<html>
<body>
My own view is that this whole issue has a more insidious purpose. It is
one of the many ways that royalist elites are attempting to draw Thailand
back toward the traditional kingdom and undo the course of history begun
in 1932. I have always been amazed at the revelations about the struggles
between "democrats" and "royalists," for example, the
effort to tear down the Democracy Monument because it was an
"affront to the king." (See <i>The King Never Smiles</i>.) It
may sound paranoid, but the whole Thaksin issue is about the survival of
the Chakri dynasty.<br>
Bob<br><br>
To Nara Ganesan: I am so sorry I just now learned that you are in
Hiroshima. I visited there last summer while attending the IPSA in
Fukuoka. I would love to have a chance to visit with you!<br><br>
<br><br>
At 01:50 PM 4/4/2007, Michael Jerryson wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">In Craig Reynold's new book,
Seditious Histories, on page 275 (endnote #2) he references Yoneo Ishii
for pointing out that "sayam was coined during Mongkut's reign and
is thus as colored by political considerations as the country's naming in
1939 or 1948."<br><br>
warmly,<br><br>
michael</blockquote></body>
<br>
</html>