Thailand's coloured conflicts always have the same outline - feudalism
Galumplee Seemuang
Special to The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Talk to most foreigners about Thai politics and you'll quickly notice they understand little about the multicoloured conflict.

International media report the protests, but usually fail to expose the underlying restlessness that erupts every few years in mass rallies, pointing up the country's unsuccessful record in using parliamentary channels to solve conflicts.

Over the past few weeks, Thailand has made international headlines again, as demonstrators hit Bangkok's streets to protest a blanket-amnesty bill they feared would allow former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to return after five years in exile. Some oppose the bill as a matter of principle, saying all should be held responsible for crimes they commit.

The anti-Thaksin group says it cannot allow such a "massively corrupt criminal" back onto Thai soil. On the other hand, radical red shirts who lost family members during the 2010 protests feel betrayed by legislation that would let those they hold responsible - former prime minister Abhisit and his inner circle - off the hook. A large number of graft cases and criminal charges related to protests would also be swept under the amnesty carpet.

In short, the amnesty bill has accidentally become the mother of all grievances in a polity struggling to become a democracy but still helplessly bound by its feudal past.

But how different is this protest from the last time around?

In 2010, protests against then-prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva were clearly instigated by red-shirt leaders under the exiled Thaksin, who often appeared by video link to stoke feelings at rallies. The protests were centred on encampments fortified by sharpened bamboo staves at Silom and Ratchaprasong intersections.

Former military strategists mobilised forces in guerrilla-type warfare that utilised rifles and M79 grenades, Molotov cocktails, firecracker-loaded slingshots, and burning tyres as deadly weapons. Although 91 red-shirts were allegedly killed by the Army, the military also suffered many deaths and casualties but these were often not mentioned.

Bangkok, in April to May 2010, became a war zone, with arson attacks, vandalism, looting, barricades, and armed "men in black" fighting to unseat the Democrat government. At one point, the red shirts stormed into Chulalongkorn Hospital, and grenades were thrown at "multicolour" or "no-colour" demonstrators who came out to protest against the violence.

The Abhisit government, facing armed riots and acts of terrorism and civil disobedience, was forced to react with a military crackdown. The result is that Abhisit and his deputy, Suthep Thaugsuban, are now facing murder charges.

This time round, the protest has been more spontaneous. Although food and facilities at anti-amnesty rallies are being provided by the Democrats, the movement is less organised and consists of people from all walks of life - university professors and students, doctors and nurses, office workers, housewives and businessmen, and ordinary Thais who are not dependent on anybody's hand-outs.

While the Democrat Party is opportunistically riding the wave, many of those out on the streets protesting are not partisan but merely want to rid the country of a culture of impunity and injustice. The fact that this whistle-blowing movement is peaceful and unarmed (and will remain so unless radical yellow-shirts enter the fray with weapons), means the Yingluck government has not had to call in the Army or use force to control the situation.

To be fair to the Thaksin camp, they do have a clear mandate to govern. They won the election and enjoy the support of the majority of Thais, many of whom remain poor and uneducated.

Thailand's welfare system still lags behind its international peers' and many poor Thais still feel oppressed by, or jealous of, the well-heeled elite. However, the culture of worshipping the rich and the powerful is intrinsic to Thai society, regardless of which government is in power.

The wealthy often enjoy impunity from the law as the country's institutions are weak and hampered by corruption and red-tape - again, regardless of which political party governs.

As His Majesty has retreated from public life due to old age and the sensitive nature of his role, Thaksin has become a figure of salvation for many, earning their faith and unquestioned allegiance.

On the other hand, the Democrats have failed to win the hearts and minds of poor people in both urban and rural Thailand, who see them as out-of-touch "hi-so" people who do not understand them. The Democrats also have a record of being rather indecisive on big issues, preferring a strategy of play safe and self-preservation.

Police and many bureaucrats also see them as stingy, failing to sufficiently oil the administrative wheels with kickbacks and rewards needed for the smooth-running of Thailand's money politics. Perhaps to counter that image, the Democrat leadership has recently taken a more grassroots approach, using simpler language and trying to get "down and dirty" with the poor in an obvious attempt to expand its popularity.

It is impossible to identify which side is the demon and which the angel. As in all things, nothing is black-and-white and there is always more than one perspective.

Both the red and yellow camps, plus the "multicolour" or "no colour" groups, all have their share of wrongs and prejudices. After all, Thailand is a relatively new democracy and has not yet been able to shed completely the inequality of its old hierarchical, feudal structure. When the culture of patronage hampers the growth of individualism and liberalism, democratic aspirations - no matter how innocent or good-willed - become self-conflicting and unable to fully develop.

The silver lining to the thundercloud of our malfunctioning parliamentary democracy is the growing consensus that military intervention is no longer acceptable as a way to break political impasses. Whether the generals have been forced to accept this or have become genuinely enlightened, the most important thing now is for Thais to educate themselves politically on how to make their democratically elected representatives accountable.

