Seksan: Thai society is on the verge of a volcano

[Lite Beer]

Seksan: Thai society is on the verge of a volcano

BANGKOK: -- Former student leader of the 70s Seksan Prasertkul voiced his support for an election saying that it is an important starting point for reform.

Speaking at a press conference staged by the so-called “ Two Yes, Two No” non-partisan movement at Thammasat University on Friday, Seksan said that for reform to take place it is necessary that the views of all stakeholders must be heard and listened to and reform must be undertaken within the framework of democracy and free from violence.

Election is an important starting point for reform, he said, adding that both the government sector and the civil society sector must get involved in the reform process with the government being given the consensus to start the process and not any particular group to start the process.

Reform must not be top down but also from bottom up with the government serving as the medium, he said.

Seksan, now a lecturer at Thammasat Universitly, likened Thailand under the present circumstances to a man walking on the edge of a volcano. He urged all parties in the political conflict to exercise wisdom and conscience to prevent the country from sliding into anarchy.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/seksan-thai-society-verge-volcano/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=seksan-thai-society-verge-volcano

-- Thai PBS 2014-01-10

[Cuchulainn]

................He urged all parties in the political conflict to exercise wisdom.............

Oh come on!! You are Thammasat educated!!

Edited January 10, 2014 by Cuchulainn

[beautifulthailand99]

Very true time for a very real widespread and deep PEACE movement to take hold before this spins truly out of control - the motorcycle convoy and trucks I saw flying Thai flags looked like a mob on the lookout for trouble. This is a real tinderbox of history,class,emotions and all the rest. All we can hope is that Thais get the message and shout and march at the top of their voices -YUT !

[petedk]

Reform must not be top down but also from bottom up with the government serving as the medium, he said.

I agree with most of what they say except the above quote.

This government has shown time and time again that it cannot be trusted. Any kind of dialogue on reform with Yingluck in chanrge has no chance of getting anywhere.

[Tim1980]

But his Thai friends don't quite get them so quick until everything gets so messed up beyond repair only then they will wake up from their drunkenness but by then it will all be too late. They will wake up serving Suthep as his slaves! Wake up people

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Soi Sauce]

................He urged all parties in the political conflict to exercise wisdom.............

Oh come on!! You are Thammasat educated!!

Which makes him much better than the majority.

So, maybe, listening to him is a good idea.

[seajae]

maybe he should be pushing for honesty as the ptp have shown none since elected. Until there are laws governing the use of bribes/graft/corruption in Govt nothing will change and the ptp dont want it to. Maybe if there was jail time for any type of fraud, banned from being nominated for elections or holding any official position for life if you are found guilty of corruption, not being able to get away with anything because of your position or wealth we would start to see some improvement but definitly not with the ptp as they are ones doing it all. Actually, they should also make it a law the the PM must attend parliament and not go on shopping trips, then "poo" would not even want the job.

Edited January 10, 2014 by seajae

[BangkokHank]

You can be on the edge of a volcano, or on the verge of erupting. But you can't be on the verge of a volcano.

[pumpuiman]

maybe he should be pushing for honesty as the ptp have shown none since elected. Until there are laws governing the use of bribes/graft/corruption in Govt nothing will change and the ptp dont want it to. Maybe if there was jail time for any type of fraud, banned from being nominated for elections or holding any official position for life if you are found guilty of corruption, not being able to get away with anything because of your position or wealth we would start to see some improvement but definitly not with the ptp as they are ones doing it all. Actually, they should also make it a law the the PM must attend parliament and not go on shopping trips, then "poo" would not even want the job.

"the views of all stakeholders must be heard and listened to and reform must be undertaken within the framework of democracy and free from violence."

The important thing in my opinion is to stay within the democratic framework.

The attitude that the current government is so broken it can't be fixed is narrow minded and dangerous.

The framework for reform is in place. If there are problems...fix them through the democratic process.

There are BIG problems with the Thaksin clan, I agree completely.

But throwing democracy, the constitution, and the majority's votes to the curb is not the way to solve anything. It will only lead to violence and further discourse.

