A good thought for our PCX friends in Thailand

[Dustoff66]

Just a kind thought, a hope that no harm is happening or will come to our Thai PCX friends during the current unrest. Stay safe!!!

[WhiteNoise]

Thoughts are with you all.
Please kram and others, how are you? What's happening? Be Safe!!

[you you]

Totally agree hope things settle out soon

[waspmike]

Not noticed any change so far. Business is still ambling along. Did get stuck in traffic last week but not for long...so life and business still goes on.

So please you don't have to worry for our personal safety.

We are still, speeding, going the wrong way up one way streets (on a motorbike) , lane splitting, riding on the sidewalk, locals still riding three to a PCX on the rear wheel! and all the other fun stuff we do.

Anything you read in your media is probably exaggerated for a reason. No democracy? Well Thailand really isn't a democracy in the true sense. It is a constitutional monarchy, meaning that the King is in charge and along with that all the courtiers and supporters ie the landed gentry and they want to keep it that way. The recent last 10 years? of turmoil was caused because someone wanted to change the system, that and of course the subject of succession.

[waspmike]

TELL IT AS IT IS
To the world: Please don't become part of Thailand's internal affairs problem
Pornpimol Kanchanalak

BANGKOK: -- On Wednesday morning - the day after the Army Chief declared the martial law - Thailand was bombarded with criticism and warnings from overseas. The UN Secretary General, the US State Department, the European Union, etc, all decided to assume the role of big brother.

Meanwhile Western media swooped on Thailand like scavengers sensing a dying animal down below. They were full of opinions, yet devoid of the full facts and unbiased information.

The voice from overseas talked big ideals - that individuals' freedom must not be violated, and that the democratic process must not be tampered with. These notions are the Holy Grail of modern Western civilisation, something that tomb raiders like Laura Croft get lured in by and thrilled about.

It is true that Thailand is not an isolated island; we are part and parcel of the world community of nations. As such, the community has a legitimate reason to express its apprehensions over events in Thailand. However, while so doing, it must not try to conveniently insert itself into Thailand's troubled political equation. By choosing to remain oblivious to certain facts and the whole truth of why Thailand is where it is today, the world's condescending criticism is at best unfair and at worst downright wrong.

If facts are inconvenient to the world community, then it should have refrained from straying into territory with which it is unfamiliar, for the result of such meddling is counterproductive. In fact, its energy would have been better spent in trying to locate more than 200 kidnapped Nigerian girls and bringing the kidnappers to justice. After all, Thailand is not Iraq or Afghanistan, where national sovereignty was completely trampled down by the West in the name of counter-terrorism.

Article after article in major Western media outlets has failed to mention the massive abuse of power on the part of the government, its corruption of epic proportions, and the blood and tears of poor farmers who broke their backs working the soil only to see the cash owed to them for their crops go into offshore and local bank accounts of politicians and their cronies. They have failed to mention that it was the government's misplaced intransigence and hubris that brought out millions of honest taxpaying citizens into the streets, unable to tolerate the daylight robbery of national coffers that they had paid in to.

Western media have harshly criticised the Constitutional Court and the National Anti-Corruption Commission, depicting them as thorns in the side of Thai democracy. They overlooked the string of illegal actions by the government that led to the verdicts. The falsification of documents by the office of the then-prime minister is never mentioned because foreign press never bothered to study the verdict thoroughly. Truth be told, the verdict and impeachment of Ms Yingluck and her Cabinet was as good and as fair as the US Congress's decision to impeach Nixon over the Watergate case. In fact, the illegal acts, the cover-up, the abuse of power and the kickback schemes perpetrated by Nixon and his people pale in comparison with what the Thai government and its head did here.

And Nixon deserves credit for resigning when confronted with the full disclosures of his legal and administrative failing. In Thailand, the government twisted and bent the laws to serve its whim. It was selective over which laws it would follow and which legal interpretations it used. It didn't think twice before choosing the low road and demonstrating to the country that the laws only apply to little people like us, not them. And despite all this, it continued to insist on its "legitimacy", even when it had none left.

The Western media has chosen to ignore the torrent of vile epithets delivered by community radios and local cable TV, paid for by the powers-that-be and poisoning the minds of villagers and city-slickers alike, encouraging them to hate without really questioning whether what they hear is true or not. These media outlets love mentioning that Thaksin Shinawatra-led parties have managed to win every election for the last decade, but show no interest in the dirty political machine that got them into power.

The foreign press loves to drag the so-called elite, the "Amart", and the Palace into the picture because it sounds "sexy" and offers the intrigue of a conspiracy. But if pressed about what evidence they have of such interference, if they were honest they would admit they had none. Their "evidence" comes merely from the words of biased academics, who are keen to communicate with them in their language of conspiracy.

As for the "Democracy" word that the Western world so loves to preach, the bad news is we never had the genuine article, only the "appearance" - a phantom democracy. We had elections, but they are not synonymous with democracy. The check-and balance mechanism in our political regime has been destroyed, or marginalised, and rendered toothless. That's why wholesale fraud and corruption have been allowed to prosper, and we the people have little or no say in it.