Most crucially, Thais must learn to let go of their excessive attachment to any single, mortal individual, and instead respect the rules, regulations and institutions of society. By aspiring to the moral high ground, they may eventually lift the country out of this restless sea of ever-changing coloured conflict.

Galumplee Seemuang is a freelance writer.


-- The Nation 2013-11-16

The road to democracy isn't an easy one and certainly not one for easily scared people to walk. While progressing on that road much corruption will be wiped out. Then things will speed up a bit. It just takes time for the old ruling lot to realise that the people upcountry that have the majority of votes are more and more emancipated and cannot be denied their rights. Nothing that is happening now can stop this development. The old lot will have to step back or be kicked out. It will be interesting to see where the new generations of political leaders will origin from. They definitely will not come from the old BKK elite.

Talk to most foreigners about Thai politics and you'll quickly notice they understand little about the multicoloured conflict.

I didn't see anything in the article I didn't know already....

Hmm notice they don't mention 2006 and 2008

Short term memory problems again

The road to democracy isn't an easy one and certainly not one for easily scared people to walk. While progressing on that road much corruption will be wiped out. Then things will speed up a bit. It just takes time for the old ruling lot to realise that the people upcountry that have the majority of votes are more and more emancipated and cannot be denied their rights. Nothing that is happening now can stop this development. The old lot will have to step back or be kicked out. It will be interesting to see where the new generations of political leaders will origin from. They definitely will not come from the old BKK elite.

"It will be interesting to see where the new generations of political leaders will origin from. They definitely will not come from the old BKK elite."

Lets hope they don't come from the old "elite" from anywhere in Thailand. What we are seeing though is the kids of the current crop are being groomed, so there doesn't seem to be much chance of getting past this feudalistic nature of Thai politics. North or south, the same families are voted into office in every election. Until there is new blood throughout, the feudalism is unlikely to change.

Talk to most foreigners about Thai politics and you'll quickly notice they understand little about the multicoloured conflict.

I didn't see anything in the article I didn't know already....

Dear Thai writer, Don't underestimate the insight and/or intelligence of "outsiders" to understand Thailand and its peculiar behavior.

One thing (and only one thing) I know about Asian politics is that it's played on a higher level than I'll ever understand, having grown up in the west.

Any time I think I know what's going on, it really just means that one side's spin doctors have done a better job than the other side's spin doctors.

Seems The Who and Mao were both right:

-Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

-All political power emanates from the barrel of a gun.

(I'm paraphrasing Mao; it's a direct quote from The Who)

Edited November 16, 201312 yr by impulse

Government is the Entertainment division og the military-industrial complex

- Frank Zappa

Personally, I think the foreigners who have lived here for a long time (5 yrs or more) probably have a much better overall grasp of things than the average Thai, as we are able to look at all aspects, without color coded views.

The feudal system has failed. There are no Thai peasants anymore!

Edited November 16, 201312 yr by indyuk

Talk to most foreigners about Thai politics and you'll quickly notice they understand little about the multicoloured conflict.

I didn't see anything in the article I didn't know already....

Dear Thai writer, Don't underestimate the insight and/or intelligence of "outsiders" to understand Thailand and its peculiar behavior.

So true. But one could just as easily say, "Dear Farang writer, Don't underestimate the insight and/or intelligence of "outsiders" to understand Farangs and their peculiar behavior".

Just a different perspective and please, don't consider it a flame. It was not meant as such.

An off topic post has been removed as well as other nonsense posts.

Talk to most foreigners about Thai politics and you'll quickly notice they understand little about the multicoloured conflict.

I didn't see anything in the article I didn't know already....

Dear Thai writer, Don't underestimate the insight and/or intelligence of "outsiders" to understand Thailand and its peculiar behavior.

Indeed. This whole Thailand is special, farang no understand bs is very tedious. Firstly as though Thailand has a monopoly on this type of stupidity in politics and secondly that farangs are as utterly gullible as Thais about what is going on here.

I think the average foreigner that lives here for a while has a much more balanced view on the problem than the average Thai.

The average Thai is very likely to be indoctrinated by "education", ("helping"/corruption facilitating) "friends", or by one or the other satellite TV channel owned by a political group.

In my opinion Thai people like to choose sides. I meet very few Thai people that have knowledge about the background of the whole problem. Most people talk in slogans, and very few people can give a balanced analysis of the problem. The writer of this article is clearly an exception.

Talk to most foreigners about Thai politics and you'll quickly notice they understand little about the multicoloured conflict.

I didn't see anything in the article I didn't know already....

Dear Thai writer, Don't underestimate the insight and/or intelligence of "outsiders" to understand Thailand and its peculiar behavior.

