Comments

  1. Chris Beale says:

    Nobody is mentioning perhaps Yinglucks greatest achievement – i.e. that she has held Thailand together. If you had asked me 5 years ago if I thought Thailand would still be a united country by today, 2013, I would have said “NO”. They’l be in civil war – Pattani insurrection, on a wider scale, with Isarn breaking away. I no longer believe this, though it looked real 5 years ago. Yingluck – and most likely some of the highest in Thai society – have worked out a compromise, to keep alive the good, great spirit of King Chulalongkorn – that Siamese remain united.

  2. SteveCM says:

    “SteveCM understandably thinks all those trips were [cough cough] not unimportant…”

    I referred to one specific trip, started the same day “after the speeches”. Feel free to expound ponderously and ad nauseam on your own views – but you do nothing for your argument by inventing the views of others.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

  3. Lert Tai says:

    Dai is not Burmese and Burmese is not Dai. Dai is Shan and have different culture, language and literature. Burmese in just a minority group that live in the small mainland and occupy the Shan land with brutal and dirty tactic until today.

  4. Arthur says:

    I always wonder if “Vichi N” is a bot/auto-troll financed by a royalist/military clique or an actual person. He seems so snide, bitter, almost pathetic in his endless attempt to trash Yingluck. Now it’s her foreign diplomacy trips, but it could be anything really. Hard to realize that Thailand is for the moment fairly stable, fairly prosperous, on good terms with all its immediate neighbors, all its mid/near neighbors and all its distance neighbors. There are no serious disputes or acrimonious spats between Thailand and any country at all in fact. Yingluck is actually a very successful representative of the “Thai brand” overseas. Wherever she visits, the local media covers her in a favorable, sometimes glowing way. She generates goodwill, investment, increased trade and all around good relations which cumulatively are quite beneficial to Thailand not only in the immediate but also the distant future. Charming, stylish, nice personality, hard for most foreign leaders to resist really. Only “Vichi N” is sitting in the corner and pouting. Wait until she gets elected for a 2nd term, then what will be do…start throwing his toys at the wall?

  5. borneon says:

    Correct,there is nothing wrong being a muslim, and it is not about being muslim or christian. Please do not bash other religion and call proselytizing brainwashing. People have the right to accept any teachings they believe in. I believe the author is talking about the position of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia, and how Malaya has fail to respect the agreement made and how it has influenced the political and social landscape in Sabah and Sarawak.

  6. Vichai N says:

    Ms Yingluck had completed 52 foreign trips to 41 countries over the past two years to-date. SteveCM understandably thinks all those trips were [cough cough] not unimportant … and maybe they were … if only to allow those foreign countries visited to appreciate the Thai PM’s impeccable fashion taste and [cough cough cough] oratical proficiency on ‘Thai democracy’ speeches.

    PM Yingluck could not stop her ‘urgent’ foreign trips – she will be travelling again (about this very moment) to Switzerland to attend the 24th United Nations Human Rights Council (she must be the world’s supreme expert on human rights issues by now, I guess) meeting; then proceed to visit Italy, Vatican City (to promote Thailand exports of Thai rice to the Pope I am guessing) and Montenegro.

    Montenegro Steve CM! Montenegro is a damn very importanta country to Thailand but I forgot at this moment why.

    As at Sept. 2, 2013 Prime Minister Yingluck ranks third among globe-trotting world figures for foreign trips, after US President Barak Obama and former US president George W Bush. Ms. Yingluck may have NOT accomplished much during her rule so far but at least she could go down in Guinness record as the No. 1 among globe-trotting world figures for foreign trips by the end of her term unless some kill-joy Thai general disrupts with a coup tempted by her constant absentee Thai premiership.

  7. paulscott says:

    For people who want a copy of the Bangkok street scene without Pizza adverts above go to

    http://postcardsfrombangkok.blogspot.com/2013/09/bangkok-street-representation.html

    street scene bangkok

  8. Aung Moung says:

    Dear All Our Leaders,

    Thanks for each share and each of the attacking to kick out the BSPP-USDA and Military Rules since 192.

