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rychrde
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Posts posted by rychrde
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The article said: It could be said that our democracy is just a "knock-off" of the British model and superficially revolves around an electoral process, while there is still the lack of a profound understanding of democratic principles including duties and responsibilities of citizens in addition to their fundamental rights.
This is part of the problem, Thais not understanding their personal responsiblity of the democratic process. Yes, protesting freely is part of democracy, but you still have to follow the ordances and guidelines for a demonstration; next voting "smart" is another responsibility of a citizen which means you do not vote for a candidate because you are "bribed". I can remember taking civic classes when I was in school which educated me what a democracy was. I wonder if the Thai schools teach what responsibilities one has living in a democracy and how it works? (I doubt it)
Actually, students do learn about democracy at school! I can't speak for what Thai teachers teach but the teachers in English and Bilingual Programmes do make an effort to explain the history and concepts of democracy as laid down by the ministry of education's curriculum. Democracy is part of the Social Studies curriculum, which this year has been expanded. However, until Thais accept that there is a wider world out there that they can learn from I'm going to have to skip 'sensitive' parts of the history of systems of rule such as the Bolshevik revolution, the storming of the Bastille and indeed any revolution against an autocrat, royal or otherwise.
So, will be interesting to see how far I will be able to enlighten my students on democracy assuming this current crisis carries on into the new academic year.
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OK, here comes a question... it's a long one tho...
I'm getting bored with all the hot air about whether the current government is legit or not. Let's see if we can unpick what actually went on. The Thai House of Representatives is elected in a similar way to the UK House of Commons. In Thailand there are 480 seats up for grabs of which 400 are directly elected through constituencies (like in Britain) and 80 are based on proportional representation with the MPs chosen from party lists. A look at Thailand's parliament website shows that it currently lists 475 MPs. I assume this is up to date.
So the parliament is 5 MPs short of its maximum. In the UK if an MP was unseated, for whatever reason, that seat would be contested with a local election and new MP chosen as soon as practically possible. In Thailand, this would also be the case if the MP came from a constituency. If that MP had been elected via PR from a party list then that list would be consulted again and the name at the top would become the new MP. However, if that party has no more members on that list, or if that party no longer exists then no new MP would replace the one that had stepped down. This is from the new constitution and assume I've read it correctly.
So, going back to the three governments since the 2007 election, the PPP gained 233 seats, 8 short of an overall majority. Now, what I'd like to know (yes I could research this and it would take me ages!) is how many MPs have since been kicked out of parliament, from which parties and whether they were elected by their constituency or by PR?
The importance here, I think, is that when the PPP was dissolved and then regrouped as the PTP, how were many of the vacant parliamentary seats allocated, if at all? Those PPP members elected under PR could not be replaced by PTP members as they were different parties. However, if all PPP MPs who left parliament had been elected from their constituencies, then fresh MPs with the same allegiances could have been elected and regained their coalition majority and, perhaps, an Abhisit government never formed.
The implication of all this is that governments with slim majorities can be destabilised by attacking those PR-elected MPs and that banning a whole party effectively eliminates those PR-elected members without replacement.
29 constituency MP's lost their seats as a result of the disolution of the parties. A by-election was held on Jan 11, 2009. The coalition parties gained 20 of the 29 seats, increasing the majority in the House.
TH
Many thanks!
Missed that bit of data!
Do you know how many PR-elected MPs lost their seats and how many of those were replaced? Or a link to such information. If I've understood the constitution correctly, banning a party does not disqualify a sitting MP from changing party and remaining in position, even if PR-elected; only if an MP becomes 'unfit' to hold that position does it trigger either a local election or a look at the PR roll-call. I guess we know that the net outcome was 5 'missing' seats, which in itself would make no difference now but may well have done in 2008/2009 when both top parties were claiming a working majority.
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OK, here comes a question... it's a long one tho...
I'm getting bored with all the hot air about whether the current government is legit or not. Let's see if we can unpick what actually went on. The Thai House of Representatives is elected in a similar way to the UK House of Commons. In Thailand there are 480 seats up for grabs of which 400 are directly elected through constituencies (like in Britain) and 80 are based on proportional representation with the MPs chosen from party lists. A look at Thailand's parliament website shows that it currently lists 475 MPs. I assume this is up to date.
