Almost a year ago, we have reported about a large industrial estate and port built in Dawei Burma’s west coast and Thailand’s involvement in the mega-project. Thai academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun has, among other crucial factors, outlined in an very detailed essay the Thai stakes in Dawei:

The Burmese government has given a green light to a huge port and industrial estate development in Dawei, for which the Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited (ITD) is a major contractor. The first-phase contract for the 10-year project is worth an estimated $8.6 billion. All in all, the entire project could be worth US$58 billion or more. The role of Thailand in Burma’s transition is therefore crucial. (…)

For Thailand, Dawei will serve both the national interest and the private sector. There is nothing new in Thailand downplaying democratic development in Burma for the sake of Thai economic benefit. (…) the Thaksin administration brushed aside the issue of political reforms and human rights as he traded with the Burmese junta.In 2010, Abhisit followed the same course in the name of bringing change and prosperity to the impoverished nation. New Thai Premier Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin’s youngest sister, quickly reached out to Burma after she took office in August. Aung San Suu Kyi even congratulated her.

The Thai government has worked closely with ITD in ensuring Thailand’s long-term gains from the Dawei project. (…)

The Thai government has promoted Dawei as part of the national interest, despite Western skepticism about Burma. The West is coming around to accepting that change in Burma may be real, (…)

The Thai private sector will also get rich from Dawei. The project could secure a firm source of revenue for ITD for at least 10 years. (…) More Thai companies are now in negotiation with ITD for their prospective investments in Dawei’s subsequent development phase. This will intensify the Thai economic influence in Burma in the long term.

“Dawei Port: Thailand’s Megaproject in Burma“, by Pavin Chachavalpongpun, in: Global Asia, Winter 2011

However, there are also big environmental concerns surrounding the still quiet fishing village, as this industrial estate is projected to be about 10 times bigger than Map Ta Phut, an industrial estate in Rayong province and infamous for the negative health effects on local residents. With environmental guidelines likely being even less strict than in Thailand, the companies involved are being demanded to carry out impact assessments. No doubt it will change the landscape – politically, economically and literally. Up to 30,000 locals could be affected by this project and could face forced relocation.

But on Tuesday, the Dawei mega-project has surprisingly hit a bump – here’s fellow Asian Correspondent blogger Francis Wade:

Burma’s befuddling rulers have launched another surprise attack on our (somewhat waning) ability to rationalise what is happening in Naypyidaw: four months after the shock suspension of the China-backed Myitsone Dam in the country’s north, the government’s environment minister yesterday announced that a massive, Thai-financed power plant in the south of the country has been scrapped.

The move has prompted (…) immediate questions: first, what has become of the 60-year lease awarded to Ital-Thai to develop the Dawei industrial zone (surely it has been spectacularly breached)? (…)

Like the Myitsone decision, the government has cited public opposition as the key trigger for the Dawei cancellation; also like Myitsone, its newfound fans have been quick to link the scrapping of the plant to the reformist nature of Thein Sein and his cabinet. But while it may have been China’s increasing economic influence in Burma, rather than disquiet among Burmese, that prompted the country’s nationalistic rulers to (temporarily) jump ship on Myitsone, the Dawei decision is slightly more puzzling – the government doesn’t stand to benefit, economically or ideologically, unless it has really developed a conscience and translated that into policy.

“Power plants, dams and mind games in Burma“, by Francis Wade, Asian Correspondent, January 10, 2012

According to The Irrawaddy, Burma’s Minister for Electrcity Khin Maung Soe says that the government will instead build a smaller power plant with an output of 400 megawatt – just one per cent of the originally projected 40,000 megawatt. However, the Thai stakeholders apparently remain confident that a power plant of the original size will be built, just with a slight modification:

Thai companies remain confident in the future of a 4,000-megawatt coal-fired power plant at Dawei despite Burma abruptly halting construction on Monday after a domestic outcry over the plant’s environmental impact.

Italian-Thai Development (ITD) and its partner Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding Plc (Ratch) said they had yet to be notified and were satisfied the power plant would proceed, perhaps using natural gas instead.

“Thais in the dark on Dawei plant“, Bangkok Post, January 11, 2011

This latest episode in the Dawei mega-project illustrates the still unpredictability of doing business in Burma, with corruption and nepotism still not a thing of the past, while the country’s formerly-junta-turned-civillian-government itself self is still figuring out how to push the apparent economical reforms in order to gain legitimacy from the international community. Past and present governments of Thailand have been too eager to to give that very legitimacy, even in times of brutal oppression and international condemnation, and Thailand’s biggest corporations are now predicting a new gold rush in Burma. The question remains: for what price?

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist based in Hamburg, Germany again (*sigh*). He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

On this webspace here however, I just want to thank following people (in no particular order) for their support, acknowledgment or just the the privilege of having encountered each other over the last 12 months:

Eric, Flo, Ale, Tri, Greg, Fari, Lily, Joseph, Melissa, Matt, Kitty, Karla, Kim, Leela, Anne & Pokpong, Tum, Fergal, Jon, Adam, Jessica, Paul, Fabian, Lizzie, Glenn, Lucas, Elisa, Daniel, Lars, Andrea, Anniken, Nareas, Nok, Narut, Pouk, Kamonwan, Peter, Brock, Khun Mot, P’ Som, Anasuya & Newley, Nirmal, Marwaan, Noppatjak, Zoe, Rachel, Wayne, John, Matt, Khun Mix, Serhat, Andrew, Claudio, Aela, Simon, David, Lisa, Nicola, Holger, Lee, Regina, Marten, Jörn, Patrick, Pailin W., Dom, Dao, Kaori, Christoph, Tim, Jost, Pailin C., Job, Mond, Somsak & Suchitra, Pinn, Tobi, Matthijs, Roman, Fred, Conse, Sören, Rike, Janine, Fran, Ches, Cod, Kaewmala, Sylvie, Christian, Sophia, Tim, Annika, Sarah, Dan, Daniel, Timo, Rikker, Oliver, Jack, Diane, Etienne, Linda, Tina and many, many more!

THANK YOU ALL! This year really went to ’11! Here’s to an even better 2012! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011 is history and looking back on Thailand this past year, it has been yet another eventful year that brought some answers, but many more questions to the wide-spread problems that continues to plague the country in many aspects. However, 2011 brought many chances and changes, shed light on issues and topics left in the dark before, voices echoed by many and opinions uttered by a few, whether you agree with them or not.

This is a (definitely incomplete) list of these stories that happened in 2011…

Lèse majesté sees December surge

Let’s start off with the most recent topic that has unfortunately brought Thailand into the world headlines for all the wrong reasons again and that is none other than the problematic issue of lèse majesté that is gripping freedom of speech. The whole month of December was filled with stories about high-profile cases and countless victims of this draconian law, the discussion to amend it and the (irrational) defenders of this law and the institution that is meant to be protected by it.

The recent surge of lèse majesté began in late November with the dubious sentence against Ampon “Uncle SMS” Tangnoppakul, despite doubtful evidence. The 62-year old grandfather is now being jailed for 20 years, five years for each alleged SMS sent. On December 8 the Thai-born US citizen was  sentenced to two and a half years prison for posting translated parts of a banned biography on the King. On December 15 ‘Da Torpedo’, despite winning an appeal resulting in a restart of her trial, was punished to 15 years prison for alleged remarks made in 2008. These are just a few cases that happened in November and December compared to the countless other (partly ongoing or pending) cases over the past 12 months.

But the surge was also accompanied with growing and publicly displayed concern by the European Union, the United Nations and the United States Embassy in Bangkok over the increasing blatant usage of the lèse majesté law, only with the latter to be flooded with irrational, angry hate speeches and also the venue for a protest by royalists in mid-December (and also in a nearly instant iconic display of royal foolishness, the protesters are wearing Guy Fawkes masks, most likely inspired by the #Occupy-movement, but totally oblivious to its historical roots). It was not the first time this year that this issue got attention from the international community, as seen in October.

The government of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was elected into office last July (see below), and while she would have liked to see some change on the application of the law, not to the law itself though, the new ICT minister has vowed to exploit this to the fullest. He was only to be topped by deputy prime minister Chalerm Yubamrung a few months later, who went into full combat mode and declared war on lèse majesté web content with a THB400m ($12,6m) strong war chest, right after a meeting with the military’s top brasses. The hopes of many supporters of the Pheu Thai Party, especially the red shirts, are at latest by now fully gone, as this government already has a tainted record on this issue.

But there was also an important protest by opponents of lèse majesté – the “Fearlessness Walk” shows that this issue can no longer be ignored and the consequences of its enforcement are doing exactly the opposite of what it is supposed to do. It is drawing attention to the ambiguous nature of Article 112 of the criminal code (as well as the Computer Crimes Act), it is drawing attention to the signs of changing times and those who refuse to see them, and ultimately it will draw more opposition – we will (unfortunately) hear more about this issue in 2012!

(Non-)Culture: Baring the unbearable and monopolizing ”Thai”-ness

While we’re on the subject on being subjected to the anachronistic ideas of a few, there were several stories in 2011 in the realms of culture that were disconcerting, to say the least. It wasn’t so much the incidents themselves rather the reactions by those self-proclaimed cultural heralds of everything “Thai”-ness – a phrase I’ve been using too often in each of those stories: three girls dancing topless on Songkran, the then-culture minister calls for a crackdown on them as if they have attacked everything “Thai”-ness stands for. A few months later the same culture minister suddenly notices that infidels foreigners are getting Buddhist tattoos and calls for a ban (and back paddles after some considerable uproar). Shortly after his ministry senselessly attempts to crack down on a senseless internet meme because it’s “inappropriate” and “not constructive”. Later this year a rather curious guide for parents was published on their website. And finally a singer’s rather raunchy video gets a ton of hits online and a sanctimonious scolding on national TV.

See a pattern here? The selective outcry borders on ridiculousness and fuels Thailand’s National Knee-Jerk Outrage Machine (“กลไกสร้างปฏิกิริยาอย่างไร้ความยั้งคิดแห่งประเทศไทย”, trademark pending), claims to uphold the only valid definition of “Thai”-ness, that isn’t even fully spelled out yet, while they have not noticed that the world beyond their minds has moved on and come up with new and different definitions of what else Thailand could be. The problem is that these cultural heralds, by political office or class, claim monopoly on this. Everyone below their wage level is not entitled to even think about it. And if something doesn’t fit their point of view, as guest contributor Kaewmala put it brilliantly, “Only taboo when it’s inconvenient!“

The 2011 General Elections

Will he or will he not? In the end, Abhisit Vejjajiva did dissolve parliament and paved the way for early elections in May and also set off quite a short campaign season, which not only saw a few strange election posters and illustrious characters running for office, but it also saw the emergence of Yingluck Shinawatra as the lucky draw for PM candidate of the opposition Pheu Thai Party. After much skyping to Dubai discussion within the party, the sister of Thaksin was chosen to run and it turned out to be the best pick.

The Democrat Party were banking heavily on negative campaigning (a precursor to the upcoming, inevitable Thaksin-phobia in 2012), which reached its climax in the last days with their rally at Rajaprasong, the same venue where the red shirts protested a year ago. In this event, then-deputy prime minister Suthep Thuangsuban claimed to give the “full truth” on what really happened during the violent crackdown of May 19, 2010. What followed were hours of fear-mongering in case of a Pheu Thai win and an incident that almost caused a major misunderstanding:

The big screens flanking the stage on the left and the right are bearing a gruesome view. Footage of at times badly injured people from last year’s rally are being shown when suddenly at the sight of blood people started cheering – as it turns out, not for the brutally killed victims of the anti-governments protests of 2010, but for a woman with an Abhisit cut-out mask waving to the crowd behind her.

“Thailand’s Democrat Party rally: Reclaiming (the truth about) Rajaprasong“, Siam Voices, June 24, 2011

The last days of the campaign were spent outside of Bangkok, for example Pheu Thai in Nakhon Ratchasima before the big day. On Sunday, July 3, election day of course meant a full-day-marathon for a journalist. Not only did it mean covering as many polling stations around town as humanly possible, not only to crunch the numbers of exit polls (which turned out to be total BS!), but also of course running the live-blog at Siam Voices. In the end, it went very quickly: Abhisit conceded, Yingluck smiled and at a lunch meeting later there was already a new five-party coalition.

The worst floods in decades: a deluge of irrationality

790.

This is the current death toll of the what has been described as the “worst floods in decades“. Floods are an annual occurrence in Thailand during the rainy season. When the water was sweeping through Chiang Mai already back in late September, this natural disaster was somehow going to be different. But it took some considerable time, despite the unprecedented damage it has created in Ayutthaya to the ancient temples and the vital industrial parks, until the capital was drowned in fear of what was to come.

It was curious to observe that those who were least likely to be affected (read: central Bangkok) were losing their nerves the most. Back in November I attempted to explore one possible reason:

One of the real reasons why the people of the city react the way they did though is this: After a military coup, countless violent political protests and sieges of airports, government buildings and public roads, this city has a sense of anxiety not unlike New York after the 9/11 terrorist attacks: a sense of being constantly under siege by something or somebody that separates Bangkok from the rest of the country even more. An incident at Klong Sam Wa Sluice Gate (we reported) is a perfect example of the conflict between inside and outside Bangkok in miniature form.

“The Thai floods and the geographics of perception – Part 2: Certain fear of uncertainty“, Siam Voices, November 23, 2011

On an anecdotal note I remember people around me hoarding bottled water, moving their belongings upstairs and barricading their houses waist-high – while I can understand these precautions, I was astonished to say the least when I started to read social media updates that accuse the government so much so to the point of deliberately drowning the people of Bangkok and other outlandish conspiracy theories, including the now ubiquitous “blame it on foreign media“-card.

