In his 60-year reign, His Majesty has not deviated from that pledge and has indeed earned the love, admiration, and trust of his people in a manner that cannot be fully comprehended by foreigners.
The significance of his reign relates to three main themes: the well-being of his subjects, the security and stability of his nation, and national unity.
In the first four decades of his reign, His Majesty travelled to every corner of the country, meeting with the people, especially farmers and the poor in rural and remote areas as well as the hill tribes. Gathering information, personally assessing the farming and agricultural areas, experimenting with his new concepts and applying appropriate technology at his palace grounds in Bangkok, His Majesty began a series of royally initiated projects…
…Without His Majesty’s guiding hand, we would not be where we are today – a nation which has invariably demonstrated its inner strength, political resilience, social harmony and economic dynamism – a trait which has enabled the Thais to survive many a threat and misfortune in their long history.
Incidentally, His Majesty, as implied in his public address a few years ago, does not see himself as infallible – a king who can do no wrong in the ordinary sense of the word. His Majesty is not above criticism. In fact he welcomes critical comments based on facts and objectivity. The current legal constraint is not taken literally by him. He personally never made use or took advantage of this legal recourse to silence critics. Nor is he by royal convention in a position to answer or respond to these critics. He is unperturbed and proceeds to give royal pardon to those who are convicted.
The reverence and loyalty that the Thai people hold for His Majesty is in my view the reason for the existence of such law.
- Extracted from former Thai Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun‘s speech in Bangkok, 23 August 2007, at the launch of the second edition of The King of Thailand in World Focus. More of Anand’s remarks are reproduced in an opinion piece printed in The Nation.
I am wondering which examples of the king accepting criticism Anand is thinking of? I’d be interested to know if there are documented cases of the king being criticised based on fact and objectivity and that he has accepted it. I’m sure there must be cases of this, but I need to be reminded.
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Nor is he by royal convention in a position to answer or respond to these critics
So the real story will never be told?
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I think this is a significant speech. Anand is a very important guy because not only is he a key figure in McCargo’s “network monarchy” but he has a lot of international credibility.
Sumet Tantiwetchakul (Chaiphatthana Foundation) also gave a major speech a couple of days ago (can anyone post the text? – it was reported very fully on the news Thursday) on “sufficiency economy theory” saying that the big problem today was that too much knowledge from overseas had come into the country which was making Thais “stupid” and leading them to forget morality, Thai culture, etc. etc.
I’m also thinking of the NTSC seminar and the junta’s war room’s tirades against the “western media” and “neo-liberalism”.
Having lost the referendum I think the network is now really spooked that they are losing the game internationally.
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Not only is he a member of “network monarchy” but thanks to Nich’s Wikipedia link I notice that Anand was also until quite recently a former member of the private equity firm the Carlyle Group, along with George Bush Sen. , George W. Bush, James Baker, and numerous other global worthies. Apparently Thaksin was also a member until he became PM in 2001. This is out way of my league to analyse, but I remember a curious visit by George Bush Sen. and Barbara to the Palace a couple of months after the coup. The “hidden connections” …
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It is well-known that Anand has been a member of the Carlyle Group. He also has close relations with Henry Kissinger. He and Kissinger were behind the funding of the Kenan Institute Asia after the 1997 economic crisis.
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What do you mean by “member of the private equity firm”? On the board of directors?
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Re Historicus>
Huh, that’s interesting. I wonder what Kissinger thought of Anand blaming 9/11 on the Jews.
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The Lese Majeste laws are really terrifying. Can someone please tell me briefly just what these laws actually stipulate? I ask because a while ago I casually asked a Thai colleague to enlighten me on the circumstances surrounding the death of King Rama 8th -a fantastic mystery just waiting for an investigative journalist. I was told in hushed tones that this subject is never to be discussed for fear of arrest -on Lese Majeste?
It was probably just as well that I didn’t inquire whether the several men sentenced to death for involvement in the murder might receive a posthumous amnesty.
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Lleij Samuel Schwartz : I have no idea what Kissinger thinks, but we do know that he is “pragmatic” and a “realist”, so I guess he can sit down with Anand. But if you go to: http://www.kiasia.org/En/Group_Tier2.asp?GroupTierId=9&SubGroupTier_ID=18
and look at the 2005 annual report for KIAsia, you’ll see Kissinger and Anand. The two of them came together in 2005 to celebrate the achievements of the funding initiatives they had worked on together for KIAsia.