So the parliament is 5 MPs short of its maximum. In the UK if an MP was unseated, for whatever reason, that seat would be contested with a local election and new MP chosen as soon as practically possible. In Thailand, this would also be the case if the MP came from a constituency. If that MP had been elected via PR from a party list then that list would be consulted again and the name at the top would become the new MP. However, if that party has no more members on that list, or if that party no longer exists then no new MP would replace the one that had stepped down. This is from the new constitution and assume I've read it correctly.
So, going back to the three governments since the 2007 election, the PPP gained 233 seats, 8 short of an overall majority. Now, what I'd like to know (yes I could research this and it would take me ages!) is how many MPs have since been kicked out of parliament, from which parties and whether they were elected by their constituency or by PR?
The importance here, I think, is that when the PPP was dissolved and then regrouped as the PTP, how were many of the vacant parliamentary seats allocated, if at all? Those PPP members elected under PR could not be replaced by PTP members as they were different parties. However, if all PPP MPs who left parliament had been elected from their constituencies, then fresh MPs with the same allegiances could have been elected and regained their coalition majority and, perhaps, an Abhisit government never formed.
The implication of all this is that governments with slim majorities can be destabilised by attacking those PR-elected MPs and that banning a whole party effectively eliminates those PR-elected members without replacement.
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Is there some government money suddenly appearing to employ native English speakers in state schools?
I've just been asked to do a similar thing in my local primary school - kids 7 to 12 years old.
Problem is, I've had no interview, don't know when they might want me to start, and they want me to tell them how much money I want!! The Thai head of English doesn't speak very good English either! he knows nothing about the regulations about employing a falang in a state school. I went to have a look at the school and he said I'd be following his lesson plans although what I saw was all in Thai!
I have a degree and a TEFL, so the paperwork shouldn't be a problem. I'm just concerned about how they are going about this.
My job would be for six hours a week - a full Monday of conversation English. I imagine as a temp I'd get no holiday pay so not sure what to ask for... 1,000-1,500 baht?
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I'm posting this in the hope that those of you with a much deeper experience of Buddhism in Thailand may have some sources of information. I don't want to repost the whole article, so please read it here:
http://thailand-village.blogspot.com/2009/...est-hermit.html
In short, last weekend I had an initiation into Lersi teachings. I can best describe it as tantric as it had all the hallmarks. Has anybody else had this in Thailand? Is it standard Theravada or is it a school apart?
Also, the main symbol seems to be of a butterfly. But the poster I'd seen at the temple also had Taoist yin-yang symbols on it. So what is this butterfly cult?
I'm having difficulty finding anything meaningful on all this online – having a host of different transliterations of Thai words doesn't help either. So am hoping the collective wisdom on TV will help.
Thanks in advance.
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Hello rychrde, I grew rosemary from seed here, no real problems.
rice555
Hi, where did you get the seeds from?
And thanks sbk for the link. Had a look at Plants & Pets but is 99% about pets and gave up!
The link, for anybody else who may need it is to AFM Group
http://www.afmgroup.com/afm/company/index.htm
However, they specialize in flowering plants rather than in herbs, vegetables and trees... so still looking!
Thanks for such quick replies
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Hi, did a search on this within this forum but couldn't find anything.
Does anybody know a source of Mediterranean plants or seeds in Thailand?
I have some land and wanted to experiment with some European plants such as rosemary, lavender, rocket salad etc. Have looked into olives too, but suspect the land here has too much clay and prone to waterlogging - hence the ubiquitous eucalyptus trees.