There’s no doubt that this natural disaster has not only shown the worst in people, but also it’s helpful and charitable side (not only towards humans exclusively). During my work reporting from the floods for foreign news crews (hence there weren’t many posts on Siam Voices), I admired the apparent resilience and defiance I saw from many victims of the floods – some of which are now struggling with rebuilding their lost existence. And a lot of clean-up will be needed to be done, both literally as well as politically, in order to prevent such a disaster from happening again!

What else happened in 2011? (in no particular order)

- Then-prime minister Abhisit urging then-president of Egypt Honsi Mubarak to respect the will of the people – while being totally oblivious that he exactly did not do that a year ago because, well, “They ran into the bullets” themselves!

- Half a dozen Thais walking through the border region with Cambodia and surprised that they’re being arrested, in an arbitrary way to dispute the border demarcations between the two countries. This ongoing conflict, largely fueled by the ever-shrinking PAD, sparked into a brief armed battle. Two of the strollers are still sitting in a Cambodian prison.

- The one-year-anniversary of the crackdown of May 19 and my personal thoughts on this.

- The somehow strangely toned-down five-year-anniversary of the 2006 coup.

- Army chef General Prayuth Chan-ocha going completely berserk at the press.

- The fact that Thailand got its first female prime minister and the (un)surprisingly muted reactions by Thailand’s feminists.

- The saga of the impounded Thai plane on German ground, the curious case study on how Thai media reported it, the juristic mud-slinging, and how this mess was eventually solved. Which brings us to…

- The German government allowing Thaksin back into Germany, after heavy campaigning by a bunch of conservative German MPs. Still boggles my mind…!

- And while we’re on topic, we are saying good-bye to a regular contributor of outrageous quotes – no one has been so focused to do a different job than written his business card than Thaksin-hunter and former foreign minister in disguise Kasit Piromya!

I’d like to thank my colleagues at Siam Voices for building a diverse and opinionated collective, our editor who keeps everything in check and YOU, the readers! THANK YOU for the support, feedback, criticism, links and retweets!

Here’s to an eventful, exciting 2012 that brings us news, changes, developments to discuss for all the right reasons! Happy New Year!

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist based in Hamburg, Germany again (*sigh*). He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

(Note: This post was supposed to be up much, much earlier but was pushed back due to the floods and the re-relocation of the author back to Germany. Apologies to all involved for the momentous delay!)

Back in late September I was invited to hold a talk at Payap University in Chiang Mai and I chose to talk about a (social) media topic with the focus on the the 2010 anti-government Red Shirts’ Protests, the knee-jerk demonizing of foreign media and what role social media played in this, if at all.

The talk is about 45 minutes long and includes 15 minutes of Q&A. The original full abstract can be found below the video.

Again, thanks to the people at Payap University for the invitation and organizing the event, especially Adam Dedman, Jessica Loh and Paul Chambers.

“Challenging the Sovereign Narrative – Media Perceptions of the Thai Political Crisis and the (missing) Role of Social Media”

Speaker: Saksith Saiyasombut

When: Tuesday, 27 September 2011, 5-6pm

Place: Room 317, Pentecost Building, Mae Khao main campus, Payap University

The Kingdom of Thailand rarely pops up on the global news landscape and if so, then it is mostly for a so-called ‘soft’ story. In recent years though, political struggles, often escalating in violent protests on the streets of Bangkok, have dominated the airwaves of the international media outlets, only to disappear shortly after the protests have ended. With the Thai political crisis dragging on for several years now, reporters are struggling to properly report and explain the situation without simplifying this to just a color-coded conflict between two opposing groups. In particular, the anti-government Red Shirt protests of 2010 were a watershed moment for how Thailand and its political crisis are regarded, with many Thais objecting to the foreign media’s coverage, as much as to openly vilify the international TV news networks. On the other hand, the domestic media have failed in its role to objectively explain and provide context to the political developments of recent years.

The more important issue is the rise of social media to counter a sovereign narrative of the mainstream and state media – however, Thailand has yet to see a grassroots revolution fueled by the Internet. Nevertheless, online services like Twitter and Facebook provide Thais a way to read and express alternative viewpoints and also a platform to  fill the journalistic void left by other media outlets, but are threatened by the country’s ambiguously written Computer Crimes Act and lèse majesté law.

This talk looks at the perceptions of the international and domestic media of the Thai political crisis and why this struggle has not translated into an online uprising yet and aims to examine opportunities for “filling in the blanks” left by the mainstream media.

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai political blogger and journalist. He wrote for his hometown newspapers Weser Kurier and Weser Report in Bremen, Germany, before working as an editorial assistant for Asia News Network and contributing reporter at The Nation. He started blogging about Thai politics on his personal website  www.saiyasombut.com in early 2010 and since September 2010, Saksith now writes for Siam Voices, a collaborative blog on Thai current affairs on the regional blog and news network Asian Correspondent. He is also currently a graduate student of Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Hamburg, Germany.

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Hamburg, Germany. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and also on his public Facebook page here.

This is part two of a two-part series on the discrepancies on reporting the floods and the fear of Bangkokians. In part one yesterday, we explained the process of news-gathering and pointed out possible sources for errors and misjudgments. Today, we explore the possible reasons why people in the capital became suddenly fearful, as the water made its way to the metropolis.

The view on Pinklao district from an elevated road on the Western side of the Chao Praya river, one day after the tides reached on all-time high, fully flooding the district on October 30, 2011 (Photo by Saksith Saiyasombut)

Disaster fatigue or when good news is not good enough

Most of the news channels, both international and domestic, considerably bumped up their airtime when the floods were approaching Bangkok and had already inundated its outskirts. A week or two before that though, reports about floods around Ayutthaya province were not top of the agenda yet, despite the well-known ancient city, a World Heritage site, and many factories of multi-national corporations severely affected.

At that point in early October the official death toll had already surpassed 200 (while many more died in the same time frame were not counted yet, read why here), but some international reporters still had to fight for their stories to be given more prominence. One correspondent jokingly said, “the Ark has to be swimming through Bangkok with the Ghaddafi sons on it,” before the network would be willing to bump the Thai floods any higher. On the other hand, any news is good news, real good news has be extraordinary good, downright miraculous.

When the water has eventually made its way to the parts of central Bangkok, such as the districts of Lad Prao in the North, Pinklao in the West and some overspill into the areas along the Chao Praya river, international coverage was already on the decline as seemingly every possible angle of this flood crisis was played out already. Ironically at the same time in late October, the floods hit the northeastern province of Khon Kaen, which were largely ignored in the media.

At this time, Thais had been pelted with wall-to-wall coverage by the Thai TV channels (including by the ever-active Sorayuth Suthasanajinda of Channel 3) for weeks already, which were giving out up-to-the-minute updates, but that flood of minuscule information bits swamped the viewers, who where not given the bigger picture of this disaster (with notable exceptions), leading to confusion and anxiety (see below).

It could also result in numbness, people simply not following the news anymore. This phenomenon is disaster fatigue and has been noted in the past several times already – much to the detriment of the victims:

Charities know this as “donor fatigue,” but it might be more accurately described as disaster fatigue — the sense that these events are never-ending, uncontrollable and overwhelming. Experts say it is one reason Americans have contributed relatively little so far to victims of the [2008] Myanmar cyclone and China’s earthquake. Ironically, the more bad news there is, the less likely people may be to give. (…)

“It’s too much pain, too much tragedy for someone to process, and so we tend to pull ourselves away from it and either close off from it out of psychological defense, or it overwhelms us,” says Cynthia Edwards, a professor of psychology at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C.

“‘Disaster fatigue’ blamed for drop in giving“, Associated Press, May 15, 2008

Thai Angst: the fear of the unknown, uncertain and unseen

While reporters have to define the real area of Bangkok to their foreign desk editors and producers, the residents of Bangkok were not too concerned about the floods that were ravaging in the North for weeks and months already. That was at the latest until the water has arrived in the outskirts of the capital and people began panicking, most visibly by stockpiling drinking water bottles, which led to a shortage in the shops.

But why were Bangkokians, especially those who were least likely going to get hit, so afraid and anxious?

One aspect was the poor information policy of the authorities. Both the government’s Flood Relief Operation Center (FROC) and the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) were at conflict most of the time, giving out contradicting information or just simply not working together, which frustrated those affected. Both were also guilty of giving a premature evacuation order (Ploprasob Surassawadee‘s for FROC and Bangkok governor Sukhumband Paribatra) at least once, causing unnecessary panic.

One of the real reasons why the people of the city react the way they did though is this: After a military coup, countless violent political protests and sieges of aiports, government buildings and public roads, this city has a sense of anxiety not unlike New York after the 9/11 terrorist attacks: a sense of being constantly under siege by something or somebody that separates Bangkok from the rest of the country even more. An incident at Klong Sam Wa Sluice Gate (we reported) is a perfect example of the conflict between inside and outside Bangkok in miniature form.

People are fearful of what they do not know and the uncertainty about when and how bad the floods will hit Bangkok, a slow-moving disaster weeks in the making, was stretching the patience to the fullest. Not knowing if you have to leave the house, not knowing if the water, that has fully inundated the next district, could come to your place, not knowing how long you would have to relocate is something that takes its toll on the mental state, not only to those who were already affected:

Earlier this month, the Thai public health minister announced that the government had dispatched psychiatrists to treat flood victims. He reported that 114,388 people were diagnosed with mental health problems because of the flooding, of which 6,091 patients were highly depressed and 1,137 were at risk of committing suicide.

“Smiles Hide Fears as Clinton Visits Flood Victims“, by Thomas Fuller, New York Times, Novemeber 17, 2011

Like in any extraordinary situation or event, the role of social media shows both its beneficial but also detrimental side, as Jon Russell of The Next Web Asia analyzes:

“The Internet as a whole has been important during the flood with many news sites recording record traffic and blogs telling individual accounts of escaping from rising water,” he said.

But commentators said that, while warnings of dangers lurking in the water or calls to donate blood served a purpose, the incessant flow of unedited, unchecked information risked adding to confusion and further rattling nerves.

“Social media can be as misleading as they are helpful and that has been true at times during the Thai floods,” said Russell. “While it is useful to be able to look up locations and get updates from reporters and civilians on the scene, there is no validation of information and misleading statements can be passed around as fact very easily.”

“Social media use soars in flood-hit Thailand“, by Michelle Fitzpatrick, Agence France Presse, November 5, 2011

Conclusion

Now that the worst seems to be over and the tide are slowly, but steady receding in many parts of the country, a sense of normalcy returns to Bangkok. However, the suffering for many in the affected areas continue, there’s still conflict along the barriers and the death toll is now over 600. Headlines saying that inner Bangkok has dodged a bullet were inaccurate at best and were neglecting the suffering that is still happening the areas outside of the capital. Nevertheless, some were still insisting selective opinion even when the streets of the districts of Lad Phrao in the North and Pinklao just on the West side of the river (see picture above) – leading some to the ridiculous backtracking á la “it’s still outer inner Bangkok”…!

The point is not if Bangkok has been saved, nor is it the special protection the capital was given. The point is that the real tragedy was a man-made natural disaster, a series of mismanagement, the political fights – all that at the costs of lives, business, whole existences lost by the water. The point is that there has been a sense of Bangkok vs the rest that was apparent in the political struggles of past years and now in the measures to protect the heart of Bangkok, while sacrificing those who happen to live on the ‘wrong’ side.

For the international journalists in the field reporting under very difficult (logistical and emotional) circumstances, it was a challenge to highlight the individual fates of the victims, but also trying to give an accurate bigger picture of the crisis – something that was sorely missing in the domestic media coverage.

While the first clean-ups are underway, one can only hope that this operation will not be a white-wash, that the causes will not be swept under a rug and the same useless mantra of “forgive and forget” will be preached.

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

The view on Pinklao district from an elevated road on the Western side of the Chao Praya river, one day after the tides reached on all-time high, fully flooding the district on October 30, 2011 (Photo by Saksith Saiyasombut)

Thailand is currently suffering the what has been often billed as the worst floods “in decades”. And looking at the immense inundated areas, the not yet foreseeable damage and the human suffering with millions of people being affected by this force of nature, it surely is a sobering sight.

Even though the annual flood season started as early as August in the North of the country, most of the attention, by both foreigners and Thais, increased when the water came slowly creeping towards Bangkok in October. That was the moment when Bangkokians started to freak out, started to barricade their shops and homes with sandbags and concrete walls and started to stockpile drinking water.

Some blame the break-neck speed and the inaccurate and hyperbolic nature of social media, while some see the international media at fault for the blowing the disaster out of proportion at the wrong times and places, as Bangkok-based blogger Greg Jorgensen writes:

Western media has said “Biblical” floods will hit Bangkok; that the whole city was evacuating; and that the airport is closed. They neglected to mention that an airport was closed – Don Meuang, the old one serving only domestic flights, which were easily routed to the main Suvarnabhumi Airport.

“A Flood of Information in a Dry City“, by Greg Jorgensen, Greg to Differ, October 28, 2011

And then there’s this incident of over-dramatization as described by The Christian Science Monitor:

One recent morning a British television station’s local correspondent stood knee-deep in water speaking to the camera. A few yards away, several Thais stood, unmoving, on a small embankment of sandbags, gazing pensively at their feet. These locals, the foreign reporter explained, were faced with a daunting challenge: whether they should dare to cross to the other side of a small alley covered in water.

Off camera, boys and girls splashed about, laughing and smiling, in the flood, while other locals, wearing plastic flip-flops or rubber wading boots, went about their business. Once the foreign journalist had said his piece on camera, he turned to the Thais standing on the small sandbags and thanked them for their cooperation.

“Thailand floods: When journalists embellish visuals“, Christian Science Monitor, November 8, 2011

There are many reasons to be critical towards the international coverage of the floods and there are also many reasons why many people in this city react the way they did, even if some of them had no reason to whatsoever.

In this two-part series, I attempt to explain which ones these are and how they could occur. While this does not excuse the gross errors by some in reporting this natural disaster, this might help at least show where these mistakes are made. In part one today, we look behind the process of news-gathering and where and why the real story can get lost between Thailand and the rest of the world. In part two tomorrow, we explore the roots of the fear among Bangkokians before and during the floods.

