Comments

  1. david w says:

    It might be reassuring to stigmatize the military elite’s Buddhist practices and beliefs as primitive (‘animism’) and bizarre (non-mainstream), but I’d be interested in knowing exactly just which of their ideas and actions are outside the mainstream. Historically speaking, employing astrology is NOT non-traditional, non-mainstream mysticism and superstition, even if modernist Buddhists would like to imagine that to be the case. It is very established and very conventional and very common in Theravada countries, both past and present. Just like relying on other ‘superstitions’ like divination, palm-reading, spirit mediums, etc.

    This isn’t to say that other actions by the military – such as shooting monks and displaying total unconcern regarding other’s suffering – wouldn’t be deemed immoral from a conventional Buddhist perspective. But I don’t think that is what Clapp, for example, is refering to when she seeks to portray the generals as poor Buddhists.

  2. taipan says:

    to dave
    I recruit at the time Oliver …he was from the 1┬░rpima….he join the first commando with JP Courreges..he left the HQ commando to create his own commando in 7 brigade area. ….and Heng (thierry) was in standby in BKK after a long term mission in cambodia…he was half french and chinese…not cambodian when i ask him to join the team involved in burma border. …he was the guy the most talented in guerilla warfare from all the experience he got training the cambodian resistance…..at the time as french we was alone in the area doing this work……not easy to go in Battanbang in raining season if you look like GI Joe….
    Heng left us in a parachute accident few years ago……no helmet wearing…after all those battles around the world he died in french soil…

    One point Dave when you said…”as foreigner you can’t do politics, it s not our business”….i don’t agree….when you are able to put your life in front you can speak and those who are not able to do it…cannot said nothing even if they are native…Life inside a commando is like living in a family….you fight for them and they fight for you….there is only one consideration….the ability to survive and to fight in team….front off all people coming from outside….even if they come from our side….
    For my point of view it is a necessity to understand politic….we don’t do the war for the war….it will be the most stupid thing….we fight for our friend or family first, for some ideas after….for victory always…..we write our destiny involving ourself in the societies and helping those around us….I meet bastards in our side and good guys in the other side…..we must forge our own policy when we handle life and dead. Political convenance and bienseance are fuck in the field.

    In some societies….the military cast is the first one…..this oligarchia rules politic……even if you are a foreigner…..if you come from this cast everybody will understand your position.

    3 month Visas was take at the time in Penang (malaysia)…laos was still communist at the time….the coming back in BKK to eat Macdonald was so great…..when our visa was out…….we have to paid thai immigration….but visa was nothing front of the taking back of our dead. (a pleasant administrative promenade)

    At the time it was capt Isaac (now Major general) who was in charge about the weapons maintenance…..money and planification are less accurate than 20 years ago….and Vietnam equipments are old in the Thai storages houses….

  3. tUM|BleR says:

    Khun Stillwater:

    Just a small point. I admit this constitution is quite legitimate because it was approved in a nationwide referendum. But we can’t ignore the fact that the ‘Yes’ campaigners had encouraged people to approve it first so that an election could be held. Whatever flaws the draft may have had, the campaigners urged people to ignore them because we would be able to *amend* the constitution later. As such, we don’t really know how much the voters actually agreed with the content of the draft.

    And in case you, erm, tell me to go back and read your post carefully, I just think you were implying that this constitution was popularly APPROVED (you capitalised that), as in the majority of people really liked it.

    And yes, the Manager publishes lies and conspiracy theories and will stop at nothing to obliterate its opponents.

  4. […] those more interested in what academics have to say on the issues, there’s a growing collection of commentary, some of which has been […]

  5. jonfernquest says:

    Apparently, this is a recent article about that controversial Jakrapob speech. Or is it a different speech? Or is it illegal to even talk about this? Or dangerous? (i.e. vigilante Sondhi and his lynch mob)

  6. jonfernquest says:

    Not by enmity
    na hi verena

    are enmities quelled,
    ver─Бni sammant─лdha

    Whatever the occasion here.
    kud─Бcanaс╣Г

    By the absence of enmity are they quelled.
    averena ca sammanti

    This is an ancient truth.
    esa dhammo sanantano

    (Dhammapada 1.5)

  7. jonfernquest says:

    I see Abhisit has just accused Jakrapob of LM :

    BREAKING NEWS

    Jakrapob: I’ve no intention to involve high authority

    (BangkokPost.com) – Prime Minister’s Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair denied Thursday that he had the intention to involve high authority in his recent speech given at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand.