    But U Ne Win saved our country as 30 Comrade members and the next Army Guys are no records.

    U Thant also trying to carry from Mingladon Air Port by RIT’s students but not successful and some were attended the Meeting at AE-10 at 10 am with the ALL UNIVERSITIES.

    Then next 10 am each Universities Students
    arrived at RASU’s Convocation Hall and then marched with Monkks (some were arrived before Student Arrived at Kyakkasan) along the University-Kyakasan Road to Kyakasan Race Course. Then some Students (Mg Nyo- Pakokku) shouted from Dodge Jeep together with other students from each Universities and some monks sourronded with hand to hand (from Shwe Kyin, Bahan) carried the coffin on the same route to RASU.

    All student arrived back on 4:47 pm at Convocation and all University’s Rectors and Teachers were sitting in front of Convocation Hall and some RIT’s students requested to allowed the U Thant’s coffin to go in.

    After 5 minutes, all students entered into Convocation Hall and hold the ceremony to get the right place of the U Thant’s body.

    That time Rangoon District Council U Thein Aung
    came and requested to Convocation Hall to discuss and will allow the right place for U Thant.

    The UN Flag was lost that time and hand over the “ALL Committees of the U Thant’s funeral Committee” to get the Memorial Cave at proper place.

    With Respect to Shwe Kyin Monestry, RASU,RIT,VAT,MC1-2, ECO, and Helpers from No (8 RED) Buses, Publics and so many Politicians and Supporters.

    Sincerely,

  9. Gregore Lopez says:

    I think its more a misalignment between the aspirations of ASEAN’s elites and the people of ASEAN.

  10. Independent Malaya says:

    Prof James, your view could be taken as reasonable until one realise you are looking as colonised Chinese Christian.
    There is nothing wrong with being Muslim. What is wrong is with Europeans priests from German, Holland, Bulgaria France Italy etc brain washing the native Kadazans with Jews mythology. According to oxford definition Jesus Christ was Jew priest. Therefore your argument against malays from the peninsula fail as Jews have no locus standi at all in Borneo and the spread of the belief Chrisitanity as in Phillipines is to ensure ready maid slaves for europe.

  11. SteveCM says:

    “Me thinks that after the speeches, Yingluck will fly out of Bangkok again to somewhere unimportant to negotiate for unimportant deals for unimportant Thailand…”

    Actually China & talks with the Chinese PM. How [cough] “unimportant” is that on the Vichai scale?

  12. Gregore Lopez says:

    Just wondering, what the issue is about a ‘Chinese Tsunami’?

    If a ‘Chinese Tsunami’ means that Malaysian Chinese prefer a less corrupt Malay/Islamist government, something that they hope that the Malay/Islamist led Pakatan Rakyat can provide, is that a bad thing?

  13. tocharian says:

    China is using the 2Y-strategy (Yuan and Y-chromosomes both of which they have a surplus) and the 2B-tactics (Bribery and Bullying) to colonise its neighbouring barbaric regions. For millennia, Han Chinese have viewed the periphery as populated by barbarians and it is a mark of Chinese history to “civilize”, “pacify” and “sinicize” them (bring them under Chinese cultural, economic and demographic control). Tibet, Tangut and Nan-Chao were independent kingdoms until “recently” by historical standards. Of course, Chinese are aware of ethnic minorities, but they will use these “quaint people” as tourist attractions. Chinese society is convinced of their cultural superiority (especially over those lazy backward neighbouring “tribes”). China now has long-term political and economic goals and is hungry for natural resources as fuel for their Great Economic Leapfrog Forward. The goal is to make China the dominant global power, within this century. They might view the “West” as a “worthy adversary” that they have to compete against but Southeast Asians are not even looked upon by the Chinese as “equals”. South China Sea, Singapore and even part of the Indian Ocean atre considered a “string of pearls” that China owns and controls. History ultimately is always written by the “conquerors” (unfortunately).