Indeed. This whole Thailand is special, farang no understand bs is very tedious. Firstly as though Thailand has a monopoly on this type of stupidity in politics and secondly that farangs are as utterly gullible as Thais about what is going on here.

Yes, and Thais don't understand farangness

Thailand has Thai-style democracy (TSD). Former Thai PM Pramjol Kukrit championed this type of democracy in which society is strictly hierarchical and structured in a way so every person fulfills particular functions and where social mobility is limited, if not impossible. In terms of governance, the Thai style is a political regime where the leader had absolute power so that order, peace, security and progression can be sustained. Western-style democracy, on the other hand, just leads to chaotic politics according to those who support TSD. Those who benefit from TSD defend the notion that Thailand is too elite-oriented and too hierarchical to be successful in its attempts to establish strong democratic structures and culture. Thaksin challenged this view that democracy is delivered from above. Supporters of TSD suggest that the poor and ignorant who support Thaksin do not know what is best for them so a coup becomes necessary to remove a dishonest man and help these poor and ignorant people. They were just not ready for Western-style democracy. Hence they get a Thai-style democracy emphasizing loyalty, traditionalism, nationalism and paternalism.

The feudal system has failed. There are no Thai peasants anymore!

Thaksin did promise to make all Thais rich so I guess by now they must be the new bourgeoisie.

Thailand has Thai-style democracy (TSD). Former Thai PM Pramjol Kukrit championed this type of democracy in which society is strictly hierarchical and structured in a way so every person fulfills particular functions and where social mobility is limited, if not impossible. In terms of governance, the Thai style is a political regime where the leader had absolute power so that order, peace, security and progression can be sustained. Western-style democracy, on the other hand, just leads to chaotic politics according to those who support TSD. Those who benefit from TSD defend the notion that Thailand is too elite-oriented and too hierarchical to be successful in its attempts to establish strong democratic structures and culture. Thaksin challenged this view that democracy is delivered from above. Supporters of TSD suggest that the poor and ignorant who support Thaksin do not know what is best for them so a coup becomes necessary to remove a dishonest man and help these poor and ignorant people. They were just not ready for Western-style democracy. Hence they get a Thai-style democracy emphasizing loyalty, traditionalism, nationalism and paternalism.

Which assumes that it can be created as a system without the barrel of a gun.

Their system cannot be adopted in the long term because it goes against human nature. So, yes farangs cannot understand thainess because it is unsustainable nonsense.

To be fair to the Thaksin camp, they do have a clear mandate to govern. They won the election and enjoy the support of the majority of Thais, many of whom remain poor and uneducated.

Can you believe it a national news paper claiming the PTP had over 50% of the vote.

Well I was them and running around saying that the PTPredshirt alliance won most of the votes I would be to embarrassed to show my face in public.

It would appear some of the Nation's writers have been to the red shirt school on democracy.

Maybe if they got 9 more of their obviously gifted friends to gather they could have them all take of their shoes if they have any body who can count have them hold out there hands then count their fingers and toes. Then remove them to a safe place where they can not be mistaken as a different person when they count the rest and when they get the 48 send them in to another room so there is no chance of a duplicate vote no matter how much Thaksin is paying them.

. ThenThe 48% would have visual proof that they were taken for a fool which they probably are and would have visual proof that they had been taken for a fool.

Talk to most foreigners about Thai politics and you'll quickly notice they understand little about the multicoloured conflict.

I didn't see anything in the article I didn't know already....

Foreigners have no need or desire to become embroiled in the conflict.

Other than the obvious corruption of many officials who increase their wealth at the expense of the people - it is a simple matter to evaluate a politicians increase in net worthand subtract his salary and business income to realize that billions are diverted to bribery and corruption.

OH - Sorry - any foreigner who has been stopped by Police, know about bribery.

Talk to most foreigners about Thai politics and you'll quickly notice they understand little about the multicoloured conflict.

I didn't see anything in the article I didn't know already....

Foreigners have no need or desire to become embroiled in the conflict.

Other than the obvious corruption of many officials who increase their wealth at the expense of the people - it is a simple matter to evaluate a politicians increase in net worthand subtract his salary and business income to realize that billions are diverted to bribery and corruption.

OH - Sorry - any foreigner who has been stopped by Police, know about bribery.

The irony is, that the writer hams up the reasoning that the situation is that for all the complex analysis, the answer is basic feudalism.

So what she's saying is "oh, you silly foreigners with your complex analysis, we Thais aren't that clever, were just living in a feudal society".

As though that is something to be proud of.

The causes and the solutions are both things that can not be discussed in Thailand. People don't want to risk doing 15 years in jail for even suggesting Thailand's future will follow that of other countries that made big changes. There are people based outside of Thailand that have expressed better commentaries on this situation and cause. Certainly better and more insightful than any Thailand based journalist can

Yellow Feudalism verse Red dictatorship, maybe back in 2006, but these latest demonstrations are more the people against a corrupt government.