Comments on: Some thoughts on the political crisis in Thailand

By: Two years of New Mandala

Two years of New Mandala — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:11:53 +0000

[...] it is two years since our very first New Mandala post. Since then we’ve had 1,254 posts. In June 2006 we had five comments – two [...]

By: Getting rich from vote-buying

Getting rich from vote-buying — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:24:19 +0000

[...] readers may recall that Andrew Walker “was a beneficiary of Thaksin’s munificence before the 2005 election, [...]

By: Vichai N

Vichai N — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 12:22:25 +0000

Fast rewind and reflect . . .

Knowing now what we know of Thaksin Shinawatra – - – would his claim of legitimacy still ring true?

And yet Andrew Walker could have a point that – - – despite what the Thai people know now of Thaksin, and Potjaman and all of Thaksin’s tax-evading clan, cooks and driver included, and despite a better appreciation of what ‘rule of law’ stands for and how Thaksin had willfully violated such during his extrajudicial madness, and knowing all the rules bending done by Thaksin and his ready gang of TRT abettors to ensure Shinawatra family enterprises riches skyrocket to triple Thaksin’s wealth and the blatant conflict of interest suggested thereof , and knowing Thaksin’s dangerous divisive streaks dividing military, dividing monarchy, dividing the police, dividing urbans vs. rurals . . . . KNOWING ALL OF THESE and more, and Thaksin Shinawatra may still win the rural vote, and the election, in any election, by landslide!

Is that THE democracy Thailand wants and can live by?

Reflect . . .

By: New Mandala » The first year of New Mandala

New Mandala » The first year of New Mandala — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:36:22 +0000

[...] was one year ago that Andrew made the first post to New Mandala – “Some thoughts on the political crisis in Thailand“. Back then the argument was that: Election boycotts, calls for Royal intervention in the [...]

By: New Mandala » Democracy lite; sufficiency democracy; non-electoral democracy; Thai style democracy …

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 06:35:19 +0000

[...] In my very first New Mandala post (from June 2006) I wrote: Many of Thailand’s pro-democracy commentators seem to be promoting a form of democracy-lite in which democracy is embodied in bureaucratic institutions based in Bangkok. Popular election by all Thai people is an inconvenient add-on that hampers the potential for benign leadership from Bangkok, whether it be in its bureaucratic, Royal, military or even academic form. [...]