The chain-of-command of news or: When details fall through on the long way back

When the floods reached Bangkok’s old airport Don Muang in the North of the city, also doubling as the government’s flood relief center and an evacuation center, many news outlets ran headlines á la “Floods reach Bangkok airport, force evacuations” – most people not familiar with the city will of course think that the main airport Suvarnabhumi was under water, which caused a lot of confused tourists – to say the least.

But how could that sloppy work happen? Generally speaking, news organizations pull their information from a lot of sources which can be boiled down to these processes: the correspondents and local staff on location, who report back to foreign desk editors or producers at their respective headquarters, who then also gather more information from other sources, such as news agencies.

Depending on the size of the organizations, the chain-of-command’s length between the correspondent and the published/aired product varies – in other terms: the more people not on location work on the story, the more details get lost in order to make it as mass-compatible, attention-grabbing as possible.

Today’s headlines are dictated by SEO (search engine optimization), meaning that they have to be easily search-able and easily digestible – thus many editors back outside of Thailand resort to the simplified headline that “Bangkok Airport Flooded“, instead to writing that an airport was hit. Some outlets, like the BBC, have quickly changed their headlines to specify which one it was, once it was clear what confusion it caused.

Sometimes it is a real struggle to explain the foreign desk editors the situation, when it doesn’t match with certain expectations, which brings us to…

Location, location, location: where Bangkok begins and ends for the media

The biggest news story for many was the imminent threat of the capital being inundated and the romantic description “Venice of the East” getting a literal and ironic twist. Why? It is all a matter of geographical perception by both the media and the Bangkokians themselves. For the media it is of course quite a visually enticing motive: a metropolis under water, streets becoming rivers, once vivid life on the street coming to a screeching halt – you get the gist.

Countless international media organizations have some sort of outpost (from full-equipped correspondent bureaus to a local freelance journalist regularly writing for a newspaper) for the whole of Southeast Asia. This story happens right in front of their doorstep (even nearer were last year’s Red Shirt Protests, which literally took place next to the building that houses the Bangkok bureaus of most international news channels) – TV crews and reporters didn’t have to travel far to witness a natural disaster.

The at times high intensity and frequency also highlights a sad truth in the media business: in the times of increasing budget cuts and layoffs, more and more foreign news bureaus have to justify their existence – and this story is a good opportunity to show that something is happening (apart from the annual political turmoil or the ubiquitous, whacky off-beat reports). The news organizations have different standards for the productivity of their regional outposts, but generally Thailand is neither a country that constantly delivers good or bad news over the course of a year.

That is, if said organization actually has a Bangkok bureau. Ever since last year’s nationalistic witch-hunt against CNN correspondent Dan Rivers, the US news network does not have a regular reporter in this town. This role is then filled by somebody from one of their other Asian bureaus – a process that is called ‘parachute journalism‘. If there this ‘parachuted’ reporter has no local colleagues (e.g. a producer) to help him/her out, the obvious downsides such as over-simplification and cliché reporting can occur.

On the other hand is the daily routine of working with the staff (editors and producers) back ‘home’ – and if one happens to get a bad one, who refuses to listen to the judgment of the correspondent on location, it can become a tiring process to explain what is really going on here. Much of the disagreements stems from the the necessity to explain how big Bangkok actually is. The greater Bangkok Metropolitan Area is over 7700 km², larger than Shanghai for example.

Many colleagues, who wish to remain unnamed, have told that there were a lot of instances where the foreign desk editors or producers were not interested to give the floods more coverage, unless “central Bangkok is flooded – not North, South, West or East!” or where the office abroad prematurely cried wolf, due to erroneous reports made by others (see above). It is a cynical truth that the novelty of central Bangkok with all its temples, shopping malls and high-rise buildings, possibly getting inundated is more news-’worthy’ than to report on the provinces outside the capital suffering the same (if not worse) fate on a yearly over and over again.

Tomorrow in part two: When good news is not good enough and why were those most anxious, who were affected the least.

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

A man rests on a flooded pier on the Sam Wa Canal on the Eastern border of Bangkok on November 1, 2011 (Photo by Saksith Saiyasombut)

Things seem calm on the bridge overlooking the Klong (Canal) Sam Wa Sluice Gate on the Eastern border of Bangkok. Just a few dozens of onlookers observe the water streaming through the gate through the gaps left and right, while around police officers take their lunch break under large tents. On the day before (Monday, Oct 31) that however, things seemed less than calm:

In one incident, parts of which were broadcast on local television news, a large group of angry residents in the Min Buri section of eastern Bangkok staged a rally starting Sunday to force the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to open a floodgate to drain water to the large Saen Saep canal nearby. Later, the residents marched to the floodgate and tried to destroy a concrete gate and sandbag wall around it with sledgehammers.

The residents complained that floodwaters are growing increasingly unhealthy, with rotten smells. But officials have said there’s a limit to how much water they can release because of the need to protect key economic assets in the area, including a market and the Bang Chan industrial estate nearby. Later, officials agreed to raise the gate some to drain off some water, and the residents backed down.

“Frustrations Rising with Floodwaters in Thailand“, Wall Street Journal, November 1, 2011

There was scuffling between local residents and the police (see footage here), the one side unleashing their anger of being left alone to the force of nature and the other protecting one of the last flood barriers preventing the high tides flushing into the canals of inner Bangkok.

“We understand the anger of the people,” says Somkuan Puengsap, a police colonel overlooking a 100-man strong police force to protect the gate from further damage. “The problem is, we police officers have no rights to open the sluice gates by ourselves,” Somkuan continued, “We are only there to acknowledge the problem and try to mediate between the two conflicting parties.”

Somkuan admitted that he has never seen anything like this before, as flooding has never been a problem in this area. Other police officers who requested to be unnamed have expressed their frustration that they are at the receiving end of political games between the government of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra and the Bangkok governor Sukhamband Paribatra. The latter’s Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) has been overruled by the federal government, when…

The prime minister invoked the disaster prevention law on Oct 21 to take full control of all flood operations as runoff from the North started surging into Bangkok. “I have ordered a committee to negotiate with residents [living upstream] to narrow the gate so that less overflow will enter Bangkok,” she said.

Ms Yingluck said the gate had to be narrowed to regulate water flow. “We are talking to residents and we believe they will cooperate,” she said. On Monday she ordered the BMA to widen the sluice gate to one metre after angry protesters destroyed parts of it while police officers looked on.

“PM backs down on sluice gate“, Bangkok Post, November 3, 2011

The same feeling is shared by one resident North in viewing distance of the gate. Sitting crossed-legged on a stone bench, Thamon Yangprasert appeared calm and relaxed, overseeing the canal, which has overspilled to the sides knee-high. But when asked about how this could all happen, he lashed out against the political opponents of the Pheu Thai Party-led government: “It all comes down to politics! The Democrat Party (which Sukhumband belongs to), they want to remove Yingluck as prime minister.”

“They have been stalling that water everywhere, in Ayutthaya, Wang Noi, they have put up barriers, so it cannot get into Bangkok. They are playing a cruel joke, because all the people out in the provinces are all red shirts! Nobody has voted for them! And now they want to remove Yingluck,” he continues, hinting at the (small) possibility of what has been coined a ‘water coup’, whereas the Yingluck administration gets blamed for the slow flood relief efforts, opening the chance for the military to take take over.

A sign that reads "We must open the sluice gate" hangs at the Klong Sam Wa Sluice Gate on the Eastern border of Bangkok on November 1, 2011 (Photo by Saksith Saiyasombut)

Residents on the South side of the gate are now sharing the pain with their neighbors. “I didn’t mind them demanding to open up the gates. But then they started to chop off parts of the gate and they are still not happy enough, they demanded even more. The water level now is not how it’s supposed to be – I can accept that, but when they said they want it to be completely opened up, that I cannot accept,” says Pimon Jeanjuer, as his house and property is now flooded as well.

While Pimon can understand their frustrations, he criticizes them of being short-sighted as his son’s job in an industrial park in Ban Chan, along the Klong San Saeb, is now threatened to be flooded as well. Locals have gathered to discuss the situation and also to counter demands by other residents to fully open the gate, as they have prepared a letter to the officials explaining their side. That would be the first time that they would have gotten in contact with an official – a sense of abandonment is felt on both sides of the fence, as both Thanom and Pimon say that nobody from the BMA or other local authorities have showed up before to explain the situation to the residents.

While the gate has been fixed now, some say that the inner city of Bangkok is now at risk as the Klong Sam Wa flows directly into the Klong San Saeb, a vital canal leading into inner heart of the city, including the Sukhumvit area. Dr Seree Supharatid, Director of the Disaster Warning Centre at Rangsit University, argues on Thai television that this Klong will “definitely be not able to hold the mass of water coming in from the North” and predicts overflow of “no higher than one meter”.

The area surrounding Klong Sam Wa Sluice Gate is already flooded with badly smelling water. The contention in the community reflects a microcosm of conflict to save the center of the capital, while the outskirts bear the brunt of the deluge: the neighborhood South of the gate is angry at the local authorities for giving in to the protesters, while those opposite in the North feel that their area has sacrificed to protect the water from gushing into inner Bangkok. Either way, they cannot shake off their feeling that they have been victims of a political scuffle between the government and the BMA.

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) issued quite an angry press release Friday over what seems to be a misquotation in a Thai media outlet:

The United Nations has demanded an immediate retraction from the Thai ASEAN News Network for the serious misquotes of Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in a story that ran this week.

The story, which revolved around the flood situation in Thailand, falsely attributed quotes to Dr. Heyzer that criticized the government.

The reality: the United Nations has issued no statement criticizing the government, and has only offered support and assistance as Thailand faces the worse floods in more than six decades.

“These quotes are completely contrary to the solidarity and support that the United Nations is giving in Thailand,” said Dr. Heyzer. “The quotes are totally wrong and a poor reflection of journalist standards that are meant to reflect the truth.”

“United Nations Demands Retraction from Thai ASEAN News Network” (PDF), UNESCAP press release, October 21, 2011

Ouch! It takes a lot to get the United Nations to release an angry statement and it is definitely not the first time the Thai media outlets have botched something up (while some would say that Dr. Heyzer’s assessment in the last sentence may be overly optimistic).

The Thai ASEAN News Network (TAN) is a full English-language news channel and an offshoot of ASTV, the TV outlet of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) – the ultra-nationalistic yellow shirts (by the way, ASTV is now off-air because of unpaid bills). Nevertheless, TAN claims to be “absolutely independent from ASTV”. We have previously highlighted one of their recent blunders here.

But what was the actual misquote? Many, including the fellow bloggers over at Thai Political Prisoners, hint at an article titled “UN Blames Govt for Poor Flood Management”. Some excerpts:

The United Nations has warned that natural disasters and floods in ASEAN are triggering a humanitarian crisis, claiming that no integrated effort to solve the turmoil will result in failure in tackling the after effects.

The Voice of America or VOA has reported that natural disasters in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines have killed more than 700 people already and affected eight million residents.(…)

UN ESCAP Executive Secretary Noeleen Heyzer said the UN is ready to give assistance to communities that have been affected by the flood crisis.

Meanwhile, Jerry Velasquez, senior regional coordinator for UN/ISDR Asia & Pacific pointed out that the main weakness to tackling the flood crisis in Thailand is the abundance of organizations to oversee water management.

He noted the Thai government has failed to streamline the eight agencies involved, resulting in policies going in different directions.

Velasquez said this problem is not only limited to Thailand but is being seen in other countries in the region. He further warned that this crisis may be just a prelude to future natural calamities.

“UN Blames Govt for Poor Flood Management”, Thai ASEAN News Network, last updated on October 20, 2011 – emphasis by me

While it is possible that TAN has edited the post several times (also possibly as a reaction to the press release), if there were any quotes by Heyzer being critical towards the Thai government, they are not there anymore. The majority of the story is lifted from Voice of America (VOA), including the quotes by Jerry Velasquez, senior regional coordinator with the UN’s International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).

However, the problem is the undoubtedly loaded and misleading headline TAN has given this piece, since this is of course what readers see first. That sets the mood for the rest of the article, no matter if something else in written in the text. So, in the end it is not necessarily exactly what was written or quoted that was misleading, but how the UN is portrayed here by the headline alone.

Is the UN right to demand a retraction because of a misquote? Not really, since there does not seem to be a misquote (anymore). Is the UN right to be angry because of of this TAN story? Absolutely! International organizations like the UN cannot appear to be partisan if they need to work with the authorities, especially during natural disasters. On the other hand, while it is important to criticize the federal and local governments for their failures in preventing and handling this year’s flood, sticking to the truth is something that many Thai media outlets like to neglect when it does not serve an editorial line.

UPDATE: TAN has meanwhile issued an apology:

To Whom It May Concern,

On Friday, October 21, 2011, the Thai-ASEAN News (TAN) Network broadcasted a news story entitled “UN Blames Govt for Poor Flood Management”. The story quoted UN ESCAP Executive Secretary Noeleen Heyzer for something she did not say. However, in actuality, the quote belonged to Jerry Velasquez, senior regional coordinator for UN/ISDR Asia & Pacific.

Once informed of the misquote, TAN Network corrected the story on the evening of Friday, October 21, 2011. The corrected version can still be found at http://www.tannetwork.tv/tan/ViewData.aspx?DataID=1048976.

There is no excuse for the mistake that was made. TAN Network, its management and its editorial team sincerely apologizes for the error that was made. However, we must stress that there were no ill intensions.

This incident has served as an important lesson to all of our staff. We apologize and will do our utmost to never allow this to happen again in the future.

Our sincere apologies.

The Thai-ASEAN News Network

Bangkok, Thailand

October 24, 2011

There’s is one slight contradiction though: the contested headline was still up earlier this morning and has been just changed, definitely after this post went up. But at least it is something commendable that a Thai media outlet actually does issue an apology and does not simply delete their traces.

