Thailand at the Limit: One Year After the April-May 2010 Protests
Thursday, 5 May 2011
12 noon – 2 p.m.
Hedley Bull Lecture Theatre 1
The Australian National University
Just over a year ago, in the midst of the stand-off among Thai government forces, red-shirted members of the United Democratic Front Against Dictatorship (UDD), and other murky actors, Thai Studies scholars at the ANU gathered for “Thailand on the Verge” to talk about the unfolding crisis in the streets.
One year later, Thailand is no longer on the verge. Instead, Thailand appears to be reaching a political, social, historic and economic limit [the utmost extent; a geographic or political boundary; a determining feature or differentia in logic; something that is exasperating or intolerable].There is a growing war on the border with Cambodia, the PM Abhisit government and the UDD are locked into conflict with one another, possible elections are on the horizon, and competing versions of the truth of April-May 2010 are being offered by different factions. Long-term crises – the rise in the use of terrorist tactics and the laws to address them, economic inequality, and the precarity of ethnic minorities and migrants – remain unresolved.
Join scholars from ANU’s College of Asia and the Pacific and the College of Law for a panel discussion about the political, economic, historic, and cultural limits of the present situation. Speakers will make brief comments and then the floor will be open for questions.
Speakers:
Dr Pongphisoot Busbarat, School of International, Political, and Strategic Studies
Dr Nicholas Farrelly, School of Regulation, Justice, and Diplomacy
Dr Jane Ferguson, School of Culture, History and Language
Dr Mark Nolan, College of Law
Dr Craig Reynolds, School of Culture, History and Language
Dr Andrew Walker, School of International, Political, and Strategic Studies
Dr Peter Warr, Crawford School of Economics and Government
Moderator:
Dr Tyrell Haberkorn, School of International, Political, and Strategic Studies
For more information, please contact tyrell.haberkorn@anu.edu.au.
Seems to have omitted the ubiquitous and dominant role of T in past, present, and immediate future legal, political, and social considerations.
For >10 years now this whole thing is about T – his sources of funding, uses of funding and his ego. Funding for faux political parties fronting for the same characters, funding gained from new more “sophisticated” policy corruption, strategic and well timed seed funding for problems in south, violent nonsensical/intractable protests, and border issues for hire that seem perfectly timed.
Basically this will be the 4th, 5th, or 6th referendum for the man depending how you count. And no matter if he passes or fails, it will not be enough and we go into the next cycle. However at least the issues have become increasingly clear. For the outside the view may be of “democracy” or not (depending on who you are biased for/against).
However the local view is clear – do you approve T to run Thailand anyway he wants as his family business at any cost or not. 10 years ago a lot of support came from the beleif that he would run things in his own way better than any alternative (paticipatory for the masses or not). Today there appears a clearer understanding of how narrow T’s interests really are and how they might not necessarily coincide with other big or small constituent’s interests. Nevertheless the realization that a country could not find coincident interests and ride the wave of one man’s insatiable and self destructive need for more of everything seems to appear and disappear like the cheshire cat, suggesting lessons not learned and a very negative outlook for real democracy.
Thailand is not beyond T by any means and this may likely not be his last stand either as most wish for (no matter who wins).
“T thinks – PT does.” Party candidates get conditional support with presigned resignation letters – tactics, motives, and objectives are all too clear. First order of business a pardon – a main campaign issue. Followed by some shockingly hard to believe populist freebies as the political anti get higher and higher to extend the present “system” of winning and getting a proper IRR on the vote outlays. Wow, cannot be much clearer. It also is clear their must be Shin blood family member on top in the PM’s to run the envisioned family business from here on out.
Yet academics and academics remain quite cowed, irrelevant, and off the mark. The issues are the issues of finding quality processes, ideas, and principles that can produce decent men in power positions, political or social.
The fact is there currently appear only to be obstacles, lack of political substance, ongoing lack of ethical principles or rule of law, political dinosaurs, and quite literally madmen judging by what passes for ideas or vision.
There may be no good alternatives and the trick will be to find a path for Thailand to survive the next 5 years.
