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I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the translation, or whether there even was an such an article in "Deum Ampil", but as it has now disappeared from the Bangkok Post forums, I'm saving it here for posterity, and a bit of a laugh :)
Thailand Suffers Massive Loss of Face at UNESCO Meeting
by Domrei on Wed Jun 24, 2009 3:32 pm
A high-ranking Cambodian government official source told “Deum Ampil” on 23 June 2009 that the UNESCO World Heritage committee has decided to reject the request made by Thailand’s prime minister who attempted to obtain a joint listing of Preah Vihear temple between Cambodia and Thailand.
This rejection by UNESCO brings a loss of face to the Thai government, and especially Thailand’s PM who came to power through a constitutional coup with the help of Thailand’s royaaal palaaace and a group of Thai generals.
This loss of face clearly points to the serious defeat of Thailand’s ministry of Natural Resources and Environment which was tasked by Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thailand’s PM, to take this issue to the 33rd meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage committee in Seville, Spain. Thailand wanted to obtain a review of the listing of Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site.
The current defeat brings up Thailand’s shameless ambition to the world’s attention, and it also shows Thailand’s attempt to violate Cambodian’s sovereignty and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple.
According to report from Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai deputy-PM Suthep Thaugsuban indicated that he will perform an official visit to Cambodia on Saturday to confirm to Hun Sen about Bangkok’s opposition stance to the listing of Preah Vihear temple.Suthep said that “he and Thailand’s defense minister, General Pravit Wongsuwan, will visit Cambodia to meet with Hun Sen to explain to the latter and to clear up a number of misunderstandings about Preah Vihear temple between the two countries.”
Even though Suthep confirmed his trip to Cambodia this Saturday, Kuy Kuong, the spokesman of Cambodia’s ministry of Foreign Affairs, indicated that up to now, his ministry did not receive any diplomatic communiqué from Thailand about this trip yet. He added: “Up to now, we received information indicating the official visit of Thailand’s deputy-PM and its minister of defense to Cambodia, but as of Tuesday, the Cambodian embassy has not received an official communiqué about this trip yet, and neither does the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok.”Suthep added: “Thailand and Cambodia shared the goal of avoiding continued border dispute in Preah Vihear area, and the current dispute is not between Thailand and Cambodia, but rather between Thailand the UNESCO World Heritage committee.”
Suthep added that he hopes to be able to get Bangkok’s point across to Hun Sen.Information about Suthep’s visit to Cambodia under the order of Abhisit was reported following Hun Sen’s sharp reaction to the issue raised by the unlawful leaders of Thailand, including Abhisit, Thailand’s bitter (“Phler Lvea”) PM, and Kasit Piromya, the rude Thai Foreign Affairs minister with a big liver (“Thloeum Thom”), who dare ask UNESCO to review the listing of Preah Vihear temple and a joint listing of this temple.
This issue is raised by dumb-like persons, as if they were ghosts who lead a country with a population of 7 million. This is why Samdach Akok Moha Sena Bat Dey Dek Cho Hun Sen, the intelligent prime minister who is full of wisdom, expressed his strong regret about the issue raised by these retarded people.
Hun Sen told reporters at the ministry of Foreign Affairs: “I believe that these are his words as the PM of a country that disturbs the sovereignty of another country, and I regret his comments and his desire (Thai PM). During his visit to Cambodia, he did not raise this issue with me, but I believe that his goal will not be successful.”
For more of the Cambodian perspective I recommend the Khmerization blog as a good source.
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Saturday, July 11, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Thaksin visits Coup leader
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Thaksin has paid a visit to Fiji's coup installed PM, military commander Frank Bainimarama, as reported in The Australian:
Fugitive former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra's secret Fiji talks
"The subject of their discussions, held in Mr Bainimarama's office in Suva on Monday, is unknown, but informed sources in Fiji say Mr Thaksin is considering investing $300million in the country.
In return, he would probably be assured safety there from extradition, if he should choose to use Fiji as one of his bases in exile. Thailand is seeking to return him to Bangkok, where he faces two years in jail for abuse of power"
Surely those reports about Thaksin looking to do a deal with the the coup leader are incorrect, and the real purpose for Thaksin's visit must have been to advise Bainimarama about the principles of democracy and how to quickly return power in Fiji to the people.