I know, can just order seeds from Europe but have not as yet investigated the pitfalls of ordering actual plants and if they'd survive.
any help appreciated
Rych
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Rocky, in answer to your original question, why not do the experiment and see for yourself? I mean, try hypnosis for a while and see what it really feels like rather than believing what others (many who from their comments have no experience of hypnosis) are saying. Hypnosis was developed as a secular tool in psycotherapy. It can implant ideas into your head if you let someone else do so, but it can also be liberating in shedding the effects of past experiences. It can also lead to profound spiritual experiences. Just try it, and report back :-) To avoid some of the suggestions implanted into many self-hypnosis tapes just use the same method and record your own. Eventually you'll be able to go down into that state without the verbal props. Remote viewing techniques are also very similar and, I suspect, lead to the same state but for a different purpose. Free materials at the farsight institute and monroe institute. The mind is still the most mysterious part of space.
Hi rychrde
I've used hypnotherapy in the past.
The psychologist was a little rushed and not flowing when we had our session.
She taped it and invited me to play the recording daily during relaxation sessions.
I ended up adopting her speech mannerisms, some quite annoying, but my issue remained.
There's no doubt hypnotism works and can be powerful.
My concern was:
Are Buddhist beliefs real or is the experience a product of auto hypnosis and not real?
Most have indicated that a teacher or guide is needed to facilitate growth and enlightenment.
There in lies the problem.
Approved Buddhist teachers or guides provide the input or material for hypnosis.
Some self teach by reading Buddhist works.
It becomes auto hypnosis because you apply it during the sitting.
Does following such instruction (suggestion) during sittings end up creating the illusion of enlightenment or is it real?
A few things here. Different Buddhist schools have different philosophies regarding enlightenment. I don't think this is such a bad thing, as keeps them all on their toes and provides a way of justifying these esoteric states from becoming just verbal props. I came across Tibetan Dzogchen when in a Zen monastery - yeah ironic really! One of the basic Dzogchen views is that everyone can, theoretically, achieve enlightenment in this lifetime and on their own. This was of key importance to me, as I thought the same - having an unbroken chain of masters and students is useful in propagating the practices but if self-realisation is negated then breaking such a chain would logically break the ability to gain self-knowledge. Also, many experiences I had were before I had encountered Buddhism and therefore were not conditioned by its teachings. So, according to Dzogchen, there is nothing stopping you gaining enlightenment on your own. Indeed, according to Dzogchen, everyone is already enlightened - they just don't know it. This is very similar to neoplatonism in that the philosopher's stone is the most obvious and simple thing in the universe but that the foolish simply ignore it.
Given this philosophical outlook, in practice there are obstacles in the way and there are a range of practical methods designed to overcome these obstacles. This is where a direct contact between master and student is necessary - and I would stress a personal contact, not just listening to lectures. Tibetans are a practical lot and do not see this as more than an athlete needing a trainer. Assuming the master is teaching from experience then this is invaluable. The texts one works from are also full of commentaries about positive and negative reactions to the practices and any changes that may need to be made to fit the individual. Unless you can read Tibetan then you will need a translator.
There is no knowledge from the outside - this is true in the physical sciences as in the esoteric sciences. There is no way to know if you are replacing one delusion with another. The one litmus test I use is to see if you are being told that "this is reality". In good tantric style, all the images, all the colours and symbols and breathing excercises are just props - a realisation that they are props leads to a realisation of the inner self that is at the core. The one fundamental problem of most religions is that they tell you to believe that the images are real. The images are symbols relating to functions. To prove this I often quote one of my masters, who, having been brought up in India rather than Tibet, told us that the visions he had as a student were technically correct but were full of Indian characters. The functions were correct, just that the images were influenced by the environment. We would most likely have christian imagery grafted onto these inner functions - a great starting point are Jung's works on the collective unconscious and mystical symbolism. A spiritual system that teaches not to believe these images, not to grasp at them, not to believe that they are the ultimate reality, is the only way I can see not to replace one delusion with another.
Shame about the hypnosis but I too had one hypnotherapist who I at one point lost complete confidence in. I think I said in my first reply that it is worth finding one you like and get on with. Most people think of hypnosis as a loss of control but it is actually a heightened sense of perception - if the hypnotist is having tea and biscuits and flicking through a magazine while you're in regression you certainly know about it.
