How to Salute a Murderous Thai General

General Prayuth Chan-ocha commanded the murderous May 19th operation to clear Bangkok of the protest camps, and according to reports in the English-language Bangkok Post and the Nation, he had also been pushing all along for tougher action against the Thai people.


And his reward for killing unarmed Thai citizens (and a couple of unarmed foreign journalists)? He becomes de-facto leader of Thailand. Yes, the true Butcher of Bangkok became head of Thailand’s military (thus supreme ruler of Thailand) on October 1^st of this year.

This raises an interesting question.  How does a civilian salute General Prayuth?
An interesting dilemma which I think I can help with. Here's some suggestions:

Although somewhat appropriate and probably to the General’s liking, I don’t think the Nazi salute should be applied here.  We don’t want to be in violation of Godwin’s Law or anything. 

Of course Abhisit may insist on the universal symbol for “You’re Number 1” because the army made him Prime Minister and is keeping him in office but I was thinking of along the lines of a salute using a different finger.

Yes, thank you Mickey, I think you’re onto something - the universal symbol for “Fuck Off” seems more appropriate but this is no ordinary Thai elitist scum. This is a murdering, fascist general who destroys democracy and freedoms for all of Thailand. He deserves more than just one finger.

Now, we’re talking. It’s the ever popular “double bird” salute that loudly states “Really Fuck Off!” Used for only the most egregious targets. But that is still not quite enough for this evil doer.

We’re going to do things American Orange Shirt style by using the “double bird” with an added scowl of complete contempt and wearing the appropriate color of shirt (orange or red will work) that shouts out to General Prayuth to:

“REALLY FUCK OFF, YOU MURDEROUS BASTARD!!!”

General Prayuth Chan-ocha, We Salute You.

Meet the Niblets

I’ve always felt that Thailand’s Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij was an elitist and fascist. He has expressed his distaste for the idea of democratic structures many times over the years. Korn actually supported the September 2006 coup in Thailand and praised the junta which ousted a democratically elected government by the people.

Obviously, they grow an odd crop of “Democrats” in Thailand, which don’t actually believe in democracy at all. Korn and the rest of the Thai government are actually enemies of democracy which firmly believes that a highly educated elite is in the best position to decide what is best for everything and everyone and it is the rest of society's role to follow.  He probably has wet dreams like the rest of Thailand’s elite about the "China Model," where there are lots of money-making and business but only a tiny authoritarian group in charge. To them, there’s no need to ask the uneducated rural folks and poor for their opinions.  They're too stupid and too busy and too tired to know anything in any case and on top of that they have dark skin and muscular hands signifying their destiny and role.

To people like Korn, the elite class have a natural right to decide the fate of the country and its people.  It doesn’t matter what the majority of the people want or not. Basically, they apparently believe that there are some people who have a higher value and more rights than others. His thinking and the thinking of the Thai government and the elite in general shows resemblance to fascists theories of some kind of superior people that have the right and even the duty to be rulers and to defend their rule by all means, even if it means the death of more than 90 people and 2000 people being injured earlier this year.

But evidently this fascist elitism is a family affair with the Chatikavanij’s.  Recently Korn’s wife, Vorakorn, has been exercising her right to free speech and her comments were revealing of her views.

In an interview appearing in Matichon Weekly, November 12-18 on page 29 ("เจ" วรกร จาติกวณิช ว่าด้วย ... เรื่องซุบซิบ วนิดา และขุนคลังผู้บ้างานของเธอ). Vorakorn is asked whether she would enter politics. She answers:

"มีคนถามเยอะมากเลยเรื่องเล่นการเมือง ไม่รู้ทำไม แต่คงไม่อยากค่ะ  จริง ๆ เจเป็นพวกหัวเผด็จการมาก ชอบทำอะไรให้มันเรียบร้อยไปเลย เจเข้าใจว่าประชาธิปไตยเป็นต้นเหตุของความยุ่งเหยิงทั้งหมดที่เกิดขึ้นในประเทศตอนนี้ คนโน้นจะเอาอย่างนี้ คนนี้จะเอาอย่างนั้น แล้วมันก็ไปไหนไม่ได้สักทีหนึ่ง เจก็ไม่เข้าใจเหมือนกัน มีเสรีภาพหมดทุกคน แต่สังคมไปไหนไม่ได้เลย (หัวเราะ)"