    Mr Jakrapob, speaking on Thursday at the Government House, insisted that he did not mean to involve the monarchy in the speech. He also said that the speech was given over a year ago when he was fighting against the military coup.

    “I would like to reiterate that I did not have the intention to involve high authority in the speech,” he told reporters. “It was purely the social analysis, which was made more than a year ago.”

    He added that he is working on the translation of the speech, and will release it to public next week.

    Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, meanwhile, said he planned to file a complaint with Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on this matter Friday.

    Mr Abhisit insisted that the speech contains details that poses risk to the high authority, and he would like to see how Mr Samak handles the matter.

  8. jonfernquest says:

    “…it not surprising that he filed with Khon Kaen **police**.”

    Doesn’t the **national** police investigate these cases before passing them on for prosecution? Or can anyone can file a charge against anyone and have it immediately prosecuted? If every case went to trial, wouldn’t that get fairly chaotic, if thousands of people chose to exercise their right, with those bogus cases they tried to bring against Thaksin?

    I think there must be a missing investigation and filtering of the cases step that is being left out of the description of the process somewhere. Or maybe everyone is too afraid to ask, with people like PAD and Sondhi, already slated to serve time for criminal defamation, employing LM as a last ditch violent political weapon?

  9. Bangkok Pundit says:

    Please note this does not deal with Lese Majeste law which is Section 112. The complaint surrounds “incitement” or persuading people to break laws – see here for more.

  10. Wendell says:

    Why Khon Kaen?

    The simple answer is that, according to the article at the address below, the person who filed the charge is a resident of Khon Kaen, so it not surprising that he filed with Khon Kaen police.

    http://www.prachatai.com/english/news.php?id=620

    To clarify some ambiguity in the AHRC statement, the lese majeste policy does reside nationally in the Criminal Code (not some Khon Kaen-specific criminal code, as implied by the wording in the quote). The law/policy is then interpreted by the courts.

    To the best of my understanding, Thailand’s provincial courts, as courts of first instance in criminal matters, routinely deal with all sorts of matters concerning the Criminal Code. Ultimately the final interpretation takes place centrally because cases can (theoretically) be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. It’s just the way the hierarchy of courts works in Thailand.

    Of course, there might be other reasons for choosing to file in Khon Kaen (perhaps expectation of the case getting a sympathetic first hearing, for instance), but I don’t know anything about the individuals–plaintiff and justice officials– involved to speculate whether that is the case.

  11. Stephen says:

    Again not academic, but the Karen Human Rights Group put (KHRG) put out a commentary yesterday.

    According to recent reports received by KHRG from residents of the Irrawaddy Delta, the SPDC has not only been restricting aid supplies and access by international humanitarian workers, but has also been doing so on the basis of ethnicity. Increasing reports on the military’s restrictions and misappropriation of aid supplies necessitate immediate international investigation, as all affected residents of the delta regardless of their ethnicity remain in urgent need humanitarian assistance.

    Is the SPDC diverting aid on ethnic grounds?,” KHRG, May 14th 2008.

  12. Charles F. says:

    Dave Everett:
    I contacted your publisher, Penguin Books in Australia, only to be told that they will only handle sales in Oz. They put me in touch with the British company that is handling your book, who in turn told me that there is an American distributor.
    This is as far as I’ve been able to get in obtaining a copy of your book.
    If you know who will be publishing it in the U.S. please contact me and let me know.
    I would like to write a review of it for New Mandala. But I have to obtain a copy first.

    Taipan:

    Your posts on New Mandala have given me a better insight into the workings of the KNU/KNLA, much more so than I’ve obtained from others who have been there.

