New Mandala

[This is the second in our Thai language series of posts by Dekchai Kimhan. The first in the series is available here.]
ประชาธิปไตยแบบไทยๆ (๒):  “หนึ่งปีให้มีนายกฯ สี่คน” หรือ “นายกฯ หนึ่งคนให้อยู่สี่ปี”
เด็กชายคิมหันต์

ผมตรวจการบ้านชิ้นแรกของนักศึกษาปีหนึ่งไป มีคำถามข้อหนึ่งออกจะง่ายดาย ถามถึงอัตราส่วนระหว่างของสองอย่าง คำตอบที่ถูกต้องคือ ๒ แต่นักศึกษาคนหนึ่งใส่คำตอบมาว่า ๑/๒  ซึ่งเป็นที่น่าเสียดายอย่างมาก ต้องให้คะแนนเป็น ๐ ในข้อนี้ไปเพราะว่าคำถามแบบนี้มันมีคำตอบตายตัว  แต่ถ้าถามว่านายกรัฐมนตรีไทยมีวาระดำรงตำแหน่งได้กี่ปีแล้วเขาใส่เลขสลับกันมา แม้จะฟังดูเป็นเรื่องตลกแต่ผมก็คงอาจพิจารณาให้คะแนนเขาบ้าง  ไม่เชื่อมาดูข้อมูลที่จะเล่าต่อไปนี้ซิครับว่า  “หนึ่งปีให้มีนายกฯ สี่คน” หรือ “นายกฯ หนึ่งคนให้อยู่สี่ปี” กันแน่

 
[Click on images for full size.]

 
หลังสงครามโลกครั้งที่ ๒ นายกรัฐมนตรีตลอดกาล จอมพลแปลก ตกเป็นผู้ต้องหาคดีอาชญากรสงคราม [...]

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In a world of uncertainty nothing is more uncertain than Thai politics especially over the past three years. Nothing has been more frustrating than a society that is so intractably divided and where reason has been jettisoned for skewed personal interests. Latest cyber news suggests that there will be a coup shortly. In some ways [...]

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From The Nation:
Privy councillor Surayud Chulanont yesterday conceded that the 2006 coup had not been able to put politics back on course as anticipated and that two years had lapsed with continuing turmoil.”The political divide persists, and parties concerned should take part in forging reconciliation,” he said, marking the second anniversary of the September 19 [...]

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The motivation behind the 2006 coup d’etat can be explained from various perspectives. On the one hand it was simply the military under the command of the then army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin that staged the coup. On the other hand, the anti-Thaksin movement which emerged from 2005 reveals, at a deeper level, how three [...]

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Slightly more than a year ago, on 22 July 2007, Bangkok saw a violent street protest when the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) protested in front of the compound of General Prem Tinsulanonda, head of the Privy Council. Even today this event is cited as proof of the supposedly uncontrollable violence of Thaksin supporters. Most of the Thai [...]

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Back when the generals were still running Thailand, here at New Mandala we paid almost daily attention to what then passed for national economic policy — the ephemeral notion of “sufficiency”.  As a key discursive crutch it seems to have been largely folded away under the government of Prime Minister Samak.  Of course, it has faded from the agenda right at the [...]

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New Mandala readers who are new (or, perhaps, not so new) to the various online discussions of Thailand’s political future will find this summary page over at Thai Crisis rewards a visit.  It has been updated during 2008 to reflect the changing situation.

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Today New Mandala is not immediately in a position to add much to the analysis of the current standoff in central Bangkok between the PA(S)D and the Royal Thai Police. 
What I can do, of course, is provide links to some of the best “live” coverage.  Bangkok Pundit leads the charge, as usual, with a characteristically well-chosen mix [...]

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I’m sure it’s just an editorial mis-step but I have, I must confess, been wondering for the past few days – why has The Nation put this article in its sports section? 
On the front page it is filed under “Sports” (above articles like FA extends Mascherano ban and Croatian football player dies following injury sustained in match) and [...]

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Thailand’s proxy war between loyalists to deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Bangkok’s royalist elite is stirring once again, with the outcome as uncertain as ever…This week King Bhumibol Adulyadej named three more people to his 19-member Privy Council: Surayud Chulanont, a former army chief who left the Privy Council after the coup to become [...]

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