["I don't know why many people have asked me whether I will enter politics, but I probably don't want to. Actually, I am very authoritarian. I just want to do things properly [and promptly]. I understand that democracy is the problem of all this chaos that is happening in the country right now. That person wants this, this person wants that and nothing ever moves forward at all. I don't understand it. Everyone has freedom, but society doesn't move forward at all (laughs)"]

There you have it: “democracy is the problem.”  Her remarks have reflected the facts and prove that the Thai ruling elites are pro-dictatorship.  Or else what is the “problem of democracy?”  And they only need obedient masses that follow what they say and want in order to feed their desires and greed, any dissenting opinions will be considered as "chaos" and thus need to be suppressed. And she seems to think its all funny.

Democracy is not the problem in Thailand, partly because Thailand does not have a democracy.  The problem in Thailand is caused by those people who persist in preventing a democracy from taking root in Thailand.  People exactly like Korn and Vorakorn who lie at the very heart of the problems that Thailand has been experiencing.

Korn and Vorakorn are soul mates, made for each other. They are the epitome of amataya. You’d think that these so called ‘high class people,’ who have studied abroad in the west with all of the exposure to the vibrant democracy offered there would be more acceptable to democracy.  But power and greed has obviously blinded them to the point where there is little humanity left – ironically, about the same amount of humanity that is in small "yellow" kernels of corn.

Can that and take it to the food bank.

Flip-Flops vs. GT200 Bomb Detection Devices: Which are the Bigger Threats to Thai National Security?

Evidently, according to Thailand’s current government, the flip-flops are the more dangerous objects threatening national security. They’ve already arrested two vendors and confiscated about a hundred pairs (see here).

Maybe they feel that Thais can use flip-flops much like ninjas can use shurikens. There is some photographic evidence during the Bangkok protests earlier this year that the Red Shirts were throwing shoes.

I don't know if the shoe thrown at Abhisit in the above photograph had his picture on it but it certainly had his name on it. Obviously, Abhisit and company used this for justification to use snipers on the protesters.

On the other hand, there are those fraudulent 500 or so GT200 bomb detection devices purchased by the Thai military at over a million baht.  Even though the UK government banned the export of the GT200 devices and warned that they were "wholly ineffective" at detecting bombs and explosives and even though tests in Thailand showed that the GT200 was useless in detecting explosives the Thai government did not ban or stop use of the units, leaving the matter up to the discretion of individual soldiers.

Abhisit even defended his government's use of the devices, while noting that "sometimes if the user hasn't had enough rest or is not well-prepared, the detector's effectiveness will be reduced." He suggested procuring battery-powered devices to replace the GT200 units.

Even prominent members of Abhisit's government defended the effectiveness of the devices. Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban asserted that the GT200 actually works and that it is not necessary to establish a committee to study its effectiveness. Democrat MP and Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam told journalists after a fatal bomb attack in Southern Thailand on 6 October 2009 that the police had failed to detect the bomb "because the officer handling the GT200 detector was too nervous... His nervousness caused his temperature to rise which, in turn, caused the bomb detector to malfunction." He announced that in future two officers would be assigned to use the device, with the second ready to take over from the first if he was "not ready to use it."

Dr. Kalaya Sophonpanich, Minister of Science Technology also defended the use of the devices. "Regarding people's beliefs, some kinds of beliefs are harmless. If these beliefs make people comfortable, we should just leave them alone, shouldn't we? Some people are happy to worship trees, for example. We don't need to disturb them, do we?" she told a meeting with Thai students and scientists in London.

Then Army Chief Anupong Paochinda accused the press of being hired by competitors of the company which sold the devices. He organized a demonstration to "prove" to the media that the devices worked. 4th Army chief Lt. General Pichet Wisaijorn told the press, "It is not Gen Anupong saying the device is effective. Officers in the South and the North and the current and former 4th Army commanders also say the same thing. We have bought them and if the users insist they are good, that's end of the discussion."  

