The Lese Majeste Game

Forget the beautiful game. The Lese majeste game is currently Thailand's fastest growing "sport". It's especially popular with the urban elite and of course, the Thai royals. They love it! Especially the king, because he gets to pardon foreigners after parading then in chains for the benefit of the foreign press.

Lese majeste is such a scream, but there's nothing "beautiful" about it. I've come to the conclusion that it only serves to trash the Thai king's reputation. But sooner or later there's going to be a backlash. Human rights organisations will condemn Thailand, foreign tourist will stay away. Export companies will look elsewhere for business clients, the Thai Stock Market will crash, etc, ect..

It's a game no-one can win. Rather like tick, tack toe. Once you know the "rules", you can block your opponent's move every time. But it's a game the military backed government in thailand can't possibly win either, as more and more people question the failure of King Bhumibol to deal effectively with the growing number of arrests for allegedly "insulting" him.

It's even more sad for those arrested and sent to prison, not to mention their families, but that doesn't seem to bother the Thai king or his crooked advisors. The damage done to thailand's reputation is a price well worth paying for imposing obedience on their subjects.

An incredibly bizarre video from Sia4playboy



By the way. For the benefit of the mathematically challenged DSI, today is my Birthday. I'm 46. Please get it right next time you issue a press statement. Wish me a happy birthday then.

Bhumibol is "Universally revered" - got it?

When commenting on lese majeste law, the press are fond of using the adverb "universally" when refering to the "love" felt by Thai people towards their Monarch. But "universally" implies "totality", and smacks of crypto fascism. What's worse, in some way the use of this word attempts to justify having lese majeste law. This is wrong.

Take this video for example. It was made by a Thai, who is probably extremely proud to be Thai, but who thinks differently to other Thais. Is that so wrong? Why should everyone be forced to have the same opinion about the king? That's what "universal" means you know.

The point I'm making is that as "outsiders" looking in, we should be very careful about how we see Thai people and their culture. Sweeping statements about the relationship between the Thai king and his subjects, can be manipulated to justify lese majeste law.

Personally, I agree with DieDieChakri, the maker of this video. Some thais may feel genuine love towards King Bhumibol, but others don't. It's not that loving the Thai king is wrong, it's just that not having a choice is wrong. Lese majeste law enforces respect for the Thai king by law.

That's why lese majeste law is wrong, because it forces Thai people to express certain positive opinions about their king, which they may not believe. As if that's not enough, Lese majeste law also requires a public demonstration of "respect" for their king, whenever Thai people and foreigners go to the cinema in Thailand.

Advocates of this law are contradicting themselves. If the love felt by Thais towards their king really is "universal", then the opposite of what they say is true. In fact, lese majeste law would be totally unnecessary because no-one would ever criticise King Bhumibol and end up in prison for it. The arguments in favour of this law don't make any sense.

Thais and foreigners alike, have a right not to stand up for King Bhumibol before watching a film. It's time to abolish lese majeste law.

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Relax Your Majesty, it's only another massacre.

The popular story goes something like this: "The king of Thailand is a constitutional monarch with no legislative power, but, on rare occasions he has intervened to stop further bloodshed and restore order." Yeah, right! And the moon is made of cheese.

It's not that I'm trying to be awkward or anything, but I beg to differ. The king, not only has the power to legitimise military coups by signing their approval, but he also hasn't prevented any of the bloodbaths in Thailand's recent history.

Take this video from Diediechakri for example. Exactly when did the Thai king "intervene"? I'll tell you. King Bhumibol "intervened" when the streets of Bangkok were flowing with blood and it was more than obvious that the army had won.

Which is not surprising really, as the Thai army are the ones with guns. So let me just repeat that for the benefit of those who have not quite understood. If the Thai king had "intervened" in time, no-one would have died. As it is, many Thai people lost their lives on Black May 1992.