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Rocky, in answer to your original question, why not do the experiment and see for yourself? I mean, try hypnosis for a while and see what it really feels like rather than believing what others (many who from their comments have no experience of hypnosis) are saying. Hypnosis was developed as a secular tool in psycotherapy. It can implant ideas into your head if you let someone else do so, but it can also be liberating in shedding the effects of past experiences. It can also lead to profound spiritual experiences. Just try it, and report back :-) To avoid some of the suggestions implanted into many self-hypnosis tapes just use the same method and record your own. Eventually you'll be able to go down into that state without the verbal props. Remote viewing techniques are also very similar and, I suspect, lead to the same state but for a different purpose. Free materials at the farsight institute and monroe institute. The mind is still the most mysterious part of space.
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mmm... perhaps I mis-remember, or was from other sources. At the time I was looking at catholic thoughts on both buddhism and science, but about 10 years ago now. Fides et Ratio is worth reading on this.
This link to the Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03028b.htm) especially the concluding section, will give an idea on where battle lines are drawn.
I do recall John Paul II making some inflammatory remarks aimed at all non-Catholic religions including other Christian sects.
Read Ecclesia in Asia (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_06111999_ecclesia-in-asia_en.html
such passages as, "The religious values they [Asian religions] teach await their fulfilment in Jesus Christ." Section 20 is of particular importance in setting out the modus operandi of an evangelization of Asia. Indeed, what I said before now seems part of the plan. Smuggle Jesus into the local pantheon, and at some future time press home the idea that he is somehow superior to all the other deities.
Inter-religious dialogue is merely a war of words - the aim is not to reach a middle ground but to eventually win.
The soteriology mentioned above comes from Tertio Millennio Adveniente
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_pau...eniente_en.html
The stench that pervades all documents is that faith has primacy over reason, and that christian revelation is the only true universal truth with everything else being just a ray of said truth and merely waiting for christian enlightenment.
Anyway, must admit defeat in finding a link and have other things to do...
... need to detox now.
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The description as quoted is pretty much the same as exists in the western esoteric literature as the quintessence or philosopher's stone, or many other obscuring names. According to Dzogchen it can be achieved in the here and now and has nothing to do with monotheisms' dualistic end of times - surely hugely ironic how a monotheism ends up being fundamentally dualistic. Descriptions are necessarily difficult - any of you who have experienced altered states will know that describing them to anybody who has not had the experience can be... trying.
Anyway, has bugger all to do with heaven and hel_l. If you want a western perspective read the neoplatonic alchemists. On second thought, they are more difficult to understand than Buddhism, but worth seeing the same ideas in western garb. Or read Jung as he brought together all the themes.
It is, however, important that words signify the same things to different people, so the only way to verify the meaning is to reproduce the experience.
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Hattaway's book is or at least should be a wake-up call for we Buddhists. Unless we reform the Sangha, better organize ourselves and make more of an effort to both know and apply our religion the Light of Asia may be snuffed out.
An interesting read.
I disagree with the last paragraph though. I would have thought that the light of Asia has already passed to the West. This is evidenced by the enthusiasm for the teachings of western practitioners compared with the lax attitude common in Asia as described in this article, also that most of the remaining accomplished Asian teachers prefer to teach westerners.
I think in many ways the people of Asia would be better off being enthusiatic Christians than a lax Buddhists (obnoxious evangelical attitudes aside).
The thing the people of faith based religions do not understand is that Buddhism is not faith based. If you look at the core of the Buddhas teachings these are universal truths that don't just apply to people who believe in the Buddha. To the degree that someone applies the principals of awakening and gaining freedom from Greed, Hatred, a Delusion is the degree to which they are applying the Buddha's principals. It doesn't matter whether that person is a Buddhist, Christian, Athiest, or Muslim etc.
Of course there are other factors that hinder the above, like narrow minded fundamentalist attitudes, blind belief, but we all have hindrences in our practice to overcome, just some have more than others.
Agreed, the light of buddhism is now largely in the west as many westerners are sick of the dogmatic fideism of the monotheisms.
I have few kind words to say about Catholicism (or any of the near eastern monotheisms). Catholicism is a spiritual empire (Pope Leo I) and will remain so till it dies. It is also interesting that the most poisonous comments to come out of the Vatican are against Buddhism, just search their site. I always thought this a back-handed compliment as they are at least intelligent enough to realize a true enemy.