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Thaksin has paid a visit to Fiji's coup installed PM, military commander Frank Bainimarama, as reported in The Australian:
Fugitive former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra's secret Fiji talks
"The subject of their discussions, held in Mr Bainimarama's office in Suva on Monday, is unknown, but informed sources in Fiji say Mr Thaksin is considering investing $300million in the country.
In return, he would probably be assured safety there from extradition, if he should choose to use Fiji as one of his bases in exile. Thailand is seeking to return him to Bangkok, where he faces two years in jail for abuse of power"
Surely those reports about Thaksin looking to do a deal with the the coup leader are incorrect, and the real purpose for Thaksin's visit must have been to advise Bainimarama about the principles of democracy and how to quickly return power in Fiji to the people.
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Saturday, June 13, 2009
Violation of privacy, and safety valves
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Warangkana Chomchuen has an interesting piece in msnbc contrasting the way the Thai press covers things like David Carradine's death with the way it covers matters regarding the Thai monarchy.
I like that article, she makes some good points and it is refereshing to see it come from a Thai journalist (even though the 2006 Fullbright grantee seems to be based outside Thailand), however I found some of the comments even more interesting, including these gems:
I wonder how 'K-Dub of Oklahoma' would feel if it was his/her family's privacy being violated in the thai press?
It's hard for me to believe that 'James of Forth Worth, TX' has ever been to Thailand, let alone ever lived there. Perhaps he is one of those Three Wise Monkeys - did not hear or see any evil, and cannot speak of it?
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Warangkana Chomchuen has an interesting piece in msnbc contrasting the way the Thai press covers things like David Carradine's death with the way it covers matters regarding the Thai monarchy.
I like that article, she makes some good points and it is refereshing to see it come from a Thai journalist (even though the 2006 Fullbright grantee seems to be based outside Thailand), however I found some of the comments even more interesting, including these gems:
- "One should probably think a bit before putting themselves into a situation that could bring them unwanted attention, even after death.Who are we as Americans that should enforce OUR laws and customs on the Thai people?"
I wonder how 'K-Dub of Oklahoma' would feel if it was his/her family's privacy being violated in the thai press?
- "The king of Thailand acts as a safety valve; when politics here reach a point of explosive imbalance he acts to stabilize the situation. If you doubt this, look around SE Asia at the countries who have lacked such safe guards. No Thai, red shirts included, would want to live in *those* countries. They have suffered terrible hardships (ex: Cambodia). That safety valve *must* be outside the influence of political control and be free to operate, therefore attacks on the monarchy can not be tolerated.It is sad to see someone compare the proper functioning of a political system to the questionable actions of an actor".
- "The negative comments on Thailand are very improper and likely based on little personal experience in the nation. Thailand is a beautiful nation with an amazingly sophisticated and proud culture. The King is a great man who's done many things to help the poor in his nation and to allow democracy to flourish. I've lived in Thailand and found it to be a majestic place with a very bright future. Long live the King of Thailand!"
It's hard for me to believe that 'James of Forth Worth, TX' has ever been to Thailand, let alone ever lived there. Perhaps he is one of those Three Wise Monkeys - did not hear or see any evil, and cannot speak of it?
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Friday, May 29, 2009
Next time, hand out condoms, not towels.
.
From today's The Nation:
EC to file charges against Suthep
Commission will file a charge of electoral fraud against Deputy Prime Minister and Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban for handing out towels carrying his and the party's name.....
A similar charge would also be filed against Democrat politicians Chumpol Kanchana and Praphon Ninwatcharamanee for handing out towels with their and the party's name to people at a Songkran celebration last year, the commissioner said.
Call for cheap access to female condoms
The government was urged Thursday to make more effort to help women get access to female condoms, which were described as an important tool to reduce the risk of HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhoea and syphilis.
"The government should work hard to increase alternative options for women to protect themselves from HIV/Aids infection," said Tissadee Sawangying, the coordinator of a health and opportunity network....
She said female condoms were important for women who had limited capacity to get their husbands or partners to wear condoms during sexual intercourse.