Now watch this video. It's unpleasant I know, but the ending reveals just what sort of person King Bhumibol really is and how things have worked in Thailand for the last 60 years. Oh! And if you're wondering why the king should have "intervened" in the first place, I'll tell you. The law in Thailand states that all public protests must be "pro-monarchy" in nature. That was the excuse used by the army in Black May 1992 to brutally crush the student protests.

So you see, Thai royalist can't have it both ways. They can't say the king is "above politics" one moment, then legislate to involve the Thai king in political matters. It doesn't make any sense. Now you may ask: What's it got to do with us? We're not Thai! Well I'll tell you.

Not only are Thai people entitled to the same basic human rights as the rest of us, but as westerners we have a moral duty to question lese majeste law, and the Thai government's justification for having such a law, rather than quietly accepting the harsh prison sentences dished out on Oliver Jufer and Harry Nicolaides, Da Torpedo, my friends Suwicha Thakhor and Nat Sattayapornpisut.

Personally, I believe you can drive a horse and cart through the Thai government's arguments for having this law. Before we accept this law being imposed on us, it's important for farangs to question the moral, legal, historical, and political use of lese majeste law. And if in the process we "injure" the great king of Thailand, that's too fucking bad!



Pearl of Wisdom from Y34r


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Is king Bhumibol really "divine"?

Over the last 60 years, Thai people have had it drummed into them that their monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (currently the longest serving monarch in the world, as if that merits a prize) is "divine", a "demi-God" even. The myth of the "divine king" has been achieved by a clever mix of "love bombing" propaganda and lese majeste legislation.

But, who exactly is Bhumibol Adulyadej? Where was he born? Where was his brother born? What was his first address? Most Thais, even the most fervent royalists, couldn't even begin to answer these simple questions. Such things are not discussed in Thailand.

I recently came across a very interesting factual article By Stephen Cleary, which explodes all the fairytale myths surrounding the "divine" Thai king. It turns out that Bhumibol, or "Lek" as he was known during his spotty teenage years, did not descend from the clouds on some magical golden barge, to rule in righteousness for the benefit of the Siamese people.

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In fact, "Lek" was born at Mount Auburn Hospital in Massachusetts (see photograph above). His first modest home was in 63 Longwood Avenue (see photograph below), a world away from his Golden Palace in Bangkok. His elder brother Ananda Mahidol was born in Germany. The two brothers only ever spoke to each other in French. King Bhumibol's mother, Princess Srinakharin, was a Chinese-Thai orphan with nothing more than a basic education.

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Ha! Old "Lek" is no more "divine" than I am- Bah!

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To read the complete article, click here: http://www.thai-blogs.com/index.php/2009/10/21/the-birthplace-of-king-bhumibol?blog=8

Lese Majeste Begets Lese Majeste

The bitch mother that is lese majeste law, has just given birth to yet more rebellious spawn on Youtube. His username is DieDieChakri and he's got plenty of lip. He's not the first to mock king Bhumibol, and he certainly won't be the last, not for as long as lese majeste law and the more recent Computer Crimes Act, remain on the statute books of an increasingly paranoid Thai state.

Diedie is most probably Thai, like Suwicha Thakhor and Nat Sattayapornpisu before him, so we can cut the crap about "cultural" differences, because it's not about that. Thailand is not a human rights free zone. It never was. Thai people themselves are mocking the Thai king, even if it means going to prison.

Why do they do it? Why do Thai people risk going to prison when there's so much at stake? Because nanny doesn't always know best. Thai people want the same basic human rights as the rest of us, including the right to criticise their monarch within acceptable limits.

When will the powers that be in Bangkok undertand that? When will these dickheads understand that outlawing individual thought only encourages the king's oppressed subjects to rebel even when they are frightened to do so?

Go for it "Diedie"! Mock the ape king for not giving a shit about his people.


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Pearl of Wisdom from The Huffington Post


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Nat Sattayapornpisut: A Statement

Tomorrow, October 26th, ends the 12 day period during which time Nat Sattayapornpisut has been held at DSI offices in Bangkok. Will we know his fate?