In Thailand, people seem quite comfortable with syncretism. I see this all the time and people are unphased by it. We find it hard to see the syncretism in christianity as it bangs its drum so loudly we think it is an original tune. Anyway, if christians feel happy to see images of a guy nailed to a cross paraded on the streets then they better realise it will get the same respect as an image of a monkey or elephant.
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OK, am no cat expert, but been studying our 3 cats since getting them - mother plus boy n girl, kittens now 6 months old.
I have reluctantly returned the mother to the monastery as she is pregnant again and the kittens were starting to irritate her. However, these are not apartment couch cats but half-wild working beasts, and saw the mother teach them both how to fight, how to go for the jugular, how to catch bugs and geckos and frogs. I'm not sure how much will eventually kick in as instinct but seems better to get the training. Both kittens are fit and healthy and spoiling to get their fangs into a bit of fleshy gecko - our lizard population has halved since the cats arrived, so seem to have a new dynamic.
btw long2, if you ever get really stuck with the kittens you could always take them to a friendly temple. I've not heard of any Thai actually pay for a cat - I even had the op of 2 siamese for free but they seem to have gone awol from the temple now.
rych
Oh please. About 6 or 700 Baht to spey a cat
huh?! what's that got to do with my post?
op = opportunity
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perhaps this will help, courtesy of my farming in-laws. their own calculations are that they plant 260 trees per rai of land and in 3 years this comes to about 170 tonnes, and after 5 years about 250 tonnes. This is based on K7 - does anybody know which Eucalyptus species this is? Indeed a list of common Thai names and latin names? Having looked at some fields it looks to me like the rows are spaced about 2m apart but within each row the trees can be 1-1.5m apart, depending on how quickly they want the loggers in. Soil here is clay.
rych
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OK, am no cat expert, but been studying our 3 cats since getting them - mother plus boy n girl, kittens now 6 months old.
I have reluctantly returned the mother to the monastery as she is pregnant again and the kittens were starting to irritate her. However, these are not apartment couch cats but half-wild working beasts, and saw the mother teach them both how to fight, how to go for the jugular, how to catch bugs and geckos and frogs. I'm not sure how much will eventually kick in as instinct but seems better to get the training. Both kittens are fit and healthy and spoiling to get their fangs into a bit of fleshy gecko - our lizard population has halved since the cats arrived, so seem to have a new dynamic.
btw long2, if you ever get really stuck with the kittens you could always take them to a friendly temple. I've not heard of any Thai actually pay for a cat - I even had the op of 2 siamese for free but they seem to have gone awol from the temple now.
rych
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I used to grow a venus fly trap in the UK and it did really well till I left it with my parents
Anyway, I assume it is already in one of these netting-like pots with lots of holes in - and best if kept wet all the time, so put it in a larger bowl (without holes). It doesn't particularly like tap water so if you have a source of rainwater all the better. I've seen them sold in the local market so should grow easily here. Just think wet and swampy!
oh yeah, and worth changing the water every few days unless you want algae as part of your feature.
rych
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Thanks, tho that needs further investment in a server with SSH and...perhaps more the problem...I don't really know what I'm doing at that level!
Have searched online and found I'm not the only one with this problem. Unfortunately, no real solutions I can find, apart from re-engineering how GPRS works. Also looks like the mobile phone appends an extra string to cookies but am not sure if this is the problem in this case. As I'm going through bluetooth, can I not fix a PAN IP and use that as my proxy? ...mmm... looks like a trip back to the shop :-(
rych
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Hi
just got back to Thailand and having decided to stay a while in the village my first shopping trip was to get myself an internet connection. Not having a clue as to whether GPRS would work out here I've opted for a minimal setup - have also learnt from fixed line internet that paying from 'premium' packages when the basic ones don't work is also pointless.
Anyway, a friend of mine suggested getting a cheap Bluetooth USB adapter to link to my Nokia 2600 which then links to AIS GPRS. I've read all the fans of DTAC but I have a DTAC and an AIS phone and here in the village the DTAC phone signal is so terrible that I have doubts if its GPRS signal is any better.