You have some great ideas in your post, if they are wanted by the populace, they should be voted upon and implemented.

Edited January 10, 2014 by pumpuiman

[FangFerang]

Almost every time someone wants people to sit down and be reasonable, all the other sides attack them. If it comes from the yellow side, people jump on the bandwagon to outline their current and past stupidities. If it comes from the red side, people jump on the bandwagon to outline their current and past stupidities. Neither punter ever acknowledges the legitimate complaints of the other side.....that would be a painful endeavor for some reason I cannot fathom unless it is simple pride, and which I think it obviously is. If I was a Thai reading TV posts, and there are Thais here reading our posts, I would think that farang either do not understand any obvious complications or, much worse, refuse to acknowledge them. People who try to flame a calm moderate in a dangerous situation are obviously more in love with their own opinions than any aspect of other people's lives, and which is patently and comically tragic.

Sometimes I drop a post to rile people up who adore black and white thinking like a way of life, and lampoon simplistic interpretations of Thai culture as if they are inferior, which is simply rude and untrue, but this is not a football match. This is people's lives. This is very serious, and there is no winning the Cup or finishing the Match or ending all the Troubles in one quick way here.

Compromise means it is never a win-win situation for opposing sides, because compromise means "Okay, I give up this and gain that; and you give up this and gain that".. It is only a win-win situation for the people caught in the middle. Anyone who wants to have a sit down session is a welcome voice to me. Because neither marionette in this Puppet Show can ask for any real compromise. The invisible hands that a brilliant Scotsman once wrote about are not going to talk unless someone makes them talk.

This is mushrooming. Both sides are saying, oh we need reform, but we disagree on the timing, or we disagree you should have a say, or we disagree because your skin is too dark, or we disagree because you were born on Wednesday, or, or, or, or...or, please anything but a moderate moderating. That would be unthinkable. The invisible hands would have to dial a number on their cellphones themselves.

Resume rants.

Edited January 10, 2014 by FangFerang

[NCC1701A]

without corruption Thailand's economy will collapse.

[DeepInTheForest]

Reform must not be top down but also from bottom up with the government serving as the medium, he said.

I agree with most of what they say except the above quote.

This government has shown time and time again that it cannot be trusted. Any kind of dialogue on reform with Yingluck in chanrge has no chance of getting anywhere.

I cannot speak for Seksan, but I got a different impression of the quote. I don't think he was referring to the Yingluck government when he spoke. I think he means that government-- whoever it is, and whenever it is operating-- should be the medium by which the people of the country resolve their differences. As opposed to violence, say, or coups, or neverending demonstrations, etc.

Again, this is just my take, and we don't have Seksan to set us straight. Take it for what you will.

[DeepInTheForest]

................He urged all parties in the political conflict to exercise wisdom.............

Oh come on!! You are Thammasat educated!!

Which makes him much better than the majority.

So, maybe, listening to him is a good idea.

Although I value education, I don't think that being Thammasat-educated, or Oxford or Cambridge-educated, or Moscow State-educated, or Tsinghua-educated, or Harvard-educated, makes anyone better than the majority. Or better than any minority, for that matter.

Edited January 10, 2014 by DeepInTheForest

[Ozymandias]

maybe he should be pushing for honesty as the ptp have shown none since elected. Until there are laws governing the use of bribes/graft/corruption in Govt nothing will change and the ptp dont want it to. Maybe if there was jail time for any type of fraud, banned from being nominated for elections or holding any official position for life if you are found guilty of corruption, not being able to get away with anything because of your position or wealth we would start to see some improvement but definitly not with the ptp as they are ones doing it all. Actually, they should also make it a law the the PM must attend parliament and not go on shopping trips, then "poo" would not even want the job.

Perhaps you have not been Thailand very long. Either that, or you're just not aware of what's going on here. Corruption is everywhere - it is so endemic, in all areas of life, all sectors of society, all political parties, that it is part of the fabric of life. 60 - 75% of Thais regularly state in surveys that they are happy to accept corrupt practices if they benefit personally.