According to the press, Nat has "confessed to sending three lese majeste videos via e-mail". I can tell you that this is not true. I myself downloaded the videos from Spain.

But there are other isses here which I think the European Union and Human Rights groups should be concerned about. Firstly, there's the question of how the DSI managed to read my e-mails.

Did the DSI illegally hack into my mail? Or did Yahoo give permission to the DSI to access my mail? Did Spanish authorities permit Thai police to access the Spanish internet servers? This is a question of freedom of speech which no civilised country can ignore.

Then there's the most worrying aspect of all. Is Nat Sattayapornpisut a police officer serving in Thailand's police force? Read this snippet from an article which has now been deleted from a Thai website called Prachatai -

Friends Connection ประชาไท หนังสือพิมพ์ออนไลน์

Thai man arrested for sending lèse majesté clips to a British blogger in Spain ... Briton living in Spain, who had been in contact with Suwicha via e-mail. ... This case is the first in which the DSI has charged police officers over ...

If however, the "Police officer" who was "charged" was not Nat, then we can safely say it was another police officer who is involved in this case. But, why would the DSI arrest its own police officers? Could it be that it relates to the way in which my mail was "hacked" into?

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If so, then Nat's arrest was "illegal" because the method used to gain the information was in itself illegal. I urge Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to become involved in this case, and help Nat Sattayapornpisut prove his innocence.

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We have the right to know the truth.

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Bhumibol the Bully

Thai royalists claim that lese majeste law is "by Thai people, for Thai people". The king, in whose name many people are now being sentenced to prison for a ridiculous number of years, is supposedly totally against this law.

I don't believe this is true for one moment. Whilst it's true that King bhumibol usually pardons foreigners, it is also true that lese majeste law serves the king's interests well. Over his 60 year reign, king Bhumibol has been more than just a ceremonial monarch.

In his book: "The king Never Smiles", Paul Handley revealed how in 1976, king Bhumibol endorsed both the massacre of students at Thammasat University, and the arrests and witch hunts against left-wing Thais which followed the massacre.

The King of Thailand needs this law to silence his critics and to uphold the myth that he is a "constitutional" monarch with no executive powers, and therefore beyond criticism. How else could Bhumibol have endorsed the 2006 military coup against Thailand's democratic goverment?

But King Bhumibol has crossed the line. His initial silence, followed his theatrical signing of "royal pardons" for Oliver Jufer and Harry nicolaides, while remaining silent in the case of Thai prisoners like Da Torpedo and Suwicha Thakhor, demonstrate that Bhumibol is a bully who exploits lese majeste law to forment his image as the "compassionate king".

To Thai royalists I say: the people of Thailand in no way benefit from having lese majeste law. Many Thais would like to gently criticise their monarch's past actions, but they would surely wind up in prison. Meanwhile, King Bhumibol claims to welcome criticisim, but then he remains silent when his critics are arrested and sent to prison.

So I'll say it again: King bhumibol Adulyadej endorses lese majeste law by pardoning only foreigners, and by not using his substacial moral influence over Thais to help abolish this cruel law. I'm ready for my punishment now, but please note, unlike other foreigners, I will never kneel before a portrait of the Thai king and beg "forgivenes" for exercising my right to free speech. Never.

Good video from Sia4playboy




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All Hail Bhumibol the "Indestructible"

If you were once a doubting Thomas, doubt no more! King Bhumibol Adulyadej is not only indestructible, he is also divine and here is the proof. Being divine means that Bhumibol is beyond reproach, which is why it is illegal to criticise him.

Never mind that innocent people are being sent to prison in his name for the most trivial of "crimes", or that the Thai king endorses military coups, or that he remains silent when those in power use the army to brutally crush dissent.

None of this matters. All that matters is that no-one criticises the king. Not even within acceptable "limits". No! Everyone must stay quiet and humbly bow as his divine Majesty whirrs past. Got it?

