Land of Smiles, Land of Lies

Telegraph UK

One side is led by Thaksin Shinawatra. The former telecoms billionaire and deposed prime minister is a dubious champion of democracy. During his six years in power Mr Thaksin launched a "war on drugs" in which up to 2,000 alleged dealers were summarily executed by the police.

In government he was dogged by corruption allegations, apparently unable to distinguish his own business interests from those of the country. He was no friend of the free media, although censorship is worse now than it was in Thaksin's day.

On the other side is... who? Mr Thaksin has many vehement enemies among the middle and upper classes. It is difficult to tell how many because in Thailand opinion pollsters never ask the only question that really counts – who would you vote for?

They particularly object to Thaksin's alleged corruption and his government's challenge to Thailand's rigid social hierarchy

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The People's Alliance for Democracy, as the movement is misleadingly called, argued that democracy does not work in Thailand because the peasantry are too simple to vote. They want a "new politics" in which 70 per cent of parliament is appointed.

Last year's protests found widespread support among the conservative media which, in its rush to finish the Thaksinites for ever, abandoned factual reporting.

Thaksin denies that he is a republican, although some of his supporters undoubtedly are – or they are now.

At the end of last year a court dissolved the elected government and the army brass summoned political bosses to hoist a new prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, to power. The leaders of the airport protests were never punished – one even became foreign minister.

Now Thaksin has dropped his bomb. In live video addresses to rallies around the country he identified two retired generals who are close advisers to the king and a small group of top judges as the conspirators who plotted his 2006 ousting and have allegedly been invisibly pulling Thailand's strings ever since.

The government is in a funk, panicking about how to block the transmissions. The army is said to be furious: Thaksin has broken the omerta and the government could not stop him. Commentators say he has gone too far and newspapers are openly demanding censorship to stop the revelations being heard.

Yet although the people Thaksin named have offered desultory denials, no one is seriously disputing the truth of his revelations. Apparently that it is not the point – in Thai politics the truth is not meant for public consumption.

I like the bits about the Thai media.

The fact that you have so many media institutions, like The Nation, who harp on and on about free speech and democracy, actually advocating the use of state media and other government institutions to destroy their political adversaries tells you everything you need to know about their convenient and shifting value systems.

What is the meme this week? Red shirts are republicans out to destroy the monarchy, because they dare question the motives of the Privy Council and military.

As poster Rich pointed out, this is not just about challenging the monarchy, but challenging the pervasive saksdina/feudal mentality that keeps the poor disenfranchised and in serf status. The delusions of embedded power based on an artificially created social hierarchy are being stripped away. And the elite who have benefited from the hierarchical system are afraid. Very afraid.

Deconstructing Sopon Onkgara: Barbarians at the Gate

The Nation


Tomorrow will see the beginning of suspense and tension for the entire country, when people watch how many red-shirted protesters take to the streets, intending to carry out their mission to force out key members of the Privy Council and topple the Abhisit Cabinet. If this plan is successful, the red-shirted people can roll out a red carpet to welcome their patron, Thaksin Shinawatra, back to Government House.


Can this battle plan of Thaksin and his red shirts achieve the desired goal? The chances remain dim, despite the apparent lack of a plan for a decisive response and counter-strike by the Democrats after a week of watching the barbarians at the gate.

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The Democrats are panicking, but they still profess to be unperturbed by the swelling political crisis which threatens to push the country's economy into a deeper chasm if the street demonstrations escalate into violence, as predicted by many. Bloodletting cannot be ruled out because that would be the ultimate cause for a change of government.

As of yesterday, the public remained dumbstruck by the lack of response from the government, chiefly the Democrats, who look more and more like the victims of over-confidence and their own earlier complacency.

They may appear a bit more honest than the barbarians at the gate, whose bosses have had their days in government. Still, the obvious weakness displayed through inaction and lack of a battle plan is inexplicable. There should be a survival instinct among the battle-hardened Democrats.

The repeated calls by supporters for the Democrats to counter Thaksin's intense accusations have fallen on deaf ears. What they should do is simply broadcast the truth of Thaksin's long years of massive corruption, abuse of power and a wide range of misdeeds. They do nothing.