Joint Military Police Civilian Taskforce commander Lt-General Kasikorn Kirisri said any issues with the GT200 scanner were due to human error.

Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunand, Director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science, had used GT200 devices to conclude that PAD protestor injuries during the 2008 seizure of Government House were due to police misconduct rather than accidental explosion of protester "ping pong bombs", and defended the use of the GT200 devices, claiming that they were effective when searching for bombs and even nails under water. She noted "I do not feel embarrassed if the bomb detector is proven ineffective. Personally, I have never handled the device myself. But my people have used it and it is accurate every time. Long, long time ago, people believed that the Earth is flat and anyone who said otherwise faced execution. Things which are not visible does not necessarily mean they do not exist."

After tests showed that the GT200 was useless in detecting explosives, the government reported the results to military field personnel. However, it did not ban or stop use of the units, leaving the matter up to the discretion of individual soldiers. 

I suppose if the Thai government can’t and won’t do anything against the military in using ineffective bomb detection devices which may result in deaths they may as well arrest flip-flop sellers.

This should tell us all we need to know about the current Thai government.

Weak, ineffectual, corrupt, and petty.

However, I don’t want to appear to be always critical. I want to help change things for the better.  You know; be part of the solution.

And I think I can help. Instead of purchasing worthless GT200 devices, my advice would be for the Thai military to consider purchasing this new product called the Porntip Toilet 200 Brush (PT200 device).

This device is designed and named after Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunand, who has been cleaning up the military’s messes for several years now. At a cost much cheaper than the 1 million baht price tag of a useless GT200 device, the PT200 actually can perform a necessary function (unlike the GT200).  I’m sure the Thai military could use the PT200 for bomb detection as well.  It has the same statistical chance of obtaining an accurate detection of explosive devices. Plus it has the additional properties of scaring animals and small children.

Just trying to help.

Trying to Establish a Democracy? Focus on a ‘Declaration of Independence’ First, Then a ‘Constitution’

Thailand is currently on their 18^th Constitution since 1932 yet they still do not have a democracy.  Might I suggest that Thailand consider adopting a lesson learned from the history of the United States. Certainly, America’s system isn’t perfect but it is the longest lasting democracy in history.

America has two founding documents; the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.  It was the Declaration of Independence which came 11 years before the Constitution which actually planted the seed of democracy.  As Thomas Jefferson put it in the Declaration, governments, “derive their just power from the consent of the governed.” Beneath Jefferson’s simple eloquence lies a profound question. How should the consent of the “governed” be determined?  By a vote it was assumed.

The Constitution, except for its soaring preamble, falls short of the Declaration’s eloquence, and has little bearing on democracy. While the Constitution assumes elections of some sort, its innovations were controlling power (through checks and balances), and dividing power (through Federalism).  Moreover, in making the compromises needed to win consensus, the Constitutional Convention actually limited democracy. For example, the Senate’s composition vastly overweighs the power of states with small populations.

Although the Declaration and the Constitution are both revered in America, it is fitting that two of our greatest speeches are rooted not in the Constitution’s rules and compromises, but in the Declaration’s soaring democratic promise.

Thus, the first words of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address are:

“Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

It was the Declaration that was four score and seven years before Gettysburg.  So, while a war was being fought to hold the country together, Lincoln rededicated the country not to the rules of the Constitution, but to the Declaration’s vision of equal opportunity and democracy.  Then in closing his short Gettysburg speech with reverence for government “by the people,” Lincoln called for a “new birth of freedom”:  so that:

“government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

One hundred years later, speaking on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr., in his “I Have a Dream” speech, also harked back to the Declaration.  It was a promissory note covering “’inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’”  This promissory note was payable to “all men, yes, black men as well as white men.”  But, America, as King said in 1963, had “defaulted on this promissory note as far as her citizens of color are concerned.”

Just three years after King spoke, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act that helped make real the promise of black voting.  And then, forty-five years after King’s speech, Barack Obama was elected as America’s forty-fourth President.

America’s democracy originated from its Declaration of Independence and not its Constitution.  I submit that a similar plan will succeed in Thailand.  In order for that nation to become a democracy, the Thai people will need to first plant the seeds of democracy by declaring their own independence as well, independence not from an external country but from the anti-democratic amart / military within Thailand which have been repressing its citizens for decades.  Something along the lines in the US Declaration of Independence that said “we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.”