Oh sure, His divine Majesty said he wanted to be criticised, blah, blah. He said he didn't agree with lese majeste law, blah, blah. But more and more people are being sent to prison for daring to overstep the "zero" limit. Meanwhile the king stays silent.

I can't help wondering if this attitude is morally right. I don't think it is. I don't think anyone is beyond criticism, especially not King Bhumibol whose actions and decisions in the past have encouraged the Thai army to seize power by force.

So I think I will continue to withold my respect until the "divine" king does what is right, and uses his substancial influence over Thai people to help abolish lese majeste law and pardon all those who are currently in prison.

Does anyone doubt that the Thai king is capable of such a task? No-one would utter so much as a word, if His Majesty insisted on this law being abolished. So what's holding him back? I'm pleased to see the Thai king up and about, but I still think he is a selfish man.




Pearl of Wisdom from FuckThaiApeKing

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Would you believe it!

34 whole days after King Bhumibol Adulyadej was admitted to Siriraj Hospital for a "routine" check up, the king has finally appeared in public. Nice to see he's still alive, I wouldn't wish the thai king any harm. In fact, I've been more concerned about the Thai king's health over the past 34 than his own family, none of whom have visited him in hospital even once!

So, now that old Bhumibol has finally been wheeled out, I wonder what he'll do first? Perhaps, after having an ice-cream, His Majesty will pardon all those innocent people who are in prison for allegedly "insulting" him. Or is that too much to hope for?

The purpose of King Bhumibol's sudden appearance in public, is a bit strange. According to The Bangkok Post it is to "pay homage" to his Grandfather, King Chulalongkorn (otherwise known as Rama V).

Hmm..
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Princess Srirasmi "Hee Raa Berd "

Meet the future Queen of Thailand, Srirasmi. A talented young lady, with tons and tons of karaoke experience. She can sing, dance, and cut birthday cake into eight evenly-sized slices. Is it any wonder Thai people love her to bits? She'll make an excellent Queen.

Just look at her angelic face, how could those nasty people say those horrid things about her. Let's do away with lese majeste law, we don't need it now. Not with old flabby labia lips sitting on the throne, right? Just don't repeat any of this in public or they'll throw your scrawny ass in prison!

From DieDieChakri




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"Daddy" Sia O

Thai royalists on Youtube end all their messages with a hearty "Long Live the King!" But have you noticed how these same royalist never write "Long Live the Crown Prince"? Curious that, don't you think? What's the reason for this?

DiedieChakri knows the answer, and if you watch his video, you'll know too. You see, Thai royalists go on and on about how the Thai royal family are "honorary" members of their own family, yet they can't bring themselves to admit that they don't want Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn as their next king.

Are they ashamed of their Crown prince? And what's all this about "Sia O" having a disease that "can't be cured"? If all this smacks of hypocrisy, it's because it is. Thank goodness for lese majeste law, right? Nobody can discuss this issue in Thailand. Phew!

It's clear. When Thai royalist grunt "Long Live the King!" They really mean it. Know what I mean? Thank you diedie, now we understand perfectly.




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How did King Bhumibol Make his Money?

According to Forbes Magazine, Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the riches monarch in the world, for two years running in fact. Not even the Queen of England, or Arab Sheikhs of oil rich nations have as much wonga as the "compassionate" king.

So how did Thailand's extremely rich king get his grubby hands on so much dosh? Investing wisely in humanitarian projects in Thailand's poor Northern regions perhaps? Or perhaps it was all that generous charity work? Or maybe even hundreds of "sufficiency" conferences? Very unlikely.

Have a look at this video from DieDieChakri. It offers a very interesting alternative theory about how the Thai king was able to accumulate 35 billion smackers over his 60 year reign. Certainly, When an entire nation depends on just one man to hold the economy together, the temptation is always there to feather your own nest.

King Bhumibol is not fooling anyone, you know. All he has to do to prove that he's the king of "compassion" is to share his vast fortune with poor Thai people before he dies. Do you think he'll do it? You must be joking!

If Buddha is watching, Bhumibol will have a lot of explaning to do......

