Nose Job

PM might be serious about sign language that depict him in his representation among the deaf. Oh, such a touchy topic.

With Samak as a Prime Minister, my grand father would havehad turned in his grave, if he had not been actually cremated.

Samak’s mission is a tough one. He has to “reunited” people who hate him and do not trust him to run the country. Personally, I think it is partly not for himself. Yet, Thais who elected and did not elected him do know about nominee issue. It is in the air, you can sniff it. Already at day one, Samak has to disprove that he, himself cannot do it. It is likely that he has to make it appear to be that there is no more shadow government in Hong Kong or the UK, but only one in the Parliament.

Samak must also appeal to the people who were stirred to think that he is not loyal. In Bangkok Post “Samak: Give me a Chance” Samak has been quoted saying:

“I assure all of you that I can do it. The past 24 prime ministers had been patriotic, protecting the religion and loyal to the monarchy. Compared to them, I’m no less loyal to the manorchy,” Mr Samak said. “We have had the monarchy for hundreds of year and the institution will continue to be with us.”

The issue of loyalty was far more an agenda than anticipated performance. Before his Prime Ministership, Samak had declared his loyalty and he have confirmed once again, when he was appointed.

One of the reasons that people, not political theorists or activists may not worry about the performance, is they have already known and convinced about his position as a nominee, that will over power his decision to run the country. People already know what kind of policies package they will get and what style of administration will be, since Samak volunteered to head People Power Party.

I did not mean Samak is incapable to be a PM on his own, when he chose to represent Thai Raks Thai’s ideology reborn in People Power Party. It was not about incapacity. With his old alliance, it would be impossible for him to gain 200+ MPs and become a PM. With his new deal as PPP’s head,everything can be possible.

The most difficult thing for Samak, is to conform to people’s conviction. He will have to perform as independent and not related to Thaksin and old TRT connection, when the connection is already there. Given his capacity to keep performing, I htink he will not have to worry about his first term, particularly if he agreed to clear a soft landing to the master.

Filed under: Political Sciences

Who is the 4th Speaker in KNS panel?

Chang Noi has an op-ed about the “fourth speaker” at KNS panel.

And the “fourth speaker” was err…. er…

Man, I didn’t know who is the fourth speaker. Do I have to count from the moderator or begin with the first speaker?
Chang Noi has an op-ed about the “fourth speaker” at KNS panel.

And the “fourth speaker” was err…. er…

Man, I didn’t know who is the fourth speaker. Do I have to count from the moderator or begin with the first speaker?

From what Chang Noi review about the fourth speaker. I like the arguments. I like both.

Seriously I think santibal should do what the fourth speaker and Chang Noi suggested. Buy a copy and have it translated, then see if what they have imagined and promoted mass paranoid about the KNS, was reasonable. Had people who worried about it read it? Had people who had read it really think it is a new framework? Can they describe what is new?

The fourth speaker and Chang Noi, to me, offer the most honest assessment and opinion of the book. They do not try to raised its academic significances if/where it may not have. They do not try to churn out anything new when it was not presented in the book just because it “named” the worn out phenomenon already known openly for years and years and many Thais endorse and embrace more than willingly.

And the fourth speaker is (after asking my friends)…

You know that I am kidding, man. I knew who is the fourth speaker because I checked New Mandala From what Chang Noi review about the fourth speaker. I like their arguments. I like both.

Seriously I think santibal should do what the forth speaker and Chang Noi suggested. Buy a copy and have it translated, then see if what they have imagined and promoted mass paranoid about the KNS, was reasonable. Had people who worried about it read it? Had people who had read it really think it is a new framework? Can they describe what is new?

The forth speaker and Chang Noi, to me, offer the most honest assessment and opinion of the book. They do not try to raised its academic significances if/where it may not have. They do not try to churn out anything new when it was not presented in the book just because it “named” the worn out phenomenon already known openly for years and years and many Thais endorse and embrace more than willingly.

And the forth speaker is (after asking my friends)…

You know that I am kidding, man. I knew who is the forth speaker because I checked New Mandala

Filed under: Free speech, Narratives, Sociology and Anthropology

I am an it-girl

We like to talk about it. Rumors, fictions, speculations, researches, interviews of someone claimed to know something about it, yet we cannot talk about it openly and directly as we wanted to talk. That does not mean we cannot talk about it. How we talk and what we talk is crucial, perhaps.