Note: Thanks to all the Twitter users for pointers!

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

The rising awareness of Thailand’s draconian lèse majesté law is gaining scrutiny from the international community after several countries have questioned and criticized Article 112 of Thailand’s criminal code during a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Every four years, all members of the United Nations are required to submit a report about its human rights situation, and be questioned on it by other states. If you have the time you can watch all (and I mean ALL) hearings towards Thailand’s report, go here.

Pravit Rojanaphruk wrote in The Nation:

Representatives from the United Kingdom, France and Slovenia shared the view that the lese majeste law affected freedom of expression and urged Thailand to consider this aspect of liberty. Hungary and Finland urged Thailand to invite the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression to visit Thailand.

The representative of Norway – also a kingdom – made the most concrete suggestion, pointing out that although Norway has a lese majeste law, a charge can only be brought with the personal approval of the king in order to “avoid abuses”. (…)

Other states whose representatives urged Thailand to amend the law included Switzerland, Brazil, Spain, Sweden and New Zealand. Some of these, including the Canadian representative, also raised the issue of the Computer Crimes Act, which critics say is also being used by the Thai government to curb freedom of expression.

“US mum on lese majeste law at UN rights hearing“, by Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation, October 7, 2011

ARTICLE 19, an UK-based NGO advocating freedom of expression, were also present during the hearing and have caught this (and be sure to read former Siam Voices contributor Andrew Spooner’s interview with ARTICLE 19′s Senior Programme Officer for Asia):

Recommendations to Thailand to repeal or review the lèse-majesté law (Article 112 of Thailand’s Penal Code) and the Computer Crime Act (2007) were made by fourteen member states, including Western European countries, New Zealand, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia.

Indonesia was the only member state of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to highlight the issue of freedom of expression in Thailand, a fellow member. It urged Thailand to carry out a comprehensive review of its laws to ensure that they fulfil the right to freedom of expression in accordance to international standards.

“Spotlight on Thailand’s Lèse-Majesté Law and Computer Crimes Act“, ARTICLE 19, October 6, 2011

However, not all countries have raised their concerns towards Thailand:

The United States joined China, Syria, Singapore and Burma in not expressing any concern about the lese majeste law, (…).

“US mum on lese majeste law at UN rights hearing“, by Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation, October 7, 2011

This is seemingly the first time vocal opposition against lèse majesté has been come in that quantity from the international community. British MPs lobbied for Prachatai webmaster Chinranuch Premchaiporn, whose trial continued in the past few weeks (see here), but due to the current flood situation, will continue in February 2012.

Another case mentioned during the questioning at the UPR was the trial against Joe Gordon, a Thai-born American arrested back in May for allegedly posting a link to a banned unauthorized biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and also allegedly translating parts of this book and later posted it on his blog. This was done while he was still in the United States, but was then arrested when he came to Thailand for medical treatment. His case started earlier this week, where Gordon pleaded guilty, in hope for a shorter sentence and eventually a royal pardon, something that has become almost standard procedure in similar cases of recent years.

Even more international criticism comes from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue, who also urged Thailand in a press release to amend its laws:

“The threat of a long prison sentence and vagueness of what kinds of expression constitute defamation, insult, or threat to the monarchy, encourage self-censorship and stifle important debates on matters of public interest, thus putting in jeopardy the right to freedom of opinion and expression,” La Rue said. “This is exacerbated by the fact that the charges can be brought by private individuals and trials are often closed to the public.” (…)

However, to prevent any abuse of this exceptional rule for purposes beyond the intended aim, any law that limits the right to freedom of expression must be clear and unambiguous regarding the specific type of expression that is prohibited, and proven to be necessary and proportionate for the intended purposes.

“The Thai penal code and the Computer Crimes Act do not meet these criteria. The laws are vague and overly broad, and the harsh criminal sanctions are neither necessary nor proportionate to protect the monarchy or national security,” the expert noted.

“Thailand / Freedom of expression: UN expert recommends amendment of lèse majesté laws“, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Human Rights Council, October 10, 2011

The special rapporteur rightfully points out the weaknesses of the laws that leave too much room for interpretation and the accused are likely to become, especially in these political times, victims of arbitrary acts by the authorities. While the Thai representatives at the hearing argue that the Thai government is “keen to prevent the misuse of the law”, something that the Abhisit administration had promised but failed to deliver, and that “an ongoing debate on lese majeste law” is taking place, though failing to see how public and how thorough the debate still can not go.

Also, Thai Ambassador to the UN Sihasak Phuangketkeow says that Thai media can report and comment “freely”. Again, while Thailand is still a far way from becoming the new Burma, the extent to which one can fully comment and report on the political developments in Thailand is highly limited, considering that there are more powers at play than those we elect.

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

“Tongue-Thai’ed!” encapsulates the most baffling, amusing, confusing, outrageous and appalling quotes from Thai politicians and other public figures – in short: everything we hear that makes us go “Huh?!”. Check out all past entries here.

Last Sunday the Twitter account of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was ‘hacked’ – or rather somebody knows the password already or has guessed it correctly, which isn’t necessarily ‘hacking’.

There is a German saying that goes, “Who has the damage, doesn’t need to provide for the ridicule”. And to add injury to insult,  Miss Chitpas Bhirombhakdi, the daughter of the executive vice-president of Singha Corporation, thus often-referred to as the “Singha-heiress” and now deputy spokeswoman for the now opposition Democrat Party (read about her debut here), has tweeted on Monday morning:

สื่อของ ยิ่งลักษณ์ นับวันจะถูกบีบให้เหลือน้อยลง สัมภาษณ์สดก็ไม่ได้ ออกทีวีก็ไม่เป็น ออกวิทยุก็พูดผิด ทวิตเตอร์ก็ถูกปิด ทีมงานเหนื่อย!

Yingluck’s media outlets are dwindling by the days – she doesn’t give live interviews, doesn ‘t do TV, mixes things up on [her] radio [show], now [her] Twitter [account] got closed! Her staff’s exhausted!

Tweet by @TANTchitpas on October 3, 2011 at 08:41:48 , translation by me

This is the latest in a string of mocks and roasts against Yingluck and her government ever since the Democrat Party was booted out. Here’s just a selection of attacks by the Democrat Party. Astonishingly and strangely enough, in a The Nation article on Yingluck’s Twitter mishaps the editors somehow sneaked in a whole paragraph with something that has nothing to do with the actual story:

Yingluck also came under criticism from Democrat spokesman Chavanont Intarakolmalyasut for mispronouncing ya faek (vetiver grass) as ya praek (pesty grass). “Even when the prime minister was reading a script, she read it wrong,” he said.

She should apologise for her slip-up during her weekly radio address, he said, adding that he did not think it would be funny if 15.7 million Pheu Thai supporters decided to grow weeds instead of vetiver grass for flood prevention.

Democrat MP Watchara Phetthong said Yingluck had made too many gaffes lately. Her misleading remarks about the Navy’s submarine procurement request came just last week, followed by the inability to distinguish between the grass to prevent soil erosion and the weed, he said.

“Hacker of PM’s twitter account ‘identified’“, The Nation, October 4, 2011

Before that several Democrat MPs have called the either Yingluck or her government a “puppet PM“, being “obessed with helping Thaksin” and one even her a “ninja” – all that only just happened last September!

But the cake takes the aforementioned Watchara Petchthong who said this after Yingluck’s radio slip-up:

“ผมถือได้ว่ารัฐบาลชุดนี้หลอกลวงพี่น้องประชาชน น่าจะเรียกได้ว่าเป็นรัฐบาล “แปตอหลู” และผมยืนยันว่าจะเรียกรัฐบาลว่าอย่างนี้ (…)”

“I say that this government has fooled the people, so you can say this government is a “cib that frabs” and I insist to [continue] call this government [like this] (…)”

“ส.ส.ปชป.ให้ฉายา’แปตอหลู’ จี้นายกฯขอโทษพูดผิด“, Thai Rath, October 2, 2011

Now, in order to understand what Watchara has called this government, we have to explain what “cib that frabs” or in original “แปตอหลู” (pronounced bae-dtoh-loo) actually means: If you want say something indirectly in Thai, people like to swap out letters that results in total gibberish. But if you put it into the right order, you would get “ปูตอแหล” (pronounced “pou-dtoh-lae“). ปู (“Pou“) is Yingluck’s nickname, while “ตอแหล” (“dtoh-lae“) means to lie or to fib, though this word is only used for women. All in all then we would get the “crab that fibs” – which is a rather convoluted way to say that this government is lying.

While it is important that an opposition keeps the government in check and gives a nudge here and there when the occasion arises, it is interesting, if not revealing, to see how they criticize and for what and also what they actually say.

Just because we have a new government, it doesn’t mean they all suddenly stop saying stupid things. If you come across any verbosities that you think might fit in here send us an email at siamvoices [at] gmail.com or tweet us @siamvoices.

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

The Nation wrote last week:

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the naval proposal to buy six U-206 submarines, worth Bt6.9 billion, from Germany, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said. (…)

The approval came as the last minute before the deal would expire on September 30.

The six submarines would be decommissioned by the German Navy. Four would be refurbished before the deployment in the Gulf of Thailand and two are slated for spare parts.

“Purchase of six used submarines approved: Yingluck“, The Nation, September 27, 2011

Back in January, the Thai Navy voiced interest in buying two used submarines from the German Navy at an estimated cost of 6-7 billion Baht (US$195m – $228m). Over the course of the year the offer has increased to buy six submarines for about $257m from Germany, while there was a competing offer from Korea (source in German here). With this planned purchase, the Thai Navy is meant to launch its long-held ambitious plans to set up a submarine fleet, despite the doubtful strategic utilization. For one,  the Gulf of Thailand is said to be too shallow for submarines.

However…

Leaving the [cabinet] meeting, Yingluck appeared slightly confused when asked if the Cabinet gave the green light to separate military plans to buy the German submarines and US-made Blackhawk helicopters.

“I don’t recall that. The Cabinet discussed 37 points today [yesterday] and had no reservation. Regarding the submarine plan, it has been approved. But for the Blackhawks, there’s some issues about the price that requires a discussion with the Budget Bureau,” she said early yesterday afternoon.

However, about two hours later, after the prime minister’s words had been reported by the online media, deputy government spokesman Chalitrat Chantharubeksa walked through the afternoon rain to the Government House press room to correct the prime minister’s statement.

He said that the Cabinet did not consider the submarine-purchase plan yesterday.

“The prime minister may be mixed up between submarines and helicopters. In fact, she referred to helicopters,” the deputy spokesman said, adding that the Army request to buy eight French-made helicopters was approved by the Cabinet. “She thought the question was about the eight helicopters.”

He also joked that the inaccurate media reports stemming from the prime minister’s “mix-up” might have “caused the Navy to be happy”.

“PM’s submarine ‘mix-up’“, The Nation, September 28, 2011

That is, of course, a completely different subject. As the Thai military has suffered the loss of three Bell 121 Huey helicopters within just over a week in July, killing a total of 17 people, the military officials have grounded all helicopters of that type and demanded new ones. That now seems to be the case – unless the government got something mixed up again…!

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

The Twitter account of Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (@PouYingluck) has apparently been taken over by hackers on Sunday morning between 10.22am and 10.43am, and sent out tweets which were critical of the government and its policies. So far, there have been eight such tweets:

This country is a business. We serve our own, not the Thai people. We do this for those who support/sponsor us, not those who disagree with us.

Where are the chances for the poor people? We have have exploited the poor, gave them hope only for their votes so that our group can benefit from it.

Where is the sustainability? Solving the flood problems isn’t just looking good for the pictures but a collective effort of those with knowledge to find a long-term solution.

Is it time already that our country changes for the better, not just for looking good for the pictures in order to capitalize for their own corporations, relatives and the others who benefit.

The most important thing for this country is education. Why are they handing out tablet [PCs] but not fixing the curriculum or support the teachers by paying [them] more?

Why are [we] fixated by mega projects [such as] the mass landfill, building the world’s tallest buildings, which doesn’t have to do anything with this country.

Thailand needs change! It’s time that everybody in this country wakes up! The stupidity must end!

If she cannot protect her own Twitter account, how can this country be protected then? Think about it…

At this time nothing is known about the people behind these messages other than the fact that the last word in the last tweet is the politeness-particle ครับ (“khrap”), which exposes the hacker to be male. At the time of publishing the tweets are still there, but according to TAN Network, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology has been “informed and is investigating“.

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

A music video with suggestive lyrics, the singer’s even more suggestive stage performance, and her moral scolding on national TV is the latest episode of yet another Thai sexual hypocrisy. Yet again, the outcry comes from those who claim to protect anything ‘Thai’ and lash out against everything that is allegedly not, while willfully ignoring the naked truth(s).

So, what happened? In June, a Thai band called Turbo Music uploaded a video of a performance of their song “Itchy Ear” (คันหู), which is about…

The song itself is a tale of a young lady with an itchy ear (khan huu, คันหู) that won’t go away. Packed with double-entendre (and invitations for vowel substitution), the song relates her quest for relief: she has tried a cotton-bud, but to no avail (เอาสำลี มาปั่น ก็ไม่หาย). Perhaps the itch was caused by some water getting in when she was showering washing her hair (อาบน้ำ สระหัว น้ำคงเข้า). She asks her mother for something to fix it (แม่จ๋า หายา ให้หนูหน่อย). The singer explains that when she was a child it didn’t ever itch (ตอนเด็กๆ ไม่เคยคันซักที) but it started just two or three years after she became a young woman (พอเริ่มเป็นสาว ได้แค่สองสามปี หูก็เริ่มมี อาการ คันคัน). If anyone can give her a cure, she will give them anything. She will drink it or inject it (once or twice if necessary) so long as it is good medicine (จะกินฉีด ขอให้เป็นยาดี จะลองให้ฉีด ยาสักทีสองที ถ้ายาเค้าดี หูคงหายคัน).