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Pearl of Wisdom from SantiAsoke9


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Send Your Love (Dance Remix) @ Yahoo! Video

Fanning the Flames

Contrary to popular belief, the Thai king and his family are not "apolitical". Indeed, King Bhumibol is at the very heart of the current political crisis in Thailand. The queen of Thailand too, Queen Sirikit, has made her views clear by her actions.

Take the Thai king for example. Was it not king Bhumibol who in 2006 endorsed the military coup which saw the democratically elected government of Thailand pushed out by the army? Were the tanks which rolled onto the streets of Bangkok not draped with "royal yellow" ribbons to indicate that the coup had the support of the king?

Then there's Queen Sirikit. Was it not Queen sirikit who attended the funeral of a PAD supporter at the height of the political turmoil in Thailand? Is the PAD not an anti-democratic "royalist" group which seeks to take the voting rights away from the vast majority of poor Thai people?

The facts speak for themselves: Thailand's royal family have created the political instability which exists in Thailand between "red shirts" and "yellows shirts". Both the King and Queen are firmly on the side of the nationalist yellow shirts, which is why the palace has funded this right wing organisation in the past.

Political neutrality has nothing to do with it. The Thai royal family are in crisis because of the unpopularity of the Thai Crown Prince, and are seeking to hold on to power by any means: be it lese majeste law or political meddling. A tactic which will backfire on them as more and more Thai people discover the truth about their political monarchy.

Video from DieDieChakri (adapted)

We're winning!.

http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2008statements/1877

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Nat Sattayapornpisut: A Statement

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My name is Emilio Esteban. I am the webmaster of 15yearsprison / StopLeseMajeste blog.

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It's been claimed in some media reports that Nat Sattayapornpisut sent three lese majeste videos to my Yahoo e-mail in Spain.

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This is not true.

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Nat did not send me any videos. He wrote telling me that links to two videos had appeared in Samesky webboard. He did not say he had made the videos himself.

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I still have these links as proof. I myself downloaded the videos from Spain. In total, the videos weighed more than 300 MB, which would make it impossible to send by e-mail.

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I believe Thai police know this because they have read our messages.

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Here are the messages from Nat

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Below are three of the messages I received from Nat, with the links to the videos, which Nat said had appeared in Samesky webboard. Nat also said that he did not know who had made the videos.

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I myself downloaded the original videos from Spain. There were only two videos originaly, but I edited them into three and uploaded them onto my gmail account with the rest of my videos.

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These are the three videos Thai police found when they hacked into my e-mail.

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At best Nat is guilty of gossip, but these massages were PRIVATE messages between Nat and myself. Nat did not download or upload these videos onto his computer, and has therefore not broken Thailand's Computer Crimes Law.

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Apart from wrongly accusing Nat of sending me the videos, the press statement issued to the media by Thai police also contained many other errors, including: Suwicha Thakhor's name. Suwicha told me his name was "Mika". I didn't find out until his arrest that "Mika" was "Suwicha".

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The statement also stated that my age is 46. In fact, I'm 45.

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I respectfully ask the media to take care with their reporting of Nat's case.

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Thank you.

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Is the "God Bolt" coming loose?

King Bhumibol Adulyadej is often thought of as Thailand's "God bolt". That's the main bolt on a helicopter which holds the propeller tightly in place: The Thai economy being the helicopter. Now it seems, internation market traders are withdrawing their investments from Thailand, on rumours that "the bolt" is coming loose.

The result? A massive plunge in the Thai Stock Market, as rumours about the king's ill health spreads panic across the investment world. And is it any wonder investors are panicking? What started off as a "slight fever" on September 19th, now turns out to be "pneumonia", which may even kill an already frail monarch.

King Bhumibol's people: the Thai elite, the army, big business, the middle class, now contemplate as they lose the symbol of authority which has kept them at the top of Thai society for sixty finger licking good years - at the expense of the poor, of course!

