Thais told to beware of Russia’s sharp power, uphold principles rather than taking sides

[webfact]

A father presses his palms against the window as he says goodbye to his daughter on a train to Lviv at the Kyiv station, Ukraine, Friday, March 4. 2022. The father has to stay behind to fight in the war while his family leaves the country to seek refuge in a neighboring country. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

 

By Thai PBS World’s Regional Desk

 

OPINION

 

Thailand, notably its divided society, must act on principles rather than taking sides or remaining neutral over a Russia-Ukraine conflict that is set to develop into a new cold war and reshape global geo-politics, scholars say.

 

The war, which broke out on Feb 24 when Russian troops invaded neighboring Ukraine, also involves the security of Western allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). For this reason, it signals the beginning of a new dynamic of the old cold war, they said.

 

Speaking at a seminar hosted by Thammasat University’s Pridi Banomyong International College (PBIC) on Mar 4, eminent historian Thanet Apornsuwan said the war is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s move to restore the influence of the Russian Empire over Eurasia and Eastern Europe that dates back to the 18th century.

He said Putin wants Russia to regain the territorial control it enjoyed before the 1917 Russian Revolution and the creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

 

“Historically speaking, wars between empires in those areas never really ended. They have just changed their form,” he said, adding that this war between Moscow and Kyiv is part of this ongoing struggle.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thais-told-to-beware-of-russias-sharp-power-uphold-principles-rather-than-taking-sides/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-03-05

 

- Aetna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[Hayduke]

37 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand, notably its divided society, must act on principles

 

Principles? Is this guy serious? This government has an unbroken track record of being consistently and thoroughly unprincipled. This is going to change now?

 

 

Edited March 5, 2022 by Hayduke

[Bkk Brian]

From the linked article................

 

"The professor also said that Russia and China are using “sharp power” – aggressive and subversive policies to manage and manipulate information to shape public perception for the purpose of their propaganda.

This sharp-power policy contains a lot of misinformation, distortion, and fake news, he said, warning the public to use and consume social media with caution."

 

They need to start with the Thai Army run TV station Channel 5 news

 

 

Channel 5 spreads Russian disinfo with fake report on ‘fake’ deaths in Ukraine

 

Two hosts on an army-owned TV station falsely claimed that Ukrainian people “faked casualties” in a report that misrepresented footage from a climate change protest in Austria. 

 

“Watch this footage, there’re corpses lying there, we believe they are Ukrainian people … Do you see those bodies in the bags? Some bodies are still moving,” said Kanok, a reporter known for his far-right stance and history of distorted reporting.

“The floor’s hot, maybe,” Teera said.

 

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/channel-5-spreads-russian-disinfo-with-fake-report-on-fake-deaths-in-ukraine/

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

Tomorrow Russia will criminalise spreading non-official information about the war, anti-war protests in any form will be outlawed, as will any calls for sanctions. Most independent media have already decided to cease operations. 

[petermik]

see nothing..hear nothing...but most of all...do nothing.

[internationalism]

From the title transpires, that because russia is powerful, thais should be neutral in this conflict. 
but the whole article is contradictory to the title. 

most speakers concluded that thai should be aware of russia imperialism, authoritarian rule, propaganda etc. 

But the second Cold War has started already several years ago with Trump taking stance against china. He did employ all the tools, including embargoes. He shifted the whole world into an authoritarian mode, copied by the other states. 
Earlier on, from around 2014, there was border tension on the east NATO flank, with thousands of american soldiers send there. Americans also set up bases with ballistic missiles. They did claim defensive purpose, to shoot down incoming missiles from Iran, but it was just a pretext to escalate conflict in europe. Russia was at the time in defence mode, in economic crisis

 

Edited March 5, 2022 by internationalism

[KhunLA]

Principles ... do they exist.  Most govts, if any, don't have, with anything.  Most people, don't have, shopping wise.  Whoever sells best product at best price / value, that's what people buy.

 

They don't care where or how or by who it's made.  Money ... is everything to everyone.   Forum folks talk principles, but would love to see their reality / hypocrisy of their post vs real life.

