1 + 1 = 3

A year ago, a few days before HM the King’s 81st birthday, Thailand was in the hands of reactionary yellow shirts who saw themselves on a holy mission to save the Thai nation and crown at whatever cost from doomsday. Hundreds of thousands of tourists paid a heavy price, not to mention the losses Thai businesses faced in the aftermath of the world’s probably first “legitimate” airport occupation.

Don’t tell me court cases are pending. You know better than anyone that nothing will happen. Thailand was under lockdown and no authority dared to intervene as the lockdown happened in the name of you know of whom and what, stoically ignoring that the fight did much more harm than good to the values the yellows ought to protect. This year, a few days before HM the King’s 82nd birthday, red shirts are calling off a mass rally to not cause the king even more worries.

The discrepancy between yellow politics and red politics doesn’t go unnoticed. The Post Bag’s a treasure trove these days of digs at the yellow ideologists. “What a difference a year makes,” writes Per G. With people asking if the red shirts had no respect for HM the King’s birthday by holding a (now cancelled) mass rally when the whole nation is preparing to celebrate his birthday … There are even signs that the intelligentsia and part of the elite are distancing themselves from the yellow nationalists.

Take this piece by The Nation titled Scrapping of Gulf Agreement Could Prove a Nuisance: The scrapping of the convention is obviously based on the same emotional retaliation the yellow shirts apply in their fight against anything they don’t like. Don’t like it, then don’t accept it. There’s a law? Don’t bother. Anything goes in the name of an honorable crusade. 1 + 1 = 3. Don’t argue.

There is no legal basis to any of the Thai government’s legal threats. Except that Thaksin’s a bad man and deserves the full force of Thai law. Writes The Nation:

In reality though, Thaksin had nothing to do with the (maritime agreement) deal, which was negotiated by the then-foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai. The only people who knew all details of the deal were foreign ministry officials, some of whom are still with the government, while others have retired. As the top boss, Thaksin might have known something about the pact, but it is ridiculous to say that he knows everything.

(…)

Article 62 of the convention, which is based on fundamental changes in circumstance, cannot be applied either. The fundamental change that can be deemed the cause for termination would have to “radically transform the extent of obligations still to be performed under the treaty.” Thaksin’s appointment (by Cambodia) cannot be regarded as a “fundamental change of circumstances” because he is neither a signatory nor a subject of the treaty.

Even our dear prime minister seems to have gotten cold feet by now, realizing that to blindly follow the diktat of the yellow camp doesn’t really serve Thailand that much. After threatening Thaksin-friendly Cambodia with the pullout of loans and cancellation of treaties Abhisit now speaks of confusion among the Cambodian leadership who said they don’t need no Thai loan to build a road that serves mainly Thai traders. Who’s confused? What a humiliation.

Under growing pressure Abhisit phoned Hun Sen for the first time, asking the Cambodian premier again to please not reject the Thai loan. But Abhisit didn’t submit the request in writing as agreed, so Hun Sen was left saying that “Abhisit is the most difficult person to work with among the Thai PMs I have worked with.”

Implying Thai prime ministers come and go while he, Hun Sen, stays on and on.

Analyzes The Nation: PM Shot Himself in the Foot. Thailand would have been a beneficiary in the road project. No more. As long as Hun Sen is in power …

Again, as mentioned in earlier posts, this is not Abhisit himself causing the whole spat only to make a U-turn. He’s not his own man since accepting the premiership. It’s obvious again that he’s only the pretty face of a nasty reality behind. Abhisit is in no way the decision maker, but has to face the music and may sooner or later tire of it and call it a day, filled with bitterness.

So the real question is: Who is causing damage?

Emailed a reader this quote from our dear foreign minister:

If anyone causes damage to the country, the person’s passport will be revoked.

Then, well, “in light of the Cambodia fiasco and the extensive damage to Thailand’s position and standing,” writes the reader, “that would seem to necessitate revoking the passport of none other than HE Kasit. I just can’t see how any foreign minister of any country could survive such a gross error in judgement and behavior.”

Look at Germany’s former defense minister who just stepped down following criticism over an Afghan air strike … following criticism … Said he accepted “political responsibility” …

“The whole Cambodian affair has been one gigantic diplomatic misplay by the Thailand group,” our reader goes on, “and they are going to end up looking very measly faced smirky faced when they try to weasel back into Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen’s good graces … I think Hun Sen is going to know just how to handle it when they start trying to get back in … as with the fishing fleet the concession price is going to go up at least 30%, etc.”

While – hear this – this same foreign minister says his office did not request Cambodia to sack Thaksin … You have a minister with zero nada zilch credibility rubbing off on what’s left of Thailand’s credibility.

As long as 1 plus 1 can equal 3 in Thailand not much will change.

No heads have to roll and accountability and responsibility remain strange foreign words.




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November 29, 2009 | Filed Under Politics 

Comments

11 Responses to “1 + 1 = 3”

  1. Rich on November 29th, 2009 8.10 pm

    That’s interesting. Thai intelligentsia. A new concept to grapple with.

    And just where have these giant intellects been for the past 60 years. In the time t has taken Japan and South Lore to grow to prominence, in five times the time it has taken China to begin to realise her potential, Thailand has descended further and further into some stone age opium dream of Dhammaraja and reincarnated Sukhothai monarchs.

    So where were they? Sleeping? Just waking up now that it is almost certainly too late to avoid serious bloodshed.

    Thai intelligentsia, what you have when you don’t have an intelligentsia.

