Love And Hate, Our Great Political Divide: Thai Opinion

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BURNING ISSUE

Love and hate, our great political divide

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Years of continued political conflict has led a substantial number of Thais on both sides of the political divide to succumb to hatred instead of sticking to whatever principle they claimed to stand for.

It's not uncommon for people active in political debate on the Internet to describe themselves in their Twitter profile on the basis of their hatred or love for one political faction or the other.

"Hate red shirt" is the one-line description of Twitter user @Jackkrit. He's among many Thais on social networks like Twitter and Facebook who define themselves by their love or hatred of red shirts, yellow shirts or multi-colour shirts. Others identify themselves by their love for His Majesty the King or Thaksin Shinawatra or the opposite.

The 2006 coup, the violent crackdown on the yellow-shirt demonstrators on October 7, 2008 and the bloody crackdown on red-shirt protesters in April and May 2010, which led to combined 93 deaths, mostly on the red-shirt side, have ensured that hatred against various political figures has become deeply personal.

One's principles diminish when one's feelings are clouded by hatred or love. One easily loses sight of principles if one is attached to the perceived moral standing, or the lack thereof, of a person.

This explains why when lese majeste detainee Amphon "Akong" Tangnoppakul was handed a verdict of 20 years imprisonment, despite his insistence of being loyal to the throne, the yellow-shirt mouthpiece ASTV-Manager Daily portrayed Amphon, aka "Uncle SMS", as an anti-monarchist red shirt in order to make it easier for the royalist yellow-shirts to swallow.

Some think Amphon deserved to die behind bars while others are angry at the monarchy because of Amphon's death.

People get so attached to the notion of good or bad and what it means to their side of the political divide that they fail too see any logic.

This explains why there' s been virtually no outcry among red shirts, who claim to be fighting for freedom of speech and democracy, against the banning of the film "Shakespeare Must Die". Red shirts view "Shakespeare" as bad because it mocks Thaksin and is directed by well-known supporters of the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy. It was banned last Friday by the National Film Board, the final stop for appeals by the filmmakers, unless they want to take the case to court.

On Twitter, I criticised the film board and Yingluck Shinawatra's administration for banning "Shakespeare Must Die" and Democrat Party deputy Korn Chatikavanij's @teamkorn was quick to retweet it. But then a foreign Twitter user retorted that Korn never expressed concerns about censorship under the administration of his leader, former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Movie star Bongkot "Tak" Konglmalai stirred up hatred when she wrote on Facebook that Amphon's death was "karma" and cursed his supporters. Even though she removed the offending posts, she was chased by red-shirt motorcyclists on Saturday night in Pattaya. And she's continued to be harassed by red shirts in the social media.

Meanwhile, haters of the red shirts describe them as "less-than-human" or "red water buffaloes".

Thinly veiled codenames that describe HM the King or Her Majesty the Queen in negative and hateful ways are rather widespread online and in private conversation.

Such talk impedes the hope of Thailand attaining any true progress in tolerance for earnest criticism.

Many who support the lese majeste law defend it because they say the King is good and benign, but they close their ears to any debate about the misuse of the law and the need to ensure the principles of freedom of speech. On the other hand, some who oppose the lese majeste law are biased because of their strong negative feelings against the monarchy.

As Thailand continues its political journey, the lofty principles various people claim to stand for are being buried under mountains of love and hatred - but mainly hatred.

-- The Nation 2012-05-16

[Bakseedaa]

Who really cares..? its all bullshit..