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Message to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (who hosted Anand’s speech on “the People’s King” 23 August): when are you going to report in the international media what people are saying on many blog sites: the DIRECT involvement of the Palace in the movement to overthrow the democratically-elected Thai Rak Thai government, and the King’s demonstrated support for the dictatorship since September 19th? (On the former, see the interesting discussion about the Palace’s support for the PAD demonstrations on the Fa Dio Kan webboard: [http://www.sameskybooks.org/webboard/show.php?Category=sameskybooks&No=22654 ])
You know that the Thai media can not report such things because of the lese majeste law (which Anand tried hard to defend in his speech). You know that Thais are forbidden from publicly questioning the actions of the king and the royal family.
If you choose to host Palace propagandists giving eulogies about the king can this be taken to mean that the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand supports royalist dictatorship?
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Taking the Carlyle group link further, it should be added that Thaksin was also with this group until he resigned on taking office in 2001. For more on Carlyle see: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Carlyle_Group
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Don’t be too upset by the PAD demonstrations, Republican, because to quote Lleij Samuel Schwartz: “healthy democracy is constantly in a state of “cold” civil war; it is from this dynamism that change and progress come.”
Therefore the PAD should be congratulated for making a contribution.
Back to Thaksin:
One the one hand you lament his demise – blame PAD, the monarchy, certain academics (both Thai & foreign), and even SOAS, NTSC, FCCT.
Yet on the other hand you confess you believe Thaksin to be ‘a superlative politician, a brilliant strategist, and nothing if not far-sighted’ in planning and executing a modified Finland Plan.
Was Thaksin a victim, or a brilliant strategist? – please make up you mind.
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While we are trying to hold Thaksin, the military, the monarchy, the urban middle class, PAD, poor farmers…etc…etc… accountable for holding back democracy in Thailand, it pays to remember the old maxim:
“Isaan elects the government, Bangkok overthrows it”
It is the poorest part of the country and it’s patronage politics Vs. the wealthiest and its “democracy is not just the vote” and this seemingly irreconciliable differences will continue to define and influence Thai democracy and politics.
All the so-called ‘key players’ have always assessed, polled the popular sentiments (particularlyclearly so in the mobile-phone, internet era) and either responded to and/or exploited it.
This is a societal phenomenon (but, yes, in response to one man – Thaksin’s actions in the past seven years) – and let us see it for what it is.
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“Nor is he by royal convention in a position to answer or respond to these critics…”
i.e. because he is bound to act in an indirect manner. Comparisons with other examples of failed institutions of kingship show why. Take the recently deposed Nepalese king Gyanendra:
“During his early years on the throne, Gyanendra sought to exercise full control over the government.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyanendra_of_Nepal
IMHO the main import of the Anand speech is in demonstrating the indirect way HMK indirectly guides political actors, something Handley appears to miss with his speculative attributions of direct influence.
“Without His Majesty’s guiding hand, we would not be where we are today – a nation which has invariably demonstrated its inner strength, political resilience, social harmony and economic dynamism – a trait which has enabled the Thais to survive many a threat and misfortune in their long history.”
The main intellectual dividing line seems to the resurgence of royal power after 1976. If Thailand had taken the socialist route of Burma would it have been more or less well off? I would say no.
Perhaps there are other possible counterfactual histories, but I sure would like to hear them. IMHO HMK held the state together in the context of very divisive globalisation that was happening even then and is happening once again today.
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jonfernquest: “IMHO the main import of the Anand speech is in demonstrating the indirect way HMK indirectly guides political actors, something Handley appears to miss with his speculative attributions of direct influence.”
Anand has been defending the king for years in various speeches. Indirect influence I suppose, but then again, he was appointed twice as PM without being elected…. Direct influence?
Can you provide specific examples of Handley’s speculation?
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Can you provide specific examples of Handley’s speculation?
Obviously you have not read the book!
I don’t have the book anymore – For anyone who does have the book, I would be interested to hear it’s examples of proof (as opposed to speculation).
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If you want to read about Anand’s relationship with Henry Kissinger, you have to read this:
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB193/HAK-11-26-75.pdf
I got it off the George Washington University’s National Security Archives website.
1975–during the democratic interregnum
Anand was ambassador to the US
Chatichai Choonawan was foreign minister
The entire conversation is frightening, pathetic and hilarious at the same time.
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Oh dear nganadeeleg, I would have thought you’d be far more thorough than this and that you would have kept detailed notes of all the errors of fact and unsubstantiated speculation you think you found regarding direct influence on political events (as opposed to indirect). That was the point of the genuine question above.
Maybe someone else told you what they were and you’ve forgotten. Or maybe like other so-called readers who found it just “terrible” you didn’t really read it at all. Anyway, maybe there is someone who has done a serious read of it and really did find crucial speculation rather than fact.
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Thanks for the archive Tosakan.
It is indeed a fascinating read – and very well confirms the perception of PMChatchai’s personality/capacity. He is indeed a very smooth, international operator moderating a small Southeast Asian country through Cold-War diplomacy and politics. Here was someone who managed to get in the good books of both Chairman Mao and Henry Kissinger with healthy doses of confidence and pragmatism.
