Thread: The politics behind Thailand's floods

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

You are also guilty of over-analysis and misinterpretation. I think this is to do with the fact that you have yet to reach a point where you are able to draw the correct conclusions consistently when confronted with an external stimulus (you are not always wrong, but sometimes only half right). It may or may not come. For some it does, for others it does not. I went through a similar process when I started analysis/interpretation. With more experience you will get to know where you err. Analysis is like that. There's a lot of trial and error. Ultimately all behaviour becomes logical and explainable. You have gaps in your knowledge, I hope you are able to fill them. You obviously have an analytical bent, but have some way to go before your skills are finely honed. It takes time. Hang in there.

SD - you are such a buffoon it is hilarious.

Originally Posted by Moonraker

I should clear up that by "not read", I mean I don't bother with the editorials and the stuffing.

I just try to skim for images and quotes to find out what is being said, the rest had might as well be written by L Ron Hubbard for all I care.

For example, photo's of Thai politicians and the party logo on relief trucks and packages is pretty fucking damning. Damning enough for me to be able to take the piss out of the blind partisanship of some people.

Yeah, my girlfriend came home in a Pheu Thai pickup truck today....the logo emblazoned all over.....

Originally Posted by Blake7

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

You are also guilty of over-analysis and misinterpretation. I think this is to do with the fact that you have yet to reach a point where you are able to draw the correct conclusions consistently when confronted with an external stimulus (you are not always wrong, but sometimes only half right). It may or may not come. For some it does, for others it does not. I went through a similar process when I started analysis/interpretation. With more experience you will get to know where you err. Analysis is like that. There's a lot of trial and error. Ultimately all behaviour becomes logical and explainable. You have gaps in your knowledge, I hope you are able to fill them. You obviously have an analytical bent, but have some way to go before your skills are finely honed. It takes time. Hang in there.

SD - you are such a buffoon it is hilarious.

Just having a little fun mate....

Originally Posted by Calgary

I would be interested in those people mentioning that in some of their Posts sometimes.

No problem Nugget Ferret. Some of us have been living here decades, speak fluent Thai and recognize bull shit when we see it. Happy?

Originally Posted by Calgary

Originally Posted by SteveCM

My approach (not exactly novel - but not exactly universal, either) is to look at as many sources as reasonably possible - and compare

Not universal is right!

The unfortunate thing is that this UDD/Red Shirt Democracy Movement is so damn unilingual, that unless Farangs are really motivated or uniquely placed in this society, they have no exposure to it.

I tried to speak to both Nathawut and Jatuporn, and neither have a smidgin of English capability.

So if you read only one side since "stepping off the Boat", so to speak, day-in-day out, is it any wonder that the majority of farangs are biased strongly in one direction, through no fault of their own.

On the other hand, the few of us exposed to the Red Shirt Democracy Movement have at least a chance to exercise some of the multiple sided analysis you speak of.

Not only do we have the Democracy Movement info, that of the Amart is rammed down our throat via their omnipresent media, giving some type of balance.

What I don't understand, is where the few Farangs on this Board speaking knowledgably about the Red Shirts, acquire the obvious depth of knowledge they have about this unilingual Democracy movement.

I would be interested in those people mentioning that in some of their Posts sometimes.

As someone possessed of reasonable Thai skills, but certainly not adept, and as someone who knows many red shirt leaning Thai's, I feel in a position to comment.

However, you don't like my comments, as they contradict yours.

There's no future in discussing anything with you Calgary.

You aren't open to change or discussion or alternative points of view. You are certainly not someone who supports democracy. In fact your behaviour here is the antithesis of democracy. Your mind is closed. You support closing opponents down. You support silencing opposition. You support the tyranny of the minority. I hope your behaviour on the board is not indicative of how you are in the real world.

Originally Posted by Gerbil

Originally Posted by Calgary

I would be interested in those people mentioning that in some of their Posts sometimes.

No problem Nugget Ferret. Some of us have been living here decades, speak fluent Thai and recognize bull shit when we see it. Happy?

Are you still on his ignore list?

if not, then he'll get to read your reply now....

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Originally Posted by Moonraker

Dan

I don't know if you are being deliberately obtuse, but I was clearly saying you are being selective in what you quote and comment on in regard to my own comments. You are throwing my comments out of context and you have just done the same again above.

