NYC Junta

It looks like the violence in Bangkok is coming to an end, which is good news, but it is so awful what has taken place there. I used to cover Thailand and it boggles my mind that the peaceful, dymanic and engaging place I used to enjoy visiting so much has become so polarized and violent. I honestly think former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is the main culprit behind it all. He sowed the seeds of this violence with his class struggle rhetoric during his time in office and he is surely manipulating things from his exile in the Gulf. Despite being the richest man in the country he positioned himself as a champion of the poor, and it should be noted did some admirable things, like provide health care at virtually no cost for the rural poor. But he also shamelessly pursued increasing his wealth in a dubious ways and created a clique of cronies around him, all of which threatened the existence of Thai democracy. When I was spending time in Thailand there was a feeling that he was out of hand and had to be stopped. When he was removed from power in a military coup there was an uneasy feeling about it, but most people following Thailand thought it was probably necessary, and importantly it was endorsed by the Thai king who is hugely respected in Thai society.

But Thaksin didn’t take to exile well and has spent years battling to get back to Thailand and has fueld the fire of class struggle as a stalking horse for his own ambitions. And now Thai society is turned upside down. Some are talking about establishing a Republic, further minimizing the role of the King. The nature of democracy and the social fabric of the country is tattered, the rural north feeling enraged by recent events; no one has talked for a while about the Muslim insurgency in the south, but that is still simmering. In short, Thailand could be pulled apart.

I used to tell people who hadn’t been to Asia before that Thailand was the best first country to visit. Beautiful, exotic, great food, amazing beaches, beautiful temples, friendly people who speak English and Thailand is used to tourists. But now how can I say that? The NY Times had one of the better stories I’ve read recently today and I thought this quote was a particularly powerful summary about the events in Thailand for those who have followed the country for years.

“This is the worst crisis Thailand has had, ever, probably — maybe World War II — and where we go from here I don’t think anybody knows,” said Charles Keyes, an anthropologist at the University of Washington, Seattle, who has devoted much of his life to the study of Thailand.

“My understanding of what I have learned over the years here has really come into question,” he said. “I question all the things I’ve learned about this country.”