Ofcourse, having the benefit of hindsight, I don’t agree with the Vietnam War and Thailand’s involvement – but in the situation of being a small fish in the Big Boys’ games and extreme ideologies, it is also a question of survival – at least as an evolving constitutional-monarchy.
As an aside, this has parallels with Australia’s involvement in Iraq – it is ideological-religious on the one hand ‘War on (Islamic) Terrorism’, and practical, to share in the expected economic benefits on the other (which increasingly looks like a bad ‘investment’). Thailand, under PMThaksin, was similarly involved with a few hundred troops, since withdrawn. It is interesting to note the different perceptions on this ideological war. While there’s no hesitancy to brand the terrorism ‘Islamic’ in Australia yet to be successfully attacked, in contrast, in Thailand with a very violent insurgency that is carried out by southern Muslims – the mainstream Thai media, more often than not, refers to these people as literally “Southern Thieves”…
Is this self-censorship on the Thai press? A societal effort at ‘reconcilliation’? A knowledge that you can’t reduce the highly complex histories/issues to merely ‘us vs them’? Or is this just instinctively Thai pragmatism – nothing altruistic nor reconcilliatory?
Maybe it is arguably part of being ‘Thai’, predominantly royalist, yet I will dare say most also love their ‘democracy’ (and their varying understandings of it). They are combining, what in the enlightened ‘Western’ mind, can’t be reconcilled. Come to think of it, this is a society that successfuly synthesized Buddhism with animism (to the detriment of Buddhism according to the purist!) – so it is not that surprising…
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Historicus: It’s a while ago since I read it, but when I did I was looking for fact, but only found speculation (on direct involvement).
Maybe one of the New Mandala regulars keeps Handleys book like a bible, and might be able to help with your query.
FWIW here is a thread on the book – my review is at post #33:
http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/2006/07/28/the-king-never-smiles/#comment-79490
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“The entire conversation is frightening, pathetic and hilarious at the same time.
For once I agree with you Fonzi.
I’m surprised it was even documented like that – not very professional.
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I don’t have access to recent analysis and literature on this case, therefore I can’t really comment.
However, one Burmese friend who is a political Activist of the Chin and Burmese in Germany told me in a conversation that he is quite impressed by integrity and social coherence the King provides to the Thai people. I think, westerners should acknowledge it.
I can’t get rid of the impression that the Thai society would disintegrate without the monarchy.
In my opinion the label “lese majeste” is very much a tool of the Privy Council who often act as a body of itself. They are responsible for displaying the King as unfallible.
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nganadeeleg: thanks for the link back to that comment on Handley’s book. I think the comments you made there are, for one who is generally supportive of the monarchy, reasonably even-handed and acknowledge that the book is well-researched.
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No one has come back on Handley’s book, so let me go back to the original point I made in response to jonfernquest: “IMHO the main import of the Anand speech is in demonstrating the indirect way HMK indirectly guides political actors, something Handley appears to miss with his speculative attributions of direct influence.”
Leaving aside Handley, here are two recent examples of the king’s direct influence. Now, of course, people may say that these are speculative, but that is because the palace prevents people seeing in.
On a daily basis, the king was kept up to date and provided advice to the judges dealing with the sacking and jailing of the election commissioners in April 2006. The evidence, which has not been refuted as far as I am aware was the illegal wiretap released by Jakrapob (see the English version at the Asian Legal Resource Centre journal, article2, 6, 3, 2007,which can be downloaded at the AHRC site).
A second interesting example is related to the king, palace, and military links to the anti-Thaksin links. It seems that there were links to the king and a statement is included regarding the go-ahead for the coup. This is provided – along with lots of other interesting statements in the recent “interview” by none other than Sondhi Limthongkul (Manager website, http://www.manager.co.th/Home/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9500000100015, 25 สิงหาคม 2550).
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1. What exactly is Historicus getting at with his references to the Kenan Institute Asia?
2. I am a bit skeptical (though that skepticism may well be unjustified) about Thaksin’s connection to the Carlyle Group. Is there any specific information about the precise form of that connection?
3. The mysterious visit that George H. W. Bush made to the palace some time after the coup did in fact include a very sinister bit of private, profit-seeking errand-running. “Wireless Road” was apprised. Its people should be pestered to fess up. Of course, there have been more than enough cynicism and greed to go around in the Chakri-Thaksin confrontation of the past year and a half. And the foreign press–in slavish deference to “Thai sensitivities”–reports on almost none of it.
4. On the topic of greed, please note that the CPB has now finally made good on its threats to oust the historic Silom Club–founded by the king’s sometime coach at being Thai, Chao Phraya Sithammathibet–from its long-rented premises on Soi Si Wiang, between Surasak Road and Soi Pramuan in Bang Rak. A condo will replace it. The sad triumph of royal avarice over history and loyalty (and nice tennis courts).