That is the cord in the Declaration that links the hearts of liberty–loving people together as long as the love of freedom exists in the minds of people throughout the world – including Thailand.

Yes Vejjajiva, There is a Santa Claus… And He’s a Red Shirt

The American satirist, Henry Louis Mencken once wrote that “democracy is only a dream” and that it should be put in the same category as “Santa Claus.”

Of course Mr. Mencken was one of those people "who had been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age." He did not believe except what he could actually see. But nevertheless, Mr. Mencken may have inadvertently stumbled onto something with his comparison of the “dream of democracy” and “Santa Claus.”

As an admirer of Martin Luther King Jr., I believe in dreams. They are very real.

And American writer, Francis Church, assured us all that Santa Claus really does exist too.  In his famous 1897 newspaper editorial, Mr. Church wrote that Santa “exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus?”

The answer to Mr. Church’s question could very well be that “It would be as dreary as if there were no democracy - much like Vejjajiva and his ilk have turned Thailand into.”

No Santa Claus!  No dream of democracy!  Thank God!  They both live, and they’ll live forever.  A thousand years from now, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, they both will remain in the hearts of the people.

Vejjajiva has proven that he can shoot Thailand’s citizens, but Thailand’s citizens have proven that this dream of democracy for Thailand is bulletproof.  Vejjajiva has also proven that he can repress Thailand’s citizens, unfairly lock them away, deprive them of free speech and justice, but Thailand’s citizens have proven that this dream of democracy can’t be locked up and can’t be silenced.

By the way, Santa Claus KNOWS WHO has been naughty or nice and he has something for Vejjajiva and the rest of the murderers involved in the 2010 Bangkok massacre.

HO HO HO

MERRY CHRISTMAS VEJJAJIVA

Thai Generals Don’t Wear Flip Flops

They wear jack boots (water resistant but not blood stain resistant).

Does anybody really believe the Thai generals are these great campaigners for Thailand, the white knights on white horses riding out to save the Kingdom? They are bloated, overpaid, power mad and inherently corrupt.

The de facto leader of Thailand, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, is no exception. This ‘waste of a hyphen’ has wasted no time since he took power last month in letting everyone know who is in charge.

Last Friday, General Prayuth signed an order banning “subversive goods” within Bangkok and adjacent provinces still under an official State of Emergency. The ban includes clothing and all consumer goods expressing opposition to or contempt for PM Abhisit Vejjajiva and his government.

The following is a translated excerpt from the ban, which took effect on November 19th: 

Item 1: Individuals are forbidden to have in their possession, or possess with intent to sell or otherwise distribute, products, clothing, consumer goods, or any other objects that contain printing, writing, drawing, photography, or any other method that conveys a meaning which provokes, incites, agitates, or causes disunity in the general populace, or acts or supports acts which cause a state of emergency.

Item 2: Authorities are authorized to order the seizure or confiscation of products, clothing, consumer goods, or any other objects as outlined in Item 1, and are authorized to act as necessary to maintain the security of the state or the safety of the public.

Item 3: These orders are to be made by authorities of commissioned officer level or equivalent.

Item 4: Any person violating this order is subject to up to 2 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both. This order is enacted under Article 18 of the 2005 State of Emergency Administration Act and is effective from 19 November 2010.

[Signed]
General Prayuth Chan-ocha 

According to the Bangkok Post : CRES bans souvenirs that 'cause disunity', “an army source said Gen Prayuth was upset when he came across T-shirts and sandals carrying photos mocking important figures.” So in Thailand, a general decides he doesn't like a T-shirt and the next minute he implements a ban (along with fines and prison time) upon the nation. If that doesn’t scream military dictatorship, I don’t know what does. 

In the same Bangkok Post article, General Prayuth was also quoted as asking “the media to clearly state in their news reports the name of specific red shirt groups. He insisted that groups adopted different standpoints and it would be misleading to lump them together.” 