So, when corruption is so ingrained in a culture and society, when it is somehow as acceptable to the yellows that their protest leader has a 4 decade history of corruption as it is to reds that their leaders rate their own freedom and power way higher than 90 of their supporters' lives, then where DO you start? It will take a sea change of immense proportions. Laws won't help, because laws in this country are enforced arbitrarily at best, at worst, the poor & weak fall under the wheel, the rich & powerful do what they want.

[pumpuiman]

Reform must not be top down but also from bottom up with the government serving as the medium, he said.

I agree with most of what they say except the above quote.

This government has shown time and time again that it cannot be trusted. Any kind of dialogue on reform with Yingluck in chanrge has no chance of getting anywhere.

I cannot speak for Seksan, but I got a different impression of the quote. I don't think he was referring to the Yingluck government when he spoke. I think he means that government-- whoever it is, and whenever it is operating-- should be the medium by which the people of the country resolve their differences. As opposed to violence, say, or coups, or neverending demonstrations, etc.

Again, this is just my take, and we don't have Seksan to set us straight. Take it for what you will.

I agree. I believe he was referring to the "system" not the elected officials.

[sirineou]

Suthep has made his point, if indeed all he wants is reform,

then all he needs to do is backoff, allow elections, with the promise that if , after the election, who ever is elected does not act swiftly to implement reforms,

He and his followers will be back out in the streets again .

[Ozymandias]

Almost every time someone wants people to sit down and be reasonable, all the other sides attack them. If it comes from the yellow side, people jump on the bandwagon to outline their current and past stupidities. If it comes from the red side, people jump on the bandwagon to outline their current and past stupidities. Neither punter ever acknowledges the legitimate complaints of the other side.....that would be a painful endeavor for some reason I cannot fathom unless it is simple pride, and which I think it obviously is. If I was a Thai reading TV posts, and there are Thais here reading our posts, I would think that farang either do not understand any obvious complications or, much worse, refuse to acknowledge them. People who try to flame a calm moderate in a dangerous situation are obviously more in love with their own opinions than any aspect of other people's lives, and which is patently and comically tragic.

Sometimes I drop a post to rile people up who adore black and white thinking like a way of life, and lampoon simplistic interpretations of Thai culture as if they are inferior, which is simply rude and untrue, but this is not a football match. This is people's lives. This is very serious, and there is no winning the Cup or finishing the Match or ending all the Troubles in one quick way here.

Compromise means it is never a win-win situation for opposing sides, because compromise means "Okay, I give up this and gain that; and you give up this and gain that".. It is only a win-win situation for the people caught in the middle. Anyone who wants to have a sit down session is a welcome voice to me. Because neither marionette in this Puppet Show can ask for any real compromise. The invisible hands that a brilliant Scotsman once wrote about are not going to talk unless someone makes them talk.

This is mushrooming. Both sides are saying, oh we need reform, but we disagree on the timing, or we disagree you should have a say, or we disagree because your skin is too dark, or we disagree because you were born on Wednesday, or, or, or, or...or, please anything but a moderate moderating. That would be unthinkable. The invisible hands would have to dial a number on their cellphones themselves.

Resume rants.

Well said. But as you imply, many of those on here who post just want to demonstrate their politico-cultural awareness (whilst demonstrating by their cringingly partisan viewpoints that they just don't get it at all). I agree with you wholeheartedly about the need for the moderate voice, and I find myself feel constantly frustrated when nobody lets the more balanced, understanding mindset take a hold. I have the feeling that many Thais (and of course, many of the farangs on here) think that showing any degree of understanding or compassion for the 'others' is a weakness. Odd that this should be the case in a Buddhist country, but then Thailand does have a reputation in Asia for 'plastic Buddhism'.

[sustento]

Suthep has made his point, if indeed all he wants is reform,

then all he needs to do is backoff, allow elections, with the promise that if , after the election, who ever is elected does not act swiftly to implement reforms,

He and his followers will be back out in the streets again .

