A chauvinistic pipe dream can sound anachronistic when a federal union is what Burma is striving to move forward to. People would be forgiven to think only the military elite entertained a Fourth Burmese Empire ambition. Get over it.
[…] a scholar-at-risk fellow at Harvard. He writes poetry and short fiction. Here’s a 2012 Interview with Cambodian writer Tararith Kho from New Mandala. His short story, Shame, appears in SpringHouse. This story has haunted me since […]
No, Mr Smith, it need not be preceded by any caveat. There are no witches and therefore there is no witchcraft, not in Burkittsville, Maryland, near my home (“Blair Witch Project”), nor in Saudi Arabia where Jinns do not exist either. No one says “There are six Laws of Thermodynamics…..to the best of my knowledge”. The scientific method involves experimentation and proof. A séance and aberrant behavior in a housemaid is not “to the best of my knowledge…nor was the burning of “witches” in Salem, Massachusetts, based on proof of sorcery..”to the best of my knowledge”.
The mere existence of a Bomoh does not prove sorcery or divination, and given the last performance of Rajah Bomoh and the flight MH370 mystery, he must have another source of income to wear $500 suits and ties.
You are incorrect Mr Ward. The Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia was asked to leave Jakarta. That was widely publicized. You are in error. Indeed, it was risky and it was gutsy. You can verify this with the Indonesian Government Press Office. It is no secret. He did return to JKT in a year, which was a major mistake. Given than the Indonesians, the largest Islamic nation, never even had a PLO office in JKT and still officially do not (along with the brave views of the late President Abdurrahman Wahid), Indonesians can be quite gutsy and iconoclastic when they want to be. The treatment of Indonesian women in the Gulf remains appalling and President Jokowi should bring them all home and find dignified work for them. Arabization of Malaysia has only worsened the nation; I see no need for Indonesian Muslims to further ape a culture not of their own. Islam is diverse and with global terrorism, the rise of Wahhabi-like behaviour in Malaysia and Indonesia does not auger well. SBY is no fool and he saw the victimization of his own female nationals in the name of a form of Islam that is Bedouin-based and has nothing to do with Southeast Asia.
SBY withdrew his ambassador from Riyadh. He didn’t declare the Saudi ambassador in Jakarta persona non-grata, ie ‘eject’ him. That would have been a very risky step for the president of a Muslim-majority country to have taken.
Your PERCEPTION of the issue is understandable. Although I fully understand that in politics, perception is reality. But perception is NOT fact.
In the case of the Paracels, ONLY China and Vietnam are in dispute. In the case of Spratlys, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei are in dispute but Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Brunei are also in disputes among themselves.
And this is another FACT that VERY FEW PEOPLE KNOW; that Vietnam’s claims of the Paracels and the Spratlys, if succeeded, would amount to roughly the same as China’s current claims. Vietnam has been exceedingly skillful and successful in playing its “small country” and “being bullied by China” sympathy card to conceal its humongous appetite for its territorial ambitions as far as public opinion campaigns are concerned.
Again in politics, perception is reality. But perception is NOT fact.
My belief remains unchanged; that NO COUNTRY in the SCS disputes has any moral high ground whatsoever. They should all sit down and negotiate a settlement without regard to UNCLOS. UNCLOS is a barrier to settling what is essentially a geopolitical issue and not a legal issue.
VichaiN – in your post of 27 May 2014, you accuse me of bad mouthing King Bumiphol. Could you please show New Mandala ONE example of where I have done this.
Nguoi Phan Bien’s response would be more credible if Vietnam was the only country having trouble with China’s actions in the South China Sea. The fact that they all are suggests China is in the wrong.
“Almost half” by definition of the term is an estimate, not an exact number.
But alright, after some brief googling, and based on my memory, a list, but possibly not complete:
First killed, during the clash at Ramkhamhaeng: 1 PDRC fighter, killed by Red Shirts, 3 Red Shirts killed by PDRC fighters, and 1 young man who died in a burning bus that transported Red Shirts and was burned by looters.