    One of the things I’ve wondered about from when you, Dave Everett and the others were there, was how did you get past the 30 day visa limitations imposed by the Thai govt.
    I understand that journalists can obtain visas for up to two years, but for the ordinary person it’s either 30 or 60 days, I’m not sure.
    When Tom Bleming was there, he had to run to Laos once a month, cross the border, then return to Thailand to get an additional 30 days.
    This seems like a poor way to conduct ones affairs over there.

    When you were there, did you have any dealings with Col ( now general?) Johnny? From news reports I’ve seen, it would appear that his area of responsibility is continually engaged in skirmishes with the SPDC and DKBA, and is losing ground.

    There seems to be a real problem with the KNLA maintaining their weapons. A failure rate of 20% is quoted often. Was this a problem when you were there?
    I understand that lack of finances forces the KNLA to purchase used and worn out weapons on the spot market, some of them dating to before the war in Viet Nam.
    From your earlier post I would assume that all weaponry and munitions has to be approved by the Thai military, which might explain why so much of it is junk. Part of the Thai “short leash” program?

    Regards,
    Charles Foster
    Triumph_Chopper_72@yahoo.com

  13. Sidh S. says:

    Cyclone Nargis and the Myanmar Junta’s response are clearly some of the most frustrating and deeply disturbing events of recent years. I remember being similarly frustrated during Louisiana’s disaster and the incompetence of the Bush government – but this is a totally different scale. It a manifestation of the worse socio-political culture extremities and the Junta are not concerned about anything else but their own survival. This is not merely some of the worse crimes against humanity committed on their own citizens but also obvious signs of a ‘failed state’. The Myanmese people has demanded and deserve much better alternatives but are, in effect, being held hostage by 400,000 armed men controlled by an evil elite hallucinating in self-aggrandization (by comparison at least Saddam and his Baathe Party seem to know the basics of running a country). Are these grounds for more forceful intervention (and the very difficult question of what extent)? For the sake of saving lifes, I think so.

  14. THAI OBSERVER
    “The Manager argues that the violence instigation is not The Manager’s policy. Well, I don’t think there is any political party has a policy to violate the election law either. Yet, the Manager keeps calling for the dissolution of the whole party because of one person’s mistake.”

    Thai observer may be too busy to follow the news. Manager’s biggest point is: if the government wants to change the constitution, then people must vote on it.

    Ask the millions of people who APPROVED of the constitution to likewise approve of its change by the Palang Prachachon party.

    People are free to slam Manager. But please folks, atleast read the site, which is in simple Thai. Don’t pull things out of the air like this and mislead impartial observers on an English forum or attempt to create ridiculous “facts” like Teth: “In fact, I remember when Sondhi L. was having a public fight with ML Nattakorn (’The Columnist’ at the Post) plenty of Manager’s commentators were calling Nattakorn a “cunt” and much worse. ” Teth should state what he means by c-nt? The Thai word for that organ is not allowed on air — period (not even on late night talk shows for teenagers). Or is Teth saying they were speaking in English? How far fetched are you going to take this?

    As a female westerner I’m not going to sit here and tolerate sexist remarks either. Next time if Manager ever uses c-nt I’ll be sure not to defend that unacceptable behavior!

    Everyone knows foul language and using a foul word for the female reproductive organ can be heard in the House of Representatives out of the mouth Palang PP member Karun during his recent kicking rampage against a Democrat.

    Remember you can disagree with Manager’s views, but don’t ignore what other media outlets are publishing even ahead of ASTV/Manager which you can use to compare and contrast on your own.

  15. Thai observer // May 11, 2008 at 5:23 pm

    Dear Khun Still water,

    1. “…his least likely of all allies–the REPUBLIC OF THAILAND people (funny these same people don’t try living in countries with these systems in place).”
    Are you suggesting that those who think Thailand should be republic do not deserve to have a normal life in Thailand? In Thailand, this opinion is common without ever been criticised that it is a disgusting (and dangerous) view.
    ————————–

    Dear Thai observer, are you suggesting that other REPUBLICS in the world are not “normal”?

    Thai observer, my question is simple. Have these scholars lived in utopian Republics before? For how long? Or are all they have are theories?

    Why don’t you stop putting words in my mouth and acknowledge that I asked a question. A question these scholars can answer on their own.