Why doesn't The Nation publish all those investigative reports on Thaksin's corruption that it had to sit on because of his pressure on the media?

That's right. They don't have any.

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No matter how events unfold, the country's economy will take longer to recover, and a lot will depend on public confidence in the government. Thaksin stands little chance of achieving victory in his final battle. If he is defeated, it will be difficult for Hun Sen to shelter him. The last thing he may have to pay dearly for is his life.


Typical Sopon hysteria.

Taking a look at the headlines, The Nation is in full shameless propaganda mode.

The sick irony is that The Nation's editors believe the Democrats and the military should use all the techniques that they condemned Thaksin for to defeat Thaksin.

Suriyasai on the Reds (Barf Alert)

Bangkok Post

PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila said core leaders of the alliance have monitored the UDD's movements and they shared the view that the UDD rally could trigger violence.

He said the UDD leaders were pressing demands that are impossible to meet, which limits the chances of breaking the political impasse.

He said the UDD leaders' drive against what they call "a government system dominated by the bureaucrats" is only creating a false impression that they are fighting for democracy. In fact, the anti-government campaign was designed to serve the vested interests of the UDD leaders and particularly to help clear the name of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Mr Suriyasai said.

If the rally on Wednesday gets out of hand and degenerates into violence, the military could use this as an excuse to intervene, he said.

This would play into the hands of Thaksin and would only support his argument that the country remained undemocratic.

He said if the UDD did anything to provoke violence on Wednesday, the PAD would mount its own major rally.

The PAD was concerned the UDD would lead the country into chaos by holding rallies.

It could lay siege to important government places to force the government to bow to its demands - the tactics used by the PAD itself during its protests last year.

"If the UDD tries to do damage to the country or to establish a new system of government, the PAD is ready to make a move against it straight away," Mr Suriyasai said.

I guess that this only proves that the PAD think that they are a power unto themselves that can do what they want with impunity.

The hypocrisy is breathtaking.

I guess Suriyasai wasn't so concerned with violence when his underlings were shooting people, impaling people with spears, taking over government house and airports, and running over cops in the street.

Another Non-Denial Denial

The Nation

During a press interview after chairing an awards presentation at Thammasat University, he refused to respond to the allegation from Thaksin's supporters that he plotted the September 19 coup that brought down the Thaksin government.

"I will not say again. I have already said it all,'' he said.

I have noticed that Prem and Surayud use weasel words in their so-called denials.

I have yet to hear a categorical denial.

I doubt you will catch any of them going to swear before the Emerald Buddha that they had nothing to do with the coup in any capacity

To be fair, Thaksin is pretty weasly himself.

All of them like to misdirect and obfuscate.

10 years for Lese Majeste

The Nation


A man was yesterday sentenced to 10 years in jail for posting on the Internet doctored images mocking certain members of the royal family.


The Criminal Court found Suwicha or Chinnapat Thakho, a 34-year-old resident of Nakhon Phanom province, guilty of acting in contempt of the monarchy. The defendant was found to have violated the Penal Code, the Constitution and the Computer Crime Act.--

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The court yesterday gave an initial penalty of 20 years' imprisonment but later reduced it by half due to the defendant's confession. Suwicha, taken from the Bangkok Remand Prison in inmate attire to attend the verdict reading, wept with his parents and relatives from Nakhon Phanom upon hearing the ruling.


As a blogger, I follow as many stories on Thailand as possible. I'd say that the lese majeste stories get more international exposure than anything else. The reason I think they get so much coverage is because the penalties are draconian.

20 years in jail for posting a doctored picture of the King on the internet?

Murderers, drug dealers, rapists, child molesters, corrupt officials get lower penalties than that.

The crime is stupid and the penalties unjust. I think it is insulting to the monarchy for people to think national security is threatened because of some lame picture on the internet.

Investing in Biofuel

The Nation


Illinois-based Coskata - a leader in feed-stock ethanol and biology-based renewable energy - says the government should have a clear-cut policy on gasohol investment in order to make Thailand the ethanol manufacturing hub for Asia.