My heart bleeds for the Thai king's bank balance, honest. From France24English


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Pearl of Wisdom from Atheistbork


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Turmoil and Civil Unrest Awaits Thai King's Death

"Turmoil and civil unrest", that is what many analysts anticipate happening in Thailand after witnessing how the Thai stock market plunged to record levels, on rumours that the thai king's health is touch and go. According to Reuters, Bhumibol is recovering from "pneumonia".

Only a few weeks ago, the Royal Household Bureau was claiming that the king had nothing more than a "slight fever". Is it any wonder then, that foreign investors are panicking about their investments as they begin to learn the real truth?

So what does the future hold for Thai people after their king dies? According to a separate article in Reuters, Thailand will experience a "prolonged period of turmoil and even significant civil unrest". In other words, more chaos and violence.

The issue of royal succession is further complicated by the political divisions between "Red shirts" and "Yellow shirts". This conflict exists because of the Thai king's political meddling in 2006, when he endorsed an illegal military coup, which saw Thaksin Shinawatra pushed out from power.

Many Red shirts would not accept the Thai Crown Prince's (Maha Vajiralongkorn) as their king if he endorsed a similar coup against yet another democratic government. Hence, the dangers of even talking about the succession in Thailand.

But some foreign journalists are already talking about a possible "regent" composed of Queen Sirikit and General Prem Tinsulanonda, which would exclude The Thai crown Prince, until his son Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti came of age. This would create conflict and divisions among Thai people.

Certainly, what awaits Thailand is no tea party. Turmoil, civil unrest between the different political factions, and a stock market crash all seem likely, as the Thai royal family and the Thai elite struggle to hold on to power using the armed forces to keep control.

Bhumibol Adulyadej is no longer the "glue" holding Thailand together. That job has now passed to Thailand's draconian lese majeste laws, without which Thai people would speak openly about their divided royal family, and bring Thailand's Chakri Dynasty to a sticky end, just as Nepal´s royal family came to an unceremonious end.

Video From DieDieChakri

The Fight for Free Speech Continues
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http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/1447#comment-6126.

http://www.manager.co.th/Crime/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9520000122735

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http://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/new-more-lese-majeste-charges/#respond

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http://facthai.wordpress.com/2009/10/18/thai-arrested-for-sending-lese-majeste-clips-prachatai

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Neither Nat nor Thai people are responsible for the lewd behaviour of the Thai Crown Prince and his ex-porn star wife. If the Thai Royal family don't want to be criticised, then they should keep their clothes on and not allow themselves to be photographed in the buff eating cake from the floor.

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Searching my Yahoo e-mail account without my consent, to see if Thai people have sent lese majeste material from Thailand to Spain, is both scary and illegal. This law must be challenged by the international community and abolished once and for all.

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Free Nat Sattayapornpisut!

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Thais Copy Khmers and Won't Admit it

I have uploaded this video especially for those Thais who look down on Khmers. I know they won't like it, but I think IHyRaXI is making some very good points. Many aspects of Thai culture have their roots in Khmer culture, even the Thai king wore a Royal Khmer robe for his anniversary celebrations, so why the animosity towards Khmers?

Bullying your Cambodian neighbours only bring more shame on Thailand. PAD nationalist rhetoric only fuels discrimination, intolerance and hate.

As Mother Told Me

Here's another interesting little video from diediechakri I think you'll agree. Does the title sound familiar? Well it should! It's the title of a book written by King Bhumibol's late sister, and would you believe it, it's banned in thailand. I wonder why? How do you say "sticky rice" in Lao? Maybe I should ask the "Thai" king.

Are there any Thai people out there who want to argue this point with diedie? Here is his factual evidence to prove his assertion that king Bhumibol's ethnic origins are Lao. Does anyone have any evidence to the contrary? Please, feel free to argue your point, with FACTS.

