New Mandala

26 responses so far ↓

• 1 Fred // Jun 10, 2008 at 1:16 am

  In my experience, Thaivisa is hyper-sensitive to anything about HMK. Given that their site is presumably a rather lucrative business, they’re just covering their ass.

• 2 thaicrisis // Jun 10, 2008 at 1:44 am

  Indeed, it’s a constant : they are totally terrified to be… banned. It’s simple as that.

  ThaiVisa is a -very- good business. So their policy is clear : nothing, nothing at all related to monarchy, the royal family etc. Risk zero. And too bad if basic ideas about free speech are a little bit forgotten…

  Anyway, we can leave them to their mediocrity… we have now other sites, forums and blogs to talk.

  As for this story, about the “team”. it’s indeed amazing.

  I ask on my blog : is there a link between “british national”, “reporter”, and the case against the BBC ?
  

  As for the rest, it’s a perfect drama. The cop looks a like poor child (we have the picture !), with his big brother, the british guy. I mean it’s so…. sweet !

  The whole story might be totally fabricated by Bangkok Post. Anyway. It’s a good reason to give more publicity to this ridiculous story and the lese-majeste against the BBC and the “robot-cop”.

  So I say : come on ! Bring on the details ! The more we talk about it, the more the world will understand the very low level of the the thai politics… It’s perfect.

  Eventually, ridicule does kill.

• 3 Roger // Jun 10, 2008 at 5:51 am

  Ah so first a Jailed rebel that attacked General Prem’s home was invited to talk about “patronage” at the FCCT and then a “conspiracy” is revealed, an ousted PM is mentioned as being involved and then everyone says no no it was some Afghan shepherd boy (pretending to be British) and as usual he cried wolf and there was no wolf

  I guess everybody forgot to to tell the protesters to go home now that it was only the shepherd boy.

  You bloggers crack me up so bad with your pseudo journalism

• 4 chris baker // Jun 10, 2008 at 10:54 am

  I think the BP story is basically right. Akbar Khan is a member of FCCT, and often attends sessions. He likes to video-record, and post bits on the net. He gave a recording and a transcript of the Jakrapob evening to his friend Watanasak. He did the same on Jonathan Head. He was present in the police station when the BBC went down to answer the first charge.

  I think there is no real doubt that this was the mechanism whereby these incidents came to the attention of the police. The unknown is who/what else was involved apart from these two. There was a long delay between Khan handing over his tape, and the LM charge against Jakrapob appearing. During that delay, Jakrapob metamorphosed from very minor figure to minister. What intervened to prompt the charge?

• 5 Frank // Jun 10, 2008 at 10:56 am

  I echo the first 2 comments above; over the years Thaivisa has sort of devolved into this Politically Correct mushiness to pander to the appropriate power centers – both in Thailand and “The West”.

  It should be pretty obvious to everyone that well-connected elites in Thailand use lèse majesté laws as a battering ram to beat down the legitimate wishes and aspirations of the vast majority of Thais and the politicians they elected.

• 6 Reg Varney // Jun 10, 2008 at 4:29 pm

  Roger: Please translate. I don’t understand your comment. It seems confused and has left me wondering if you have a serious point.

• 7 John // Jun 10, 2008 at 6:47 pm

  Akbar Khan seems to one mushroom short of a vol-au-vent.

  A comment of his taken from UK Indymedia:

  This is the story a British man severely poisoned by a Twix chocolate bar,
  > as he felt his life slipping away from him he saw the helpless innocent
  > children dying due to this most deadly chocolate. The sad saga escalates as
  > Tesco is slow to withdraw the terrible Twix from the shelves of death and
  > the guilty party starts using threats and coercion.
  >
  > The incredible incident began brewing on the evening of Friday May the 10th
  > 2002 when I purchased my groceries at Tesco Rama 3, this was my regular
  > shopping haunt as I had moved into a new condominium based partly on the
  > fact that it was located conveniently close to Tesco.
  >
  > When I was at the checkout I noticed a chocolate display that had my all
  > time favorite since childhood – a good ole Twix bar. Twix bars were often of
  > poor quality in Bangkok most often probably due to heat exposure, in 7-11
  > the chocolate often shows evidence of melting and re-solidifying subsequent
  > to manufacture. The packaging on the Twix seemed fresh and shiny and I had
  > already picked up a dozen cartons of soy milk and knew that they did indeed
  > complement each other nicely for a midnight snack.
  >
  > As midnight approached it was time for my snack and I got my Vitamilk and
  > Twix from the fridge and reclined in my armchair to enjoy my supper. I took
  > a bite of the Twix and started chewing, seconds later a pungent aromatic
  > organic smell filled my nasal cavities and surprised me – something was
  > obviously wrong. I ran to the bathroom to wash out my mouth and felt
  > nauseous, fearing that I would pass out I returned to my seat to regain my
  > senses. It was very puzzling indeed, as I thought frantically how on earth
  > could they smell like benzene I started to feel my chest going tight and
  > started to asphyxiate, I could breath in but not out. Even though something
  > was seriously wrong with the Twix I was helpless, I could feel myself
  > blacking out and thought that I was dying, as the light faded I said my
  > prayers, I prayed for justice and prayed for mankind.
  >
  > Hours later I regained consciousness, I pinched myself to perform a reality
  > check and felt a sigh of relief – I had survived. I could hardly believe
  > what had happened, I smelt the Twix wrapper but there was nothing
  > suspicious. I decided to taste a tiny bit of the Twix chocolate to discover
  > whether or not it was at fault, after sampling a tiny piece in the bathroom
  > and getting that tell tale smell again it was plainly clear that my
  > chocolate had definitely been adulterated. I washed my mouth out thoroughly
  > and as I was still feeling light-headed went to lie down.
  >
  > It was nighttime and there was not a lot that I could do until the store
  > opened when I could warn them of the danger. I was shocked when I called
  > Tesco and found that they could not do anything, as their manager was not
  > there. I contacted Effem the distributor of the chocolate and they told me
  > that they would send an officer to withdraw the suspect product. My stomach
  > regularly started convulsions and heaving on an empty stomach was extremely
  > painful, I could feel the gastric juices being pushed up my larynx and
  > burning my throat, my neck had started to swell and felt hard.
  >
  > The following week my throat was still swollen, Tesco had come round with a
  > basket of fruit to apologize but I was not in the mood for the fruit and so
  > distributed it in dribs and drabs to various security guards in the condo
  > where I live.
  >
  > Effem explained verbally over the phone and then by visiting me and finally
  > in writing on headed paper signed by their Regional supply director that
  > Tesco had used concentrated industrial warehouse floor cleaner to remove
  > price stickers.
  >
  > Tesco subsequently wrote stating that they believed that this was the cause
  > of the poisoning, they also arranged for me to meet their internal lawyer -
  > Steve Purser. When I went to see Steve Purser he shook my hard extremely
  > hard almost crushing it as he spoke in an intimidating voice. He expressed
  > anger at me for making noise about the issue and explained that he felt that
  > Tesco was a victim of an internal terrorist attack. I told him that I was
  > the real victim and he took me to see the bottle of floor cleaner in the
  > Tesco warehouse. The floor cleaner came in a big bottle and had a skull and
  > crossbones Hazardous chemical warning clearly on the bottle. I opened the
  > bottle and there was a hiss as vapors pressured through the loosened lid,
  > the stench that came from the bottle was indeed the same smell as in the
  > poisoned Twix bars being sold by Tesco.
  >
  > The instructions on the floor cleaner gave clear warnings, the floor cleaner
  > was also supposed to be heavily diluted before use.
  >
  > Tesco tried to make me believe that a young innocent untrained boy from the
  > rice fields was responsible for the poisoning incident. I asked the staff
  > there if they received training as to how to safely deal with foodstuffs and
  > they explained that they had not received any such training whatsoever. I
  > was very saddened by this total lack of corporate responsibility and told
  > Tesco that I would like to know how t
  >
  > I do not particularly like doctors and this can be easily understood by
  > looking at three simple facts:
  >
  > 1) I have not had vaccinations against diseases as a child like other
  > children and my entire body is totally void of any evidence of vaccination
  > or needle scars. This is because my ancestors lived natural lives and unlike
  > capitalist consumers were allergic to modern medicine.
  > 2) I had to undergo extremely painful operations as a child, which left me
  > mentally scarred, and with an even stronger phobia of doctors.
  > 3) Since my horrific operation on my throat, inner ears and nasal cavities I
  > have avoided hospitals and doctors and have only visited in cases of broken
  > bones as a quick in and out visitor.
  >
  > My friends recommended that I visit a doctor as more than a week passed and
  > my throat was still swollen. I thought that a visit would not do to much
  > harm and I plucked up the courage to go. I was terrified and almost fainted
  > when I heard that I must take a blood test. The first time I went to see the
  > nurse I almost vomited and had to sit down and collect myself for over 2
  > hours before mustering up the courage to visit the nurse. Even though I felt
  > my body tensing like a rock I knew that for the sake of all the poor
  > children the poisoned chocolate from Tesco that I had to let my blood be
  > drawn.
  >
  > Tesco had promised to get back to me with details of the poison and how it
  > reacts with cocoa butter to produce even deadlier poisons, they also
  > promised to let me know about the side effects and after affects of these
  > poisons, this they never did and so I felt compelled in the interests of
  > mankind to pursue by filing complaints with the Thai FDA at the Ministry of
  > Public Health and Welfare, the Thai Consumer Protection Agency and the Crime
  > Suppression Division of the Royal Thai Police.
  >
  > These complaints soon disappeared as Tesco confessed in writing that Mars in
  > Australia had found traces of solvent contamination in the Mars bars that
  > were on sale at Tesco Lotus Rama 3.
  >
  > The case progresses reports and evidence has been scanned and copies of the
  > evidence can be obtained by emailing and requesting it from ak@aakz.com
  >
  >
  > The case has been submitted to numerous Thai authorities and it is
  > surprising that justice is not forthcoming.