Friday's ban is reminiscent of the order from General Prayuth against political protest during the visit of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in late October after it was learned that political groups and human rights activists wanted to air their grievances before the Secretary General. General Prayuth took it upon himself to outlaw demonstrations not for security reasons, but because HE FELT they would embarrass the country.

What to do, what to say, what to wear; the general decides. It's that simple. Not a judicial body or a government group, but the head of the army - the same army that has no trouble at all with coups. The same army which has always made the rules in Thailand and does not serve the people, the government nor the electorate. Nor does it care about human rights, fairness or equality and neither do the people that control it. 

Remember back in August that then Deputy Army Chief Prayuth pledged to steer the army away from politics once he takes the helm. “I will try to keep the army out of politics,” he said (Bangkok Post : Prayuth sets agenda). Well, instead of staying out of politics, it looks like the General jumped right on in with both feet - wearing jack boots, of course.

Disorder in Thailand’s Constitutional Court

The expressions of shock made by some people about the latest court scandals in Thailand are laughable.  Did they not believe the Constitutional Court was just as broken as all of the other government institutions?  

They must have forgotten that this is the same court that has become so politicized that it outlawed the ruling pro-Thaksin parties and their members, not once but twice, while it threw out all charges against Democrats. It went so far as to order an elected prime minister out of office for appearing on a TV cooking show! How could anyone possibly be shocked by what these same judges are seen and heard doing on these tapes?

The rampant and destructive disease known as “Double Standards” has infected the highest level of the Thai justice system just as it infects the rest of the government systems in Thailand.  In fact the “disease” has progressed so much more at the Constitutional Court that the “Double Standards” virus has mutated into the “No Standards at All” virus.

Whether it be “fixing” cases or discussing ways and means to cover up and find a scapegoat for an alleged exam leak to favor friends and relatives of judges in the recruitment of court officials, Thailand’s Constitution Court Judges have become so corrupt that they don't even know what ethics are anymore.

And it is all about a question of work ethics. The Constitution Court rules on wide-ranging issues.  If a judge is deemed to be unfair, he is unfit to rule on any case.  If he is involved in a scandal, he must be removed from office.  If he is accused of wrongdoing, he must prove beyond reasonable doubt that he is clean and can continue to provide unbiased opinions and judgments."

I wonder if the Constitution Court judges ever look at and reflect upon their own court seal proudly displayed on the bench from which they sit behind.

Clearly displayed on seal are the “scales of justice.”  I had always thought that the “scales of justice” were a worldwide symbol for equality and fairness. This is not so in Thailand. Evidently this symbol better represents the new product out in the market place called the “Thai Constitutional Court Scales of Justice Bra.”

Yes, the symbol on the Constitutional Court Seal is one that supports and covers up a bunch of boobs.

By the way, maybe everyone should stop calling Thaksin “a fugitive from justice” since obviously there is no justice from the boobs running Thailand now. 

The European Colonization Legacy of Thailand

I read this a couple of weeks ago in an article from the Bangkok Post:

"The Education Ministry has scrapped a plan to make English the country's second language, saying it could lead to misunderstandings that Thailand had been colonized in the past.

The ministry will make English the main foreign language instead of the second official language, Education Minister Chinnaworn Boonyakiat said yesterday. . . Other countries that have declared English a second official language were normally viewed as former colonies, he said. Thai is the only official language of Thailand.”

Full Story:  http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/2022...language-vetoed

Most reasonable people who follow current events in Thailand would think that Abhisit’s illegitimate government should have more important things to work on right now but then again it is known as “Amazing Thailand.”

Honestly, I really couldn’t care any less if Thailand makes English as the country’s secondary language or not.  What is “amazing” to me is the government’s great concern about Thailand’s appearance as to have never been colonized before. The Thai government evidently doesn’t mind their appearance as being a bunch of corrupt and authoritarian thugs suppressing freedom of speech, civic, and human rights.

But let’s get back to the appearance of colonization issue. Thailand, of course, is the only nation in Indochina that did not fall to one of the colonial powers and the Thai people should rightly be proud of that fact. However, a European colonial legacy might be inferred by some famous landmarks around Bangkok to those ignorant of Thai history.  Here’s a brief list:

1.) The Bangkok Central Train Station.  Obviously a Dutch style building which could imply that Thailand was once a Dutch colony.