Well, the sytem works...kinda. yes it's dog-slow - at best like UK dialup. However, it does disconnect sometimes. The phone also keeps sending me unwanted crap messages (any way of switching this off?) and, most irritating of all, some websites that require logins keep kicking me off! Even Google thought I was an automated bot and refused to show me cached pages! Well, I looked at the obvious and cleared cache and cookies, but same problem. I then changed the browser internet setting to automatically detect proxy IP. This worked for all sites apart from one, which still kicks me off every few clicks.
Any advice on what's going on? Unfortunately the Bluetooth setup was done by my computer friend, who said it would take a while to configure. Now I wish I'd just sat there and watched as have no idea if he screwed up anything. If I can't solve this I'll go back but is an hour's drive away - and anyway, better to know!
I know EDGE is faster, but as I said, I don't think speed is the issue here, it seems like data losses or IP switching within a session. If I can get this to work smoothly will happily wait for real 3G to arrive in Thailand :-)
thanks
Rych
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Have been investigating the same thing. I've been in the UK for a few months but also been mulling over some things to do here in thailand. before leaving was trying to convince my farming in-laws to diversify away from eucalyptus as prices were liable to fall - which apparently they have, no surprise. Anyway, have heard that they have bought some olive trees, as has a larger local landowner. Now, thanks for the warning about Magok - I'll investigate if these are really olive trees as soon as I get out to the farm. The olive saplings cost 80 baht, which locals consider pretty expensive, but assuming they are olives seems reasonable.
will see...
rych
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Thanks to the replies.
Think I'll leave Trat until I have a couple of weeks free and find my own way around.
Change of plan. Going to go to Koh Si Chang instead - nearer to me, nearer the airport, and wanted to visit there for a long time.
rych
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You will get a very pleasant surprise from Heathrow to BKK (via Kuwait) with
www.kuwait-airways.com//en/index.jsp
Not so pleasant 23/2-11/3 ,£729.00
I find it srange that i cannot (Now) find a flight with a reasonable layover (2-4 hours) from manchester uk to Bangkok for less than £546.00
i have been flying to LOS since the late 1980's and the price has never been so high!
Fuel's going up and the £ is slipping.. Way of the future I think.. Can't find anything under £600 now. Though if you can use LHR, you can get £310 on EVA through West East if they still have any seats left...
Just tried them advert says £310 but the real price is £610 !
If anyone is still interested i changed my dates and got good return flight with Emirates £514 thhrough Travelocity > the guy threre said the Olympics are affecting prices and if we think it is bad now wait til later in the year!
i hope my june trip is nt in jeopardy!
shit! hadn't thought of that! so how does London-bangkok get affected by the Olympics? Guess a BKK stopover as direct flights get squeezed. Will prob be coming back around then :-( I can foresee the joys of another arabian airport lounge...
rych
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Hi
anybody here live near Trad, or been on holiday there?
Is there anywhere nice to stay? Ideally close to a clean beach.
Not much on the net re Trad itself, lots about Koh Chang and other islands, but I really have only 2 or 3 days free before flying off, so don't really feel like spending 2 days travelling, and friends say Koh Chang is ow more a rip-off than a relaxation.
As there is still no south-east forum, guess this seems the best place to post.
any help appreciated
thanks
rych
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I repeat my post from one of the previous pages, it looks like it wa overlooked or didn't propely register...
Samantabhadra: " ... everything is Me, the All-Creating Sovereign, mind of perfect purity ... I am the cause of all things. I am the stem of all things. I am the ground of all things. I am the root of all things ... There is no other Buddha besides Me, the All-Creating One."
