was absolute pandaemonium! After that we were racing to back to Bangkok to be just in time for...
Al Jazeera "The Stream" - June 29, 2011 "Thai Elections: Lions, Tigers, and Bears? Vote 'No'! - Saksith Saiyasombut" Al Jazeera's new social media-centric show "The Stream" has done an Skype interview with me - at 2.30am (since they're based in Washington DC!). I'm kind of surprised that they went with the "Vote No" and the animal posters as the lead and my answers concerning social media and Thai politics probably wasn't what they wanted to hear. This is my third time that I appeared on Al Jazeera program (after appearing on The Listening Post, twice) - can I now be called a 'regular contributor'...?
CNNgo - June 30, 2011 "Saksith Saiyasombut: Get out from under your coconut shell and vote" My first contribution for CNNgo, a lifestyle and travel website, but also always with an eye on the more serious sides of life, including social issues and politics. This column doesn't go into the details of the political mechanisms, but more my feelings about this country and where it is heading to, when we're not careful enough. This piece was done in the same night as the Al Jazeera interview and so was the next piece...
CNNgo - July 3, 2011 "Top 10 strange moments of Thailand's 2011 general election" Top 10-lists always go well as an online article format so I did my very own top 10 of election campaign oddities, and there were many of them this year.
Siam Voices/Asian Correspondent- July 3, 2011 "Live-Blog: Thailand Elections 2011" Throughout the whole election day I live-blogged, partly from my mobile phone on a back of a motorcycle, about nearly all aspects of that day.
Will Yingluck amend Thailand's lese majeste law?
Originally published at Siam Voices on July 8, 2011 Earlier today, fellow blogger Bangkok Pundit wrote about whether Yingluck Shinawatra will amend, reform, change or even do away with Thailand's draconian lese majeste law. He quotes from an interview in The Independent where she states that she wants this law to not be "misused". BP continues...
If BP’s memory serves BP correctly, the last time that lese majeste law was amended was in the 1970s by a military/military-installed government so don’t expect any amendments immediately because to do so will just invoke Thaksin-wants-to-overthrow-the-monarchy-argument.
"Yingluck on Thailand’s lese majeste law", Bangkok Pundit, July 9, 2011
Earlier this morning, Yingluck faced the foreign press at a conference inside the Pheu Thai Party HQ, where she was also asked about this. TAN Network tweeted later today:
Yingluck says she is considering amending Article 112 involving lese majeste; denies she's meeting Thaksin
Tweet by @TAN_Network, July 9, 2011
Erm, no she didn't! Here is what she actually said ad verbatim:
Question: "Do you have any plan to change the 112 law?"
Answer: "No, for me, I don't have any idea to change the 112. I would not reform it, because it is not my policy and also this is an issue which is quite sensitive so we have to leave it to the people who have expertise to comment on that. I don't want to see the misuse of this law regarding his majesty."
TAN Network were in the same room as us, how could they get this so wrong?!
I do agree with BP (and several other Twitter users as discussed on Sunday) that even thinking about amending Article 112 would give their enemies an opportunity to paint the Pheu Thai Party and the red shirt movement (since they're all under Thaksin anyway, from their point of view) as anti-royalist. One has to question how the next government will reduce the misuse of this law without any form of change in one way or another...?
Pheu Thai Party rallies in Nakhon Ratchasima - a photo essay
Originally published at Siam Voices on July 1, 2011
On June 29, 2011 - the last week before the election - the leader and prime minister candidate of the opposition Pheu Thai Party, Yingluck Shinawatra was on a campaign tour through the north-eastern part of the country, also known as Isaan. Stations include Ubon Ratchathani and Si Saket. The last station of her swing through Isaan was in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat). Before her arrival, the supporters waiting in front of the city hall were warmed up by red shirt leader and MP candidate Nattawut Saikua. With a small delay, Yingluck arrived at the stage and was greeted by the ecstatic cheers of estimated 6,000 supporters.
Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith.
Tongue-Thai’ed! Part III: O brother, where art thou?
Originally published at Siam Voices on May 17, 2011 "Tongue-Thai'ed!" is the new segment on Siam Voices, where we encapsulate the most baffling, amusing, confusing, outrageous and appalling quotes from Thai politicians and other public figures - in short: everything we hear that makes us go "Huh?!". Check out all past entries here.
The election campaign has now really begun this week with the opposition Puea Thai Party finally putting Yingluck Shinawatra forward as PM candidate. Of course, we all know that she is the younger sister of one Thaksin and that this fact alone will certainly irk many voters.
More unsurprising is what Thaksin said during an exclusive interview with Post Today:
“ผมบอกเลยว่าไม่ใช่นอมินี แต่เรียกได้เลยว่าเป็นโคลนนิงของทักษิณเลย ผมโคลนนิงการบริหารให้ตั้งแต่เรียนจบใหม่ๆ สไตล์การทำงานเหมือนผม รับการบริหารจากผมได้ดีที่สุด อีกข้อสำคัญหนึ่งก็คือ การที่คุณยิ่งลักษณ์ซึ่งเป็นน้องสาวผม มานั่งเก้าอี้หัวหน้าพรรค สถานะนั้นสามารถตัดสินใจแทนผมได้เลย เยส ออ โน นี่พูดแทนผมได้เลย”
"I say straightaway that [Yingluck] is not a nominee, but you can say that she is a clone of Thaksin. I have cloned my [way of] leadership [to her] ever since graduation. [Her] style of work is the same as mine. [She] got all my best administration [skills]. Another important point is, since Yingluck is my younger sister and she is head of the party, she can decide for me. 'Yes or no,' she can do that for me."
"ทักษิณบอกยิ่งลักษณ์คือโคลนนิงของผม", Post Today, May 17, 2011 (translation by me)
Clearly, the opponents (both lawmakers and the press) will bite on this bait and point out that this alone is enough not to vote her (as our favorite Suthep already did). But it would a mistake to rail just on that, because having a Shinawatra running for office is exactly why the Puea Thai Party is poised to gain many votes. Attacking her just for being a Thaksin proxy (or worse, digging up her private life) might prove ineffective.
People who hate Thaksin won't vote for Puea Thai anyway and voters who still think highly of him will give their vote to his sister - there's nothing to change about that. What's crucial now is whether she can win over the undecided voters. We'll have to wait for the campaign trail to see if Yingluck can stand on her own. She still has enough opportunities to prove herself as a politician and not only as Thaksin's sister.
(You might ask why this is still filed under "Tongue-Thai'ed" - well, it's the well-known bluntness and bravado of Thaksin's quote that in my view still deserves a spot here. And I can't just put up yet another Suthep quote!)
A lot of stupid things will be said during the election campaign in the coming months. If you come across any verbosities that you think might fit in here send us a email at siamvoices [at] gmail.com or tweet us @siamvoices.