“คันหู : Nong Ja ahead of Democrats!“, by Andrew Walker, New Mandala, September 14, 2011

But watching the performance of the 20-year-old singer Nong Ja aka Ja Turbo, it is pretty clear, even to those who didn’t get the innuendos the first time around, that ‘itchy ear’ means something completely different:

Maybe that’s why the viewing figures skyrocketed within a few weeks, reaching over 15 million clicks at the time of publication. Much of the popularity could also be attributed to the almost unsurprising outrage over the raunchy pop song. The most striking example of high-profile indignation was the singer’s appearance on “Woody – Born to Talk” (วู้ดดี้ – เกิดมาคุย) with Woody Militachinda on September 4. In a recent column, Pavin Chachavalpongpun describes the interview as this:

The interview was intensely discomforting. Woody acted as a typical stuck up Thai hi-so who proclaimed himself to be the defender of Thai morality. The way Woody communicated with Ja Turbo, the way he posed his questions and how he responded to her answers, all contained highly unpleasant value judgements on the part of the host. The show succeeded in unveiling a dark reality in Thai society: there remains an impenetrable barricade when it comes to “class”. This barricade is responsible for the current crisis facing the country today.

Woody exercised his “class superiority” and his supposed better upbringing in an attempt to disgrace Ja Turbo, who was a guest on his show. He asked insulting questions and made offensive remarks about her. These are some of Woody’s statements: “How can a song like this exist in this society?” “Is there really this type of girl, like you, in our society?” “Didn’t you feel ashamed when you lifted your legs in the air?” “Is your act some kind of low-class art?” “Are there parents out there who would tolerate daughters like yourself?” “Have you ever thought for a moment that you are committing something so immoral?” “Do you consider yourself a decent entertainer?”

Woody’s questions may have been harsh. But his attitude towards Ja Turbo was even more callous. It seemed that he didn’t even want to breathe the same air as her let alone sit in the same room with her. He grilled her in front of Thai viewers, believing that his supercilious attitude would earn him an even higher place in a society where morality and ethics are seemingly the exclusive assets of the phu dee, or those of a “higher class”.

“Hi-so hypocrites as shameless as immoral low-so entertainers“, by Pavin Chachavalpongpun, The Nation, September 28, 2011

Woody wasn’t really being host rather than being a smug interrogator, lecturing her about what he thinks is morality and ‘Thainess’ – yet another self-proclaimed cultural herald! While the music act itself is debatable, the constant attack and poorly hidden antipathy by him is not only cheap entertainment at the cost of another person, but also a deeply delusional understanding of what is appropriate and who actually decides on this.

Most of all, this is a business. It’s not the first time the music industry or entertainment in general have pushed the envelope on what is dictated by others to be ‘decent’. It is not the first time that sexuality has been used as a subject and this will not be the last time that someone will take offense from this. While the likes of Turbo Music are cashing in on the always reliable ‘sex sells’ routine, Woody cashes in by openly bashing another person and still claiming the higher ground.

This selective outcry on the public depiction of sexuality is reminiscent of an incident earlier this year in April, when three women were seen dancing topless in public during Songkran (Thai New Year). Somebody shot and uploaded the video, much to the anger of the self-proclaimed cultural heralds, especially the then culture minister who openly advocated a crackdown on them for “negatively affect Thailand’s reputation” – it turns out those girls were underage. We interviewed Thai author “Kaewmala” about the causes and motives of this seemingly predictable outrage and why some Thais seem to struggle with sexuality. Among others (I recommend you to re-read the whole interview), she saw the problem as this:

Sexuality both is and isn’t taboo in Thailand. It is taboo only when it’s inconvenient or causes embarrassment (real or perceived). Thais like to think that we are a conservative and proper society when we really aren’t – at least behind closed doors. People have a delusion that Thai kids are too innocent to be contaminated by sex education, another area of inability to deal with facts. There are people who actually buy into the ideal Thai Culture line (good, grand, long-lived, sexually innocent or sexless, religiously Buddhist). And these people will not tolerate any deviation from this ideal and would sing the chorus to the occasional outcries, whenever the media drum one up. Like most cultures, much of the Thai Culture is sexualized (mostly involving females) and people are drawn to sex.

““Only taboo when it’s inconvenient!” – Interview with Thai author Kaewmala on the outrage at topless Songkran dancers“, Siam Voices, April 19, 2011

All in all, this whole (made-up) controversy did Nong Ja and her band more good than harm, becoming an online sensation and adding some notoriety to their newly gained popularity, while the cultural heralds are still seemingly trying to wrap their head around the times we live in today.

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

A recent survey has found that the Thai youth is increasingly abusing drugs, cigarettes and alcohol as early as about 15 (although one Thai news outlet has horrendously ‘misinterpreted’ the numbers). The pollsters have cited “studying difficulties, family issues and financial problems” as causes for young people to turn to narcotics and other stimulants.

A certain group of people in this country though would name different causes for this: moral decay by neglecting true Thai cultural values. Yes, in order to combat the ever-reaching foreign influences, the Thai cultural heralds advise the return to true Thai values and the Ministry of Culture has recently published an article how Thai parents should raise their Thai children in order that the new generation that appreciates the traditional Thai values – and it’s quite exhaustive…

ผู้เขียนจึงประสงค์ที่จะให้คุณพ่อคุณแม่ยุคใหม่ได้รู้จักการปลูกฝังให้ลูกมีผลลัพธ์ที่ได้มาจากการให้ลูกๆ มีวัฒนธรรม หรือเรียกอีกนัยหนึ่งว่า การพัฒนาการทางวัฒนธรรมให้กับลูกๆ ของเราซึ่งเป็นเด็กไทย เขาจะต้องเติบโตไปเป็นผู้ใหญ่ในวันข้างหน้า จะต้องเป็นผู้ที่สืบทอดวัฒนธรรมให้คงอยู่สืบต่อไป แม้จะมีพัฒนาการให้แปลกใหม่หรือทันสมัย ก็ให้เป็นไปตามกาลเวลาหรือให้เป็นไปในแบบของความร่วมสมัย (Contemporary Culture)

Thus, I see the need to introduce the parents of a new age to the disciplines of raising a child with culture in mind or as it can be also called: “Cultural development for our children,” which are our Thai children, who will become adults in the future. They will continue passing on the culture heritage. Although there will be new, strange or contemporary developments, it has to be uphold in its era. (Contemporary Culture)

วิธีการง่ายๆ โดยเริ่มต้นตั้งแต่ลูกอยู่ในวัย ๓-๔ ขวบ ให้หัดร้องรำทำเพลงแบบไทยๆ เช่น สอนให้รำวง ให้ดูสมุดภาพนาฏศิลป์ไทย ให้ฟังเพลงไทย ใส่เสื้อผ้าลายดอกคอกลม ให้ดูการแสดงที่เกี่ยวกับศิลปะไทยบ่อยๆ หรือเป็นภาพการแสดงดนตรีพื้นบ้านทั้ง ๔ ภูมิภาคของไทย ซึ่งปัจจุบันมีขายตามแผงอยู่กลาดเกลื่อน (แต่ต้องเลือกที่เหมาะสมกับวัยของเขา)

Easy steps start when the child is 3-4 years old: practicing singing and dancing to Thai songs like teaching Thai dancing, looking at Thai picture books depicting dancing art, listening to Thai music, wearing a flower pattern shirt with round neck, watching Thai art performances often or watching instrumental folk music performances from all four Thai regions, which nowadays are widely available for purchase (but [parents] have to choose the ones which are age-appropriate)

พออายุได้ ๖-๗ ขวบ ให้เขามีโอกาสเล่นดนตรีไทยอย่างน้อยก็เป่าขลุ่ยได้ ตีระนาดได้ ตีขิมได้ พาไปฟังเพลงและไปดูการแสดงดนตรีไทย นำแผ่นวีซีดีการแสดงดนตรีไทยมาให้ดูบ่อยๆ จนชินทำนองเพลง และคอยให้กำลังใจพาไปสมัครเรียน ให้ครูมาสอน ส่งเสริมให้รักดนตรีไทยในวันหยุดพาไปทำบุญที่วัด หรือวันสำคัญทางศาสนาพาลูกไปวัดนำข้าวปลาอาหารไปถวายพระ หัดให้เด็กพับดอกบัว หัดให้เด็กกำดอกไม้ให้เป็น สอนให้รู้ว่า ธูป เทียน เอาไว้ใช้ทำอะไรสอนให้ลูกถวายของพระ (ประเคน) สอนให้ลูกกราบพระเป็น [...] สอนให้ลูกรู้จักไหว้พ่อแม่ ปู่ย่า ตายาย ครู อาจารย์ พาลูกไปงานประเพณี ไปให้เคารพบรรพบุรุษแบบของทางจีน ที่เรียกว่า เช็งเม้ง ของไทยก็ไปทำบุญกระดูก บังสุกุลกระดูกในวันตรุษสงกรานต์

When they have reached ages 6-7 they should play Thai instruments, at least the khlui, ranat and khim, accompany them to performances of Thai instrumental music, show them VCDs of such performances very often until they are familiar with the sound, and encourage to sign up for classes [and/or] hire a teacher. Stimulate their love for Thai instrumental music, accompany them to make merit at the temple on holidays or on important religious days, bring them to a temple, offering food to monks, practice folding a lotus, bundling flowers, learn to to use an incense stick and candle, learn how make offerings to the monk, to worship the monk [...], teach them how to greet the parents, grandparents and teachers, let them pay respect the ancestors in the Chinese ritual of Qingming or the Thai equivalent is the worship of the ancestors’ remains during Songkran. (!!!)

พออายุได้ ๘-๑๐ ขวบ พาไปวัดสำคัญๆ ในตัวจังหวัด ในตัวอำเภอ หรือในเมืองใหญ่ๆ ให้รู้จักโบราณสถาน เช่น รู้จักพระอุโบสถ รู้จักใบเสมารอบๆ พระอุโบสถ รู้จักช่อฟ้า ใบระกา หางหงส์ คันทวย รู้จักเจดีย์ พระบรมธาตุเจดีย์ พระบรมสารีริกธาตุเจดีย์ พาไปดูยักษ์วัดโพธิ์ ยักษ์วัดแจ้ง พาไปดูฤๅษีดัดตนวัดโพธิ์ให้เป็นสมาชิกชมรมภาษาไทยในโรงเรียน ชมรมดนตรีไทย ชมรมนาฏศิลป์ไทย

During ages 8-10, show them the most important temples in the province, in the district or in the big cities, historical sites, get to know the ordination hall (Phra Ubosot), its border stones (Bai sema), the chofah, the bai raka and the hang hongse and the kan tauy, the chedi, the [chedis with the relics of Buddha or famous Buddhist monks], the giant figures of Wat Pho and Wat Arun (…), sign them up for  Thai language club in school, Thai music club and Thai dancing club.

พออายุได้ ๑๑-๑๕ ขวบ พาลูกๆ ไปดูภายในพระอุโบสถ ให้เห็นภาพจิตรกรรมฝาผนัง คุยให้ลูกเข้าใจภาพพุทธประวัติ พระประธาน พระอุโบสถ ภาพแกะสลักบานประตู ภาพประดับมุก (…) พาลูกไปดูหนังไทยเกี่ยวกับประวัติศาสตร์ ดนตรี นาฏศิลป์ ส่งเสริมให้ลูกใช้เวทีแสดงดนตรีไทย นาฏศิลป์ ประกวดแข่งขันดนตรี นาฏศิลป์ หรือแม้แต่การใช้เวทีประกวดมารยาทไทย หาโอกาสให้ลูกได้เป็นตัวแทนวันแม่ วันพ่อแห่งชาติ หรือเป็นตัวแทนไหว้ครู (…) ส่งเสริมให้ลูกได้บรรพชาเป็นสามเณร ลูกสาวให้ปฏิบัติธรรม นั่งสมาธิ หรือบางครั้งให้ไปเรียนทำอาหาร หรือช่วยพ่อแม่ทำกับข้าว ทอดไข่ หุงข้าว (หม้อไฟฟ้า) ทำขนม จัดโต๊ะอาหาร ตำน้ำพริก ไปจ่ายกับข้าวกับคุณพ่อคุณแม่ (…) รู้จักการหั่นผัก ปอกเปลือกผลไม้ สอนให้รู้จักพืชสมุนไพร ล้างจานข้าว เก็บกวาดบ้าน ถูบ้าน ซักเสื้อผ้าของตนเอง หัดรีดผ้า สอนให้ลูกพูดจาให้ไพเราะ (…) ใช้ภาษาให้ถูก (…) พูดให้มีหางเสียงการคุยโทรศัพท์กับเพื่อนหรือบุคคลอื่นๆ (…)

When 11-15 years old, show them the ordination hall, the religious paintings inside, explain them the history of Buddhism, the positions of the Buddha, the ordination, the door carvings, the marquetry (…) bring them to showings of movies about Thai history, traditional music and dance, encourage them to perform Thai traditional music and dance on stage and in competition or even just in Thai etiquette competition. Find a way for your child to be a representative on Mother’s Day [the Queen's birthday], Father’s Day [the King's birthday], Teacher’s Day (…) encourage your son to be a novice monk, your daughter to take up meditation or sometimes cooking classes or help the parents with cooking, fry eggs and cook rice (with an electric rice cooker), bake sweets, make the tables, make chili paste, buying groceries with the parents, knowing to cut vegetables, peel fruits, mix herbs, cleaning the plates and the home, wash and iron your own clothes, teach them to speak politely and correctly, always “khrap” or “kha” [polite particles at the end of sentences] during phone calls (…)

พออายุได้ ๑๖-๑๘ สอนลูกชายให้เป็นสุภาพบุรุษสอนลูกสาวให้เป็นสุภาพสตรี สอนให้รู้จักการแต่งกายแบบไทย สอนให้รู้จักการเลือกแบบสีเสื้อผ้า ให้ใช้ผ้าลายไทยในหลายๆ โอกาส พาลูกไปงานของญาติพี่น้อง ให้รู้จักพี่ป้า น้า อา สอนให้รู้จักการรักนวลสงวนตัวสำหรับลูกสาวสอนให้ลูกชายรู้จักให้เกียรติสตรี สอนให้รู้จักเลือกคบเพื่อน สอนให้ลูกเป็นคนมีจิตสาธารณะ รู้จักให้ มีความเอื้ออาทรต่อผู้อื่น รู้จักความมีเมตตา สุภาพต่อบุคคลอื่น และแม้แต่สัตว์เลี้ยงต่างๆ

When they have reached the ages 16-18, teach your children to behave politely, how to dress in a Thai way, how to choose style and color, to use Thai patterns and motives often, bring them to festivities of relatives, to get to know the aunts and uncles, teach your daughter to “value their body” [=not to randomly let boys come close], teach your son to respect towards girls, how to choose their friends, to behave socially, be compassionate and other living animals.