2.) The King Rama V Equestrian Monument.  Obviously a British style monument which could imply that Thailand was once a British colony.

3.) The Democracy Monument.  Obviously a French style monument which could imply that Thailand was once a French colony.

4.) Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall (old Parliament House).  Obviously an Italian style building which could imply that Thailand was once an Italian colony.

5.) Abhisit Vejjavija. Obviously a Nazi Germany style leader which could imply that Thailand was once a Nazi colony.

Well, it wouldn’t be feasible to get rid of landmarks 1 – 4, but removing #5 would certainly be a great boost to Thailand’s reputation.

McCarthyism in the Thai Government: Both the Joseph and the Charlie Types

It’s been nearly two years since the military made Abhisit Vejjavija Prime Minister in Thailand and things don’t bode well for democracy there. Abhisit is the perfect example of both types of McCarthyism.

On one hand, the Abhisit government is the most fervent drummer of royal hysteria. Anyone who is pro-democracy (pro-Red) is subject to intimidation or even arrest. Political opponents of the military-run regime are even falsely targeted under the very strict and unreasonable lèse majesté laws.  These laws are used to suppress criticism, expression of opinions, and public scrutiny—the hallmarks of any minimally functioning democracy.

This type of repressive government behavior is the most commonly known type of McCarthyism – The Joseph Type, named after the former US Senator, Joseph McCarthy.  His communist witch hunts in the 1950s defined the term as demagogic, reckless, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents.

I believe Abhisit to be worse than Joseph McCarthy in that McCarthy actually believed he was actually protecting democracy.  He was wrong in that his actions weakened the institution and endangered its future. Oxford educated Abhisit knows better. He fully understands that what he is doing is wrong and he propagates the same old corrupt system of governing in Thailand.

The other type of McCarthyism which Abhisit exhibits is the Charlie type.

Charlie McCarthy is a famous ventriloquist dummy, a puppet controlled by Edgar Bergan, son of Swedish immigrants (speaking of Sweden - I want to give a hearty “shout out” to my good friends and fellow supporters of democracy at Thai Red Sweden).  

Abhisit is clearly a puppet controlled by “the invisible hand” in Thailand. In fact, Abhisit is always drawn as a puppet by our favorite Thai political cartoonist, Zia at Thai Rath - see here.

However, we politely disagree with Zia’s interpretation of “the invisible hand” controlling Abhisit by strings from above.  A better comparison is “the invisible hand” placed up Abhisit’s backside controlling both his actions and his speech – like a ventriloquist and his “dummy.”

What else would make Abhisit say what he did to defend the military against:  1) their use of the fraudulent GT200 explosive detection devices, 2) their atrocities against the Hmong and the Rohingyas, and 3) the deadly use of snipers against their own people?

It’s not just Abhisit either. The entire Thai Democratic party are just a bunch of “dummies” with “the invisible hand” up their backsides controlling them as well.

Thailand desperately needs democracy!

Mickey Mouse Wears an Abhisit Vejjajiva Watch

To say that the Prime Minister of Thailand Abhisit runs a “Mickey Mouse” organization in Thailand is an insult to the Walt Disney character. Almost immediately after Abhisit had just finished telling the world, in a speech in New York, that no one was being arrested under the emergency decree, the police arrested a street vendor for selling flip-flop sandals bearing the likenesses of Abhisit and Thailand’s Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsaban. The flip-flops are sold in pairs. The left foot has the image of Suthep and the right has a photo of Abhisit. And since then there have been other arrests of vendors of these flip-flops in Thailand.

Using likenesses of political figures on products has long been a form of free speech. Even the police could not find an actual law against this type of free speech so they arrested her anyway. Evidently, Abhisit’s government is making things up as they go along or perhaps Abhisit and Suthep have promoted themselves to Thai Royalty in order to apply those strict lèse majesté laws Thailand is infamous in abusing.

Although these particular flip-flops may be in poor taste, they’re certainly not any more insulting than some of the other products we’ve seen. I wonder when the Thai regime will get around to prohibiting other allegedly offensive products.
Take for instance, the new line of baby and adult diapers. You’ve heard of Pampers? Well this product is called Prem-pers after the one who is mainly responsible for the lack of democracy in Thailand today; former dictator now Head of the Privy Council: Prem Tinsulanonda.