in Dzogchen Samantabhadra is the Primordial Buddha and, as referenced in that wiki article, is synonymous with the state of 'rigpa'. If you do a search on rigpa you will find the anthropomorphic imagery removed. It is common for states of mind to be given images. This is supposed to help in meditation, although often the case of westerners is that removing the unfamiliar imagery and focusing on the mind, colour, location etc is actually more effective. Anyway, rigpa is the primordial, pure state of mind, which can be experienced, it is not a deity out there. If you're concerned that the text sounds like it is making Samantabhadra into a monotheistic deity, all I can say is that no Tibetan I have heard has ever mentioned Samantabhadra in that way. Depending on the text, it is also a standard tantric technique to meditating on oneself becoming some great powerful manifestation, and the text will go into great details about this. It is important to read the punchline at the end. It is most likely designed to shed those rich ornaments, symbols of some mental qualities. Indeed, in Dzogchen Samantabhadra is usually naked, and usually in union with Samantabhadri - a symbol of both the end and the beginning.
rych
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I disagree with part of what Plus road, especially his opinion that Thaksin is in the past and the people don't want him anymore.
Because that disregards the circumstances: PPP achieved victory IN SPITE OF having to campaign in the most difficult of circumstances; martial law in most of their support-base areas, severe intimidation and restrictions on campaigning, a military controlled smear campagin funded by public money.. And STILL they were victorious..
I dare say 'congratulations' are in order.
Thaksin certainly garnered a fair few million votes for the PPP. Sure Thaksin's popularity has gone down judging by the PPP and Dems both getting 14 million votes which wouldn't have happened a few years ago. To think Thaksin is a thing of the past is something people will do at their own risk. He is still the man of the moment in Thai politics and I wonder how many anti-thaksin people would actually prefer him to Samak as PM!
Interestingly I haven't seen a comment from Gen. Surayud or Gen. Sonthi yet.
Maybe the horse trading will lead to a 7 party Dem led coalition but that will be a very unstable and short lived government. Better that PPP get to lead for a while. Whatever kind of bizarre stuff went on in the election it is still the voice of the people at this time and they have clearly chosen the PPP. It is also good to see the Dems do better than expected and I agree with Bangkok Pundit on this one that they have something to be proud of especially after the low point of the Banyat led mess only 2 years ago. Maybe in a few more years Thailand will see a two party system evolve especially with all the alternative parties under-performing badly and all of them seeing big hitters lose out. If the warlord/family/interest group parties actually start to disintegrate that can only be a good thing for the country. Certainly this time most voters (28 million of them) chose one of 2 parties identified with a position rather than an opportunistic party just wanting to be in government. While I read of all the doom and gloom I personally think a number of good things have come out of this election that could auger well for Thai democracy in the future even if the short term future looks a bit dodgy.
Peace and here's to hoping no strange incidents occur
I think a 2-party system sucks - just look at the UK and USA. The proportional representation part of the election means other parties will usually get enough support for at least a handful of seats.
Also, if the Dems try to annul the election because of vote buying (apparently one statement like this was made on TV yesterday, possibly just sour grapes) it will blow up in their faces. Here in the boonies it was the Dems who were offering cash. Many took the money and voted PPP anyway. Others feared the election was not so anonymous so just avoided taking the money and voted PPP.
The other voting problem was that many people expected to see candidate names and parties on the ballot sheet, instead were faced with a page of numbers. Many hadn't a clue who to vote for!
Talking to some locals, they all seemed happy. They hadn't figured out that all the other parties could form a gov and leave PPP in the cold. Hope they won't be disappointed.
rych
Most Thai Teachers Fail In Their Own Subjects
in Thailand News
Posted
I have taught English in Thailand and now teach my own subject, Mathematics. The maths syllabus is also laughable. It looks to me as if it was written by a primary school teacher as the Prathom grades are crammed full of stuff whilst the Mathayom syllabus is so full of holes as to be meaningless.
I'm not surprised by the results. The Thai teachers I see seem more concerned with rules and behaviour than them actually knowing their subject. The really deep problem is that nobody is allowed to fail, so most students are deluded in their abilities... until they hit the excessively difficult government exams!! The official state exams look like they've been written by professors trying to show how very clever they are to their university colleagues. Absolute mismatch not just between student knowledge and the exams but between the exams and the syllabus too. In the English exams I've seen there have been on average 2 or 3 serious mistakes too - so not so smartarse professors either!
The one good thing about schools taking real externally marked exams such as the UK or IB is that the syllabus and the exams are clear and there is no way of faking results.