Comments

This case is interesting because it seem like the same situation with Thaksin’s stock deal.

Did both break the written law? -No.
Did both break the intention of written law? -Yes.
Do many people do it? -Yes.
Are they both role-model figure? -Yes.

The main different seem to be the “amount” of goods in question, not the “intention” of act.

Seem like it is OK to bend the law, eg. no street-protest and coup, if “amount” is less than 7 billion.

By the way, I KNOW someone WILL argue that Thaksin DID break written law, per Pridiyathorn’s accusation. But please bear in mind that the case is not even in court yet let alone judged. And as Thai justice system, all suspect are innocent until proven guilty(Dont want to start the whole did not-did too arguement yet again).

I met Matthew McDaniel outside of a 7/11 in Mae Sai when both of us were doing a visa run to Burma. He had on a ratty hat and I mentioned he might want to switch to a Tilley and that his rat hat made him look like he came from Oz…trailia! Later I saw him in Chiang Rai and recognized his vehicle with the “Missionaries Suck” sign on both sides of it in one-foot high letters. I think that Matthew is doing admirable work in trying to help the Akha and his information on the so-called drug murders is detail of a human rights violation that should be investigated by some authority other than the Than and USA governments.

Than Shwe has no shame. Burma was the largest rice exporter in the world. Burma was the largest teak and other hard wood exporter in the world. The largest Ruby mine and the largest jade mines are in the world is Burma. Burma was known as the British crown of Asia. Burma was known as “The Asian Rice Bowl”. Now Burma is the poorest of the poor in the world. I am ashamed of how military generals are leading us even if they don’t know what they are doing. Un-educated generals don’t know how to be ashamed of., because they are soooooo stupid. Guns and Bullets are not the answer to solve the problem. We the people are the answer to solve it.

Van Mualcin
Dallas, Texas

Those stupid Lao have too much bad karma for killing their royal family. They’ve lost all moral sense and have become greedy like a nation of mini-Thaksins.

We Thai are lucky that we have our wise King who can teach us about sufficient economy and that there is more to life than “livelihood”. Lao brothers should try to learn from the Thai King.

One comment: This is likely to have interesting effects on the patterns of migration from Laos to Thailand. Since Savannakhet has been designated a Special Investment Area (like an FTZ) by the Lao govt, we might expect increased industrial investment in the region by Thais and a consequent reduction in cross-border migration. In some work I did for World Vision I pointed out that this may result in the problem of human trafficking and exploitation becoming “invisible”, as exploitation and slave labour are often only noticed when they involve cross-border movement.

HM King Bhumibhol was the inspirational glue that kept the Thais patriotically united and you know it, through coups and flawed elections.

I remember reading an older ethnologue on Northern Thailand from an “old school” French anthropologist who noted that Thai whiskey was the social glue that held village society togther, an observation which I can personally confirm has some validity. Perhaps the palace has also served as a similar inspirational glue on a broader scale, but it has also served an active catalyst in Thai politics.

I have just finished reading the Handley book and the one thing this book has done is, continuing in a metaphorical manner, is to release the genie out of the bottle relative to discussing the Palace and its role in Thai politics.

For better or worse, one can make perhaps a weak argument that if not for the palace, there goes Thailand. On the other hand, Burma has always been a far more ethnically diverse Kingdom than Siam, estimates are usually around a 60% Burmese popoulation for Burma proper, so historical comparisons are not so easy to make.

Come off it James. HM King Bhumibhol was the inspirational glue that kept the Thais patriotically united and you know it, through coups and flawed elections.

But Seasons Greetings to all just the same.

Sounds like something straight out of “Seeing like a state” – I mean that in a positive sense!

Once the richest state in South-East Asia Myanmar has become one of the poorest.

But help will indirectly come from Thailand’s development: if
you neighbour grows rich you don’t want to be left behind.

Besides refugees in Thailand are a potential hope of change
as they’re going to fuel a dynamic opposition.