หากคุณพ่อคุณแม่ สามารถทำอย่างที่ผู้เขียนอ้างถึงไว้ว่า เลี้ยงลูกอย่างไรให้มีวัฒนธรรม บทความนี้เป็นเพียงส่วนหนึ่งเท่านั้น ซึ่งหากจะพรรณนาให้ครบถ้วนกระบวนความคงเขียนสาธยายได้มากมายจนอ่านไม่รู้จักจบสิ้น จึงฝากเป็นอนุสติให้ได้คิดเท่านั้นว่า“วัฒนธรรมไทย ถ้าหากคนไทยไม่ปฏิบัติ ไม่สืบทอดแล้วใครจะทำให้วัฒนธรรมไทยอยู่คู่กับชาติไทยได้ถ้าไม่ใช่คุณ”

This is just one of many guidelines parents should follow to raise a child with culture in mind. In order to write the full version, it would find no end. With this in mind, I want the readers to think about Thai culture, if no one spares a single thought on it, who will keep a Thai culture that fits this country, if not you!

“เลี้ยงลูกอย่างไรให้มีวัฒนธรรม“, Thai Ministry of Culture, August 11, 2011, translation by me

Now, where do we begin? First off, this is quite a meticulous list of things to teach a child and I’m not sure if the parents know all of it. Second, the suggestions of what to do at what age are somewhat strange: why teaching them about good behavior when they are already almost 15, for example? Third, there’s a heavy emphasis on Buddhist traditions – what about those Thais of different belief?

The fundamental problem of these Thai cultural heralds is the understanding of culture(s) and their approach about teaching these. As seen in the topless Songkran dancer brouhaha earlier this year or the ‘crackdown’ on planking, the knee-jerk reactions to everything that does not fit a concept of ‘Thai history’ and ‘Thai culture’ that has been constructed just within the last century show the failure to accept the co-existence of several cultures and sub-cultures, no matter how alien and weird they are. At the very least, they may be tolerated as long as the prime ‘culture’ taught in school and promoted by institutions like the ministry of culture reigns over those. In the very end though, culture can be taught – but not directed!

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

Thais can be a superstitious bunch of people. Whether it’s amulets or tattoos, many just do not want to take any chances. When it comes to political fortune telling, much attention is paid to the men, who have gained such wisdom to give a prophecy about how the balance of power will play out in the future. Some of them are (intentionally) cryptic, some are more concrete (but yet wrong) – nevertheless, such things regularly make the headlines in Thailand, as seen recently when former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was surveying the flooding situation in Sing Buri province:

(ที่มา ข่าวสดออนไลน์)

(…) นายอภิสิทธิ์ได้เข้านมัสการพระธรรมสิงหบุราจารย์ (หรือหลวงปู่จรัญ ฐิตธมฺโม) ที่วัดอัมพวัน (…) พร้อมกับสนทนาขอข้อมูลและคำแนะนำถึงการแก้ไขสถานการณ์น้ำท่วม (…)

ในระหว่างการสนทนาหลวงพ่อจรัญ กล่าวกับนายอภิสิทธิ์และกลุ่มสื่อมวลชน (…) เคยได้อ่านคำทำนายของหลวงพ่อฤาษีลิงดำกันหรือยัง (…) ถ้าประเทศไทยมีนายกฯ เป็นผู้หญิงจะทำให้บ้านเมืองเสียหาย มีปัญหา จึงขอให้นายอภิสิทธิ์รักษาเนื้อ รักษาตัวให้ดี เพราะจะได้กลับมาเป็นนายกฯ อีกครั้งหนึ่งแน่ (…)

(via Khao Sod Online)

(…) Abhisit paid respect to Phra Dharma Singha Bhurajarn (also known as Luang Pho Jaran) at Wat Amphawan (…) and to discuss the flood situation.

During the the discussion, Luang Pho Jaran asked if Abhisit or members of the press (…) have read the prophecies by Luang Pho Ruesi Ling Dam. (…) “If Thailand has a female prime minister, the country will take damage and have problems.” Thus, [Luang Pho Jaran told] Mr. Abhisit should take good care of himself, since he will surely be prime minister a second time. (…)

““หลวงปู่จรัญ” ยกคำทำนายฤาษีลิงดำทัก “มาร์ค” นั่งนายกฯรอบ2 เหตุผู้นำหญิงทำบ้านเมืองเสียหาย“, Matichon, September 16, 2011, translation by me

Now that sounds very concrete and something that Abhisit and like-minded people probably love to hear at the moment. But if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. When you look at another Thai newspaper, things kind of start to appear not the same way as they did at the beginning. Thai Rath ran the headline “Double premiership awaits, Mark rejoices, Ruesi Ling Dam predicts” and wrote in their subheader:

หลวงพ่อจรัญ ยกคำทำนายเกจิดังหลวงพ่อฤษีลิงดำ ทัก”มาร์ค”จะได้รีเทิร์นนายกรัฐมนตรีรอบสอง แนะรักษาเนื้อรักษาตัวให้ดี เพื่อจะได้กลับมาดูแลทุกข์สุขของประชาชน…

Luang Pho Jaran cites prophecy by Luang Pho Ruesi Ling Dam that “Mark” [Abhisit's nickname] will return as prime minister for a second time, advises him to take good care of himself in order to take care of the people again…

“ได้เบิ้ลนายกฯ มาร์คปลื้ม ฤษีลิงดำทำนาย“, Thai Rath, September 16, 2011

Now who said what? And has any monk predicted chaos once this country is governed by a woman? And how can the monk foresee a second prime minister tenure for Abhisit? This small religious gaffe prompted Wat Tha Sung, the temple of the aforementioned Luang Pho Ruesi Ling Dam to issue following statement:

ตามที่มีข่าวลงในหน้าหนังสือพิมพ์หลายฉบับ นับตั้งแต่วันที่ 16 กันยายน 2554 ทางทีมงานฯ เว็บวัดท่าซุงขอชี้แจงว่า เป็นความเข้าใจคลาดเคลื่อนในเรื่อง “คำทำนาย” เหล่านี้ เพราะสมัยที่พระเดชพระคุณหลวงพ่อพระราชพรหมยาน “ฤาษีลิงดำ” ท่านไม่เคยมีคำทำนายเหล่านี้ออกมาเผยแพร่ เพราะท่านไม่ได้เข้าไปยุ่งเกี่ยวในด้านการเมืองแต่อย่างใด (…)

After reports in several newspaper on September 16, 2011, Wat Tha Sung wants to clarify that there is a misinterpretation of the “prophecy” because Luang Pho Ruesi Ling Dam has never said such things because his holiness has not intervened into politics at all. (…)

ฉะนั้น ทางทีมงานฯ จึงขอยืนยันว่า แม้ในปัจจุบันนี้ทางวัดท่าซุงก็มิได้เชื่อถือคำทำนายเหล่านี้ โดยเฉพาะคำพูดของหลวงพ่อจรัญใน “ไทยรัฐ” ที่กล่าวว่า “หลวงพ่อฤษีลิงดำ ทัก”มาร์ค”จะได้รีเทิร์นนายกรัฐมนตรีรอบสอง” นั้นเป็นไปไม่ได้แน่นอน เพราะหลวงพ่อฤาษีลิงดำท่านมรณภาพไปนานแล้ว และหากเป็นคำพูดจากหลวงพ่อจรัญด้วย คิดว่าท่านคงจะเข้าใจผิดอย่างแน่นอน

We insist that the temple now does not believe in that prophecy, especially Luang Pho Jaran’s quote in “Thai Rath” that “Luang Pho Ruesi Ling Dam predicts that “Mark” will return as prime minister for a second time” – that is definitely impossible because Luang Pho Ruesi Ling Dam has passed away a long time ago [in 1992]

ถ้าท่านผู้อ่านเทียบเคียงกับหนังสือพิมพ์ทั้งสองฉบับนี้แล้ว [และ] “ข่าวสด” ที่อ้างหลวงปู่จรัลบอกว่า ถ้าประเทศไทยมีนายกฯ เป็นผู้หญิงจะทำให้บ้านเมืองเสียหาย มีปัญหา จะเห็นว่าการเสนอข่าวก็ยังไม่ตรงกัน แต่ถึงอย่างไรก็ทำให้ทางวัดเสียหาย และเกิดความข้องใจในโลกออนไลน์ เพราะมีการนำข้อข่าวเหล่านี้ไปโพสต์ออกความเห็นกันมีทั้งลบและบวก บางคนก็มีการจ้วงจาบไปโดยรู้เท่าไม่ถึงการณ์

If the readers compare both newspapers [and] “Khao Sod”‘s citation of Luang Pho Jaran, that if Thailand has a female prime minister he country will take damage and have problems, you will see that their reporting is not the same. But nevertheless it brings the temple into disrepute and raises doubt online because this will be posted to express their opinions, which has both its positive and negative sides. Some will show disrespect because of that limited knowledge [about the subject].

ด้วยเหตุนี้ จึงขอให้ทุกท่านที่ได้อ่านข่าวนี้แล้ว โปรดใช้วิจารณญาณไตร่ตรอง “ข่าว” (…)

We request all readers to use caution towards “news” (…)

Official Statement by Wat Tha Sung, September 17, 2011, translated by me

Thanks to shoddy reporting by both Khao Sod and Thai Rath some people have unnecessarily raised their hopes that things might change sooner than later and have posthumously attributed a monk with an outlandish prophecy. Call it karma, call it fate, but again: if something’s too good to be true, it probably is.

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

iTourist Police Thailand app

In an effort to keep up with the times, many Thai agencies and state organizations are releasing smartphone apps. Plenty of those are handy tourist guides. Now Thailand’s Tourist Police have released a free app as well and the description sounds pretty good…

The purpose of this web site for facilitating of both local and foreign tourist police station, attraction places, restaurants, accommodations, Gas station, hospitals, etc., or when you have accident, you can inform the police immediately with 8 Sub-Division.

Prepared by the Sub-Division 5 of Tourist Police Division

There is one slight catch though – it’s entirely in Thai! Well, there are not that many tourists who can already read Thai sufficiently enough to use this app, but I’m pretty sure that the next update will be bilingual. Until then, those who want to use the app have to learn the language – there’s probably an app for that, too…!

via @RichardBarrow

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

“Tongue-Thai’ed!” encapsulates the most baffling, amusing, confusing, outrageous and appalling quotes from Thai politicians and other public figures – in short: everything we hear that makes us go “Huh?!”. Check out all past entries here.

Education is one of the many problems hindering Thailand from being competitive compared to its regional neighbors, often due to anachronistic attitudes towards teaching (for example foreign languages). While Prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra said in a press conference in July that the Thai education system has to change in order to support “life-long learning”, the new government has not made any far-reaching proposals yet other than handing out free tablet PCs to school children (more on that in a future blog post).

One of the issues plaguing Thai parents is to get their children into better schools. And normally, when there are no good schools in the district they’re living, they of course would try for one somewhere else more prestigious – in many cases parents are willing to pay bribes in order to send their children there.

The new education minister Woravat Auapinyakul wants to tackle this problem head-on, but not in the way many would have thought…

นายวรวัจน์ เอื้ออภิญญกุล รมว.ศึกษาธิการ เปิดเผยกรณีมีแนวคิดเปิดช่องคนรวยจ่ายแป๊ะเจี๊ยะเข้าโรงเรียนดัง ว่า (…) ต้องยอมรับว่ามีการจ่ายแป๊ะเจี๊ยะกันอยู่ ตนอยากจะเอาสิ่งที่อยู่ใต้ดินมาอยู่บนดิน (…) ต้องไม่กระทบสิทธิคนอื่น

Woravat Auapinyakul, Minister of Education, has hinted at the idea to pave the way for rich people to pay ‘additional fees’ for the attendance to prestigious schools, saying (…) that “we have to accept that there are some ‘hidden payments’ being made. Thus, I want to bring out what’s hidden below to the surface (…) It must not affect the rights of others“

(…) สิ่งที่ทำแบบหลบๆซ่อนๆ มีการฝากกันเพื่อให้เข้าเรียนในโรงเรียน แต่ไปเข้ากระเป๋าคนบางคน ต่อไปต้องรายงานและชี้ให้ศธ.รู้ใครอยากจะรับก็รับได้แต่ต้องบอก (…) ตนไม่อยากให้มองว่าเป็นเรื่องการแลกที่นั่งเรียนอย่างเดียว

“Money paid for a school entry has been done in secret [in the past], but that [money] sometimes goes into someone’s pockets. From now on, they have to report [such payments] to the Ministry of Education – whoever wants to receive can do that, but they have to report. (…) I don’t want the people to think that this is just [an issue of] exchanging money for a school seat!”

