[Tlc] T-politics

[justinm at ucr.edu]

Forwarded from Al Valentine.
Thanks,
justin


http://www.bangkokpost.com/121008_News/12Oct2008_news15.php


A COMEDY OF HORRORS

Louis XIII had Cardinal Richelieu. George W Bush Jr had Karl Rove.Sondhi Limthongkul has Chamlong Srimuang, who incidentally is my newhero ... we! ll, at least for this week.

He's my new hero not because he's noble or courageous, nor because hecan climb buildings and shoot spider webs from his wrists, though thatwould be pretty cool.

No, the reason he's my new hero is much simpler. In contemporary urbanhip hop lingo, simply put: 'He got game' - and yes, it's supposed to begrammatically incorrect. In fact, 'He got mad skillz' - and yes, thezed is correct. If you don't believe me, ask your children.

In the early hours of October 5, the day of the election for Bangkokgovernor, Maj-Gen Chamlong, a wanted man with a warrant out for hisarrest, was just chillin' at a polling station at the Setsathien schoolin Dusit district. He greeted people, chatted, took his time, and washaving a grand old morning. Until the police thought: 'Blast! We've gotto arrest him, otherwise we'll just look stupid.'
After the arrest was made, he left a prepared note withinstructions that it should be read out to PAD supporters! after 9am.

The letter stated that the PAD's demonstration was a nationalduty. (Which means yours truly and millions other have been shirkingour national duty.)

Anyway, the arrest couldn't have come at a better time, as sincethe resignation of Samak Sundaravej, the PAD rallies have been like aTuesday night at RCA - sure, there's a big crowd, but it isn't quite asjam-packed and pulsating as a Saturday.
Then lo and behold, the ranks on Ratchadamnoen Avenue swelledlike it was 1am in Route 66 on a Friday night.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Maj-Gen Chamlong's arrestand the events leading up to October 7 were in any way related,premeditated or connected. I'm just detailing the events as theyhappened. The question is, who urged the PAD to step over the linedrawn by the police? Another question is, who told th! e police to shootfirst and ask questions later?

Better yet, who taught the police to shoot tear-gas directly atpeople? Couldn't they have used water-cannon to disperse the crowdslike they do in other countries? It would have been like Songkran inOctober. What joy!

Could the events of October 7 have been engineered by thepuppet masters, to give the stand-off between the PAD and thegovernment that extra little push, for it to go over the edge? Toencourage a coup?

Again, don't get me wrong. I'm not a fan of conspiracytheories, but I do live in a country where prostitution is illegal, butthe water bills for the bathtubs in Ratchada district probably runhigher than the US bail-out package. A country where Chalerm Yubamrungkeeps finding employment in the government. No, I'm not a conspiracytheorist ... but I'm just sa! ying.

On a side note, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has invited80 media representatives from around the world to Bangkok, in a bid toimpress them with Amazing Thailand. Painting beautiful images, boostingtourism and all that good stuff. The international media landed onOctober 7. Well, that was tax money well spent, wasn't it? But at leastit proved the TAT isn't part of the conspiracy. Not that there's anyconspiracy going on here, you understand ... I'm just saying.

On another side note (yes, I do love side notes), while bloodwas spilled and tear-gas exploded on Ratchadamnoen Avenue, elsewherewas just another night in Bangkok. The young ones and theold-ones-who-love-the-young-ones were waving their hands in the airlike they just don't care down at RCA. The shopping malls were stillcrowded with shoppers. And by the next day, TV programmes andeverything else was ba! ck to normal. No urgent news to interrupt primetime lakorn!

Indeed, most of the rest of Bangkok was like: 'Huh? Whathappened? Where's Academy Fantasia?'

Having said that, the conspir ... sorry, the unveiling ofevents this week are perhaps to the liking of certain individuals whohave strings attached to their fingers.

After all, headlines of bloodbaths and anarchy splattered allover the media, local and international.

Meanwhile, Army chief Anupong Paojinda, who previously talkedabout neutrality as if the Thai military was Switzerland, lashed outagainst the government for the tragedy of October 7. In addition,General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh came to the Post Publishing offices,huffing and puffing about a coup.
Where is this commentary going?

Some say that my commentaries never offer solutions. Well,that's because I'm not as smart as every other person in Bangkok. Ionly have questions, observations and sarcasm. But I'll make anexception this time.

Firstly, please understand that the mysteries of October 7 willnever be solved. Who shot live rounds? Who ran over policemen withtheir cars? Who brought live grenades? How could tear-gas canisterskill people? Who are the instigators behind all this?

Sure, a committee has even been set up to investigate. Theyeven showed all the different types of tear-gas canisters tojournalists. Now your might not believe this, but we journalistscouldn't tell a tear gas canister from a cantaloupe.
!
In such a web of conspir ... sorry, circumstances, there needsto be an independent investigation. Which means, an investigation byforeigners. But of course that would undermine our nationalism, oursovereignty. As such, it's not going to happen. (After all, nationalismand progress hate each other more than Sondhi hates Thaksin.)

So I say, the solution is: Let's have a coup and let's installmy new hero Chamlong Srimuang as prime minister for life. Yes, forlife! I'm just saying ... the man got game.

So let it be written, let it be done. At least this way, therest of us can go back to our lives, earning a living, taking care ofour families, and heaven forbid, having a little fun now and then,without having to look over our shoulders for a flying tear-gascanister that can apparently blow limbs off.

Ridicul! ous, you say? Well, we live in ridiculous times, amongridiculous people, so why not a ridiculous solution? At least we canhave a chuckle or two on a Sunday afternoon after an otherwise tragicand unfortunate week.
______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
3046 INTN
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu