Some Thoughts About The Kingdom of Thailand
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The larger dispute between Red Shirts, Yellow Shirts, and Multicolor Shirts is complex, and it includes big players.
Mr. Thaksin the Billionaire is the major player, and I suspect that someone close to him is behind the accusations that Mr. Abhisit is a murderer.
I have no proof of this suspicion, just as there is no proof that a man’s hand is actually in the glove at the end of his arm.
Mr. Thaksin is more powerful than I am. He could order me killed with a gesture. Would he do it? Maybe. But at least he is not a torturing Mexican drug dealer. It would be a simple bullet.
Would Mr. Abhisit have me killed? Never.
And so I am defending someone who is now powerless, facing murder charges, and even if Mr. Abhisit were still in charge of the Thai government, he would not have me killed. He would ignore me.
Royal Thai Army soldiers near the protest site. They are good soldiers.
I have nothing to gain from defending Mr. Abhisit. He has no power. He may wrongfully go to prison for murder.
There is nothing for me to gain but pain, and the peace of conscience that I did not passively watch an innocent man go to prison, while the RTA is accused of atrocity, when I know that silence is wrong, and speaking truth is right.
Some of the most courageous reporters were women.
I have been warned that the current Thai government will punish me for writing these dangerous words.
Mr. Thaksin’s sister is the current Prime Minister. The elementary school that she attended is just down the road from my home. My friends went to school with her. This is her country. Red Shirts love her.
Mr. Thaksin’s government has not lifted a finger against me. They have been honorable despite my words. This is Thailand, not Iran.
Thailand can be dangerous, but mostly it is dangerous for those who bring their demons with them, or for those who do not know how to behave as guests.
Red Shirts burned this woman’s small dress shop. Why?
I live on a street where a hundred Chiang Mai police officers live. The apartment buildings near my home are loaded with police. They all know me. They often say hello. They have been kind. Many are Red Shirts.
My home is just a short walk from the Red Shirt headquarters. They know me. They know where I live. Sometimes I go to their functions. I walk by their offices. The Red Shirts have made no threats against me.
The Thai government has not hampered me in any way. They renewed my visa with a smile even though I am writing and making statements that they do not like.
Amazing Thailand. There is much to learn here.
Life is short. We should stand up for what is right. Mr. Abhisit and the RTA did not commit murder.
The Kingdom of Thailand is a great and free country. Thai people, including those who hate Mr. Abhisit, should not allow perversions of their judicial system. This is wrong for such a great country as Thailand.
Charges against Mr. Abhisit should be dropped.
Long Live the King.
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Comments
Still those who really need to face justice now become the one in power I don't know if us Thai people will really knows the real Peace. The situation is just like A group of Blind people believe they can see very clearly than before and refuse to accept the reality even we throw the truth at them they won't believe it.
Thank you again for the details truth.
I had written a short piece awhile back, the gist of which was that Americans celebrate diversity, and in an almost paradoxical way this is what defines us. Thais, on the other hand, are in so many ways a very unified people. The colors of the Thai flag represent the country, the religion, and the King, and to criticize the King is tantamount to a renunciation of one's "Thai-ness."
I salute both your tenacity and your courage to speak the truth. This is the kind of reporting of which the world needs more.
As always, a beautifully written dispatch. Too bad I'm not on the Pulitzer committee, otherwise you'd have my vote. Thank you. Stay safe brother.
There are more Red Shirts than there are Yellow Shirts. So the Puea Thai party indisputably won the last election.
Part of the problem is that the Red Shirts felt as though they were disenfranchised by the coup that deposed Mr. Thaksin in 2006, and there is no question that it was a national trauma inflicted on the Thai body politic.
Because the Democrat party was able to form a governing coalition with the Bumjaithai party, Red Shirts felt that the Bangkok elites illegitimately took power. You must remember that the constitution and the judicial system disbanded both the PPP and the TRT parties, the predecessors of the currently ruling Puea Thai.
This is the reason why the current government, and the Red Shirts (they are not synonymous), wish to amend the constitution. They want to delete the clauses that ban corrupt politicians who commit electoral fraud from participation in politics for five years, and most of all they want to delete the clauses that punish parties for the individual abuses of party members by disbanding the parties.
Mr. Abhisit, as the opposition leader in Parliament, opposes these constitutional changes. He also opposes efforts by the government to pass "reconciliation " measures, which are really a mass pardon for all who committed violence in 2010. Such a pardon would magically make Mr. Thaksin's conviction for corruption vanish, as well as the plethora of criminal charges that are pending against him, including support for terrorism. Mr. Thaksin could, in the event of a pardon, finally return to Thailand.
Mr. Thaksin and the Red Shirts believe that he was wrongly exiled. In truth, however, Mr. Thaksin has exiled himself. He was granted bail after his conviction on fraud charges, and he received permission from judicial authorities to attend the Olympic Games. Mr. Thaksin never returned to Thailand. He chose self-exile, rather than face the prospect of a jail term. In any case, Mr. Thaksin and the Red Shirts characterize his conviction as "political," and they insist that it was not legitimate.
The primary obstacle to "reconciliation " and the changes to the constitution that the Red Shirts advocate is Mr. Abhisit. So they attack him. They attempted to have his military rank revoked, but only His Majesty can do that. So the Reds were stymied there. Now they are charging Mr. Abhisit with murder. There is no question that this is an abuse of police authority.
When Thailand is a country that can prosecute former Prime Ministers for doing their job, (and Mr. Abhisit was very lenient, in my opinion, in his approach to the 2010 riots), it is on an evil path.
The Reds are pursuing evil tactics in an effort to perpetrate evil goals.
I grieve for Thailand.
Long Live His Majesty.
Michael, outstanding piece. My limited time with Thai government employees, soldiers, and civilians gibes with what you've written and experienced here. They take their democracy and their royalty very seriously. They also take personal responsibility equally as seriously. I hope they can get through this crisis with a minimum of pain. Were Thaksin to return and face the music, much of this could be put to rest.
Thank you again for your reporting and your willingness to call it from the ground view.
Stay safe.
Long Live the King!
Happy New Year!
Stay Safe - Keep your head down and rear end lower!
Personal responsibility is real here. You are free. All consequences are on you. *** You are free to wade into a firefight or to pet crocodiles. Do not whine when you get bitten or shot. *** We say that we want freedom, but Americans do not live in freedom. We Americans seem to spend every waking hour plotting how to shackle ourselves. Freedom is becoming an empty word in America. ***
America does not want fewer laws. Many Americans want more laws."
Sad but true (the part about America).
I don't know much about Thai politics but thanks for the balanced reporting.
Have a happy and safe year.
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