I'm not sure if the actual condoms will be able to carry the party's name, (and I doubt anyone will be reading it anyway:), however I wonder if the EC would object to the packet being emblazoned with something like:
"With compliments from Chamlong, Saeng Thien Haeng Dharma Party"
Its all for a good cause:)
From today's The Nation:
EC to file charges against Suthep
Commission will file a charge of electoral fraud against Deputy Prime Minister and Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban for handing out towels carrying his and the party's name.....
A similar charge would also be filed against Democrat politicians Chumpol Kanchana and Praphon Ninwatcharamanee for handing out towels with their and the party's name to people at a Songkran celebration last year, the commissioner said.
Call for cheap access to female condoms
The government was urged Thursday to make more effort to help women get access to female condoms, which were described as an important tool to reduce the risk of HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhoea and syphilis.
"The government should work hard to increase alternative options for women to protect themselves from HIV/Aids infection," said Tissadee Sawangying, the coordinator of a health and opportunity network....
She said female condoms were important for women who had limited capacity to get their husbands or partners to wear condoms during sexual intercourse.
I'm not sure if the actual condoms will be able to carry the party's name, (and I doubt anyone will be reading it anyway:), however I wonder if the EC would object to the packet being emblazoned with something like:
"With compliments from Chamlong, Saeng Thien Haeng Dharma Party"
Its all for a good cause:)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Thai Politicians, Military, Police, Business, Academic & Bureaucratic Elite Manipulators
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I hope Karma exists
(in other words, if you don't change your ways, may you all rot in hell!)
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Reform or Perish (originally posted 15/4/09)
Its all been said before, back & forth we go about Prem, Thaksin, uneducated masses, corrupt, selfish, manipulative, greedy elites & military, police, politicians, third hands, thainess, aversion to loss of face etc etc etc.
Hopefully I have the self control to make this my final comment on Thai politics:
Update: Please, Please, Please let this be my last word on fucking Thai politics!
Now is the time for Abhisit to decide how he wants to go down in history - it's his choice whether he is seen as another in a long line of elite manipulators, or a true reformer.
Update: I put too much emphasis on Abhisit, who in reality may have little real power - So it's not only Abhisit who has to decide, it's also the Privy Council, Thaksin, the Generals, the Yellow & Red leadership, the old style Local/Regional Lords, and the Monarchy.
Whichever route he chooses, he is unlikely to win a fair election in the short term, but if he chooses reform he at least will eventually be fondly remembered by the majority
(and he is actually young enough that he might one day win an election fair & square, once the masses realize that no one is semi-divine, not HMK nor Thaksin)
Choose wrongly, and blowback is inevitable.
Obviously, there are quite a few others who also could make a difference, but I still think the most important players are still Thaksin, Prem & Abhisit.
Thaksin & Prem have already had ample opportunities to change and have shown no sign of doing so - time is not on Prem's side and his successor is unlikely to have nearly as much clout, so unless they are bloodyminded & stupid enough to go the Burma route, change is inevitable.
Update: Unfortunately, from what I have seen from the leaders on both sides, change for the better looks very remote.
Thaksin is in a lot of hot water now, but I dont think it is too late for him to change - if he started to show some remorse and humility, he could be back sooner than expected - and I don't mean grovelling to Prem, rather he needs to be honest about the good and the bad of his own past actions - if he can do that there is probably no need for the yellow shirts to even exist.
Whether the red shirts need to exist will depend on what Abhisit does, but he has had enough warning from events over this Songkran, that if he chooses wrongly then the next uprising will be much bigger and harder to quell (especially if the reds have dropped the blind allegiance to Thaksin by then)
It's up to the Thais to sort the mechanics of the reform, but obviously the constitution rewrite needs to be an inclusive consultative process, and any remaining contentious items will have to go to a fair referendum, with all sides having an equal opportunity to present their arguments.
Before that reform can even happen, the first obstacle to be tackled is whether to prosecute all leaders on both the yellow and red sides, or to grant amnesties all round - whatever they choose, both sides need to be treated equally, otherwise there will be blowback one way or the other.
I wish them good luck in sorting this political mess out, so they can then move on to resolving the Southern Thailand insurgency.
Make the wrong moves and the south wont be the only place where there is an insurgency.
Thailand needs change, the genie is out of the bottle, and the old ways to put it back in will no longer work - heed the warnings!