  2. Tweets that mention 1 + 1 = 3 -- Topsy.com on November 29th, 2009 10.58 pm

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by noname2nowhere, BangkokDan. BangkokDan said: (BLOG) 1 + 1 = 3 http://bit.ly/8Vc0ia [...]

  3. uberVU - social comments on November 30th, 2009 12.37 pm

    Social comments and analytics for this post…

    This post was mentioned on Twitter by BangkokDan: (BLOG) 1 + 1 = 3 http://bit.ly/8Vc0ia...

  4. Frank on December 2nd, 2009 1.27 am

    Well I surely think the red shirts do not care more about the king’s birthday to hold rallies as when they planned it, they obvisouly knew it would be around the king’s birthday. It is obvious that the main reason they postponed is that they are looking to gain more support from the general public. They lost a lot of support/acceptance during their Songkran mess.

    So I do not think the reds are better than the yellows as you seem to imply. But I do agree that the yellows have turned nastier in their talk lately – also losing support which is normal, but not yet to the extend that the reds were in April.

    About Abhisit and Cambodia. Well did Cambodia not have an extradition treaty with Thailand that Hun Sen ignored?

    You seem a bit red/Thaksin biased, no?

  5. BangkokDan on December 2nd, 2009 8.37 am

    Well Frank there is not much choice, or is there.

    On the one hand you have a hilarious justice jailing pro-Thaksin leaders for seizing The Nation building, on the other hand a seized airport is treated as a minor event. Out of mind, out of sight. Did the airport occupation even take place?! Right, they wore the protected color.

    On the one hand you have a movement hiding behind taboos and demanding extra-constitutional rights and protection, on the other hand you have the – sad to say – elected government that back then couldn’t even think of enforcing the ISA as all hell would break loose. These days? The ISA is all the government has to engage the opposition. No dialog, no exchange, no nothing.

    If you think rationally you’re left with no choice. This non-ending application of double standards asks for the support of David, not Goliath.

    True, Thaksin saw himself above the law. Abhisit’s men though interpret the law even more heinously for their own benefits.

    And if the reds would be in power I’d criticize the reds, it’s that easy.

    BangkokDan

  6. Rich on December 2nd, 2009 4.09 pm

    Quite right.

  7. StanG on December 2nd, 2009 6.42 pm

    Airport or even government house takeovers are not direct comparisons with The Nation’s case – people were not under any threat there.

    During The Nation’s blockade the exits had been blocked and protesters checked everyone coming and going if they worked for The Nation or not and they were threatening to rape female journalists.

    This has to be punished regardless of double standards and progress of cases against PAD.

    If you want to compare it, then probably attack on NBT is the closest.

    On MoU with Cambodia there was a letter in the Nation from a former Thai negotiator. His first letter, published in Matichon, forced Pridiyathorn to withdraw his support for the cancellation, but the clarification had probably made him rethink his position again.

    As far as I remember the argument FOR cancellation was that Thaksin knew Thai bottom line, how much they were prepared to concede. For more details I’d have to dig up the paper again, it wasn’t published on the net.

  8. BangkokDan on December 2nd, 2009 7.05 pm

    Ah StanG you and your compelling need to be certain and right about everything.

    (Above’s actually quoting from an email I got from a reader who seemed puzzled by your steady flow of same same comments …)

    Seriously, you must have been in the Maldives on holidays during the airport seizure, or at least you happily manage to ignore the armed PAD thugs and the dead body that was found in an airport warehouse and civilians that were hunted down near the main terminal. Cute try.

    Please, if you want to argue then based on facts, not distortions.

    I won’t let other false allegations through next time. Yes, that’s a warning.

    You’re actually mimicking the PAD rhetoric, which is adorable in a way.

    BangkokDan

  9. StanG on December 3rd, 2009 12.33 pm

    The Nation’s verdict is for “criminal coercion and threatening to cause physical harm.”

    I don’t think there are any similar charges in the airport case.

    I’m curious about civilians that were hunted down.

    (BD: And because there are no similar charges that means nothing of it happened, right. It was all singing and dancing and good food, forgot.)

  10. StanG on December 3rd, 2009 1.52 pm

    I said they are not direct comparisons – in The Nation’s case they didn’t just block the building, they threatened people inside and kept them as hostages for nearly 12 hours.

    The thousand strong mob demanded that Nation handed over a reporter they accused of lèse majesté. Were they going to lynch him? Beat him up?

    Eventually they settled on Kom Chad Luek suspending publication for five days as a “punishment” for LM.

    The LM offense was committed by Sondhi, he was tried and convicted later on, Kom Chad Luek was accused of printing his comments, as far as I remember.

    (BD: Once again, before I close this thread for answers that force us to run in circles: Any government or authority with the slightest hint of credibility would find a long list of possible charges from very mild to utterly harsh against the airport mob. Just because there are no serious charges means it was some pleasant picnic outing in a welcoming environment? That’s how the yellow shirts portrayed it … Following this line of thought it’s clear that there’s always a mindset ready to be manipulated and instrumentalized, allowing history’s big tragedies really. Well look Bangkok Pundit has a timely piece on the airport fiasco and double standards. Not much to add.)

  11. Bangkokfever on December 15th, 2009 11.28 am

    What interest reading an article so biased, it just repeats over and over the red shirt’s propaganda?

    Furthermore, taking such propaganda for granted cannot be called “journalism,” can it?

    (BD: This is not a newspaper my dear, this is a blog.)

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