The thing is, everybody can see my original comments so if it is an attempt at a spin, it will fail miserably.

He's yet another one who it is a waste of time discussing anything with. There's no half-way with such people. It is their way or the highway....

But....as regards his competency, he wasn't even aware of democratically elected leaders resigning as a result of presiding over debacles during their tenures. So, I think it is fair to assume that he isn't the sharpest tool in the box.

It is difficult to argue with a rock.

I love it how they start squirming when faced with their own bias.

Betty, for example, has thrown his toys out of the pram because he doesn't want to admit the photos of politicians on relief trucks are a bad thing.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Originally Posted by Gerbil

Originally Posted by Calgary

I would be interested in those people mentioning that in some of their Posts sometimes.

No problem Nugget Ferret. Some of us have been living here decades, speak fluent Thai and recognize bull shit when we see it. Happy?

Are you still on his ignore list?

if not, then he'll get to read your reply now....

I am allegedly on his list.

^Classic, the framing is so obvious and bad that its clear that they are as ignorant about polling and framing as I would expect. Nice to see my faith was not misplaced (:

You can be very subtle when framing questions, to the point that you really would not notice. I've, again, seen this done in questionnaires to allow you to differentiate between people giving honest answers and those giving the answers they think you want. this typically would be used when the questionnaire will be used to identify someones personality type.

To be honest I am quite grateful they are so crude in their propaganda here. its easy to spot. they are much better at it in the US, just look at how they have managed to whip up a frenzy with the tea buggerers™.

Bangkok Post : Cast adrift

Cast adrift

Thailand's legal and illegal migrant workers have been particularly hard hit by the floods, with many left unemployed, unaided by national relief efforts and vulnerable to arrest and extortion

• Published: 13/11/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: Spectrum

Thousands of migrant workers fleeing flooded areas say they face arrest, extortion and crime as they try to get home or to safe places. Many are charged exorbitant fees for transport or onward passage, and face any number of dangers and problems, including employers who won't return their passports, loss of wages and personal belongings and high costs for transport and access through checkpoints.



Because of the language barrier, many are unaware of flood news or relief options available to them, and so they stay despite the dangers of rising water levels, or to claim unpaid wages even though they have lost their jobs or contact with their employers.

Under current law, most migrant workers with work permits must work with designated employers in designated zones. If they leave their jobs or provinces, they can be deported, so as they flee the floods they have been at the mercy of unscrupulous officials. For those working illegally, the situation is even more precarious. Many are so mistrustful of Thai officials they stay in flooded areas in flats without power, with dwindling food and water supplies, and try to wait out the crisis.

For those arrested and sent to Mae Sot to be deported, there have been reports of migrants being deported at night, where Burmese border guards or the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) charge up to 4,000 baht for onward travel or to return across the border. Night-time deportation is against international agreements.

At other border crossings, such as the Three Pagodas Pass in Kanchanaburi province, there have also been reports of high fees to cross the border or get out of detention.


LIFE LINE: Water is passed out in Khlong Song in Pathum Thani, above, and food is distributed to stranded migrants,

"Many migrants decided to return home, probably without knowing that would pose an even higher risk of being arrested and deported as soon as they leave their provinces of registration, losing their [legal] status or ending up in the hands of unscrupulous brokers," said Claudia Natali, labour migration programme coordinator at the International Organisation of Migration (IOM), Thailand.

"Many migrants cannot or do not want to communicate their location or conditions due to lack of access to information or fear of extortion or discrimination."

Several news agencies reported last week that around 1,000 people a day have been leaving Samut Sakhon in immigration trucks after paying 2,500 baht each for the trip to Mae Sot, but that along the way they have been extorted further at checkpoints for not having the right documents.

Reports have also alleged that thousands of migrants have been detained at the Mae Sot Immigration Detention Centre in recent weeks, and that it was charging detainees and migrants 50 baht for food and water. Most of these are detained only temporarily before being escorted across the border by police and immigration officials. Although the Friendship Bridge border crossing was opened on Nov 3, many migrants are still deported through Gate 10 (sometimes called 999 Gate) instead, where they are left on the banks of the Moei River and the Border Guard Force, in cooperation with the DKBA, charges up to 4,000 baht for re-entry.

Among those who stayed in flood-hit areas, many cases of diarrhoea, injuries and allergies have been reported, with migrants preferring to avoid hospitals because of language difficulties and perceived discrimination.