Let’s talk about it.

We can mask it as academic issues or freedom of expression to make it fit with ways to talk about it, and make it seem like a historical fact, an issue worth panel discussion or to be studied, an unknown terrain we would like to reveal and investigate from a certain distance with certain sets of rhetoric, grammar and setting. There is actually a big gap when you talk about it.

With friends, heard it as a rumor, or through forwarded emails however how “inappropriate” it could be, yet so far I have never heard a mass arrest. With colleagues, probably the tone, languages and how you approach it must be different. In a panel, you might find that it is quite difficult to articulate something, probably when you have to meet audience’s expectation. Finally no one cannot publicly say anything much about it because of the law, the setting, the mood and tone of that panel and public/self censoring stuffs.

They said don’t be a hero.

We reach an academic conclusion that it is important and it is difficult to talk about it.

We like transgression, then expect self-punishment from difficulties following a discussion of it in the wrong time at the wrong place.

But after a while, content matters.

My friend went to a sexuality conference and asked if I know a slang. I have never known it in my daily life. She said it was rude. But in a panel, a panelist address each of them impersonally, for academic freedom and the progress of sexuality research. Almost every slangs were not left unturned to test academic freedom.

Yet, the final conclusion, Thai people are not open about sex, they cannot discuss sex openly, even the academic do not conduct plenty researches so we have to, for academic progress, talk more and more about it.

But in the end, what is in the closet might be a boring, wear out, ambiguous and much repeated statements.

It is already in the air. We may keep the most fierce debates among ourselves and trusted ones.

Yet, at the sexuality conference, my friend don’t complained “I don’t have enough of it. The conference was over saturated with it, revolved around with expectation of it, and they talked about every nukes and crannies of it until I am sick of it.”

Filed under: Narratives

US Recession

The story has played itself out time and time again over the past 30 years. Global investors, disappointed with the returns they’re getting, search for alternatives. They think they’ve found what they’re looking for in some country or other, and money rushes in.

But eventually it becomes clear that the investment opportunity wasn’t all it seemed to be, and the money rushes out again, with nasty consequences for the former financial favorite. That’s the story of multiple financial crises in Latin America and Asia. And it’s also the story of the U.S. combined housing and credit bubble. These days, we’re playing the role usually assigned to third-world economies.

For reasons I’ll explain later, it’s unlikely that America will experience a recession as severe as that in, say, Argentina. But the origins of our problem are pretty much the same. And understanding those origins also helps us understand where U.S. economic policy went wrong.

The global origins of our current mess were actually laid out by none other than Ben Bernanke, in an influential speech he gave early in 2005, before he was named chairman of the Federal Reserve. Mr. Bernanke asked a good question: “Why is the United States, with the world’s largest economy, borrowing heavily on international capital markets — rather than lending, as would seem more natural?”

Krugman said in NYT

Seem like whoever will be elected will face tough tasks of restoring the US economy. Likewise, whoever will be Thailand’s 25th Prime Minister and his supporters will have to boost the country’s performace, particularly to ensure that the money that come in will not contribute to build the bubbles for their interests.

Now let see how S word will help the new cabinet in the new even more interlinked transnational recession.

Filed under: Political Sciences

We still need opposition parties…

I don’t think that Dr. Prawes Wasi’s “critic” published through the Nation (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/01/07/politics/politics_30061365.php) will help the country stirring through its crisis of faith. Simply because we need opposition parties.

During the Thaksin regime when the number of opposition party was less than meaningful, the mechanism for check and balance through the parliament was crippled. Thus, other elite institutions were asked to intervene, yet none could event challenge the regime’s legitimacy until the final blow to the state was administrated. Then that coup make the country even more weakened and yet, people still want PPP.

Asking the Democrat party to share ministerial post is different from consulting the opposition parties during a white house breakfast meeting. Opposition parties should be free to question and inspect conducts of the government. Who would perform the duty when Democrat MP has to debate another Democrat assistant ministers?

Reconciliation does not, perhaps, mean that we will have to follow the majority lead when something is not just or right. Being a part of majority cannot automatically make anything right. We still need some parties to warn the rest to travel in the right and just ways, not many parties that agree to cover for one another or stay quiet in return to because of ministership. The parties in the parliament can reconcile without being lumped into the same cabinet.