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“..Thailand is no longer on the verge. Instead, Thailand appears to be reaching a political, social, historic and economic limit…There is a growing war on the border with Cambodia, the PM Abhisit government and the UDD are locked into conflict with one another, possible elections are on the horizon, and competing versions of the truth of April-May 2010 are being offered by different factions. Long-term crises – the rise in the use of terrorist tactics and the laws to address them, economic inequality, and the precarity of ethnic minorities and migrants – remain unresolved.”
wow – sounds like a hellish place. Wonder why then every Thai I’ve ever spoken to thinks it the best country on earth, as do the vast majority of visiting tourists…
whose limit, whose crisis are we talking about??
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Billyd #2, there are things we’d rather not talk about. Things that lurked at the edge of your perception, scary things that best ignored than acknowledge. And Ignorance is a skill we practiced to perfection here in the land of lies.
It does help when mass murders goes unpunished repeatedly with no culprits to pin it on. But judgement day is coming, lest we be prepare to speak the unspeakable, the country will surely end up in flames.
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“..It does help when mass murders goes unpunished repeatedly with no culprits to pin it on. But judgement day is coming, lest we be prepare to speak the unspeakable, the country will surely end up in flames…”
Sounds just like Malaysia.
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billyd – 2
I’m Thai and I never said a word about Thailand being great or wonderful so that’s certainly not everyone. As for the majority of tourist that you are talking about, maybe you should check this out
http://www.thailandtraveltragedies.com/
yes that’s what some of the foreigners think about Thailand.
Y. Lee Kyoti – 1
I really dont want to get into argument about Mr. T anymore because I think its very redundant but you made some of the point that I think worth talking about.
The issues are the issues of finding quality processes, ideas, and principles that can produce decent men in power positions, political or social.
You see, the problem with Thailand now is not to find the “right guy” but rather to fix the “system”. No matter how much the person is full of ideology or principle, he would not survive long under political environment. I hope you read a bit about Dr. Somsak and what actually happen when someone offer something that the elite doesn’t like. No matter how much you like to bash Mr. T and his family, however, the same also can be said to his opponent ( the Tuagsuban, Chitchob families and others) so really, does your suggestion going to solve any of the problem?
As for corruption part, as I already said before, the CPI of Thailand is actually higher when Mr. T was in the office, so really, what are you trying to say?
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Tarrin – 5
You see, the problem with Thailand now is not to find the “right guy” but rather to fix the “system”. No matter how much the person is full of ideology or principle, he would not survive long under political environment.
So how to do it Tarrin? Whoever gets elected isn’t going to fix the problem. How do you get clean, uncorrupted politicians and political parties? Could changes in the last two constitutions be pointing the way? If you want to get the military out of politics, or at least make them pariahs if they do interfere, you do need to start with politicians that don’t smell quite as much as ours in Thailand do.
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LesAbbey – 6
How do you get clean, uncorrupted politicians and political parties? Could changes in the last two constitutions be pointing the way?
Before you even ask about “uncorrupted politicians and political parties” you have to have a proper democracy with transparency and accountability first. Why do you think the military got so much power that the civilian government can’t do anything about them. Where do you think the military got their power from? In case of Thailand, what are the institutions that never got to account for anything? The constitution is nothing but a pile of paper if the political culture doesn’t yield to it, ain’t you surprised that the Thais are guaranteed a freedom of speech and expression (I think its in article 4 of the 2007 constitution) but we have at least a dozen laws that obviously break the article but then, the constitution court didn’t care to even review the law. That’s why I said even if we are to elect a superman to run the government he would be turn into Lex Luther in no time.
Once we solve that problem the people will be the one who screen out the bad apples (like any other democratic society do), it takes time yes but it has to start from the fundamental.
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Tarrin – 7
Before you even ask about “uncorrupted politicians and political parties” you have to have a proper democracy with transparency and accountability first.
The problem is Tarrin in this coming election we will see the same old faces, the Chalerms, the Khunpluems, the Chidchobs and such, returned. How do you really turn this supply off without some sort of banning orders based on electoral laws?
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Les Abbey 6
Just to go to town on your Pariah analogy.