Link: http://www.managerradio.com/Radio/DetailRadio.asp?program_no=1012&mmsID=1012%2F1012%2D1123%2Ewma&program_id=1213

Chakri family Fun

Here's an educational video from DieDieChakri which might surprise you. Below are the notes which come with the video. read them, I think you'll find then most enlightening. The gentleman who appears in the video is king Chulalongkorn. He married four of his half-sisters. They were all the daughters of Mongkut. They were called: Savang Vadhana, Saovabha, Sunandha and Sukumalmarsri.

1) Queen Consort Savang Vadhana was a consort of King Chulalongkorn or Rama V. She was the 27 th daughter of King Rama IV (King Mongkut or Rama IV) and Princess Consort Piam and thus her husband's half-sister.

2) Queen Saovabha (Thai: สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าเสาวภาผ่องศรี พระบรมราชินีนาถ) was a half-sister and queen of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) of Thailand, and mother of both King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) and King Prajadhipok (Rama VII).

3) Queen Sunandha Kumariratana (Thai:สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสุนันทาก ุมารีรัตน์ พระบรมราชเทวี) (10 November 1860 - 31 May 1880) was a daughter of King Mongkut (Rama IV) and Princess Consort Piam. Her given name is Princess Sunandha Kumariratana. She was a half-sister and the first queen consort and one of four queens of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).

4) Sukumala Marasri (10 May 1861-9 July 1927) was a daughter of King Mongkut (Rama IV) and Chao Chom Manda Samli . Her given name is Princess Sukumala Marasri . She was the third senior of the four queens consort of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) and was also his half-sister.

What's Your Opinion?

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Turning a Blind Eye on Thailand's Sex Tourism

Every year milions of "sex tourists" travel to Thailand to pay for sex with "juicy" young Thai girls and boys. This is illegal of course, but you wouldn't think so the way the sex industry is marketed in Thailand. The latest sex scandal is now taking shape in France, watch the video for more information.

But I think everyone is missing the point in all this. It's true that "demand" plays an important role in keeping Thailand's sex industry buoyant , but what about the supply part? Why do these Thai sex workers go to the big cities to sell their bodies?

The reason is extreme poverty. These young people desperately need the money, so they allow themselves to be exploited, while Thai authorities appear to turn a blind eye. Meanwhile, Thai royalist continue to claim that the Thai king has done many good things for poor Thai people.

But is the Thai king partly responsible for the "Sex Tourism" problem? Certainly, if instead of organising photo sessions in which the Thai king distributed bags of free rice to poor Thai people, King Bhumibol spoke out against chronic poverty in rural Thailand, perhaps then this problem wouldn't exist now.

A few bags of rotten rice, and gimmicky "sufficiency" theories don't really help poor Thai people in the long run, thought they certainly boost the king's "divine" image. What poor Thai people need is money to feed their families. In the absence of a real Welfare State there seems little option but for poor Thai people to travel down to the big cities and sell sex to farangs for a few measly bahts.

In his 63 year reign, Bhumibol Adulyadej could have helped to establish a Welfare State in Thailand, if he had wanted to. But he didn't. Instead he chose to exploit Thailand's poor to promote his own image as the "compassionate king", while allowing others to exploit them in sleaze sex bars.

Perhaps that's why Thailand's sex industry exists today. Perhaps if the Thai king had been less concerned with accumulating personal wealth and status, and instead turned his hand at helping his own people escape their wretched poverty, this problem wouldn't exist.

What is the Role of the Monarchy in Thailand?

This video called simply "Revolution" is very interesting indeed, especially the ending because it raises a question which nobody dares to ask in Thailand: "What is the role of the Thai monarchy?"

Why has Thailand had more military coups than any other nation in the world? What has been the Thai king's role in these coups? Has the king been a "stabilising" factor, or the instigator behind these coups? What nobody can deny, is that Bhumibol Adulyadej is always there. Coup after, coup, after coup. The monarch's power is never dented by these coups, but rather enhanced. Curious.