  Akbar Khan

• 8 Andre // Jun 11, 2008 at 1:45 pm

  I personally know Mr. Ak as he is called. A backstabbing nobody slittering up some police officers by teaching them english. This man or should I say boy is untrustworthy to a high degree. He has no profession and last I knew he was transporting himself on an very old beaten down motorbike. Some people actualy believe this imposter.

• 9 jonfernquest // Jun 11, 2008 at 3:16 pm

  John: “Akbar Khan seems to one mushroom short of a vol-au-vent.
  A comment of his taken from UK Indymedia”

  Let me get this straight, Akbar Khan eats contaminated snack food at Tesco and passes out due to food poisoning, and you think he’s crazy for making an issue of this?

  There are probably many more unreported cases, because most people believe it is futile to report this sort of thing, I do.

  Do you shop at Tesco or Carrefour?

  I do everyday, and although I’ve never experienced anything this bad, their standards are surprisingly low, and they only pretend to respond to customer feedback.

  Despite having every possible food item in stock in the store up above, Carrefour regularly runs out of stock with the most basic items in their food court downstairs. Despite having a posted closing time of 10pm, they actually close whenever they want, sometimes as early as 8:15, with the standard lie “mot laew” at every stall. Tesco never has ground pork on sale after 7 and you can’t even try on a pair of pants after 9. Neither big retail is exemplary in their responsiveness to customer feedback, though occasionally you see a Nielson marketing research team at Carrefour because they are trying to position themselves for a more upscale market. They have a full selection of meat til closing, so I go there.

  The question Samak likes to ask: “Who is your master?” might answer why there was such a delay in bringing the case against Jakrapob. It’s unclear who Akbar Khan works for.

• 10 Reg Varney // Jun 12, 2008 at 11:52 am

  When one gets supportive of the monarchy it makes for strange bedfellows. But that’s the nature of politics in contemporary Thailand, even for crazy and less crazy foreigners.

• 11 Frank G Anderson // Jun 12, 2008 at 3:05 pm

  12 June 2008
  Mr. Khan has stepped beyond rhyme and reason and gotten into an area he should have thought about first. Even the king has said, “Criticize me if I am wrong.” How clear does it have to be, Mr. Khan? It’s not so strange that a guy with such close links to the police, and thus inheriting police-like mentality, would con a policeman to proceed with lese majeste charges. These guys love the past, don’t care about individual rights, and should be spending their time promoting human rights rather than undermining them.
  If Khan had been Thai I might have forgiven him. But a UK citizen! Crypes!

• 12 Frank G Anderson // Jun 12, 2008 at 3:27 pm

  12 June 2008
  I have sent this Samaritan a letter and will post mine and his reply if it comes back with a reply. In my mind, he has overstepped his bounds.

• 13 Frank G Anderson // Jun 12, 2008 at 3:34 pm

  “Roger // Jun 10, 2008 at 5:51 am

  Ah so first a Jailed rebel that attacked General Prem’s home was invited to talk about “patronage” at the FCCT and then a “conspiracy” is revealed, an ousted PM is mentioned as being involved and then everyone says no no it was some Afghan shepherd boy (pretending to be British) and as usual he cried wolf and there was no wolf

  I guess everybody forgot to to tell the protesters to go home now that it was only the shepherd boy.