“รมว.ศึกษาดัน“แป๊ะเจี๊ยะ”ขึ้นบนโต๊ะ“, Daily News, September 12, 2011, translation by me

Woravat suggests that this money should be used to in order to improve the school and this initiative should provide more transparency where actually that money goes into. While never directly uttered by the minister, the use of the word “แป๊ะเจี๊ยะ” in that article is noticeable, which actually means “tea money” (as in bribe). So, in an effort to prevent the payment of bribes in order for parents to send their children to prestigious school, Woravat basically endorses the payment of bribes (as long as it is ‘transparent’) and thus also supports the idea of competitiveness among schools and parents instead of trying to raise the quality standards of all schools onto the same level.

But hey, if there’s enough money left to burn, then there’s enough money left to learn – except for those who don’t!

h/t to a reader for the link

Just because we have a new government, it doesn’t mean they all suddenly stop saying stupid things. If you come across any verbosities that you think might fit in here send us an email at siamvoices [at] gmail.com or tweet us @siamvoices.

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

Also, you have any suggestions and hints for material, links, videos etc. send me an email, tweet or post on my Facebook page.

“Challenging the Sovereign Narrative – Media Perceptions of the Thai Political Crisis and the (missing) Role of Social Media”

Speaker: Saksith Saiyasombut

When: Tuesday, 27 September 2011, 5-6pm

Place: Room 317, Pentecost Building, Mae Khao main campus, Payap University

The Kingdom of Thailand rarely pops up on the global news landscape and if so, then it is mostly for a so-called ‘soft’ story. In recent years though, political struggles, often escalating in violent protests on the streets of Bangkok, have dominated the airwaves of the international media outlets, only to disappear shortly after the protests have ended. With the Thai political crisis dragging on for several years now, reporters are struggling to properly report and explain the situation without simplifying this to just a color-coded conflict between two opposing groups. In particular, the anti-government Red Shirt protests of 2010 were a watershed moment for how Thailand and its political crisis are regarded, with many Thais objecting to the foreign media’s coverage, as much as to openly vilify the international TV news networks. On the other hand, the domestic media have failed in its role to objectively explain and provide context to the political developments of recent years.

The more important issue is the rise of social media to counter a sovereign narrative of the mainstream and state media – however, Thailand has yet to see a grassroots revolution fueled by the Internet. Nevertheless, online services like Twitter and Facebook provide Thais a way to read and express alternative viewpoints and also a platform to  fill the journalistic void left by other media outlets, but are threatened by the country’s ambiguously written Computer Crimes Act and lèse majesté law.

This talk looks at the perceptions of the international and domestic media of the Thai political crisis and why this struggle has not translated into an online uprising yet and aims to examine opportunities for “filling in the blanks” left by the mainstream media.

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai political blogger and journalist. He wrote for his hometown newspapers Weser Kurier and Weser Report in Bremen, Germany, before working as an editorial assistant for Asia News Network and contributing reporter at The Nation. He started blogging about Thai politics on his personal website  www.saiyasombut.com in early 2010 and since September 2010, Saksith now writes for Siam Voices, a collaborative blog on Thai current affairs on the regional blog and news network Asian Correspondent. He is also currently a graduate student of Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Hamburg, Germany.

Original article (as long as it’s still online): link

Earlier this month, the United States has expressed “disappointment” over the prosecution of Joe Gordon, a naturalized US citizen from Thailand who was arrested in May and charged with lèse majesté. Gordon has allegedly linked to the book “The King Never Smiles”, an unauthorized and banned biography on Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej and posted translated parts on his blog back in 2007.

The technology website Ars Technica noq has a piece about another Thai-turned-US citizen who ran into trouble with Thailand’s draconian lèse majesté law:

In May 2006, Anthony Chai, a naturalized United States citizen from Thailand, took a flight back to the land of his birth to catch up with relatives and friends. He visited his nieces and nephews and spent some time at the resort town of Hua Hin.

But according to a new lawsuit, when Chai tried to return to California via Bangkok airport, he was stopped by a quintet of security agents. Employed by Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation, they informed him that they had a warrant for his arrest for committing an act of lèse majesté—a public statement that supposedly violates the “dignity” of a ruler. (…)

The DPI [sic] officers took Chai to an interrogation center and allegedly deprived him of food, water, and sleep until 3.30am while barraging him with accusations and threats. “I know where your relatives live in Bangkok and California,” Chai says that one policeman told him. “If you want them to live in peace, you must cooperate.”

“Thai censorship critic strikes back at snitch Web host“, Ars Technica, August 29, 2011

Just a reminder: this took place in May 2006, back when the numbers for lèse majesté cases were by far not as high as they were today! The article goes on to describe the interrogation, including that Chai allegedly had to hand over passwords and e-mail addresses so the officers could access his confiscated laptop.

At one point during the interrogation, Chai was presented with a document that revealed the e-mail addresses that he and an associate had used to post comments to manusaya.com. (…)

Did Anthony Chai even make statements against the Thai monarchy? No. Using an anonymous e-mail address, he had posted comments critical of Thailand’s lèse majesté law to the website www.manusaya.com (…) The site was eventually shut down by its Canadian host, Netfirms, at the request the Thai government.

“Thai censorship critic strikes back at snitch Web host“, Ars Technica, August 29, 2011

This shows the problem of the ambiguously worded lèse majesté law, which states “Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years” – without saying though what actually constitutes defamation or insult, criticizing the law itself doesn’t seem to fit it.

The fact that Chai could be charged for something he did outside the Kingdom is thanks to the Section 17 of the Computer Crimes Act that basically states anyone, Thai or not, can be charged under this law no matter from where the offense was committed.

The Ars Technica article then highlights a rather strange and blatantly impudent acts of a Thai police Colonel personally showing up in California to meet Chai – that has to be read in its entirety…

So, how did the Thai authorities found out about him…?

But Netfirms didn’t just close the site, say Chai and his attorneys.

“Sometime before May 2006, also at the request of Thai officials, Netfirms.com provided Mr. Chai’s IP address and the two e-mail addresses associated with that IP address,” Chai’s complaint charges, “without Mr. Chai’s knowledge or consent.” In addition, the Canadian company allegedly handed over this data without requesting a court order, subpoena, or warrant from Thai authorities, and without contacting the US State Department for guidance.

“Thai censorship critic strikes back at snitch Web host“, Ars Technica, August 29, 2011

This procedure mirrors Yahoo!’s outing of Chinese cyber dissidents over the last several years. What differs in Chai’s case though is that Netfirms is not based in Thailand and did not need to appease the Thai government by making amends with their internet services – so it seems quite strange why this Candian company was so willing to snitch him to Thai authorities without any kind of documentation.

This is why Chai is now, with the help of the World Organization for Human Rights, suing Netfirms $75,000 in damages. It will be interesting to see how this court case will turn out, since this is the first time (at least to my knowledge) that a foreign internet firm has actively assisted Thai authorities with the prosecution of alleged lèse majesté offenders.

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

Singha Beer heiress Chitpas Bhirombhakdi (front row, right) with then-prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva (front row, center) at a Democrat Party rally at Central World Plaza in Bangkok on June 23, 2011. (Photo by Saksith Saiyasombut)

Some readers may remember a certain Miss Chitpas Bhirombhakdi, the daughter of Chutinant Bhirombhakdi, executive vice-president of Singha Corporation and thus often-referred to as the “Singha-heiress”. We have previously reported on her and and her campaign for MP during the run-up to the elections, which she lost in her constituency. But she seems to already have a new job post-election and is already making her mark:

The Democrat Party is urging the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to act quickly on closing down websites insulting the monarchy.

Deputy Democrat Spokesperson Ms. Jitpas Pirompakdi has expressed her gratitude towards ICT Minister Group Captain Anudith Nakornthap for taking a serious clampdown on any websites displaying content to insult the monarchy as there are quite a number of them at present.

According to her, disrespectful contents are widespread in social media, cyber space, as well as television and radio programs, and this has raised the question as to where webmasters receive the financial support from. She insisted that she had no intention to intervene in the work of the ICT and she would support their mission. She urged the public to report to authorities if they had seen such websites via email: yeswecan5555 [at] gmail.com

“ICT to close down more websites insulting the monarchy“, National News Bureau of Thailand, August 20, 2011

Nevermind the different spelling, Ms. Chitpas Bhirombhakdi is now indeed deputy spokeswoman for the Democrat Party. And while a spokesperson is primarily there to tout the party’s line, which is without a doubt a very difficult one to take a different side on, she made sure to also add in a little bit of herself into this statement. Here’s from the official website of the Democrat Party:

“สมัยที่ทำงานในกระทรวงกระทรวงเทคโนโลยีสารสนเทศและการสื่อสาร ได้เคร่งครัดดูแลเรื่องนี้อย่างสม่ำเสมอ พร้อมทั้งได้ดำเนินการภายใต้กรอบกฎหมายของประเทศไทย ตนเชื่อว่าคนไทยทุกคน ไม่ต้องการเห็นสถาบันสูงสุด ถูกใส่ร้าย โจมตี ในข้อมูลอันเป็นเท็จ และไม่เป็นธรรม” นางสาวจิตภัส   กล่าวและว่า วันนี้พรรคประชาธิปัตย์ ขอเป็นกำลังใจให้  รัฐมนตรีว่าการกระทรวงเทคโนโลยีสารสนเทศและการสื่อสาร (ไอซีที)  ให้หนักแน่น และดำเนินการกับกระบวนเว็ปไซต์หมิ่นสถาบันอย่างจริงจัง และขอประชาสัมพันธ์ไปยังคนไทยทุกคน หากพบเห็นการกระบวนเว็ปไซต์หมิ่นสถาบัน  สามารถแจ้งมาได้ที่ yesmecan5555 [at] gmail.com

“When I worked at the MICT, I eagerly took responsibility over this matter [regularly] [by] enforcing under the legal framework of this country. I believe, no Thai should see harm done to the highest institution by wrong and insidious information,” Ms Chitapas said, “today, the Democrat Party wishes to express their great gratitude to the Minister of ICT for his mission to clampdown on websites insulting the monarchy. We want ask to all Thais if they come across any websites that are insulting to the royal institution, they can inform at: yesmecan5555 [at] gmail.com*”

““จิตภัส” ให้กำลังใจ รมว.ไอซีที ดำเนินจริงจังและเด็ดขาด กับกระบวนการหมิ่นสถาบัน“, Democrat Party, August 20, 2011 – translation by me

Chitapas has worked as a secretary at the MICT in 2009 (see here again), I do doubt however that she already took charge over such a high profile task. She refers to a statement of the new Minister of the ICT Captain Anudith Nakornthap (as previously reported), who said that his ministry will be even more vigilant pursuing anti-monarchy offenders and punish with the full force of the law – practically breaking nearly all hopes that the new government will reform the draconian Article 112 of the Crminal Code and the equally controversial Computer Crimes Act, which undoubtedly has been used in the past to silence political opponents or simply those challenging the official narrative.

Even though Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra publicly stated she wants to see the misuse of this law reduced and will review it, it remains to be seen if the new government will do anything about it without being branded by their enemies as anti-monarchy, thus eliminating desperately needed rational discussion about the state and the future of the royal institution.

*P.S.: Anybody noticed the two different, equally unprofessional looking email addresses to denounce incriminate inform anti-monarchy websites?

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

Surapong Towijakchaikul is not somebody to be jealous of for his job right now. The new Thai foreign minister is being criticized from all possible sides, much for him being simply unqualified because he lacks diplomatic background* and he’s just there to help Thaksin getting into more countries again.

And now we have this shocking revelation by Spring News TV reporter Techawat Sukrak (เตชะวัฒน์ สุขรักษ์):

มีเรื่องฮาเมื่อรมต.ตปท.แถลงข่าว ต้องให้จนท.เป็นล่ามแปลเพื่อตอบคำถามต่อสื่อต่างประเทศ ทำเอาสื่อไทยงง!!รมต.ต่างประเทศฟัง-พูดอังกฤษไม่ได้เหรอ

Funny story: During a press conference, the FM [foreign minister] had this staff translating the answer to a question from foreign media, which confused the Thai reporters!! Can’t the foreign minister understand and speak English?!

Tweet by @TOM_SPRINGNEWS at 16:28h, August 17, 2011 – translation by me

Well, can he speak English at all?

First off, his official bio states that he has a Master’s degree and PhD in engineering from Youngstown State University and University of Akron respectively, both located in the US state of Ohio. Second, if Surapong is supposedly not capable of speaking and understanding, how then did he manage to do a whole interview in English with Anasuya Sanyal of Channel News Asia** (which was quite candid by the way)?

It is one thing to have somebody translating, especially if you’re unsure of saying the right words since Surapong is allegedly, you know, not qualified enough to be a diplomat and thus speaking diplomatically. But it is an entirely different thing if somebody in his position being absolutely incapable of speaking and understanding the English language – like German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle (you know, the guy who let Thaksin back in) for example, who outright refused to answer a question in English from a BBC reporter right after the last elections in 2009, saying that “since it is common in the United Kingdom to speak English, it is common to speak German here in Germany,” – now that’s top-notch statesmanship right from the get-go…!

*One could argue that the last foreign minister Kasit Piromya has the best background as a former ambassador to Germany and Japan – but we all know better what happened to Thai foreign policy…!

**Anasuya confirmed on Twitter that the interview was entirely conducted in English

h/t to fellow Siam Voices contributor Panuwat Panduprasert

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

Earlier this month, a 23-year old graduate from the Kasetsart University has been arrested for allegedly posting content on his blog that is deemed insulting to the monarchy – also known as lèse majesté. Prachatai and The Nation’s Pravit Rojanaphruk (and unsurprisingly no one else) with the details:

The person who filed the charge was said to be a vice rector for students affairs, who reportedly said he was pressed to file the charge by the University Council and that the complaint was filed in a bid to protect the university’s “reputation”. (…)

The man made remarks on his blog that were allegedly offensive to the monarchy while he was a senior student at the university. These were apparently first spotted by fellow students, prachatai.com reported.

He faces charges both under the lese majeste law, which carries a maximum 15-year jail term, and the Computer Crimes Act, which has punishment of up to five years in jail.