Pariah dogs are territorial. They roam, scavenge and attack in packs if angered. They have sharp teeth with an infectious bite.
In the western world they are generally swept of the streets and neutered or euthanased.
In Thailand they are rampant, feared and fed out of ignorance and superstition.
Time to call in a vet in my opinion and educate people on how to care for dogs.
Remember. . .A dog is not just for Christmas, it’s for life.
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LesAbbey – 8
How do you really turn this supply off without some sort of banning orders based on electoral laws?
Couple of points why I think political ban is just right out wrong and unconstitutional. First, last time I check our beloved Newin Chidchob was banned from politic for 5 years, does his influence disappear? no, he still around and kicking. Furthermore, can you give me an example of any country in the world that ban politician like Thailand do?
Furthermore, like I said earlier, we got to fix the political structure here, not looking for a hero. Election wouldn’t solve the problem so don’t worry if only the unwanted are there because even if we are to have super man there he wouldn’t be able to do anything.
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Tarrin – 10
Furthermore, can you give me an example of any country in the world that ban politician like Thailand do?
Tarrin, you are quite right. In most countries with a system based more on laws and regulations these people would be in prison rather than banned.
Election wouldn’t solve the problem so don’t worry if only the unwanted are there because even if we are to have super man there he wouldn’t be able to do anything.
So how, and please be specific, would you see the voters not returning the ‘unwanted’ without laws to take them off of the candidate list?
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LesAbbey – 11
Did you see me mention anything about voting here? Don’t you see that as the situation goes no candidate is wanted, Abhisit is not wanted by half of Thailand and Thaksin is not wanted by another half, election wouldn’t solve any problem so why keep asking about how to keep them away?
Thailand need to have the 5 principles of democracy in place first before any election can be hold.
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Tarrin – 12
Thailand need to have the 5 principles of democracy in place first before any election can be hold.
Tarrin are you joining the PAD?
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Some wise fatherly advice from F.D.Roosevelt:
In 1934, Roosevelt defended himself against his critics, and attacked them in his “fireside chat” radio audiences. Some people, he said:
will try to give you new and strange names for what we are doing. Sometimes they will call it ‘Fascism,’ sometimes ‘Communism,’ sometimes ‘Regimentation,’ sometimes ‘Socialism.’ But, in so doing, they are trying to make very complex and theoretical something that is really very simple and very practical…. Plausible self-seekers and theoretical die-hards will tell you of the loss of individual liberty.
Answer this question out of the facts of your own life.
Have you lost any of your rights or liberty or constitutional freedom of action and choice. . . . ?
Could Abhisit, Thaksin or any other national leader ask this question of the Thai people?
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LesAbbey – 13
Tarrin are you joining the PAD?
Why would I? obviously the PAD and me has nothing in common. The PAD wanted Thailand to be absolute monarchy, I want Thailand to be liberal democratic, the ideology just too far apart. Note that PAD never talk about anything democratic despite the name contained the world democracy. (noticing that the alliance is falling apart btw?)
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5 principles of democracy:
1. Fundamental worth
2. Equality of (opportunity) for all persons (under the law)
3. Majority rule, minority rights
4. Necessity of compromise
5. Individual freedom.
Tall order. . .
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Just checking whether Podcast of the conference will be coming on line soon… any guess as to when available?
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I strongly suggest you to put the podcast uponline too so that people who cant attend will be able to listen to your views.
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Sorry I have been slow on this. The podcast is available here:
http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/__data/assets/mp3_file/0013/5152/20110505-Thailand.mp3
The video is coming soon!
AW
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Who does Dr Peter Warr mean when he says “the Thai’s will decide who the government is” ???
It seems abundantly clear that the Thai people (via the electorate) have decided several times over the last decade who they want their government to be, but that gets overidden by a select few military/legal elites, with cover from you know who.
Also, whose rights does Dr Peter Warr mean when he says “we will respect the rights of Thai’s …. respect their rights to determine their future” ???
Hopefully the ‘inducements of the Thai government & Thai embassy‘ are not at work in any of the presentations.
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