Very absorbent but unfortunately it tends to scare babies. Plus, it leaves a rash – but at least the rash is red.

And who can forget the ever popular sanitary pads made famous from the leader of the PAD himself, Sondhi Limthongkul, in a televised speech given on October 29, 2008.

Then there is the Somsak Kosaisuuk urinal cake. I don’t think it works any better than any other urinal cake but it at least offers an alternate reason why the PAD wear yellow.

Here’s one of our favorite products; the Chamlong Srimuang fly swatter.  This one works really well because it actually draws flies in making them easier to swat.

Another special PAD product is the Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya toilet paper. A bit abrasive but just like shutting down Suvarnabhumi airport, it makes cleaning up after yourself “a lot of fun.”

And we can’t forget about the Thepthai Senpong dog poo scooper.  This works great in cleaning up after dogs and it got great publicity when the personal spokesman of the PM received dog poo in the mail.

One of the many, many problems Abhisit has is that he doesn’t understand the people who he is supposed to govern over. I offer Abhisit this well known piece of advice:


“Before you abuse, criticize and accuse. Then you should walk a mile in their shoes.” 

Well, here’s a pair for Abhisit to get started walking:

TRICK OR TREAT

Halloween is fast approaching and I am already starting to see the decorations of corpses and ghosts in my neighborhood. They are a dreadful reminder to me of the victims of the terrible massacre in Bangkok earlier this year committed by the Thai regime. People of Thailand came from all parts of their country to the capital city of Bangkok to protest. The Thai regime responded by using snipers for crowd control and nothing short of a massacre occurred.

But the tragedy didn’t end there. History will officially record the total number of casualties at 91 but these are only the human deaths. But we mustn’t forget that “in war the first casualty is truth.” This is especially true in this instance with extreme censorship and a massive propaganda campaign that tries to blame the victims.

Please don’t be misled by the Thai regime’s plot to deflect the heinous actions of the military towards the people.

We’re constantly bombarded with excuses to try to discredit the protests. The Thai regime and their apologists repeatedly tell us all that the protesters were all paid by Thaksin Shinawatra and that the protests were only about bringing Thaksin back to power.

Tiresome, pathetic, and illogical! So what the Thai regime wants us to believe is that in order to keep out of power someone they feel is corrupt and repressive, they have to use more corruption and repression.

The protesters were known as the Red Shirts and, for the most part, they are very poor and live extremely hard lives. Naturally, they look to the government for help. But the government they had voted for twice was ousted by a military coup and that the party they'd voted for a third time had been disbanded by judges put in place by that coup and they ended up with a Prime Minister who hadn't won the election, strong armed into place by backroom deals and pressure by the same unelected military leaders. That is why the Red Shirts went to protest and it is a very valid reason. We would do the same if this were to happen in our nation.

Another sign that Halloween is approaching is that I am also seeing more and more of those orange pumpkins carved into Jack-O-Lanterns. Their color reminds me why I have decided to join the American Orange Shirts and start this blog.

It would be easy for me I love to say “I don’t care. It doesn’t concern me.” One could also make the argument that it would be politically correct to stay out of another country’s troubles. However, I do care. I love Thailand and its people. I want them to have the political stability that is needed there. I support a proper and well functioning democratic system which unfortunately is not present there. Why am I supporting democracy? Every Thai citizen, regardless of poor they are or how little education they have, should be able to decide the direction their country is heading and that a small group of the establishment shouldn’t be the ones to do it. This will lead to better stability in the country, something Thailand desperately needs.

Being an outsider, I don’t particularly support “who” in this case. That is rightfully up to the Thai people and I shouldn’t and won’t interfere. My only opponent is the outdated and corrupted governing system there.

So when Halloween commences on Sunday night and the children, dressed in their costumes, come knocking at my door with an enthusiastic “Trick or Treat,” I will of course give them their deserved “Treat.” But I’m afraid I will also be reminded of the valiant Red Shirts and their protests in Bangkok earlier this year. They came enthusiastically asking for ballots but they received bullets instead.