5. I hear a rumor that, out of deference to the Thai embassy in Beijing, editors at China Radio International recently cut an interview in which the Thai monarchy and its place in the current political situation were touched on. How long ago was it that the PRC funded the CPT’s “Voice of the People of Thailand” as it broadcast calls to end Thailand’s feudal order from a location in Yunnan?
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Historicus: IMO that Jakrapob tape is hardly a smoking gun.
‘Direct influence’ or ‘guiding hand’ ?
Further extracts from Anand’s speech:
“As a constitutional monarch, however, His Majesty possesses three discretionary powers: “the right to be consulted, the right to encourage and the right to warn”. Under normal circumstances, he exercises these prerogatives through private audiences he grants to the prime minister of the day. In a constitutional monarchy, His Majesty does have formal powers and responsibilities under constitutional provisions. In exercising this function, he is ever conscious of his non-political role. All bills approved by the National Assembly are to be presented to His Majesty for signature. This is not just a formality, as His Majesty retains discretionary power to withhold his assent temporarily. In private consultations with the prime minister, His Majesty’s observations, be they “encouraging” or “warning”, provide an important input for the head of government to re-evaluate the government’s position and direction. His Majesty’s response to the issues raised by the prime minister is consistently advisory in nature and non-judgmental in politics. He adheres strictly to the letter and spirit of the constitution. His Majesty has also been through a few crises in our political history. His handling of the events produced results which in turn brought about tranquillity and normality to the Kingdom.
Without His Majesty’s guiding hand, we would not be where we are today – a nation which has invariably demonstrated its inner strength, political resilience, social harmony and economic dynamism – a trait which has enabled the Thais to survive many a threat and misfortune in their long history”.
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Genius and Wisdom of the King on Display Again:
“…เศรษฐกิจพอเพียง มันไม่พอเพียง ความจริงมันพอเพียง ถ้าเราพอเพียง แต่ตัวเราไม่ยอมพอเพียง ที่มันใช้ไม่ได้ เพราะคนเราไม่พอเพียง ความสุขถ้าจะมีอยู่แล้ว ก็คือ พอเพียงนั่นเอง ถ้าคนเขาพอเขามีความสุข และเราก็มีความสุข ถ้าคนอยากได้โน่น อยากได้นี่มาก เราเห็นแล้วมันไม่พอเพียง เราก็ไม่มีความสุข แต่ความสุขของคน แสดงออกมาด้วยความพอเพียง สำคัญตรงนี้ ให้ทำตัวเองให้พอเพียง…”
[From King's speech 29th August 2007]
All you academics and development theorists and practitioners can now write your papers with the benefits of the King’s profound wisdom, and we look forward to hearing your papers at the up-coming ICTS.
[Despite his usual incoherence this was an interesting and significant speech in other ways. Will try to post a comment when I can.]
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Suriyon Raiwa asks: What exactly is Historicus getting at with his references to the Kenan Institute Asia?
Nothing more than building the link between Anand and Kissinger as part of the background to Anand’s links into US corporate and government circles..
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Kenan, Anand, Thanong:
Thanks, Historicus. That is a fair point. Interestingly, however, in the past year or so Anand has berated a number of official and semi-official American visitors to Thailand for Washington’s failure to be as engaged with and appreciative of the region as is Beijing. Nothing extraordinary there, but the almost venomous tone and sheer contempt for his American interlocutors that have marked these tirades have led some of those interlocutors to wonder if Anand was not losing it. On the other hand, as a key hireling at Saha Union, he knows where his interests lie in today’s Asian political economy …
While we are on the topic of Anand, well, the foreign press blew it again, it seems, at that awful man’s recent FCCT appearance. Anand Panyarachun should NOT EVER be allowed to appear in public without being asked about the 1991 disappearance of labor leader Thanong Pho-an. His long-term failure to address that matter is an open scandal … Then again, as Bunchu Rotchansathian said on the eve of the March 1992 elections, Anand “rap chai ro. so. cho. dai di mak” (served the NPKC [the junta of the time] very well). Suppressing Thai labor–even through assassination–was part of the NPKC agenda, after all …
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Fur the case of the Disappearance of Thanong … They jsut wanted to keep in the safe house … but his own ailment of Diabetes had killed him … so to safe the face of Junta … they have to mmade him “Disappeared” ….
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A late addition to this thread. On 1 September, Anand was appointed Chairman of the Board at the Siam Commercial Bank (http://www.scb.co.th/html/eng/about_news_07-08-30-1-ng.shtml). On the face of it, it does seem that one can be handsomely rewarded for the kind of loyalty to the king that Anand has displayed.
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