During the clashes at the Thai Japan Stadium 1 cop was shot by PDRC fighters, 1 PDRC protester was killed by police.
On Dec. 28 1 Student Network Guard was killed in a nightly shooting by pro government fighters (either rogue police or Red Shirt armed militants).
At the IT Square incident at Laksi one of the injured shot by the popcorn shooter died from his injuries about 6 months later.
At the Trat incident 2 children died from an attack by Red Shirt armed militants, at Big C Pratuman 3 died, also Red Shirt armed militants were culprits.
At the Chalermpol incident 1 PDRC protester died, Red Shirt armed militant is the likely culprit.
1 PDRC leader was killed in Bang Na by Red Shirts, 1 Red Shirt leader, the poet Mai Nueng, was assasinated, most likely culprits were soldiers (working with PDRC).
On April 16, 1 PDRC guard was killed at Lumphini, by fellow PDRC guards in an internal conflict.
During the end of the bungled Operation Valentine 2 cops were shot by a PDRC sniper, and 4 PDRC protesters were shot by police during the clashes.
At the last incident at Democracy Monument, shortly before the coup, 2 PDRC protesters were killed, most likely culprits were Red Shirt armed militants.
2 Red Shirts corpses were found dumped, 1 at Prachachoen, 1 in the river (video of the dump exists), during the protests, killed by PDRC.
One more body was found dumped in the Klong near government house. While not yet identified, most likely (and according to my information) person was a PDRC guard killed in internal conflict).
That leaves out of 29 people who lost their lives 5 PDRC protesters killed by police during operations (both during which first police was fired at by PDRC forces), 11 PDRC killed by Red Shirt armed militants, 13 people killed by PDRC fighters or allied forces, or who died as a direct result of the PDRC’s actions.
This more nuanced list gives a more complete and rather different picture than PDRC and Democrat Party propaganda suggests.
Mr Graham appears to have forgotten that six people were shot on 18 January 2015, five foreigners and one Indonesian. It was after this first round of executions that Brazil and the Netherlands withdrew their ambassadors. Brazil took the further step of cancelling the credentials ceremony for the Indonesian ambassador-designate who had already turned up at the presidential palace. There were few precedents for this action, in any.
It was in the second round on 30 April 2015 that the two Australians were killed, followed by the recalling of Australia’s ambassador.
Prasetyo is one of Jokowi’s worst ministerial appointees. I hesitate to describe him simply as the worst only because the competition for this accolade is pretty tough. I wouldn’t like to be unfair.
Almost half, half, or more …. whatever …. N-Nostitz.
PHowever by confidently citing “half”, N-Nostitz must possess a ” fact” of what was the total killed or maimed ; and more salient to our verbal sparring, the number committed (a) by the PDRC, (b) by the Red Shirts, (c) by the Black Shirts, (d) by the military and by the police, and (e) by persons unknown.
I would be obliged N-Nostitz if you’ll be so gracious enough to enlighten . . . But if that was an estimate … then say so.
Mr. Graham’s analogy between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia is absurd. I also oppose the death penalty, but Indonesia has a specific law on the books regarding drugs, which Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam also have. They are law, whether we disagree with it or not (and I do). Your reference to Indonesian “maids” in the Gulf ? Are you serious ? ALL the Indonesian homecare workers on death row, but two, are being killed for witchcraft. Are you aware of any civil or even Shari’a forensic method for measuring witchcraft ? SBY took the bold step, sadly not made permanent, of ejecting the Saudi Ambassador from Jakarta because of ill treatment and the illegal execution of Indonesian homecare workers. SBY’s mistake was not keeping this policy permanent. Indonesian women in the Gulf are often raped by Arab husbands, beaten by both spouses and accused of this nonsense witchcraft because Indonesian cultural practices (strangely enough) are different than Wahhabi Islamic ones. There are only two cases, so the Saudis claim, of Indonesian workers attacking the wives of the household in “unprovoked attempts at murder”. Considering the 100 Indonesian women in prison and 30 or so on death row, not a very promising validation for pots of witch’s brew and voodoo dolls. Indonesia is not hypocritical, Mr. Graham is wrong. Indonesia is wrong to execute drug users and dealers, granted, but they do get trials. To compare this to the systematic abuse, illegal trials and “witchcraft” mumbo-jumbo in Saudi Arabia and Qatar to jail and even execute Indonesia women simply trying to make money for the families, is insulting to these women and there is no comparison between the two situations, whatever one’s view on drugs, there is NO witchcraft anywhere on this Planet, unless one counts Malay and Javanese Bomoh and Dukun as practitioners of witchcraft; then better spend more useful time explaining how that jives with Sunni Shaf’i Islam in Southeast Asia.