Update: In addition to the powerful elite needing to change, there are others who can also contribute to positive change:
1. Academics, bloggers & political activists on both sides of the fence could try to be less partisan, stop playing for a team and wanting your team to win at all costs, and instead be more honest about the deficiencies of your own team, at the same time as pointing out the deficiencies of the other team.
2. Newer, lower ranking 'moderate' politicians & bureaucrats could reach out to those on the other side, forget old allegiances, and instead work towards improving the rules of the game, instead of relying on hanging off the coattails of a puu yai, warlord or demagogue.
3. The people (rich, middle class & poor masses) all could try to wise up, do the right thing and reject all old ways of doing politics, and reject any politicians who still want to do things that way.
I hope Karma exists
(in other words, if you don't change your ways, may you all rot in hell!)
.
Reform or Perish (originally posted 15/4/09)
Its all been said before, back & forth we go about Prem, Thaksin, uneducated masses, corrupt, selfish, manipulative, greedy elites & military, police, politicians, third hands, thainess, aversion to loss of face etc etc etc.
Hopefully I have the self control to make this my final comment on Thai politics:
Update: Please, Please, Please let this be my last word on fucking Thai politics!
Now is the time for Abhisit to decide how he wants to go down in history - it's his choice whether he is seen as another in a long line of elite manipulators, or a true reformer.
Update: I put too much emphasis on Abhisit, who in reality may have little real power - So it's not only Abhisit who has to decide, it's also the Privy Council, Thaksin, the Generals, the Yellow & Red leadership, the old style Local/Regional Lords, and the Monarchy.
Whichever route he chooses, he is unlikely to win a fair election in the short term, but if he chooses reform he at least will eventually be fondly remembered by the majority
(and he is actually young enough that he might one day win an election fair & square, once the masses realize that no one is semi-divine, not HMK nor Thaksin)
Choose wrongly, and blowback is inevitable.
Obviously, there are quite a few others who also could make a difference, but I still think the most important players are still Thaksin, Prem & Abhisit.
Thaksin & Prem have already had ample opportunities to change and have shown no sign of doing so - time is not on Prem's side and his successor is unlikely to have nearly as much clout, so unless they are bloodyminded & stupid enough to go the Burma route, change is inevitable.
Update: Unfortunately, from what I have seen from the leaders on both sides, change for the better looks very remote.
Thaksin is in a lot of hot water now, but I dont think it is too late for him to change - if he started to show some remorse and humility, he could be back sooner than expected - and I don't mean grovelling to Prem, rather he needs to be honest about the good and the bad of his own past actions - if he can do that there is probably no need for the yellow shirts to even exist.
Whether the red shirts need to exist will depend on what Abhisit does, but he has had enough warning from events over this Songkran, that if he chooses wrongly then the next uprising will be much bigger and harder to quell (especially if the reds have dropped the blind allegiance to Thaksin by then)
It's up to the Thais to sort the mechanics of the reform, but obviously the constitution rewrite needs to be an inclusive consultative process, and any remaining contentious items will have to go to a fair referendum, with all sides having an equal opportunity to present their arguments.
Before that reform can even happen, the first obstacle to be tackled is whether to prosecute all leaders on both the yellow and red sides, or to grant amnesties all round - whatever they choose, both sides need to be treated equally, otherwise there will be blowback one way or the other.
I wish them good luck in sorting this political mess out, so they can then move on to resolving the Southern Thailand insurgency.
Make the wrong moves and the south wont be the only place where there is an insurgency.
Thailand needs change, the genie is out of the bottle, and the old ways to put it back in will no longer work - heed the warnings!
Update: In addition to the powerful elite needing to change, there are others who can also contribute to positive change:
1. Academics, bloggers & political activists on both sides of the fence could try to be less partisan, stop playing for a team and wanting your team to win at all costs, and instead be more honest about the deficiencies of your own team, at the same time as pointing out the deficiencies of the other team.
2. Newer, lower ranking 'moderate' politicians & bureaucrats could reach out to those on the other side, forget old allegiances, and instead work towards improving the rules of the game, instead of relying on hanging off the coattails of a puu yai, warlord or demagogue.
3. The people (rich, middle class & poor masses) all could try to wise up, do the right thing and reject all old ways of doing politics, and reject any politicians who still want to do things that way.
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