Clearly somebody at The Economist has decided that it is time to nudge the public debate about Thai politics in more critical directions. One of their most recent articles about Thailand covers a fair amount of ground that has, until now, largely remained restricted to obscure corners of the Internet. No doubt this 3000-word analysis will cause much consternation in palace circles, and among many ordinary Thais; and according to The Bangkok Bugle the publishers have decided not to distribute this edition of the magazine in Thailand.
For obvious reasons, the entire article will require considered attention from New Mandala readers. Without (much) fear or favour, it offers a comprehensive analysis of the under-reported palace back-stories that influence Thai political life. I appreciate that almost everyone who cares about Thailand – regardless of their preconceptions about the subject matter — will want to read The Economist‘s article in full.
Nonetheless I have chosen one colourful extract that provides a sense of the article as a whole:
For Thais used to King Bhumibol’s virtues, which include monogamy, Buddhist piety and old-fashioned thrift, the crown prince is a poor substitute. Salacious stories of his private life are daily gossip. A video circulated widely in 2007 showed his third wife, known as the “royal consort”, at a formal dinner with the prince in a titillating state of undress. Diplomats say Prince Vajiralongkorn is unpredictable to the point of eccentricity: lavishing attention on his pet poodle Fu Fu, for example, who has military rank and, on occasion, sits among guests at gala dinners. In the 1980s his rumoured ties to the criminal underworld, which he denied in a newspaper interview, inspired the gangster nickname of “Sia O”.
Comments from New Mandala readers on this material, or anything else in the article, are very welcome here. I imagine that the Thai authorities will be working, perhaps quietly, to curtail the wide dissemination of this article’s contents. But for those of you who prefer your commentary in Thai I expect that this industrious mob will have a translation ready soon.
Then what? Will websites start being blocked if they mention the article? Right now it has yet to get much traction beyond a few English language blogs, but that could change quickly. Will the Thai government be forced into directly confronting the substance of The Economist‘s report? Does this critical account have any implications for the Reds still camping out in Bangkok? Will anyone in Thailand attempt to distribute the article (or a translation) more widely?
23 responses so far ↓
1 np // Mar 19, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Why did the article did not broach the topic of the role and health of Queen Sirikit as well?
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2 Of Course I'm Anonymous // Mar 19, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Khun Thong Daeng >> Ee Foo Foo
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3 john francis lee // Mar 19, 2010 at 4:20 pm
The Economist‘s chief concern is the economy… in its narrow Western definition
As long as the “steady hands” of bureaucrats see to day-to-day management… what’s the problem, according to The Economist? “reset” by whom?..
Well…
even though
…and that sort of authoritarianism is the only way the bureaucrats’ steady hands will be allowed to continue to manage things to The Economist‘s specifications.
My new favorite economist is Chatthip Nartsupha. Thailand seems to me to be in the unusual position of having, still, a huge portion of its population in position to effect the change, to pick up the traces, to a post-industrial society and I surely hope the Thais are able to do just that.
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4 patiwat // Mar 19, 2010 at 4:50 pm
john francis lee, post-industrial feudalism is still feudalism
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5 Nicholas Farrelly // Mar 19, 2010 at 5:00 pm
On the question of Fu Fu’s supposed military rank: I appreciate that it’s trivia, and a distraction, but can anyone out there provide more information.
According to the Crown Prince, as reported in this article, “[f]or fun, I had him made a captain”. Roi Ek Fu Fu? Although I note that in a different article he is described in the following (non-military) terms: “Khun Fufu, a white male poodle belonging to HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, also exuded charm and executed clever stunts”.
Has anyone out there met Fu Fu? And has this poodle now gone on to achieve higher rank? I would like to think that Fu Fu has been promoted over the years.
Best wishes to all,
Nich
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6 Ralph Kramden // Mar 19, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Haven’t actually seen FuFu for quite some time. I seem to recall a promotion to colonel.
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7 john francis lee // Mar 19, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Thanks, Patiwat…
I’ve been apprised of Thongchai’s opinion on same. My view is that a good idea is a good idea no matter with whom it is associated.