That's blackmail not democracy.

[SeaVisionBurma]

Derogatory post, and a flame quoting it - have been removed

[Emptyset]

Reform must not be top down but also from bottom up with the government serving as the medium, he said.

I agree with most of what they say except the above quote.

This government has shown time and time again that it cannot be trusted. Any kind of dialogue on reform with Yingluck in chanrge has no chance of getting anywhere.

I cannot speak for Seksan, but I got a different impression of the quote. I don't think he was referring to the Yingluck government when he spoke. I think he means that government-- whoever it is, and whenever it is operating-- should be the medium by which the people of the country resolve their differences. As opposed to violence, say, or coups, or neverending demonstrations, etc.

Again, this is just my take, and we don't have Seksan to set us straight. Take it for what you will.

Given the distance Seksan seems to have kept from colour coded politics in the past few years, I'd say that's probably right. He's criticized both (or rather all) sides but remained committed to democracy. This is what he said in his speech reflecting on the 40th aniversary of the Oct 14th uprising: “How can we, as free men, fulfil ourselves if we cannot choose the government we are satisfied with and tell the world what we want?” he said. “How can human equality be achieved if not with equal rights and votes to determine our nation’s fate?”

The “Two Yes, Two No” pictured in the OP seem to be an even more 'moderate' group than Kasien's group of academics who started the Assembly for the Defense of Democracy group (their FB page now has 550k likes last time I checked, 100k more than Bluesky Channel, not bad for something started by academics). I see that even BKK Post film reviewer Kong Rithdee is on the panel.

[sirineou]

Suthep has made his point, if indeed all he wants is reform,

then all he needs to do is backoff, allow elections, with the promise that if , after the election, who ever is elected does not act swiftly to implement reforms,

He and his followers will be back out in the streets again .

That's blackmail not democracy.

Yea it is

But we are where we are now, and I hope we all agree reform is needed,in Thailand

and the powers to be regardless on what side were not really going to do it on their own

So Here we are, where do we go from here?

[Thai at Heart]

Reform must not be top down but also from bottom up with the government serving as the medium, he said.

I agree with most of what they say except the above quote.

This government has shown time and time again that it cannot be trusted. Any kind of dialogue on reform with Yingluck in chanrge has no chance of getting anywhere.

All Thai governments are riven with corruption. Expecting them to be the medium for anti corruption change is extremely naive.

[15Peter20]

You can be on the edge of a volcano, or on the verge of erupting. But you can't be on the verge of a volcano.

Joining you in Pedantsville, I think you can be on the verge of a volcano if that verge is of the grassy type, for example. Since a volcano's grassy verge is more likely to appear at lower inclines, say around the foot of the cone, I believe the OP is actually saying things aren't yet quite as bad as they may become and we are still far away from the edge of the crater of the volcano, which is presumably what is meant by your 'edge of the volcano' correction.

[surangw]

More like in the verge of a massive molasses spill

[fish fingers]

I realized there is NO POINT discussing thai politics anymore. lets the thai's sort their stuff out - this happens every few yrs, we decided to live there so stop complaining

[ultimate weapon]

Hope to see some excitement soon.

[pumpuiman]

Hope to see some excitement soon.

On the contrary, I hope to see all involved decide that the loss of one life is too many.

I hope to see a mediator agreed upon and actual discussions commence.

I hope to see an agreement made on a path to reform.

I hope to see all Thai's united under the flag, not the color of their shirts or skin.

[noitom]

Seksan was a Thammasat student in the 70s. For sure Seksan was one of those students who evaded getting killed by the Thai military in the 70s. The Thai military stormed Thammasat and brutally murdered dozens of Thai students and others in 1973 and again even more Thammasat students in 1976 Thai news reports cited over a hundred corpses disposed.

[Jay Sata]

You have to look at Thailand's world record for military coup's to understand this problem has festered for decades and will not go away.

The kids growing up outside Bangkok are no longer prepared to work the fields and be subservient.

[doremifasol]

without corruption Thailand's economy will collapse.

Exactly my thoughts.