After meeting with the firm's executives, Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot said yesterday Coskata wanted to see Thailand rich in fuel crops and an ethanol production base for E85 vehicles.

"The firm is studying the possibility and advantage of investing here. If the government has a concrete policy on investment, General Motors should decide to invest in Thailand soon," said Alongkorn.

Coskata plans to cooperate with General Motors in ethanol production and has called on the Thai government to promote fuel crop plantations in support of alternative-energy, environment-friendly production. The firm wants clear-cut tax regulations, lower import tariffs for machines, and support in establishing investment.

The company has conducted a roadshow seeking local business partners for ethanol production in countries China, Australia and now Thailand.

Yesterday Coskata executives visited PTT to discuss expansion of ethanol production.

Wes Bolsen, chief marketing officer, said the parent company planned to set up full-scale manufacturing in 2012, with an expected total production capacity of 200 million litres per year.

Bolsen said the company's low-cost manufacturing would allow substantial profits for its partners. For instance, the company could produce ethanol at a competitive price, without any subsidy, when the oil price stood at US$70 (Bt 2,477) per barrel. Even now, with oil prices at US$40, its partners can enjoy real benefits.

"It would take three to four years to achieve the break-even point," Bolsen said.

Here are some pros and cons of Brazil's biofuel program at Wikipedia. Here is an article on Time Magazine here.

I am not so hot on the idea of Thailand using foreign capital to turn agriculture crops into biofuel for export.

I think it would be more fruitful if Thailand used its surplus, non-edible crops for biofuels to supplant the fossil fuels it imports.

I know I always attack The Nation, but I appreciate when they report on environmental issues and alternative energy. They certainly do it more often than the Bangkok Post.

China's Electric Car Program: Are Thai Policy Makers Paying Attention?

New York Times:


Chinese leaders have adopted a plan aimed at turning the country into one of the leading producers of hybrid and all-electric vehicles within three years, and making it the world leader in electric cars and buses after that.


“China is well positioned to lead in this,” said David Tulauskas, director of China government policy at General Motors.

To some extent, China is making a virtue of a liability. It is behind the United States, Japan and other countries when it comes to making gas-powered vehicles, but by skipping the current technology, China hopes to get a jump on the next.

Obviously, there are pro and cons to this program, and the technology is far from perfected, but at least China is thinking outside the box.

On the other hand, Thailand still has delusions of being the "Detroit of Asia." Well, the Big Three in Detroit are bankrupt. Lessons to be learned there. And hopefully the Thai government doesn't give money to GM. Abhisit might as well use that money to continue to give free money away to the poor.

I have been following the Green trends a lot lately. Thailand seems to be stuck in the pre-Green mindset.

The interesting thing about Thailand is that it has the capacity to be self-sufficient to a certain degree using bio-diesels--rice bran oil, palm oil, coconut oil, recycled cooking oil , because the manufacturing capacity and infrastructure is already there. I think most trucks in Thailand have diesel engines already. It isn't difficult to produce bio-diesel either. Bio-diesels still emit CO2, but it is still greener than fossil fuels.

China, Vietnam and Taiwan are on the cutting edge of making cheap electric motor bikes as well.

A lot of things Thailand can do to go green, but see little evidence of the transition so far. Some Thai companies, from the little research I have done, are experimenting with these things, but it took some time on my part to find the companies.

Another thing that Thailand can do is instead of burning the rice husks that causes smog all over the North a few months out of year is use the straw to build houses.

The straw bale house movement is in its infancy but it is starting to get noticed.

While Abhisit Travels the World Singing the Praises of Free Trade, Thailand Remains Protectionist

The Nation

The US National Trade Estimate yesterday accused Thailand of non-transparent practices, having both tariff and non-tariff barriers, and maintained the Kingdom in its Priority Watch List for low intellectual property protection.

The report said US goods trade deficit with Thailand was US$14.5 billion (Bt516 billion) in 2008, an increase of $181 million from $14.3 billion in 2007.