How many of these coups "benefited" Thai people themselves? Did the "bawordet Rebellion" benefit Thai people? What about the "Lance Corporal Rebellion"? The "Phraya Suradet Rebellion", "Separatists Rebellion", "Aide-de-camp Rebellion", "Royal Palace (Wang Luang) Rebellion", "Manhattan Rebellion", "Santiparp Rebellion"......

It's easy to get confused, as one army General after another desolves yet another democratic parliament, or abolishes yet another Thai Constitution, but there's a pattern here. It's all about stifling democracy in thailand. It's about securing privileges and wealth for the ruling elite at the expense of poor Thais. Perhaps this is what Thailand's current illegitimate "Prime Minister" was refering to, when he talked about Thailand's "unique history"?

The video brings us nicely to the present day with the military coup against Thailand's former Prime Minister (notice no quotation marks, Thaksin was elected by Thai people not appointed by the Thai king). This is the most interesting part. When the 2006 coup was staged, it was under the "Revolutionary Council in the Thai Democracy" in the name of HM the king. Then it was hurriedly renamed: "The national Security Council" under General Sonthi.

Did we briefly glimpse the face of the man who has remained in the shadows throughout Thailand's history of multiple military coups? Maybe. As if we hadn't already figured out the answer, the video ends with the questions: "Who is behind these rebellions?" and "Who benefits from them?". Cue big question mark.

To answer this question fully, it is first necessary to define the word "benefit". What benefit could there be in staging a military coup? Power? Wealth? Certainly, the Thai army hasn't done badly from Thailand's many coups. They have the power. But who is the person with all the wealth? And if by chance this person was also the head of the army? Could we have answered our initial question?

Coups don't just happen, they happen for two reasons: Power and wealth. "Legitimate" power comes from a mandate from the people, this is called democracy. But legitimacy can also come from a military coup, if it is "approved" by those who are above criticism as enshrined in the Constitution and lese majeste laws. Is that the role of the monarchy in Thailand?

From ThaiFreeNews



Pearl of Wisdom from apochromatic


Survey Results - GlowDay.com

"Hoe!" "Hoe!" "Hoe!"

Would you believe it? It's only October and it's Christmas already! Santa Claus is in Thailand at the moment, busy distributing huge sacks of "royal" goodies to his adoring Thai fans. Ooh, let's look in the sacks and see what's inside! Let's see... one glossy pornographic magazine, one large black plastic dildo (that's from Srirasmi) and one packet of banana flavoured condoms! Don't you just love Christmas?

Pathetic, isn't it? The Thai Crown prince must think Thais are stupid, pulling a cheap stunt like this shows how desperate Sia O is to be "respected"! He's not fooling anyone, you know. It'll take more than a few sacks stuffed with old newspaper to win over thai people. Sia O doesn't even have the support of those close to him, how can he hope to gain the confidence of an entire nation with a cheap gimmick?

I notice nobody prostrated themselves at Sia O's feet in gratitude. Man! This is too pathetic for words. The only way the Thai Crown prince will ever be "respected" by anyone, will be by enforcing lese majeste law. Sure, if he does become king, Thai people will smile and bow gracefully in his presence, but they'll still think he's a turd with a crown.

Funny video from palrakonline

It's now more than 2 years since the video sharing site Youtube was blocked in Thailand over a video mocking the Thai king.

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But, have you ever seen the video that got Youtube banned in 2007?

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Would you like to see it?

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You decide!

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Vote yes if you would like to watch that video,

or vote no if you do not wish to see it.

I will check the results of this poll in one week's time and post the video only if the majority of you want to watch it.

It's your decision....

Get This - Survey Results - GlowDay.com

POLL RESULTS

98% of you voted in favour of watching the video, and only 1% said no "thank you". No doubt about how most people feel about this video. The results of the poll are conclusive.

So, here is the video which in 2007 got Youtube banned in Thailand. It first appeared in a channel called Paddidda, and was taken down by Youtube after claims that it mocked the Thai king.

In reality, the video is quite trivial, and just goes to prove that the Thai censors over-reacted at the time by banning Youtube, thus provoking even more people post their own, inspired videos.