So when the world fails to fully grasp our terrible political situation brought on by bad government, when it ignores the killing of innocent and unarmed protesters that is met by absolute inaction on the part of that government, when it chooses not to see the large cache of war weapons at a resort owned by a former member of the government party and frequented by key red-shirt figures, and when it won't act on information that bombs and grenades are being moved across the border and into Bangkok, it thereby loses any right to preach to Thailand about the imposition of martial law.

It seems certain that martial law is simply Round One of this national "Thai Fight", and that things have only just begun. The military is now playing referee. Most people agree it has provided a necessary breather, no matter how short the space and what will happen next.

In our complex political scene, it is already extremely difficult to separate the facts from the fictions, the good from evil, the right from wrong. We are one big baffled family, and uninformed, prejudiced overbearing interference from outside can only make the confusion worse. The very real threat is that such meddling can be easily exploited to tip the level-playing field of our politics, thereby smashing any chance for us, no matter how slim, to find our own Holy Grail.


-- The Nation 2014-05-23

[Dustoff66]

Waspmike ---- Great posting! The U.S. and other world media loves to focus on bloodletting and the potential of same, no matter if the actual facts get distorted. Their fawning obsession with our current "leader" is prima facie evidence.
That being said -- I was in beautiful Bangkok for R & R in 1967, ( probably ) before most of you all were born. That 10 days were some of the best days spent anywhere. Beautiful, vibrant city; friendly people; delicious food; photos taken that I still cherish. I wish I could return. Stay safe.

[kramnala58]

Basically what Waspmike said in his first post.

I am relatively new in Thailand (2 years) and haven't experienced the previous unrest of the past decade or so, but here is my take.

I feel safe but it also have a bit of a surreal feeling. I live somewhere that is under martial law. I live somewhere that just experienced a military coup. It's so weird to think about. Things feel normal but not normal all at that same time. The Mrs and I are doing good though. If I don't get cut off the internet, I will try to make periodic postings if things change.

[WhiteNoise]

Newbie, even more reason to keep Eyes Wide Open! Be Ever so Careful!
Yes please do kram. Stay in touch!!

[you you]

TELL IT AS IT IS
To the world: Please don't become part of Thailand's internal affairs problem
Pornpimol Kanchanalak

BANGKOK: -- On Wednesday morning - the day after the Army Chief declared the martial law - Thailand was bombarded with criticism and warnings from overseas. The UN Secretary General, the US State Department, the European Union, etc, all decided to assume the role of big brother.

Meanwhile Western media swooped on Thailand like scavengers sensing a dying animal down below. They were full of opinions, yet devoid of the full facts and unbiased information.

The voice from overseas talked big ideals - that individuals' freedom must not be violated, and that the democratic process must not be tampered with. These notions are the Holy Grail of modern Western civilisation, something that tomb raiders like Laura Croft get lured in by and thrilled about.

It is true that Thailand is not an isolated island; we are part and parcel of the world community of nations. As such, the community has a legitimate reason to express its apprehensions over events in Thailand. However, while so doing, it must not try to conveniently insert itself into Thailand's troubled political equation. By choosing to remain oblivious to certain facts and the whole truth of why Thailand is where it is today, the world's condescending criticism is at best unfair and at worst downright wrong.

If facts are inconvenient to the world community, then it should have refrained from straying into territory with which it is unfamiliar, for the result of such meddling is counterproductive. In fact, its energy would have been better spent in trying to locate more than 200 kidnapped Nigerian girls and bringing the kidnappers to justice. After all, Thailand is not Iraq or Afghanistan, where national sovereignty was completely trampled down by the West in the name of counter-terrorism.

Article after article in major Western media outlets has failed to mention the massive abuse of power on the part of the government, its corruption of epic proportions, and the blood and tears of poor farmers who broke their backs working the soil only to see the cash owed to them for their crops go into offshore and local bank accounts of politicians and their cronies. They have failed to mention that it was the government's misplaced intransigence and hubris that brought out millions of honest taxpaying citizens into the streets, unable to tolerate the daylight robbery of national coffers that they had paid in to.

Western media have harshly criticised the Constitutional Court and the National Anti-Corruption Commission, depicting them as thorns in the side of Thai democracy. They overlooked the string of illegal actions by the government that led to the verdicts. The falsification of documents by the office of the then-prime minister is never mentioned because foreign press never bothered to study the verdict thoroughly. Truth be told, the verdict and impeachment of Ms Yingluck and her Cabinet was as good and as fair as the US Congress's decision to impeach Nixon over the Watergate case. In fact, the illegal acts, the cover-up, the abuse of power and the kickback schemes perpetrated by Nixon and his people pale in comparison with what the Thai government and its head did here.

And Nixon deserves credit for resigning when confronted with the full disclosures of his legal and administrative failing. In Thailand, the government twisted and bent the laws to serve its whim. It was selective over which laws it would follow and which legal interpretations it used. It didn't think twice before choosing the low road and demonstrating to the country that the laws only apply to little people like us, not them. And despite all this, it continued to insist on its "legitimacy", even when it had none left.