The country needs reconciliation and forgiveness, but the forgiveness should be given when every parties involve know what is wrong and what will be forgiven. It would not be superficial as to forget misconducts of any parties and let it be forgiven because no one can turn back time and no one can point out what is good or bad to the country– what the country should not tolerate and let it happen, though the past will be forgiven.

Still we need opposition party rather than relying on other intervention from non-parliament institution like courts, anti-corruption commission alone.

Filed under: Political Sciences, Truth and Reconciliation

How to present paper in Thai Studies Conference

Short noticeat 10th ICTS Conference:

“working language: English”

Just thinking that it would be nice to listen to the Mae Khong basin present in Lao or in Tai.  And English would surely be the  working language in “international” conference.

During fieldwork, we spoke, write, read and research in different languages. English is practical, a second language for most Thais. Perhaps, doing in Thai way, everybody has to speak English inorder to present.

A friend suggest bilingual in presentation material or “subtitle” it.

Am I too nationalist?

What a pity.

Filed under: Time out

Amulet In Place of Bulletproof: Where is the military spending?

From Bangkok Post

TROOPS GET AMULET PROTECTION
Soldiers ordered to wear Luang Poo Jiam talismans at all times in Pattani

Story by WASSANA NANUAM

Amulets consecrated by the late Luang Poo Jiam of Wat Intrasukaram have become a compulsory uniform accessory for about 4,000 soldiers from the Northeast deployed in Pattani. They have been ordered to wear the amulets at all times or face a punishment of three nights behind bars.

Maj-Gen Thawatchai Samutsakorn, deputy commander of the 2nd Army Region and currently commander of the Pattani Task Force, said he had issued Luang Poo Jiam amulets to all the men in the four battalions deployed to the far South from the Northeast, and given strict orders that they wear them at all times.

It is not an unpopular order as amulets and Buddhist soldiers go hand in hand in the far South.

It is said that the number of talismans worn by the members of the 20 battalions in the far South far exceed the number of troops.

Some soldiers have over 100 amulets with them. Wearing amulets gives them confidence and they believe a sacred object will protect them from danger. ”This amulet makes me feel safe even if I don’t have a bulletproof vest,” one soldier said.

Maj-Gen Thawatchai, a native of Khon Kaen, has kept one amulet, from the ”King’s soldiers” collection, for himself. It is worn together with a small, inscribed, metallic scroll, or takrud.

Luang Poo Jiam was the abbot of Wat Intrasukaram in Sangkha district of Surin. He consecrated about 100,000 amulets shortly before he died two years ago at the age of 97.

It is one of the most sought-after collections for people in the Northeast.

Pvt Kiattisak Tangthong said he brought about 20 different amulets with him from his home in Surin and was given the Luang Poo Jiam amulet as an extra.

”I am happy to wear it because it will protect me from harm and also from punishment. Failing to wear it will put me in jail for three nights,” the private said.

However, he realised his commanders issued the instruction with the best of intentions.

”They want us to be safe. That’s all,” he said.

Sgt Sitthiporn Thongsuk, 53, also from Surin, said he brought more than 100 amulets with him to the far South and usually wears more than 40 at a time. One is from Luang Poo Jiam’s ”King’s soldiers” collection, but he bought it himself in Surin a long time ago.

”My Luang Poo Jiam amulet protected me during the Thai-Lao conflict, known as the Chong Bok battle, in 1988 and I hope Luang Poo Jiam will continue to help me,” he said.

Maj-Gen Thawatchai said he began strictly enforcing the order after the bombing of a bus carrying his soldiers two weeks ago.

They were on the way back to Pattani after a short break in Khon Kaen. It was said some soldiers on the fourth bus were not wearing the amulet when the bus was attacked. They kept it in their rucksack instead.

Fifteen were injured. Those wearing the amulets on the other three buses were unharmed.

”I learned that some merely kept the amulets in their bags.

This was why they were not protected.

”So I have ordered them to wear it at all times,” Maj-Gen Thawatchai said.

When they think about buying a submarine, didn’t they also think that the men in the south need bulletproof vests. The budget for submarine could buy plenty of bulletproof vest and amulets for additional confidence.

Filed under: Security