[…] with its agents, the state is also a victim. Last year the Indonesian government savaged its reputation as a modern civilised nation by killing eight drug traffickers including two Australians Andrew […]
1) Never considering the loss of 1/2 of the Shan territories as well as the conquered then Siam, after the British colonize Myanmar with typical arbitrary division to control. The reasons for the Shan autonomy demand can be detrimental to Thai unity.
2) The victory monument in Bangkok to veil the outright, full collaboration of Siam with then Fascist Japan that has direct connection to “Death Railways”. In return the whole Shan Territories is given to SIam, embarrassingly has to be returned to today Myanmar.
I can’t believe an academic can be this careless and even carefree about facts and nuances in reporting:
First:
“…Sinh’s boat was within Vietnam’s 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the distance allowed by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea…”
But Mr. Kerkvliet leaves out the fact that this area is also within China’s EEZ based on its possession of the Paracel.
China took Paracel back by force from Vietnam because VN’s claim of the Paracel is based on its successor claim from its French colonial master who took it from China during the Qing era. But the French have never granted the Paracel to VN.
Second, and this is MOST important, when the People’s Republic of China issued in a statement of claims with a detailed listing of the islands and atolls including the Paracels and the Spratlys, Vietnam’s then Prime Minister Pham Van Dong issued a letter of support of China’s claims on behalf of the Vietnamese government. And until today the Vietnamese government has never denied it. This letter is widely available in the public sphere.
Third, Vietnamese students have never been taught that the Paracels and the Spratlys belong to Vietnam until very recently (a few years ago).
And Vietnamese textbooks in the old days specifically identified the Paracels and the Spratlys are Chinese territories. I went through the Vietnamese school system for 16 years from K to BA and not once I have been taught that the Paracels and the Spratlys belong to VN.
At the end of the day, I believe it’s the unintended consequences of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that has encouraged countries in the SCS to abandon their histories and to focus ONLY on the part of the UNCLOS (and not the entire UNCLOS) that help to maximize their national interests.
My understanding is that NO COUNTRY in the SCS disputes has any moral high ground whatsoever. They should all sit down and negotiate a settlement without regard to UNCLOS. UNCLOS is a barrier to settling what is essentially a geopolitical issue and not a legal issue.
It is crystal clear that the monarchy, the Army and the oligarchs have been enslaving the Thai people and they do it until today under tyranny, repression and brute force. Only the Red Shirts (with or without Thaksin) can deliver Thailand and bring freedom and justice with the overthrown of the bloody Chakris and the proclamation of the People’s Democratic Republic of Siam
@vichai n
amazing what you tell – without any factual basis –
– certainly you can also explain why not a single red shirt victims in 2010 and 2009 had a weapon …..
– and certainly you can also explain why soldiers shot unarmed civilians ….
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Keeping friends close, Thailand closer
A chauvinistic pipe dream can sound anachronistic when a federal union is what Burma is striving to move forward to. People would be forgiven to think only the military elite entertained a Fourth Burmese Empire ambition. Get over it.
