Thais’ Distrust of the Uneducated Runs Deep

2 Mar
2010

Do you think the supposed political rift between the urban middle-class and the rural villagers in Thailand is a relatively modern phenomenon? You also think that the PAD’s infamous 70-30 proposal was the ultimate manifestation of the urbanites’ contempt towards the “uneducated” Thaksin admirers? Think again.

In the 2008 book How East Asians View Democracy by Chu et al., the editors compile results of many ground-level studies in several Asian countries on the topic of people’s attitudes towards democratic values*. Of all the findings reported in the book, the one that particularly strikes me is the respondents’ answers to this question:

“Do you agree or disagree: People with little or no education should have as much say in politics as highly educated people?”

Read the rest of this entry »

Making Sense of the Supreme Court’s Verdict (by Patiwat)

27 Feb
2010

Thaksin Shinawatra (photo credit: The Nation)

The following is an excellent round-up and analysis of the Supreme Court’s historic ruling on the Bt7.6 bn Thaksin assets seizure case. It was written by one of my online friends who wishes to be known only as “Patiwat”. I have asked for and obtained permission from him to re-publish his essay here in full, with only minor spelling/grammatical corrections. While the author’s main purpose is to provide a quick and accessible summary of the verdict for those who may not have the time on their hands to go through the original texts, he has included enough details to ensure that readers will thoroughly understand what is going on. Click “read more” below for what definitely promises to be a good read.

Read the rest of this entry »

GT200 Conclusion: Big Names Exposed

20 Feb
2010

(photo credit: Andrew Drummond’s blog)

If there is anything we have gained from the whole GT200 scandal at all, it could be the fact that this crazy saga has cruelly exposed just how incompetent some of our most influential public figures today are. This post is just a compilation of some of the ‘big names’ who have fallen victim to the most laughable, yet shocking, scam to have hit Thailand in recent years.

(Click “read the rest of this entry” to see their names and what they said)

Read the rest of this entry »

GT200: The Only Remaining Obstacle

19 Feb
2010

From this report in The Nation, we can see why the army will continue to use the GT200 device in its daily operations despite the fact that it has failed scientific tests.

Prime Minister Abhisit said he did not want to confront the Army but assigned the scientists who had conducted the test to explain to the officials working on the ground to understand and stop using it.

Ok. This sham device is nothing more than a cheap plastic box, has cost us hundreds of millions of baht, has put the lives of army officers and civilians at great risk, and could lead to arrests of wrong suspects while the real criminals and terrorists freely roam the country.  And the PM meekly said he “did not want to confront the army”? Outrageous.

Google Caught in Preah Vihear Dispute

11 Feb
2010

(photo credit: Wikimedia commons)


The Nation reports:

The Cambodian government sent a strongly-worded letter Friday to US internet giant Google, complaining that its online Google Earth map incorrectly places parts of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple in Thailand.

[...]

Friday’s letter called on Google to withdraw the map, calling its demarcation of the border “radically misleading and totally misguided” for showing “almost half of the temple in Thailand.”

And Xinhua has a follow-up report:

Google wrote to Cambodian government and said the company is going to review a map of the 11th built century temple of Preah Vihear, where the temple’ s annex is also claimed by Thailand.

The letter, which was seen on Wednesday, said “we are carefully reviewing the Government of Cambodia’s objection regarding the depiction of Cambodian borders in Google Earth, and we plan to respond to your letter more fully in the very near future.”

So what will Thailand do if Google agrees to amend the border line?

Older Entries