  You bloggers crack me up so bad with your pseudo journalism”

  Hmmm… interesting comment. Sort of. Someone sitting at home waiting to be cracked up has to come to this blog? There are so many mixes in your martini here that it’s difficult to see what you put in it. Logic was not one of the compounds. That the 2006 coup was said to have “originated on high” publicly by Jakrabhop and others tells tons about what is really going on here in Thailand. The coup itself and aftermath was clearly a wrestling match between two vastly different systems, that patronage one talked about and a uniquely Thai form of democratic reform that was sadly as corrupt as any system could even be imagined. So we today are witnessing the aftermath of this. I believe the saying for the common man here is, “When elephants crush the grass, stay out of the way.” Lese majeste victims remind me of these poor motorcycle drivers that police like to pull over – they are easy prey even though they may not have done anything seriously wrong.

• 14 fred flintsone // Jun 13, 2008 at 6:34 pm

  Due to the danger to Thaivisa this topic is closed as the previous topics of this nature. Admin’s decision and a correct one.

  //Closed//

  The admin of Thai Visa has no balls the same subject on teakdoor was left open and and a correct by the administration

• 15 amberwaves // Jun 13, 2008 at 11:43 pm

  Did the toxic Twix do permanent damage? That seems to be a crucial question here. The evidence appears to suggest an affirmative answer. Show some compassion!

• 16 Frank G Anderson // Jun 14, 2008 at 12:55 am

  From a “highly-placed source” familiar with the principals, it seems as if Mr. Khan is a bit of a loose cannon and someone who might be in need of a more productive hobby. The “situation” is being deftly handled with Thai sensitivities in mind, but there is a “get-tough” option available if needed. From the looks of things once this fool gets to understand common sense, the situation will dissolve and be forgotten.
  Maybe too optimistic, but this is from a very close source…
  As well, from other things that Mr. Khan has put up in one place or another, he may be in possession of a lack of wits.

• 17 Frank G Anderson // Jun 14, 2008 at 10:02 am

  14 June 2008
  Another round of lee majeste nonsense coming up?

  From the Nation:

  PPP MP threatens to hold demonstrations to counter PAD

  14 June 2008
  People Power Party MP Pracha Prasopdee Friday reiterated his threat to hold rallies to counter demonstrations of the People’s Alliance for Democracy if the PAD does not stop its rally Friday night.
  Pracha, leader of the Great Public Vanguards of Democracy, said his group would come out to launch all sorts of campaigns against the PAD if the PAD continues its demonstration after Friday.
  As a counter measure, Pracha said his group would compile video clips to back up the allegations that the PAD had insulted the monarchy.
  The Nation”
  Generally speaking the people insulting the monarchy are those that chose to remain deaf and dumb to HM’s advisory that he himself WANTED to be criticized when it was warranted. Although needing to be careful, Thai holier-than-thous need to get their act together instead of seeking to squander more honor in a barrel of dishonor as is usually the case.

• 18 jonfernquest // Jun 16, 2008 at 5:54 am

  “…would compile video clips to back up the allegations that the PAD had insulted the monarchy.”

  These allegations will probably be based on their tasteless and clueless hodgepodge combination of Communist songs, some even written by Jit the Phumisak himself, and other more Royalist songs that actually are in line with the their objectives.

  PAD needs singing and DJ lessons, and someone needs to do an expose on their complete lack of taste. (I heard this analysis from a very respected and revered Thai historian too, it’s not my idea, but I think they should be spared lese majeste charges, just given free music lessons)

• 19 Frank G Anderson // Jun 16, 2008 at 8:58 am

  16 June 2008
  I have put up a Lese Majeste Thai Style link on our website http://www.thekoratpost.com.
  The aim is to provide me and others with a library of resources on the subject as it relates to Thailand, to either compile their own background or see what others have written.
  Did you all hear of the lese majeste case filed against a Thai in San Francisco, USA, by 20 other Thais because he had the temerity to suggest that reimbursement to the people of billions spent in Thaksin’s last useless election be obtained not from the Election Commission but from the King as he had signed the Royal Act.
  Of course, the Thai thought police are having a bit of a problem, and Thai consulate in L.A. is maneuvering so as not to be caught in the middle, as the problem occurred outside the kingdom here. Here are Thai do-gooders interfering in freedom of speech inside the United States. There are other such silly occurrences. My posit is to have the Thai police taken completely out of the picture (corrupt AND inept) and as others, including David Streckfuss, et. al, have suggested to put the charge right at the Royal Household and let them decide when and if to prosecute.
  This will slow down the charades.