US goods exports in 2008 were $9.1 billion, up 7.2 per cent from the previous year. Corresponding US imports from Thailand were $23.5 billion, up 3.5 per cent. Thailand is currently the 29th largest export market for US goods.

US exports of private commercial services (excluding military and government) to Thailand were $1.8 billion in 2007, and US imports were $1.8 billion.

Sales of services in Thailand by majority US-owned affiliates were $3.2 billion in 2006, while sales of services in the US by majority Thai-owned firms were $295 million.

US foreign direct investment in Thailand was $15 billion in 2007, up from $10.9 billion in 2006. US FDI in Thailand is concentrated largely in the manufacturing, banking, finance/insurance, and wholesale trade sectors.

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The report said Thailand's high tariffs remain an impediment to market access in many sectors. Its average applied most favoured nation (MFN) tariff rate is 11.2 per cent with some tariffs as high as 80 per cent. The highest tariff rates apply to imports competing with locally produced goods, including agricultural products, automobiles and automotive parts, motorcycles, alcoholic beverages, fabrics, paper and paperboard products, and restaurant equipment.

Duties on imported consumer-ready food products typically range between 30 per cent and 50 per cent, the highest among Asean members, with some as high as 90 per cent.

The report said Thailand also applies a 10-per-cent tariff on all pharmaceuticals (excluding vaccines and therapies for HIV, malaria, and thalassemia). In addition to this tariff, all medicines are subject to a 7-per-cent valued-added tax.

Thailand's tariff rates for textile imports are high, the report said, ranging from 20 per cent to 30 per cent for most fabrics and 30 per cent for most clothing and other made-up textile products.

In addition, the complex and non-transparent nature of Thailand's tax administration system, the import duties, excise taxes, and other surcharges lead to a cumulative tax burden on most imported spirits of about 400 per cent.

Read the full report here.

I got to give credit to The Nation. Usually they either don't report these statistics or pretend Thailand is a victim to US trade imperialism.

By the way, I have no problem with protectionist policies. But Abhisit shouldn't be running around the world lecturing countries about free trade when Thailand isn't a free trade country and has no intention of liberalising its economy.

Suthichai Yoon Describes Himself While Attacking Thaksin

The Nation

Ever the professional salesman, Thaksin knows how to talk his way into hawking his wares. Never confuse a captive crowd with facts and logic. Tell them how bad the other side is, day in day out, and they will assume that you are their only choice left.


The trouble is, the more desperate his position, the more likely he will believe his own hyperbole. And when things get worse, hyperbole can easily turn into outright lies.

Update: Abhisit's Brave New World: The Internet and Control

2Bangkok.com


Foreigners must disclose website postings - translated and summarized from Matichon; April 1, 2009

New regulations in effect from April require foreign visa holders (whether tourist or those applying for B, M, or O-type visas) to disclose if they are owners of a website or intend to post information about Thailand on a website forum or blog.

Website owners who work in Thailand must possess a Thai business registration in the form of a limited partnership even if the site is hosted overseas.

If a visa-holder intends to post material to a website--including internet forums and blogs--the posting must first be approved by the Ministry of Culture. Forms for the approval process will be handed out with the Thai Immigration entry card upon arrival or approval can be submitted via an online form at the Ministry of Culture website.

Visa holders will also be required to install "Cyber Cop" program to ensure they abide by the new regulations that restrict the viewing of some websites within Thailand. This program will automatically upload the latest blocklists without the user having to do anything.

The Ministry will not use the new regulations to censor political speech. Instead, the Ministry is mainly focusing on material that might be of detriment to Thai tourism or the country's image in general.



April Fool's Joke? I can't seem to verify this story. I checked Mathichon online and couldn't find it and nothing about it at the Ministry of Culture website.

The story seems ridiculous and impossible to enforce. But many wacky things have been going on, so it is plausible.

The story belongs on Not the Nation instead of 2bangkok.

Update: It was a joke. I was fooled at first, but I am glad I went to check the sources.

The frightening thing is that the story is plausible and consistent with government policies lately.