[Bkk Brian]

7 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Tomorrow Russia will criminalise spreading non-official information about the war, anti-war protests in any form will be outlawed, as will any calls for sanctions. Most independent media have already decided to cease operations. 

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter both been taken down in Russia to.

[klauskunkel]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand, notably its divided society, must act on principles

I understand why the onus of acting on principles is leveled on Thailand's society: because the players in Government and their backers won't.

[RafPinto]

Any chance that a few high flyers in Thailand hold money in russian banks?

[RafPinto]

The last few days, I spoke with several thai people, educated and not so educated.
None of them was really aware of what is going on in Ukraine but straight away mentioned that a thai actress died.

[clivebaxter]

In the face of soviet 1930's style aggression, oppression and murder I would think taking sides against it was the least any human being should do?

[RafPinto]

2 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

From the linked article................

 

"The professor also said that Russia and China are using “sharp power” – aggressive and subversive policies to manage and manipulate information to shape public perception for the purpose of their propaganda.

This sharp-power policy contains a lot of misinformation, distortion, and fake news, he said, warning the public to use and consume social media with caution."

 

They need to start with the Thai Army run TV station Channel 5 news

 

 

Channel 5 spreads Russian disinfo with fake report on ‘fake’ deaths in Ukraine

 

Two hosts on an army-owned TV station falsely claimed that Ukrainian people “faked casualties” in a report that misrepresented footage from a climate change protest in Austria. 

 

“Watch this footage, there’re corpses lying there, we believe they are Ukrainian people … Do you see those bodies in the bags? Some bodies are still moving,” said Kanok, a reporter known for his far-right stance and history of distorted reporting.

“The floor’s hot, maybe,” Teera said.

 

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/channel-5-spreads-russian-disinfo-with-fake-report-on-fake-deaths-in-ukraine/

 

Didn't Putin mention yesterday in his phone call to Scholz that the Ukrainians bombarded their own people and not the Russians.

This guy needs help.

[clivebaxter]

10 minutes ago, RafPinto said:

Didn't Putin mention yesterday in his phone call to Scholz that the Ukrainians bombarded their own people and not the Russians.

This guy needs help.

Russian lies, propaganda and denials are laughable in the face of evidence anyone can see online, like the Chinese they are living in the 1960's still and think we are as gullible as their own brainwashed people.

Edited March 5, 2022 by clivebaxter

[Saanim]

9 minutes ago, RafPinto said:

Didn't Putin mention yesterday in his phone call to Scholz that the Ukrainians bombarded their own people and not the Russians.

This guy needs help.

Perhaps it's you who needs a help to learn what has happened to the population there (Ukrainians) in the Donbass area over last 8 years when they no longer wanted to stay with the govt that came into power by a vicious coup supported by foreign powers. 

 

But you did not read it in your media, hence, it has not happened, has it?

 

 

 

[ozimoron]

9 minutes ago, Saanim said:

Perhaps it's you who needs a help to learn what has happened to the population there (Ukrainians) in the Donbass area over last 8 years when they no longer wanted to stay with the govt that came into power by a vicious coup supported by foreign powers. 

 

But you did not read it in your media, hence, it has not happened, has it?

 

 

 

No buses to Moscow from there? Yanukovich wasn't always in power.

 

The catalyst for the upheaval was presidential balloting that had been rigged in Yanukovych’s favor.

 

After assuming the presidency, Yanukovych seemed to embrace a time-tested approach of using Ukraine’s notoriously corrupt judicial system to consolidate his political authority. He quickly moved to prosecute his main political rival, Yulia Tymoshenko, his most serious challenger in the 2010 election. Yanukovych used the corruption issue as a political cudgel: Tymoshenko ended up being convicted of abuse of power and embezzlement in connection with a gas supply agreement with Russia in 2009, receiving a seven-year prison term and a $188-million fine. The case was widely viewed by international watchdogs as politically motivated. In 2013, the European Court for Human Rights ruled that her arrest and conviction were “arbitrary and unlawful.”

 

https://eurasianet.org/a-brief-history-of-corruption-in-ukraine-the-yanukovych-era

Edited March 5, 2022 by ozimoron

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

Thailand is not concerned with morality principles they are only concerned with monetary principals.

