Some political musings: Thailand
Admittedly, I love the place. I know it's not perfect but once I step foot in Thailand, I always feel so free and happy. The people are nice, even though you don't understand what they say but it sounds so nice! LOL and the food, the shopping and everything!
I find the current situation there quite sad - as a neighbour, one hopes that they will resolve it ... so that I can go visit again soon! Although, it is still quite safe for tourist even now in Bangkok.. maybe not the southern provinces with the latest bomb blast. Sigh...
A few years ago, my sympathies were more towards the Yellow Shirts - in fact some of my Thai friends are Yellow shirt supporters. But reading more into the situation, I am not supporting them now - they are agitating for a regressive form of government! A council, indeed?! Chosen by whom?
It is almost like the ancient Roman system of choosing senators from the bonii (good men) who had to be rich enough not to require a salary from the state - hence, they did this voluntarily and with the prohibition of not being able to hold commercial interests; their wealth must only be in land and properties. Sure, well and fine back then when their aristocrats had some sense of duty but that also broke down after a while. What is to guarantee that this won't happen in Thailand as well?
Of course, the Red Shirts are also not all that saintly themselves - the charge levelled at them is that they have been 'bought' by the populist policies of the Thai Rak Thai and subsequent Peu Thai parties - the Bangkok elite and middle classes resent (and I can SO understand) their tax dollars being used to "buy" votes from the lower classes - thus, pointing to the wide division between socio-economic classes; which are further clarified along geographic fault lines pitting the North against the Central & Southern regions.
So who is right and who is wrong? In such cases, there is never any clear moral authority on either side because the clash is being driven by pedagogues who have vested interests and thus, are all set to create a clash between opposing sides; never mind the collateral damage.
The royal family seems rather quiet in all this, although Princess Chulabhorn seems to be siding with the protesters through her Instagram, Princess Sirindhorn however, appeared to have made a remark alluding that the Yellow Shirts had their own agenda, but that statement was not widely reported.
The military is sitting this one out, I think they are waiting to see what happens. There is also the hypothesis that all this conflict was brought about to oppose the ascension of the Crown Prince, who is allegedly not popular with the elite but it seems very silly of them to want to oppose it unless they have something to fear when he becomes King in due course.
Do they want a situation of a Regent (whom they can control) who will reign on behalf of Prince Dipangkorn? Is that Regent either Princess Sirindhorn or Princess Bajrakitiyabha?
So as an outsider, and an admirer of Thailand, it looks like there are a few forces at play here - the elite and royal circles being the main players with their subtle intentions, the middle classes aligned to the elite but for the wrong reasons (they think they are opposing Thaksin's corruption, not realising that the leaders they are supporting like Thaugsep are equally corrupt) so they are just a puppet, and the lower income classes who like Thaksin and Yingluck's policies as it benefits them directly but are probably unaware of the machinations at the highest levels which do not take their welfare into consideration.
There simply must be a middle path out of this impasse! Either the military has to step in again (bad idea), the reconciliation works or the King has to say something.
I hope whichever one that brings stability happens quickly...
I find the current situation there quite sad - as a neighbour, one hopes that they will resolve it ... so that I can go visit again soon! Although, it is still quite safe for tourist even now in Bangkok.. maybe not the southern provinces with the latest bomb blast. Sigh...
A few years ago, my sympathies were more towards the Yellow Shirts - in fact some of my Thai friends are Yellow shirt supporters. But reading more into the situation, I am not supporting them now - they are agitating for a regressive form of government! A council, indeed?! Chosen by whom?
It is almost like the ancient Roman system of choosing senators from the bonii (good men) who had to be rich enough not to require a salary from the state - hence, they did this voluntarily and with the prohibition of not being able to hold commercial interests; their wealth must only be in land and properties. Sure, well and fine back then when their aristocrats had some sense of duty but that also broke down after a while. What is to guarantee that this won't happen in Thailand as well?
Of course, the Red Shirts are also not all that saintly themselves - the charge levelled at them is that they have been 'bought' by the populist policies of the Thai Rak Thai and subsequent Peu Thai parties - the Bangkok elite and middle classes resent (and I can SO understand) their tax dollars being used to "buy" votes from the lower classes - thus, pointing to the wide division between socio-economic classes; which are further clarified along geographic fault lines pitting the North against the Central & Southern regions.
So who is right and who is wrong? In such cases, there is never any clear moral authority on either side because the clash is being driven by pedagogues who have vested interests and thus, are all set to create a clash between opposing sides; never mind the collateral damage.
The royal family seems rather quiet in all this, although Princess Chulabhorn seems to be siding with the protesters through her Instagram, Princess Sirindhorn however, appeared to have made a remark alluding that the Yellow Shirts had their own agenda, but that statement was not widely reported.
The military is sitting this one out, I think they are waiting to see what happens. There is also the hypothesis that all this conflict was brought about to oppose the ascension of the Crown Prince, who is allegedly not popular with the elite but it seems very silly of them to want to oppose it unless they have something to fear when he becomes King in due course.
Do they want a situation of a Regent (whom they can control) who will reign on behalf of Prince Dipangkorn? Is that Regent either Princess Sirindhorn or Princess Bajrakitiyabha?
So as an outsider, and an admirer of Thailand, it looks like there are a few forces at play here - the elite and royal circles being the main players with their subtle intentions, the middle classes aligned to the elite but for the wrong reasons (they think they are opposing Thaksin's corruption, not realising that the leaders they are supporting like Thaugsep are equally corrupt) so they are just a puppet, and the lower income classes who like Thaksin and Yingluck's policies as it benefits them directly but are probably unaware of the machinations at the highest levels which do not take their welfare into consideration.
There simply must be a middle path out of this impasse! Either the military has to step in again (bad idea), the reconciliation works or the King has to say something.
I hope whichever one that brings stability happens quickly...
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