    Before you label my opinion (which is actually A QUESTION) “disgusting”. Reflect on the fact that I did not ask anyone to leave Thailand. I don’t own Thailand.

    From the suggestion of TPR folks, we need more socialism. While -elements- socialism in the US and other countries have contributed to the betterment of society, its implementation is beneficial in a MIXED form—not pure or extreme as some scholars try to encourage.

    I acknowledge that maybe the issue on this board is the multi-lingualism and varied opinions. I’m studying various Thai media outlets and enjoy the posts here at NM which admittedly has a smaller community often based abroad or presents a minority academic view. It’s possible we’re getting our wires crossed due to language.

  16. There is alot of confusion amongst Palang Prachachon supporters (people who are Pro-Thaksin). One side consists of old school pro-royalists, yet there isa small group within Thaksin’s team like Jakrapop who are anti-sakdina (but would rather have a capitalist ruling class).

    I wish they’d all get on the same page already. If they are going to play the LM card they better be sure Penkair is “safe” first.

  17. dave everett says:

    Hi Guys, sorry for the delay in writing back. Caught up getting this book of mine, Shadow Warrior, sorted out for its release in July. The problem I found when I was with the KNLA was staying out of the politics. You can’t waltz into a place and set up your own private army. There are a myriad of problems faced by the leaders and a lot of it is called diplomacy. Sure, people complained about the “fat cats”
    in the KNU appropriating funds and travelling around Thailand in expensive cars, etc. But what people have to realise, somebody has to do the business to raise money and it can only be done through Thailand. The relationship between Thailand and the KNU is critical. Without it, funds dry up, no equipment or food gets through to the troops or refugees and foreigners are blocked from reporting on the problems. Hence the need for the leadership to mix it with the Thai’s. For respect they can’t drive along in old cards and dress like beggards, they have to do business in an appropriate manner. Sure, some may indulge a bit too much, but it is a necessary evil. The wheels of economics to wage war have to be greased, this is a reality. For every gun that is given you have to give a dollar, for ammunition, supplies, etc to keep the troops in the field. As a foreigner, you cannot get involved in the politics, it is not your business. To meddle creates all sorts of problems. One particular one I noticed years back was the Pentecostle church people coming into Karen territory, poasching other Christians and converting them to the Pentecostle faith. They have created all sorts of mayhem in their misguided ways by isolating and splitting family members by saying if they are not born again then they are not true Christians and they cannot mix with people who are not born again, even their families. This bullshit created all sorts of complicated problems for the Karen people who did not have a very good education level and became confused with the Pentecostle version of Christianity. The Pentecostles were not successful converting Buddhists or anamists, whom they should have been trying to save, they simply prayed on other Christian groups creating a division and instability when there was no need for it. This was very annoying to me as it created hardship that was not needed. They are promionent in creating divisions in the KNU leadership today. They should have stayed out of the politics and stuck to giving assistance to the refugees and displaced persons who needed it the most. I did not say anything, as it wasn’t my place to do so.

    I don’t knoew anybody who got paid for their services as foreign fighters. You would occassionally get a grant when you went on leave to Thailand to renew your visa and have a break, but that was only about $10 000 Thai Baht. This barely covered your travel costs out of Thailand and back again. I ended up getting into big trouble because I tried to raise funds for the Karen cause illegally back in Australia because I felt too ashamed to ask the KNU for funding to support a program to guarantee supplies for the troops at wholesale prices. It was misguided on my part, but I felt the Karen had already been ripped off by to many foreigners with grand schemes.

    I knew Olivia, the Frenchman in charge of the commando camp as well as a French Cambodian guy Haung (whom I was told was killed in a parachuting accident many years ago).

    The Karen need political backing and good press for their cause, it is vital for them. Anybody can pick up a rifle and fight, but the pen is more powerful than the sword.

    I hope I have addressed some of the questions that have been asked.

    Take care all,

    Dave

  18. Qilone says:

    There’s known as Pattani Daussalam is a state,

  19. Democratus says:

    Expect more of this kind of thing. The royalists remain on the march and fascist tendencies are emerging (e.g. in the Manager).

  20. […] being stuck in time since Cyclone Nargis hit, the New Light of Myanmar and cohort-s are now going back online. Catch […]