Bbc World

[werbs]

i was just watching BBC world and they were talking about thaksin. they spoke to the BBC reporter in Bangkok and then started talking to a guy from Chulalonkorn Uni on the phone. the guys name was Giles but he had a thai surname, in his photo however he was farang.

Anyway he starts talking about thaksin and then starts to talk about the thai military and he went on to to say the thai military was also corrupt, then very shortly after the line went dead

surely they can't have cut him off so quickly

[samuibeachcomber]

BBC probably ran out of money,thais would n't care who said what.

[PhilHarries]

Assuming it wasn't a technical glitsch the BBC probably cut him off before he started spouting some slanderous views. They, as much as anybody, probably realise the shaky state of affairs in the country and how the person you p1ss off today could be tomorrow's supremo.

[Johpa]

BBC probably ran out of money,thais would n't care who said what.

Actually it would not surprise me in the least that Achaan Giles Ji Ungpakorn, one of the government's most ardent critics, has his phone lines monitored by numerous Thai government agencies.

[MKAsok]

...went on to to say the thai military was also corrupt

Maybe the BBC didn't consider this to be 'news.'

[sriracha john]

surely they can't have cut him off so quickly

the media will often do that with nut cases like this...

[unomi]

surely they can't have cut him off so quickly

the media will often do that with nut cases like this...

I read a manuscript of a book he wrote, this was years ago, all i remember was that it was kickass.

Anyone know where I could find books by him and the like?

[Insight]

Just posted about this myself on the Thaksin corruption thread. Glad it got noticed by others

[citizen33]

I read a manuscript of a book he wrote, this was years ago, all i remember was that it was kickass.

Anyone know where I could find books by him and the like?

Ungpakorn G, J. (1999) Class Struggle in an Era of Economic Crisis,

Hongkong, Bangkok: Asia Monitor Resources Centre.

Ungpakorn G, J. (ed.) (2003). Radicalising Thailand: New Political Perspectives.

Bangkok: Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University.

Ungpakorn G, J. (2007). A Coup for the Rich. Bangkok: Workers’ Democracy Publishing.

The last is the one that attracted the most attention, initially being banned in Thailand for citing Handley’s The King Never Smiles. If you are interested look here:

http://www.isj.org.uk/docs/CFRbook.pdf

Ungpakorn's father opposed the military government in the 1970s. His mother is British.

Edited October 21, 2008 by citizen33

[JetsetBkk]

His Wikipedia entry

[sriracha john]

surely they can't have cut him off so quickly

the media will often do that with nut cases like this...

I read a manuscript of a book he wrote, this was years ago, all i remember was that it was kickass.

Anyone know where I could find books by him and the like?

His own university bookstore refuses to sell it....

[MinnieCauldwell]

surely they can't have cut him off so quickly

the media will often do that with nut cases like this...

I read a manuscript of a book he wrote, this was years ago, all i remember was that it was kickass.

Anyone know where I could find books by him and the like?

Look up the website "asiasentinnel" you will find the guy on there in the Thailand section.

[bkkjames]

I wonder if he was on AIS or DTAC

[toybits]

flying spaghetti monsters cut the connection....

[TAWP]

So is he a communist or just like to use the same type of language to promote his views?

[Los78]

I saw this also and wondered why he was cut off. He mentioned military curruption during the Junta government and someone didnt like it that comment so he was quickly cut off. Offcoarse there was some truth in that but we dont want the world to know that do we.

[Los78]

surely they can't have cut him off so quickly

the media will often do that with nut cases like this...

I read a manuscript of a book he wrote, this was years ago, all i remember was that it was kickass.

Anyone know where I could find books by him and the like?

His own university bookstore refuses to sell it....

Yes if you failed to put on your reading glasses it was because he referenced a banned book in Thailand. Give it a good read again.

[KohKarrang]

Someone mentioned this guy being an ardent critic of the government but I've heard him make comments all throughout this episode in Thailands history and he's a pretty ardent critic of everything IMHO...

[sriracha john]

surely they can't have cut him off so quickly

the media will often do that with nut cases like this...

I read a manuscript of a book he wrote, this was years ago, all i remember was that it was kickass.

Anyone know where I could find books by him and the like?

