Thai Junta Chief Calls For Emergency Rule In Bangkok

[John K]

I just checked the Buddhist forum, it's there alright, though as a political news issue there's no reason it can't be discussed here.

I think it may be dropped because PTV was trying to use it as a hot spot that has now cooled.

[hammered]

I thought there was another thread about this topic, but since I can't easily find it....

I don't see a problem with declaring Buddhism a state religion. The reality is 90% of Thais consider themselves buddhists, the King is officially a protector of Buddhism (and all other religions, too), Buddhism has never been confined to private life of Thais and until recently wats have been centers of all social life.

Why then the representative government should excude that aspect of Thai society altogether and become secular? Who would it represent?

The government intrudes in people's personal lives in many ways - controlling what people drink and what people wear, what can they read on the Internet and at what time teenagers can play computer games, yet when people ASK the government to take care of their religion, it suddenly becomes libertarian.

So, as a principle, I don't see a problem with defining relations between religion and the government in Constitution.

How exactly this relationship should be defined is too early to say. Other religions have not been severy prosecuted so far, there's no case for worry yet.

>>>>>>>>

Look at the case of a street justice when Erawan shrine was destroyed. In society's eyes justice has been served, in secular law's eyes it was directly opposite. The question is - why secular law should be imposed on Thais when they clearly don't want it? They need the law they all agree to follow.

>>>>>>>

I don't know about lefties but the Nation has been running editorials and opinion pieces against state religion for quite a while now.

One problem is that if adopted southern separatists in 3-5 provinces could say OK fine Thailand is a Buddhist state

but we are Muslims and hence want independence with much more support than they currently enjoy. We could also get into the demand going against the teachings of Buddha although not against the politcal aspirations of some segments of the Thai Buddhist hierarchy including a powerful money oriented sect that was actually denounced by the supreme patriarch.

Yes, you are right the Nation has been doing some stuff on this and should be praised imho although being a relative voice in the wildeness does not further the cause.

[Jai Dee]

Mods, this is getting very confusing, should not this thread be closed and referred to Sonthi warns of crisis in May?

Good idea.

Discussions can continue in this thread.

/Closed.