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8 Of Course I'm Anonymous // Mar 19, 2010 at 6:37 pm
A few years ago at a Cambridge Society of Thailand black tie banquet, the guest of honor was none other than the Crown Prince. The alum stood quietly in rows on the left and right sides of the entrance to the banquet hall, and as the door opened, who else but Captain Foo Foo walked in, graceful and dignified…
Good thing the Captain didn’t decide to take a crap.
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9 silenced // Mar 19, 2010 at 6:53 pm
anyone has any idea or want to guess who the “three trusted emissaries” mentioned in the article are?
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10 Juan Carlos // Mar 19, 2010 at 8:20 pm
silenced: should be easy to guess the name of at least one foreigner amongst them, since many in this forum were taking a dump on him a month or so back
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11 Siam English // Mar 19, 2010 at 8:33 pm
Actually I thought the Crown Prince came off rather well in the Economist article. An eccentric Royal with a sense of humour (along the lines of Prince Charles) would be a breath of fresh air in Thailand. European Royal Families are no longer pompous and excessively formal.
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12 Of Course I'm Anonymous // Mar 19, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Do you mean the ambassador for Nepal, Russia, or Laos?
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13 Cliff Sloane // Mar 20, 2010 at 1:37 am
I saw a copy of the “titillating” video, as have many of my Thai colleagues. Most did not look at it for long or very carefully. One who did claimed that there was a clear splice line at the neck, indicating that the event did not happen as portrayed, and that the video must be a smear job. This friend, who is far from a defender of the prince, must have had a better quality copy than I had, because I could not detect the same evidence of video tampering.
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14 fall // Mar 20, 2010 at 2:19 am
A hard hitting piece… that will not hit the press in Thailand.
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15 Andrew Walker // Mar 20, 2010 at 8:06 am
Captain Fu Fu is one thing, but this is going too far!!
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16 Ralph Kramden // Mar 20, 2010 at 11:58 am
Andrew, for dogs and barking/barfing mad (minor) royals, go here:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/entertainment/art/33663/surrealism-of-a-princess
One wonders about the personal use of pooches.
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17 Les Abbey // Mar 20, 2010 at 2:22 pm
A better than average article from the Economist regarding Thailand this time. Strange how the late Kukrit Pramoj was saying something similar about the succession in a Bangkok Post interview many years ago. Of course that was at time when it looked a long way off, but he said there would no problem in jumping a generation. I seem to remember Kukrit was a privy councilor back then and he thought the decision was totally in the hands of the Privy Council. Is that still true?
It does tend to add some understanding to the attacks on and support of the Privy Council in the recent troubles.
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18 chris beale // Mar 21, 2010 at 4:19 am
Given how many Generals there are in the Thai military, I’d have thought Fu Fu’s chances of promotiion were extremely promising.
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19 Witness // Mar 23, 2010 at 4:12 am
Any Dog can be promoted in the Thai Army, their standards are quite low.
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20 Red Shirt Protests in Bangkok – Guest Post by Jodi Ettenberg | AirTreks Travel Blog // Mar 25, 2010 at 10:01 am
[...] process, which is extremely taboo in Thailand. Please do head over and read it yourself. Also see The New Mandala’s analysis of the Economist article. -Jodi VN:F [1.8.5_1061]Rate this article:please wait…Rating: 0.0/5 (0 [...]
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21 ABC TV on Thai politics // Apr 13, 2010 at 9:24 am
[...] [...]
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22 Why King Vajiralongkorn will be good for Thai Democracy // Apr 23, 2010 at 2:16 pm
[...] and read in Thailand—has been less restrained. Issues have come to a head recently with The Economist writing about, and the ABC actually broadcasting, the notorious birthday party video in which the [...]
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23 Red Shirt Protests in Bangkok | Legal Nomads // May 7, 2010 at 8:30 pm
[...] process, which is extremely taboo in Thailand. Please do head over and read it yourself. Also see The New Mandala’s analysis of the Economist article, as well as the lively discussion going on in the [...]
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