“Student held for alleged lese majeste“, The Nation, August 7, 2011

Meanwhile, Prachatai reports that he has been released on bail. This student, whose name and picture has been widely published, is another victim of Thailand’s infamous Article 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as lèse majesté. In recent years, this law has been excessively abused, the number of such cases has skyrocketed from just a few cases in 2006 to almost 500 in 2010 and, in conjunction with the equally controversial 2007 Computer Crimes Act (CCA), thousands of websites have been shut down. On the other hand, due to the volatile political atmosphere in Thailand, it has enabled an excessive witch-hunt, as detailed here:

[Name of accused] was apparently ‘witch hunted’ by a Facebook group calling itself the Social Sanction (SS) group, according to his father. His name, photos, personal address and numbers were posted online, and he was heavily criticised by members of the SS group. (…)

Sawitree Suksri, a law lecturer at Thammasat University, described the SS group’s method as “vicious” and “irrational” and a form of online violence that parallels the real-life violence in Thailand. She also noted in a signed article that the ongoing Social Sanction phenomenon appeared to have the support of the Thai authorities.

“THAILAND: Student blogger charged with lèse majesté“, University World News, August 13, 2011

As charges for lèse majesté grow in numbers, so does the resistance against this law. We have previously reported about an open letter by a group of 100 young writers calling to amend this law and stop its excessive abuse. This group has now grown to 359 writers and they also have published a new open letter, key excerpt:

We hereby appeal to the Members of the Thai Parliament who are the representatives and law makers for the Thai people to take the lead in amending Article 112 of the Criminal Code. This is our call for courage to politicians, academicians, the media and intellectuals from all sectors of Thai society to awaken their conscience and to recognize that the suppression of freedom of speech and expression through the misuse of Article 112 by means of physical threats, pressing charges, lawsuits and intimidation by government officials in power or among members of the Thai public including the mass media, is a grave danger to the stability of our nation. This is of utmost national concern and in urgent need of reform.

A society will fail not as a result of diversity of opinions, nor lack of solidarity in political discourse, but a society will fail due to its inability to respect basic human rights, to allow opportunities for the public to voice their opinions, and to cherish and learn from the constructive exchange of different points of view. For our society to progress and prosper, it must develop a spirit of cooperation and cultivatean understanding of human rights, freedom and equality. The goal is for all Thais to live harmoniously under the constitutional monarchy rather than privilege those few who hold their view supreme, above and untouchable by common law and legal provisions or even the constitution which governs the nation.

“359 Thai Writers Manifesto“, via Prachatai, July 25, 2011

The numerous cases show the problem about how this law is applied. In theory, anybody can file such a complaint at the police, who are obliged to investigate everyone of them, no matter how nonsensical they are. They can forward them to the prosecution and subsequently to the court which then has to decide on the very ambiguously worded law as well. Throw in the also very vague 2007 Computer Crimes Act (which was at one time planned to be replaced by an even worse new draft), then you are in a very (perhaps deliberately) unchartered legal territory – as the trail against Prachatai webmaster Chrianuch Premchaiporn has shown.

Many have laid their expectations on the new government to change something about this. But hopes for a quick solution to the problem were quickly dashed when the new prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that she has no intention to amend Article 112, but does not want see this law misused. Any administration even thinking publicly about reforming or changing this problem will have to face attacks by royalists who will brand them anti-monarchist, a severe accusation which is a killer argument that prevents any rational discussion about possible political and societal reforms.

Even worse, the new Minister for Communication and Technology (MICT) Captain Anudith Nakornthap of the Pheu Thai Party has gone on record declaring this:

(…) นับจากนี้ไป จะมีการกำชับให้ข้าราชการ และเจ้าหน้าที่ของกระทรวง ในทุกระดับ มีการเข้มงวดมากยิ่งขึ้น ในการกำกับดูแลปราบปรามการกระทำผิด พ.ร.บ.เกี่ยวกับคอมพิวเตอร์ และการหมิ่นสถาบันผ่านเว็บไซต์ต่างๆ โดยจะดำเนินการบังคับใช้กฎหมายอย่างเด็ดขาด

(…) from now on, the ministry’s officials and staff members of every level have been urged to be more stringent in the pursuing of violations against the Computer Crimes Act and lèse majesté on websites, by enforcing the law to the fullest.

“รมว.ไอซีทีประกาศปราบเว็บหมิ่น ก่อนประเด็นลามถึงในเฟซบุ๊ก เจ้าตัวย้ำจะบังคับใช้กม.อย่างเป็นธรรม“, Matichon, August 13, 2011

The new MICT minister made clear that nothing will change about the status quo, which means a continuation of the online witch-hunt, with support from a state-sponsored volunteer ‘cyber-scout’ network of denunciators and like-minded people who act on anticipatory obedience (see this link again for the aforementioned Social Sanction group and how students feel intimidated to speak their mind). All that in an atmosphere of when the army feels the urge to overemphasize their loyalty to the royal institution and openly threatens to crackdown on lèse majesté offenders. It sets a dangerous precedent of a black-and-white dichotomy against the Thai people, who think out of the norm.

It will be a long process until those who claim to protect the institution see that they are doing more harm than good in the long-run. One of the country’s most outspoken social activist Sulak Sivaraksa was recently quoted in an foreign newspaper interview that “loyalty demands dissent. Without dissent you cannot be a free man, you see.” Ironically, due to the same legal reasons as discussed here, I cannot provide a link to the source of that quote…!

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

We all know Thailand’s ex-prime minister and on-the-run fugitive, Thaksin Shinawatra, is pretty busy traveling the world ever since he’s out of Thailand. When he’s not at his new home base in Dubai, he mostly goes on business trips, for example in Uganda. But the list of countries he can visit has kind of shrunk, despite his new citizenship of Montenegro and his Nicaraguan diplomatic passport. For example, when Thaksin sneaked into Germany and got a permanent residence permit in late 2008, the European country had thrown him out after they have found out about it a few months later.

It is now Germany again, who has recently revoked the entry ban for Thaksin (see previous coverage here), thanks to heavy lobbying by German conservative MPs and officially to the new political “situation in Thailand”, which of course enraged chief Thaksin-hunter Thai foreign minister, Kasit Piromya, on his last days. Well, he might want to cool down now because he won’t like what the Thai media have reported recently.

Matichon and Khao Sod have reported that Thaksin recently has made a trip to Germany and met Thai expat red shirts supporters there, both referring to the website “Thai Red EU” (caution: the website is overloaded with several audio livestreams going off at the same time!). According to the website, Thaksin visited Munich on August 5, on the same day that Yingluck was voted in as prime minister in parliament.

A few days later, on August 9, Thaksin arrived in Hamburg via his personal jet before he met with ‘officials of the UDD EU’ organization. Thaksin then attended a red shirt meeting at Wat Buddhabharami, a local Thai Buddhist temple, where a religious memorial service was held for the victims of last year’s protests. In a speech after the service, he expressed delight to meet “so many Thais at once” and demanded his supporters to remain “patient” about “seeking justice”. He was later seen at a Thai restaurant, dining with fellow red shirts and red organizers from many European countries such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France and Finland. Thaksin then left Hamburg after having spent about five hours in the North-German city. (Source: YouTube video 1, video 2)

Hamburg has a well-organized group of red shirts and it is quite possibly the center of the movement in Germany. The people behind have apparently good connections to Thaksin and are also well-connected to other red shirts all over Europe (although the total number of any group has not been verified yet), as seen during their rally on the eve of the anniversary of the military coup of 2006. What is also striking is that the German red shirts have a heavy focus on Thaksin as their personal champion. When comparing the red shirt rallies worldwide on September 19, 2010, you’ll see that only the rally in Hamburg has references to the former prime minister – let alone a phone-in by him.

Thaksin has also previously entered Finland in mid-July. Reporters of the Helsink-based Helsingin Sanomat have spotted Thaksin during a private shopping trip in the Finish capital and quoted him praising the Scandinavian country and to have come for “over the tenth time.” Finland is part of the Schengen Agreement, which does away with the internal border controls for most of continental Europe. Friends of the infamous Finland Conspiracy will take notice of this.

In related news, the Japanese government has reportedly granted Thaksin a special entry permit. Thaksin hopes to visit the areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami later this month, since he has donated an unspecified sum for disaster relief. This comes after the new Thai foreign minister, Surapong Towijakchaikul, had politely addressed the Japanese ambassador to Thailand, whether or not Thaksin could be let in to Japan – to which the ambassador asked if Thailand would mind. It also coincides with reports from Japan that its lawmakers have expressed their wish to let Thaksin in, even having met the former prime minister before last year – see something similar here?

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.

Bangkok Post reported on Tuesday night:

A court in Germany has released the Boeing 737 seized from HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Tuesday.

Mr Abhisit told reporters the government has posted the full 38 million euros demanded by Walter Bau company in an account to be controlled by the German court.

As a result, the court released the jet. Terms of the agreement were unclear, as was the role of Mr Abhisit.

The government used public money for the deal. (…)

“Germany ‘releases royal jet’“, Bangkok Post, August 9, 2011

AP‘s take:

A Munich airport official confirmed that German authorities on Tuesday had released the plane used by the Thai crown prince. “It has been released, he just has to tell the airport when he would like to fly,” Edgar Engert, a spokesman for the airport, told The Associated Press.

“Thailand post German bond to free prince’s plane“, Associated Press, August 10, 2011

This is quite yet another intriguing turn of events, which probably ends an awkward spat between Thailand and Germany, that started almost a month ago over an issue that dates back even further, when a German construction firm built a tollway to Bangkok’s old international airport in Don Muang in a jointventure with the Thai government. The Thai government has broken several contractual obligations, including toll hikes and not building other roads that would compete with the tollway.

This German construction firm later merged with Walter Bau AG, another German construction firm that went bankrupt in 2005 – it was then when liquidator Werner Schneider found the old contract and demanded compensation from the Thai government. An international arbitration court ruled against Thailand in 2009 and ordered them to pay €30m ($42m or THB 1,2bn) – which has grown to almost €38m thanks to interests and the Thai government simply ignoring the order for years.

That’s when Werner Schneider had enough, decided to up the ante against the Thai government and seeked to impound the Boeing 737 of Thai Crown HRH Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. That set off a bilateral spat in which Thailand, partly thanks to the confusing domestic media coverage, but also active disinformation and an apparent failure to distinguish a German court from the German government, had a weak case on their hands in not only trying to release the plane, but also fight against the order to pay the hefty sum to WalterBau AG.

The main legal battle focussed on whether or not the royal 737 plane is owned by the Thai government or is personal property of the Crown Prince. A German court has then decided to release the plane only for a €20m ($28.4 or THB 851m) deposit, which still kinda led some Thai news outlets to believe that the plane is actually freed, since there has been no verdict on the ownership status, which was supposed to take place later this August at a German court.

The lastest developments (which were also the last acts of the now former Thai government of Abhisit Vejjajiva and then-foreign minister Kasit Piromya) consisted of who was going to pay. Of course, it started off with Kasit refusing to pay the deposit, the Crown Prince then announced to pay from his own fund, to which Kasit was suddenly ready to flip the bill so the Crown Prince doesn’t have to until Abhisit overruled him and said no – as summarized here by Bangkok Pundit.

Now apparently the Thai government is actually paying the whole bill to Walter Bau after all. But why so suddenly? Was it an attempt to score one last ‘victory’ by the outgoing government by not only getting the royal plane back? Was the realization that the ‘new information’ presented to the German courts was neither new nor informative enough to be in favor of the Thai government? Apparently the Thai side ran out of arguments:

DLA Piper, the law firm representing Thailand in the case, said the country is committed to honoring its obligations and wants to rule out premature actions against assets of it or others.

“Thailand has strong grounds for challenging the confirmation of the award,” a DLA Piper lawyer, Frank Roth, said in the firm’s statement. “However, if the Berlin court finally concludes that the award against the Kingdom of Thailand is enforceable, the Kingdom of Thailand has made the funds available.”

“Thailand post German bond to free prince’s plane“, Associated Press, August 10, 2011

This statement by this law firm is particularly interesting, since just a week ago they have released a press release sounding very confident and trying to convince that the €20m deposit to be a ‘victory’. But according to one Thai official, this whole thing is not done yet:

Thai Foreign Ministry official Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said a German court ordered the release of the aircraft Tuesday after the Thai government posted a 38 million euro ($54 million) bond, equal to the Walter Bau claim.

He said Thailand would continue to contest the claim on the tollway dispute until a definitive court ruling. Abhisit stepped down from the prime minister’s post last week after his Democrat Party lost a July general election.

“Thailand post German bond to free prince’s plane“, Associated Press, August 10, 2011

Chavanond probably refers to an ongoing appeal at a New York court, even though the award itself is already final, unappealable and enforceable worldwide – the chances are reportedly ‘very slim’ (source) though that the Thai government would actually get anything from this procedure.

There’s of course at least one Thai news outlet that gets it wrong – you can all probably guess which one it is…

German authorities have agreed to withdraw impoundment of two 737 Boeing jets belonging to His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn parked at the Munich airport, after Thai government placed 38 million euros as guarantee, former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday.

The Thai embassy in Germany is working further on the issue to retrieve the two aircraft [sic!], and a lawsuit will be soon lodged with German court, said Chawanong Intharakomalsut, secretary to former foreign minister Kasit Piromya. He did not give details over which grounds over the issue the lawsuit would appeal against.

“Germans to free jet as govt pays Bt1.6-bn surety“, The Nation, August 10, 2011

Wait, wait – TWO impounded planes?! Who said that TWO planes have been impounded?! Yes, there was a second Thai royal plane landing on the runway in Munich, but the German liquidator was only considering to impound the second plane – if that would have happened, we would have already known about this, if not from the Thai press, then at least the German press! Even the Thai Embassy in Berlin has said nowhere about a second plane!

This leaves now the question with what they actually mean when they said that ‘public money’ has been used…?

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and now also on his public Facebook page here.