 

Shame!!!

[KhunLA]

12 minutes ago, clivebaxter said:

Russian lies, propaganda and denials are laughable in the face of evidence anyone can see online, like the ....

... USA, UK, EU / NATO have done also.

 

WMD ... ????????????

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, ALLSEEINGEYE said:

Thailand is not concerned with morality principles they are only concerned with monetary principals.

 

Shame!!!

The real shame is this continued inexcusable and apparently racist bashing of Thailand.

[Saanim]

11 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

No buses to Moscow from there? Yanukovich wasn't always in power.

 

The catalyst for the upheaval was presidential balloting that had been rigged in Yanukovych’s favor.

 

After assuming the presidency, Yanukovych seemed to embrace a time-tested approach of using Ukraine’s notoriously corrupt judicial system to consolidate his political authority. He quickly moved to prosecute his main political rival, Yulia Tymoshenko, his most serious challenger in the 2010 election. Yanukovych used the corruption issue as a political cudgel: Tymoshenko ended up being convicted of abuse of power and embezzlement in connection with a gas supply agreement with Russia in 2009, receiving a seven-year prison term and a $188-million fine. The case was widely viewed by international watchdogs as politically motivated. In 2013, the European Court for Human Rights ruled that her arrest and conviction were “arbitrary and unlawful.”

 

https://eurasianet.org/a-brief-history-of-corruption-in-ukraine-the-yanukovych-era

Perhaps you should study more about Ukraine leaders from the last 30 years (not what you read in your media), then tell us which of the leaders (incl. the good Yulia) was bigger corruptionist than the others. And that beside the non-Ukrainians who wanted also their piece of cake.  

[ozimoron]

Just now, Saanim said:

Perhaps you should study more about Ukraine leaders from the last 30 years (not what you read in your media), then tell us which of the leaders (incl. the good Yulia) was bigger corruptionist than the others. And that beside the non-Ukrainians who wanted also their piece of cake.  

There are many ethnic minorities living peacefully in many countries in the world. When they use force to achieve political ends in the absence violence of  they lose legitimacy. Ukraine never attacked Russian civilians in the Donbass. The uprising in the Donbass is an artifact of Putin's aggression.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand, notably its divided society, must act on principles

Coming from the hub of coups.... 

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Tomorrow Russia will criminalise spreading non-official information about the war, anti-war protests in any form will be outlawed, as will any calls for sanctions.

Maybe Putin will introduce a Lese-Majeste type of rule?

[vandeventer]

1 hour ago, RafPinto said:

The last few days, I spoke with several thai people, educated and not so educated.
None of them was really aware of what is going on in Ukraine but straight away mentioned that a thai actress died.

Outside of Thailand nothing exists and you guess it, the world is still flat.

[steven100]

1 hour ago, RafPinto said:

The last few days, I spoke with several thai people, educated and not so educated.
None of them was really aware of what is going on in Ukraine but straight away mentioned that a thai actress died.

exactly ,   they live in the Thai bubble of existence .....    most wouldn't know a thing about USSR history .

[spidermike007]

Eminent historian Thanet Apornsuwan is a flaming moron. Don't take sides because the territorial claims used to be different hundreds of years ago. Hello. This is 2022. Taking over "territory" is not considered a civilized thing to do these days. Think Israel and the Palestinian territories. It is middle ages barbarism. 

 

Principals? Avoiding killing women and children is not a worthy principal? Is this man completely lost? Where do they find these fools? 

[connda]

4 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Tomorrow Russia will criminalise spreading non-official information about the war, anti-war protests in any form will be outlawed, as will any calls for sanctions. Most independent media have already decided to cease operations. 

Almost sounds like Canada or New Zealand.  ????

[Screaming]

Spineless Thais. It's all about money to them, nothing else matters.

[Saanim]

2 hours ago, ozimoron said:

Ukraine never attacked Russian civilians in the Donbass.

They did not report about that in MSM, hence, it has not happened, has it?

[ozimoron]

Some photos of Russian war crimes

 

https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/destruction-across-ukraine-as-russian-in-idUSRTS5ZDSC