The Western media has chosen to ignore the torrent of vile epithets delivered by community radios and local cable TV, paid for by the powers-that-be and poisoning the minds of villagers and city-slickers alike, encouraging them to hate without really questioning whether what they hear is true or not. These media outlets love mentioning that Thaksin Shinawatra-led parties have managed to win every election for the last decade, but show no interest in the dirty political machine that got them into power.

The foreign press loves to drag the so-called elite, the "Amart", and the Palace into the picture because it sounds "sexy" and offers the intrigue of a conspiracy. But if pressed about what evidence they have of such interference, if they were honest they would admit they had none. Their "evidence" comes merely from the words of biased academics, who are keen to communicate with them in their language of conspiracy.

As for the "Democracy" word that the Western world so loves to preach, the bad news is we never had the genuine article, only the "appearance" - a phantom democracy. We had elections, but they are not synonymous with democracy. The check-and balance mechanism in our political regime has been destroyed, or marginalised, and rendered toothless. That's why wholesale fraud and corruption have been allowed to prosper, and we the people have little or no say in it.

So when the world fails to fully grasp our terrible political situation brought on by bad government, when it ignores the killing of innocent and unarmed protesters that is met by absolute inaction on the part of that government, when it chooses not to see the large cache of war weapons at a resort owned by a former member of the government party and frequented by key red-shirt figures, and when it won't act on information that bombs and grenades are being moved across the border and into Bangkok, it thereby loses any right to preach to Thailand about the imposition of martial law.

It seems certain that martial law is simply Round One of this national "Thai Fight", and that things have only just begun. The military is now playing referee. Most people agree it has provided a necessary breather, no matter how short the space and what will happen next.

In our complex political scene, it is already extremely difficult to separate the facts from the fictions, the good from evil, the right from wrong. We are one big baffled family, and uninformed, prejudiced overbearing interference from outside can only make the confusion worse. The very real threat is that such meddling can be easily exploited to tip the level-playing field of our politics, thereby smashing any chance for us, no matter how slim, to find our own Holy Grail.


-- The Nation 2014-05-23

Fair enough, get on with it.

[Nines]

It's good to get some perspective from people who are actually there. I have a couple friends teaching English in BKK, have been there prob 7-10 yrs. One had ppl killed right outside her apartment, she's a bit freaked out, but is laying low and taking it easy. I hear the military has pulled all the TV broadcasts, local and international. It seems tense, I hope everyone stays safe and things settle down.

[kramnala58]

... I hear the military has pulled all the TV broadcasts, local and international ...

Yes, all TV and radio has been shut down except for military announcements. There are also rumors of shutting down social media. I am looking at alternatives like VPN to keep me connected to the rest of the world.

[waspmike]

TV is back on, overseas channels were never effected if one had expensive cable. (except maybe BBC and CNN who's reporters broadcast from the balcony outside the bar at the Foreign Correspondent's Club!)
Curfew (very soft) has been relaxed to 12p - 4am.
Life pretty much goes on as usual. I'm going to the pub quiz tonight as usual, I went running on Saturday afternoon as usual. The guy were saying the curfew they get from their wife is worse!
A friend of mine was talking to a business man on the plane on on Friday and he was saying with the military in charge sometime approvals for project get signed off very quickly as there are less palms to grease so in some instances it can be better for business.
Anyone thinking of coming for a holiday should just come, hotels are cheaper etc. beaches are no better or worse than they used to be.

Anything changes for the worse or if you don't here anymore. Don't forget this is the 12 coup since 1932 or some similar statistic.

[kramnala58]

Waspmike ... I am trying to remember, are you the member who sells JCosta variators?

[kramnala58]

Here is my take on the situation in BKK ... similar to Waspmike's

As strange as it sounds, it seems that the military coup has settled things down a bit. There have been a few anti-coup protests that were quite tense, and the military has said that their patience is running thin with the protesters, but so far nothing of significance has been reported beyond temporarily suspending service at a few Skytrain stations for a couple of hours while the protest were happening. We are still under a curfew from 10pm to 5am but most TV stations are back on the air. We still feel quite safe.

[Nines]

I hear Facebook was blocked yesterday/today, any news on that?

[kramnala58]

It got blocked yesterday for about an hour ... the military came on national television and said it was a "technical glitch". Not sure why the military would feel the need to make a public announcement that there was a technical glitch ... unless maybe they had something to do with it.

I decided to install a VPN so that I can get outside access whenever I want.

[kramnala58]

By the way Nines, where in Newfoundland do you live. My in-laws have a summer home in Twillingate.

[waspmike]

Waspmike ... I am trying to remember, are you the member who sells JCosta variators?

Sent you a PM.

[Nines]

By the way Nines, where in Newfoundland do you live. My in-laws have a summer home in Twillingate.

I'm about 20 mins outside St. John's.

[kramnala58]

My wife and I have been to Newfoundland twice to visit her parents and we just love it there.