Interview with Cambodian writer Tararith Kho
[…] a scholar-at-risk fellow at Harvard. He writes poetry and short fiction. Here’s a 2012 Interview with Cambodian writer Tararith Kho from New Mandala. His short story, Shame, appears in SpringHouse. This story has haunted me since […]
Not right in Ramadan
No, Mr Smith, it need not be preceded by any caveat. There are no witches and therefore there is no witchcraft, not in Burkittsville, Maryland, near my home (“Blair Witch Project”), nor in Saudi Arabia where Jinns do not exist either. No one says “There are six Laws of Thermodynamics…..to the best of my knowledge”. The scientific method involves experimentation and proof. A séance and aberrant behavior in a housemaid is not “to the best of my knowledge…nor was the burning of “witches” in Salem, Massachusetts, based on proof of sorcery..”to the best of my knowledge”.
The mere existence of a Bomoh does not prove sorcery or divination, and given the last performance of Rajah Bomoh and the flight MH370 mystery, he must have another source of income to wear $500 suits and ties.
Not right in Ramadan
You are incorrect Mr Ward. The Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia was asked to leave Jakarta. That was widely publicized. You are in error. Indeed, it was risky and it was gutsy. You can verify this with the Indonesian Government Press Office. It is no secret. He did return to JKT in a year, which was a major mistake. Given than the Indonesians, the largest Islamic nation, never even had a PLO office in JKT and still officially do not (along with the brave views of the late President Abdurrahman Wahid), Indonesians can be quite gutsy and iconoclastic when they want to be. The treatment of Indonesian women in the Gulf remains appalling and President Jokowi should bring them all home and find dignified work for them. Arabization of Malaysia has only worsened the nation; I see no need for Indonesian Muslims to further ape a culture not of their own. Islam is diverse and with global terrorism, the rise of Wahhabi-like behaviour in Malaysia and Indonesia does not auger well. SBY is no fool and he saw the victimization of his own female nationals in the name of a form of Islam that is Bedouin-based and has nothing to do with Southeast Asia.
Not right in Ramadan
‘…there is NO witchcraft anywhere on this planet…’
This statement should be preceded by ‘As far as I am aware…’ or ‘To the best of my knowledge…’
Not right in Ramadan
SBY withdrew his ambassador from Riyadh. He didn’t declare the Saudi ambassador in Jakarta persona non-grata, ie ‘eject’ him. That would have been a very risky step for the president of a Muslim-majority country to have taken.
Vietnamese fishermen versus China
@R.N.England.
Your PERCEPTION of the issue is understandable. Although I fully understand that in politics, perception is reality. But perception is NOT fact.
In the case of the Paracels, ONLY China and Vietnam are in dispute. In the case of Spratlys, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei are in dispute but Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Brunei are also in disputes among themselves.
And this is another FACT that VERY FEW PEOPLE KNOW; that Vietnam’s claims of the Paracels and the Spratlys, if succeeded, would amount to roughly the same as China’s current claims. Vietnam has been exceedingly skillful and successful in playing its “small country” and “being bullied by China” sympathy card to conceal its humongous appetite for its territorial ambitions as far as public opinion campaigns are concerned.
Again in politics, perception is reality. But perception is NOT fact.
My belief remains unchanged; that NO COUNTRY in the SCS disputes has any moral high ground whatsoever. They should all sit down and negotiate a settlement without regard to UNCLOS. UNCLOS is a barrier to settling what is essentially a geopolitical issue and not a legal issue.
Thorns of the Thai rose
VichaiN – in your post of 27 May 2014, you accuse me of bad mouthing King Bumiphol. Could you please show New Mandala ONE example of where I have done this.
The future of Australia-Indonesia relations
Turnbull’s first overseas trip as PM was to Jakarta ? I thought it was to New Zealand.
Vietnamese fishermen versus China
Nguoi Phan Bien’s response would be more credible if Vietnam was the only country having trouble with China’s actions in the South China Sea. The fact that they all are suggests China is in the wrong.
Red and Yellow in Germany
“Almost half” by definition of the term is an estimate, not an exact number.
But alright, after some brief googling, and based on my memory, a list, but possibly not complete:
First killed, during the clash at Ramkhamhaeng: 1 PDRC fighter, killed by Red Shirts, 3 Red Shirts killed by PDRC fighters, and 1 young man who died in a burning bus that transported Red Shirts and was burned by looters.