  14. Doris Jones says:

    20 Points is legal simply because if it is not legal means MA63 is not legal.
    It does confirmed by the Section 14 of the InterGovernmental Committee Report that the committee agreed that the more important undertakings should be included in the formal agreement and envisaged that the other undertakings and assurance might be dealt within exchanges of letter between Government concerned.

    –> On 13/7 & 14/7 1962 14 Points was submitted but subsequently become 20 points in total and these 20POINTS actually tabled and discussed and included in its legal form in the IGC Report, Malaysia Act and finally to the Fed Const. Some of the points were accepted but not all included in the agreement.

  15. tan says:

    It is the fact that the majority citizens of malaysia has lost their faith to the goverment.Anyway,our ringgit currency has been dropped like potatoe and also thanks for the increase of crime rates,bribery,abused of autorities,cheating during election and poor performances.Compare to singapore,u suck.other than that, wawasan 2020 ,forget about it,impossible to acheive already.

  16. stewoolf says:

    The issue is not language. A decent translator would enable anyone to solicit opinions from anyone EXCEPT the Malays, in particular those in the rural. They would avoid to disagree with you ‘at all costs’. All you heard are the vocal minority. The more than eighty percents are dead silent. PAS are clueless. So are the urban Malays. How to blame the foreign media and academics??

  17. And the evidence for this assertion that rural voters were bought off and more racist than urban based Malays is…
    not provided; other than stating voting patterns. But the voting patterns do not tell us why people voted the way they did.

    I would be willing to accept that the assertion is true. I just haven’t seen anything sort of convincing evidence for it.
    But then again, one can the line that once you repeat something often enough it becomes a fact.

  18. Olivia Cable says:

    CIMB ASEAN Research Institute [http://www.cariasean.org/news/can-asean-economic-community-be-a-reality-by-2015/] conducted a series of interviews, assessing the progress made, challenges encountered and of the destination itself:

    “I don’t think they would be able to achieve it”, YBhg Tan Sri Dr. Munir Majid, Former Chairman, Malaysia Airline System Berhad

    “There is no conduit or channel where the private sector is able to interact with the bureaucrats, the policymakers…”, Datuk M. Supperamaniam,
    Distinguished Fellow, Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS)

    “We have to do it because this is the commitment, to create a community, of young professionals, in business in banking and government to have the sense of ASEAN wide community. It’s a must”, Juwono Sudarsono
    Former Minister of Defence, Repubic of Indonesia

    “Well, it depends on how they overcome these challenges of vested interests, fear of competition, of the ignorance by the business sector of the benefits of integration”, Rodolfo Severino JR.,
    Former secretary General of Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Head of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore

    “…I don’t know whether the boost of AEC2015 is a realisable proposition”, Ambassaor Kesavapany
    Executive Director, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore

    AEC: another mismatch between political ambitions?

  19. gert says:

    Thaksin loves the King and the monarchy as much as anyone. Show him a picture of the King and he is on his knees in a flash.
    He has also expressed his love and support for the Crown Prince.
    How can anyone say, Thaksin is a republican?

  20. Gregore Lopez says:

    RSIS research fellow and ANU alumnus, Mohamad Nawab Mohamad Osman notes that:

    The urban Malay voters seemed less concerned about issues of race during the campaign period and were not swayed by the cash handouts distributed by the BN government. The PR also made gains among middle-class Malays who were equally influenced by PR’s rhetoric of change. The rural Malay voters however were more easily won over by the cash handouts by the government, while being more susceptible to government-linked television channels that raised fears the opposition would scrap the special privileges they enjoyed under the BN government.

    http://www.rsis.edu.sg/publications/Perspective/RSIS0912013.pdf