• 20 Gunter // Jun 19, 2008 at 7:32 pm

  I saw this guy talking about Jakrapob on the PAD stage and he is exposing a Lese Majeste conspiracy involving corrupt media – simple. Jonathan Head had a obsession with the monarchy, he dare not attack his own queen and as a foreigner should know better; I guess he must be a newbie!

• 21 jonfernquest // Jun 20, 2008 at 12:37 pm

  There was an article in the Bangkok Post early this week about the current huge backlog of police cases, many of which are lese majeste cases, so that might answer the question of why there was such a long delay in the Jakrapob case.

  Some people may not know until long after the fact, that something they said was interpreted in a negative way by some third party they hardly know, and reported secretly to the police, for instance, even this sentence I write now, perhaps pointing out a major flaw in the LM law, which clearly needs to reformed so that it does not become an instrument of partisan politics adding fuel to the already raging flames.

  That is, unless the generalised state of fear consistent with the uncertainty and delays described above is actually an intended part of the law’s effect, which I find that hard to believe, because Thailand is not Burma.

• 22 Frank G Anderson // Jun 20, 2008 at 4:47 pm

  20 June 2008
  Gunter and others have a narrow-minded tunnel vision of the monarchy, a monarchy which even His Majesty (5 Dec. 2005) entreated the Thai people and others to criticize him if it was warranted so he could become a better person, and that he was not superhuman.
  So, criticism is OK with the king. Point one.
  Point two – Jonathan Head has been a responsible reporter, every bit as responsible as Shawn Crispin and Rodney Tasker from the Far Eastern Economic Report. His coverage of the monarchy was in no way insulting or disrespectful, but because there are certain powerful elites here in Thailand, backed by compliant and ignorant (even themselves fearful) police, no one bothers defending people who expound accurate information about the monarchy. Apparently, the Gestapo has to read over all material first.
  Point 3 – As each second passes, I become more and more convinced that this law, Article 112 for Martyrs, must be repealed as soon as possible. But before that the police need to be taken out of the picture – this would obviously mean taking lese majeste out of the criminal code, and by many accounts, all defamation legislation in Thailand out of the criminal code, making it only civil. That way, if someone feels insulted, instead of having the Gestapo do their work for them, they will have to dig into their picket and come up with money, and devote the time, to build a case that currently is unjustly made by fear, lies, bias, illusion, xenophobia, social stratification and hatred of those who are different and who are entitled to speak.

• 23 Lèse majesté and Harry Nicolaides // Oct 2, 2008 at 2:54 pm

  [...] the Jufer fiasco, in April 2008 the BBC’s Bangkok correspondent Jonathan Head has been embroiled in a lèse majesté fight of his own. He has not been charged but is the subject of ongoing [...]

• 24 Horatio Nelson // Jun 8, 2009 at 2:12 am

  A strange cocktail here, a poison Twix bar, a geriatric lobbyist and a dash of LM. It looks like reporters are hard pushed to find a decent story. As for the Afghan I heard that he has left Phuket and gone to Vietnam where he wont find any monarchy to worry about.

  Good Riddance!

  Never fancied the FCCT though always seemed like a bunch of leftists and NGOs, I would never tarnish my reputation by setting foot inside.

• 25 Ralph Kramden // Jun 8, 2009 at 8:10 pm

  Frank was too nice to Gunter. He is clearly foolish enough to write without even googling to find out about Head. What a dolt.

  And, of course the FCCT is a communist cell, masquerading as something else that seems rather conservative.

• 26 DEE123 // Jun 14, 2009 at 9:51 am

  Yes Thaivisa is terrified of upsetting the authority’s.But as it stands they are the first website you see when you need info on visa.Good marketing for sure.Being that so many expats and casual browsers read the threads its essential that some kind of balance should be strived for.It seemed when I first posted on TV there was a clich’e of posters content of their restricted position.Re HMK. and LM. and hardly anyone was commenting on the self censoring/Pro Goverment of the day stance of Nation and Bangkok post and the lack of journalistic integrety in investigating military abuses.Now these things are more talked about and understood ie bringing the corrupt/guilty to account.I do not think it is in the Thais interest to withdraw to a small blog type forum without at least trying to put your point across even though at some time I will probably get banned from there.BUT AT LEAST I WILL GO DOWN FIGHTING

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