During the clashes at the Thai Japan Stadium 1 cop was shot by PDRC fighters, 1 PDRC protester was killed by police.
On Dec. 28 1 Student Network Guard was killed in a nightly shooting by pro government fighters (either rogue police or Red Shirt armed militants).
At the IT Square incident at Laksi one of the injured shot by the popcorn shooter died from his injuries about 6 months later.
At the Trat incident 2 children died from an attack by Red Shirt armed militants, at Big C Pratuman 3 died, also Red Shirt armed militants were culprits.
At the Chalermpol incident 1 PDRC protester died, Red Shirt armed militant is the likely culprit.
1 PDRC leader was killed in Bang Na by Red Shirts, 1 Red Shirt leader, the poet Mai Nueng, was assasinated, most likely culprits were soldiers (working with PDRC).
On April 16, 1 PDRC guard was killed at Lumphini, by fellow PDRC guards in an internal conflict.
During the end of the bungled Operation Valentine 2 cops were shot by a PDRC sniper, and 4 PDRC protesters were shot by police during the clashes.
At the last incident at Democracy Monument, shortly before the coup, 2 PDRC protesters were killed, most likely culprits were Red Shirt armed militants.
2 Red Shirts corpses were found dumped, 1 at Prachachoen, 1 in the river (video of the dump exists), during the protests, killed by PDRC.
One more body was found dumped in the Klong near government house. While not yet identified, most likely (and according to my information) person was a PDRC guard killed in internal conflict).
That leaves out of 29 people who lost their lives 5 PDRC protesters killed by police during operations (both during which first police was fired at by PDRC forces), 11 PDRC killed by Red Shirt armed militants, 13 people killed by PDRC fighters or allied forces, or who died as a direct result of the PDRC’s actions.
This more nuanced list gives a more complete and rather different picture than PDRC and Democrat Party propaganda suggests.
Mahathir and Malaysia’s money politics
Very interesting interview, look forward to the next instalment.
Not right in Ramadan
Mr Graham appears to have forgotten that six people were shot on 18 January 2015, five foreigners and one Indonesian. It was after this first round of executions that Brazil and the Netherlands withdrew their ambassadors. Brazil took the further step of cancelling the credentials ceremony for the Indonesian ambassador-designate who had already turned up at the presidential palace. There were few precedents for this action, in any.
It was in the second round on 30 April 2015 that the two Australians were killed, followed by the recalling of Australia’s ambassador.
Prasetyo is one of Jokowi’s worst ministerial appointees. I hesitate to describe him simply as the worst only because the competition for this accolade is pretty tough. I wouldn’t like to be unfair.
Red and Yellow in Germany
Almost half, half, or more …. whatever …. N-Nostitz.
PHowever by confidently citing “half”, N-Nostitz must possess a ” fact” of what was the total killed or maimed ; and more salient to our verbal sparring, the number committed (a) by the PDRC, (b) by the Red Shirts, (c) by the Black Shirts, (d) by the military and by the police, and (e) by persons unknown.
I would be obliged N-Nostitz if you’ll be so gracious enough to enlighten . . . But if that was an estimate … then say so.
