Today’s Nation online leads with this breaking story:
HM the King said that his favorite dog, Khun Tongdaeng, is still alive and well. The King expressed surprises at a widespread rumour that Khun Tongdaeng, is dead. “How can some people say that (Khun Tongdaeng) is dead. She is now nine-year old and still alive and well. She usually walks after me,” HM the King was quoted by Thai-language Matichon.
Coincidentally today’s Sydney Morning Herald carried a suspected sighting of reclusive Tongdaeng at Pet Fashion Week in New York:
16 responses so far ↓
1 Srithanonchai // Aug 23, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Recently, the King was shown twice in long broadcasts on TV, talking to officials. However, the way he talked made one wonder about the possibility of his upcoming birthday speech. The broadcasts made me quite concerned about HMK.
2 Grasshopper // Aug 23, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Haha, macabre follow up to the “loose cannon” post…
3 Bangkok Pundit // Aug 24, 2007 at 4:52 am
Have a read of The Nation’s breaking news story and you will see that there are discrepancies with Thai Rath.
http://www.thairath.com/offline.php?…&content=58436
โอกาสเดียวกันพระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว ทรงเล่าถึงคุณทองแดง สุนัขทรงเลี้ยง ด้วยพระอารมณ์ขันว่า คุณทองแดงยังมีชีวิตอยู่ ทองแดงนี่ไม่ได้เป็นอะไรอายุ 5 ขวบ มีคนเขาลือว่าทองแดงตายแล้ว ตายได้ยังไงมันเดินตาม ถ้าโคลนนิ่งแล้วไม่ต้องมีหลานเหลน เลี้ยงจะแย่แล้วหลานเหลน ทองแดงนี่เป็นคนไทยแท้ ส่วนลูกไม่ใช่คนไทยแท้ เป็นอเมริกันเป็นลูกไอ้กัน สามีเขาก็ยังอยู่
Thai Rath says American. The Nation reports that Matichon says African. Thai Rath says 5 years old. The Nation reports that Matichon says 9. Can’t they even report HM’s words correctly!
4 Historicus // Aug 24, 2007 at 7:23 am
Should anybody care about a hound? I know that there have been some stories about queen Elizabeth’s mutts, but Thailand seems bent on total silliness over this mutt and the palace.
5 serf // Aug 24, 2007 at 1:39 pm
You obviously haven’t heard the rumor, Historicus. Let’s just say that this rumor is heavily related to another recent prominent near-death experience.
Hydrotherapy is often used for people and animals that have sustained injuries. I’m sure Tongdaeng is alive, but also convinced that there is some reason why the public isn’t allowed to have an audience with her.
6 serf // Aug 24, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Offhand, I seem to remember hearing this rumor well over one year ago.
7 Sidh S. // Aug 24, 2007 at 1:53 pm
IN each society/culture, there are news/events/practices that ‘the others’ see as idiosyncratic, while people in the respective society, culture see as important. This post is merely an updated version of the European colonizers’ observation of the Siamese “white elephant” with negative connotations. Is this meant to put many Thais in their place that we are ‘backwards’ and ‘developing’. But can’t we just see this for what it is – a common human trait, an obsession with people in the limelight? Remember the big news worldwide, taking very significant media space from ‘important’ issues, when Paris Hilton went into jail? Thailand did have its version with Cutaleeya Macintosh’s pregnancy. Maybe we are starting to catch up?
I am probably writing as an ‘insider’ here as I do see the charms of the ‘Jatukarm’ craze (and its recent ’sale prices’ when the amulet did not save its wearer from a series of accidents)…
8 Tosakan // Aug 24, 2007 at 2:16 pm
I don’t know if Andrew and Nicholas will print this, and I will understand if they don’t, but the rumor I heard, and this was quite a long time ago, was that the CP (Sia O) killed HM’s dog in one of his emotional fits, and to keep it all quiet, the palace replaced Thongdaeng(I refuse to call a dog Khun) with an imposter. After, the king and the CP were no longer on speaking terms.
If this is the rumor everybody is being cryptic about, then I am surprised, because I heard this one quite a long time ago.
9 serf // Aug 25, 2007 at 3:29 am
Not really! This is more about the suitability of the apparent succession.
10 Historicus // Aug 25, 2007 at 6:59 am
Serf: I heard the rumours. They are around regularly, but why on earth is it that this is the way things work and that people get in a fuss over dogs and dog rumours. Surely you get an inkling that something is amiss in society?
Not sure what Sidh’s point is. That silliness in the US justifies silliness in Thailand. No, wait, that can’t be it as societies are not comparable…. The doggie stuff in Thailand is silly. What about the story in the press of FuFu at the Oxford and Cambridge bash having a its own place set at the table with the big shots. Really, isn’t this just, well, silly? If it isn’t, then it must be far worse than silly.
11 serf // Aug 25, 2007 at 11:51 am
Well things inevitably come out in a silly way if they are not allowed to be expressed in a sensible way. It’s not just doggy stories. It’s also extremist political thinking. Hence the deeply earnest nonsense of politicians such as Samak.
12 James Haughton // Aug 27, 2007 at 10:59 am
Is Tongdaeng the dog that HM adopted off the streets of Bangkok? I seem to remember that that led to a lot of stray dogs being adopted, or at least better treated. At the time it was also taken as a metaphor for the King’s “leading by example” approach which was contrasted unfavourably with Thaksin’s governance approach. I guess the CP rumours explain this story, but is it being used as a symbol for anything else?
13 Sidh S. // Aug 27, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Historicus, it is just what mainstream society is – ’star’ obssessed (whether they are singers, popstars, hi-sos, politicians etc.). And it’s no different here in Australia from America, Thailand – or anywhere. The labels people put the ’same’ news in different societies simply reflect their socio-economic, cultural subjectivities.
Whether we’d readily admit or not, we yearn for these news (and I’m not talking about ‘truths’ here) and the media – mainstream or underground – will readily feed it to us (if we haven’t already been on the lookout). The fact that is is posted on this blog and that we are discussing it already says a lot…
14 wisa // Aug 31, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Khun TongDaeng? I thought it was Maa TongDaeng?
Even if he is the King’s dog, I’m not sure he would be given the personal pronoun for people.
Is he also Khon TongDaeng? Nope, he’s Maa TongDaeng.
The thai script provided by “Bangkok Pundit” varies between
ทองแดง and คุณทองแดง…. I hope the equation between Thai people and a stray mutt hasn’t been made, it’s a big call.
15 007 // Sep 1, 2007 at 2:31 am
Any news on the rumour about Thailand next queen?
16 sueksit nanhuay // May 26, 2008 at 1:32 pm
“Khun Tongdaeng” probably symbolizes the idea that no Thai may approach the canine stage of development. This is confirmed by the fact that no Thai, but rather a Cerberus incarnation, is allowed to sit in a seat next to HMK’s.
Incidentally, we hear nowadays of a team of Thai doctors under the patronage of the CP (not chicken product) going to help the Burmese. I wonder who foots the bill for this team, the taxpayers or the Divine Being? This kind of thing should be put in a proper perspective, or it must be said, “Pity the Thai people.” Isn’t it against Buddhism or Islam to file a false claim?
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