His own university bookstore refuses to sell it....

Yes if you failed to put on your reading glasses it was because he referenced a banned book in Thailand. Give it a good read again.

Don't use reading glasses and fully aware this nutcase had his book banned... but still think it's funny that as a professor, even before the banning his own school wouldn't carry it...

[pete_r]

surely they can't have cut him off so quickly

the media will often do that with nut cases like this...

I read a manuscript of a book he wrote, this was years ago, all i remember was that it was kickass.

Anyone know where I could find books by him and the like?

His own university bookstore refuses to sell it....

Yes if you failed to put on your reading glasses it was because he referenced a banned book in Thailand. Give it a good read again.

Don't use reading glasses and fully aware this nutcase had his book banned... but still think it's funny that as a professor, even before the banning his own school wouldn't carry it...

It very much depends on the reasons why the bookshop refused to carry it. If it was because the book content is -objectively- not worth selling, then yes it's funny. If it was because of pressures from "upstairs", then I think not so funny, regarding freedom of speech etc.

[unomi]

Err, maybe its time to get reading glasses then..

The book store WAS carrying it, then it got taken off for the reference to 'the king never smiles', then later again it was allowed to be had in stock after all.

[Los78]

surely they can't have cut him off so quickly

the media will often do that with nut cases like this...

I read a manuscript of a book he wrote, this was years ago, all i remember was that it was kickass.

Anyone know where I could find books by him and the like?

His own university bookstore refuses to sell it....

Yes if you failed to put on your reading glasses it was because he referenced a banned book in Thailand. Give it a good read again.

Don't use reading glasses and fully aware this nutcase had his book banned... but still think it's funny that as a professor, even before the banning his own school wouldn't carry it...

It very much depends on the reasons why the bookshop refused to carry it. If it was because the book content is -objectively- not worth selling, then yes it's funny. If it was because of pressures from "upstairs", then I think not so funny, regarding freedom of speech etc.

It was banned because of pressure from "Upstairs" because he reference a banned book in Thailand regarding Monarchy. Im sure it would be interesting read but it is banned.

[Los78]

surely they can't have cut him off so quickly

the media will often do that with nut cases like this...

He spoke many times previously on BBC about last coup and protests before even before the cut off incident recently. Its a bit early to be calling a professor a nutcase dont you think especially when they are stating some facts which some Farang Thai political gurus fail to see.

[sriracha john]

Err, maybe its time to get reading glasses then..

The book store WAS carrying it, then it got taken off for the reference to 'the king never smiles', then later again it was allowed to be had in stock after all.

Sorry if i didn't keep up with all the comings and goings of it's availability precisely, because frankly it's not worth the effort. I read it after it became available for free online (presumably because it wasn't selling anyway)... and frankly, it was a waste of time, in my opinion. Marxism went out decades ago.

[HS Mauberley]

it was a waste of time, in my opinion. Marxism went out decades ago.

What an impressive insight; it's always a joy to see closely argued political theory reduced to the status of a fashion parade.

So is he a communist or just like to use the same type of language to promote his views?

A communist you say? My God! Lock up your daughters! The anti-Christ himself has come to town.

[younghusband]

it was a waste of time, in my opinion. Marxism went out decades ago.

What an impressive insight; it's always a joy to see closely argued political theory reduced to the status of a fashion parade.

So is he a communist or just like to use the same type of language to promote his views?

A communist you say? My God! Lock up your daughters! The anti-Christ himself has come to town.

I take Giles with a pinch of salt and I just don't buy in to his agitprop ideology.

Yet the the fact remains he is a courageous, intelligent and interesting commentator.At the moment, as someone put it on another forum, you could drive a bus between what is being said by Thais privately and what is being said publicly.Giles bridges this gap to some extent.In threads like this you will always get those who attack him.Pay them no notice because they are intellectually bankrupt.

As for Marxism even those who reject it philosophically,not least because it was poisoned of course by the Russian and Chinese dictatorships, accept that it is often a useful and illuminated way of interpreting history.Hardly surprisung since Marx was a genius.Interestingly quite recently even Western commentators have accepted in light of recent events that Marx has useful insights on the dangers and excesses of unbridled capitalism.