Not right in Ramadan
Mr. Graham’s analogy between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia is absurd. I also oppose the death penalty, but Indonesia has a specific law on the books regarding drugs, which Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam also have. They are law, whether we disagree with it or not (and I do). Your reference to Indonesian “maids” in the Gulf ? Are you serious ? ALL the Indonesian homecare workers on death row, but two, are being killed for witchcraft. Are you aware of any civil or even Shari’a forensic method for measuring witchcraft ? SBY took the bold step, sadly not made permanent, of ejecting the Saudi Ambassador from Jakarta because of ill treatment and the illegal execution of Indonesian homecare workers. SBY’s mistake was not keeping this policy permanent. Indonesian women in the Gulf are often raped by Arab husbands, beaten by both spouses and accused of this nonsense witchcraft because Indonesian cultural practices (strangely enough) are different than Wahhabi Islamic ones. There are only two cases, so the Saudis claim, of Indonesian workers attacking the wives of the household in “unprovoked attempts at murder”. Considering the 100 Indonesian women in prison and 30 or so on death row, not a very promising validation for pots of witch’s brew and voodoo dolls. Indonesia is not hypocritical, Mr. Graham is wrong. Indonesia is wrong to execute drug users and dealers, granted, but they do get trials. To compare this to the systematic abuse, illegal trials and “witchcraft” mumbo-jumbo in Saudi Arabia and Qatar to jail and even execute Indonesia women simply trying to make money for the families, is insulting to these women and there is no comparison between the two situations, whatever one’s view on drugs, there is NO witchcraft anywhere on this Planet, unless one counts Malay and Javanese Bomoh and Dukun as practitioners of witchcraft; then better spend more useful time explaining how that jives with Sunni Shaf’i Islam in Southeast Asia.
Indonesia: the quality of justice
[…] with its agents, the state is also a victim. Last year the Indonesian government savaged its reputation as a modern civilised nation by killing eight drug traffickers including two Australians Andrew […]
Keeping friends close, Thailand closer
If any side has more reasons is the Myanmar’s.
1) Never considering the loss of 1/2 of the Shan territories as well as the conquered then Siam, after the British colonize Myanmar with typical arbitrary division to control. The reasons for the Shan autonomy demand can be detrimental to Thai unity.
2) The victory monument in Bangkok to veil the outright, full collaboration of Siam with then Fascist Japan that has direct connection to “Death Railways”. In return the whole Shan Territories is given to SIam, embarrassingly has to be returned to today Myanmar.
Vietnamese fishermen versus China
I can’t believe an academic can be this careless and even carefree about facts and nuances in reporting:
First:
“…Sinh’s boat was within Vietnam’s 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the distance allowed by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea…”
But Mr. Kerkvliet leaves out the fact that this area is also within China’s EEZ based on its possession of the Paracel.
China took Paracel back by force from Vietnam because VN’s claim of the Paracel is based on its successor claim from its French colonial master who took it from China during the Qing era. But the French have never granted the Paracel to VN.
Second, and this is MOST important, when the People’s Republic of China issued in a statement of claims with a detailed listing of the islands and atolls including the Paracels and the Spratlys, Vietnam’s then Prime Minister Pham Van Dong issued a letter of support of China’s claims on behalf of the Vietnamese government. And until today the Vietnamese government has never denied it. This letter is widely available in the public sphere.
Third, Vietnamese students have never been taught that the Paracels and the Spratlys belong to Vietnam until very recently (a few years ago).
And Vietnamese textbooks in the old days specifically identified the Paracels and the Spratlys are Chinese territories. I went through the Vietnamese school system for 16 years from K to BA and not once I have been taught that the Paracels and the Spratlys belong to VN.
At the end of the day, I believe it’s the unintended consequences of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that has encouraged countries in the SCS to abandon their histories and to focus ONLY on the part of the UNCLOS (and not the entire UNCLOS) that help to maximize their national interests.
My understanding is that NO COUNTRY in the SCS disputes has any moral high ground whatsoever. They should all sit down and negotiate a settlement without regard to UNCLOS. UNCLOS is a barrier to settling what is essentially a geopolitical issue and not a legal issue.
Red and Yellow in Germany
It is crystal clear that the monarchy, the Army and the oligarchs have been enslaving the Thai people and they do it until today under tyranny, repression and brute force. Only the Red Shirts (with or without Thaksin) can deliver Thailand and bring freedom and justice with the overthrown of the bloody Chakris and the proclamation of the People’s Democratic Republic of Siam
Red and Yellow in Germany
@vichai n
amazing what you tell – without any factual basis –
– certainly you can also explain why not a single red shirt victims in 2010 and 2009 had a weapon …..
– and certainly you can also explain why soldiers shot unarmed civilians ….