New Mandala: Craving For Thai Politics

Got several warnings these days from friends. To tone down the postings on absolutelyBangkok.com. For fear of being troubled by the new rulers in town.

Hey, we talk lifestyle here. Compared to several Thai and foreign online sites, the observations on absolutely are quite flattering.

But we’re reasonable, we listen to advise.

A site that is hardly concerned about taboos and doesn’t shy away from stirring controversies is the more academic – and therefore more credible – New Mandala.

The advantage of this site? The authors do not reside in Thailand, they therefore enjoy no fear of being harassed or expelled.

Says author Nicholas Farrelly: “Publish or perish.”

Easy to say for somebody residing safely abroad. But we need such people. Especially in times of the new harding of freedom, reoccurence of authoritarian populism and return of demagogy.

New Mandala holds lively debates about those very issues – lead by two academics from the field of Asian Studies: Farrelly, a graduate of Asian Studies and current doctoral student in Oxford, and Andrew Walker, an anthropologist at the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the Australia National University.

Says Farrelly: “We call our site New Mandala. At the beginning, New Mandala was intentionally experimental. We were unsure whether our brand of anecdote and analysis would garner any kind of audience. Then, in September 2006, the Thai army staged one of its sporadic coups and our hitherto obscure online undertaking was catapulted to prominence.”

“Since those tumultuous days, New Mandala has attracted and retained an audience much larger than the handfuls that attend conference presentations or read scholarly papers. This is not an attempt to gloat – it is merely the reality of the medium. Even our relatively small online presence garners many hundreds of daily visitors. And the numbers are continuing to grow. Today, our audience is drawn from every country of Southeast Asia and from well over a hundred other nations around the world. Many of our most regular and passionate readers are not academics. They often tell us that they appreciate the openness of our editorial policy and the opportunity to engage with the big ideas in Southeast Asian Studies.”

Nicholas Farrelly.

Who emphasizes New Mandala’s “.edu” domain: “The “.edu” and “.ac” domains of academic educational institutions are now a mark of quality content and reliable information,” Farrelly says. “An enviable position.”

Granted.

absolutelyBangkok.com may only sport a commercializing “.com”. But hey. There’s an advantage in being an “independent” and living in the very spot where the action takes place.

And, as said, a big disadvantage: Freedoms under the new regime may diminish again.

That’s is why we need New Mandala and such.




Sphere: Related Content

Related posts on absolutelyBangkok.com:

  1. The Impossibility Of Thai Politics
  2. Trust & Integrity: How Thai Politics Punish A Nation
  3. Asian Correspondent & Bloggers’ Coming-Of-Age
  4. Quo Vadis Prathet Thai
  5. Machiavelli Personality Test: Are We A Better Thai Politician?
  6. Harem Culture & Colonialism’s Dirty Little Secrets
  7. No Humor Please, We’re Thai

January 31, 2008 | Filed Under On Our Own, Politics, Society 

Comments

2 Responses to “New Mandala: Craving For Thai Politics”

  1. panmoria on January 31st, 2008 6.58 pm

    Me feels there is more talk than ever in Thailand about the previously never-talked. Perhaps a sign of a maturing society.

  2. oneditorial on February 1st, 2008 11.18 am

    It is quite likely that Crocodile Dundee has a special admiration for Thaksin. Did anyone notice that during his exile, the ex-PM went to Australia? I wonder why? Maybe the owner of New Mandala has something to explain to its readers.

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