"We're now seeing an exacerbation of the vulnerabilities that migrants have been facing for years," said Ms Natali.

"Lack of language skills doesn't help and puts them further at risk by indirectly excluding them from mainstream support. It's not enough to say that shelters set up to respond to the flood crisis are open to everyone if an effective information campaign in migrant languages isn't organised or if transport from flooded areas to shelters isn't provided for migrants."

THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIM



Eighteen months ago Thant* had just turned 18. His mother had died and father remarried, so he felt he was left without a family. He agreed to pay 14,000 baht to a broker to get him a job in Thailand, paying 9,000 baht in advance. At the border in Tak province, however, he had to walk for several days to reach Nakhon Sawan, where his broker had found him a job with a brick manufacturer. He worked for a month without being paid, after which his employer demanded 4,000 baht to cover the rest of his broker's fee. Through a contact at the border he fled to Nakhon Nayok to work in a factory that recycled machine oil. After a month working under gruelling conditions he escaped at the first opportunity.

On Nov 1 last year he moved to Bang Pa-in, Ayutthaya, to work on the docks repairing boats. Here the conditions weren't so bad. He worked from 8am to 5pm, earned 250 baht a day and received his wages every month in cash. After four months, his salary improved to 280 baht a day. The workers were Thais and Cambodians; he was the only Burmese and couldn't communicate well, although his Thai was slowly improving.

On July 1 he was working on the pulley of the ship's anchor chain and noticed it was about to be released. He called out, but not in time, or in the wrong language, and the chain swung and caught his lower left leg, crushing it. He was taken to Thammasat University Hospital, where his employer visited him three times; on the third visit he took Thant's mobile phone and never returned.

Thant remains unpaid for his work to the tune of 10,000 baht, while medical fees have exceeded 100,000 baht, most of which had to be absorbed by the hospital.

His employer had told him he had a work permit, but when an aid organisation checked there was no official record of it. Because of his leg, which still requires months of treatment and repeated surgeries and is held together with a protruding metal brace, he can't work, travel or return home.

He checked into a safe house for Burmese in Pathum Thani, where he was fed and looked after. The floods came, however, and the house had to be evacuated. Hearing of a shelter for migrants at Wat Rai Khing in Nakhon Pathom, he moved there two or three weeks ago, but within a week it too was flooded, and the shelter was moved to Ratchaburi. The Burmese embassy issued him an emergency temporary passport in the middle of last week but he doesn't know if it will be recognised by officials. The Ratchaburi shelter covers three storeys, and he wasn't able to climb the stairs on crutches.



In tears, he called those who ran the safe house in Pathum Thani, and though it was still flooded they came to collect him. Staying with him are another half-dozen hard-luck cases including a year-old baby whose young mother can't work because of the floods and abandoned the child to the shelter.

During the day aid workers from the shelter bring food and emergency supplies to Burmese trapped in apartment buildings surrounded by chest-deep flood water. There is a large community of Burmese in Pathum Thani, and many remain out of fear of extortion and deportation, or because they want to collect unpaid wages. Because of the floods they have no work and no money to pay rent. They wade out into the floods and their legs are cut up badly by broken glass and debris in the water. They treat such injuries as best they can with alcohol.

Over 1,000 families are still stranded in Aom Noi Aom Yai, Phutthamonthon Sai 5, Talad Thai and Khlong Luang areas, aid workers say. The good news is that the waters have receded by more than 10cm in recent days.

THE GARMENT WORKER

Nu* worked at a garment factory in Nonthaburi. When the floods came the factory closed and workers tried their best to get home or collect their wages.

He had a work permit, but like most work permits for migrant workers (excluding those employed by fisheries, in water transport and as domestic help) it barred him from leaving his province.


STRICTLY LEGIT: Documentation for a Burmese migrant issued by the Burmese embassy.

Without being able to speak Thai or English, Nu had a choice of whether to stay as the water rose or try to get home or to a dry province. In the country only three months, he had few contacts here, so he decided to try to reach Mae Sot by public bus despite the fact that he hadn't been paid for October.

Along the way he was detained twice by police at checkpoints for being outside his home province. He was asked to pay 2,000 baht each time, though in the second case he negotiated it down to 1,500. In Mae Sot he was stopped at another checkpoint and temporarily detained at the immigration detention centre. He said he paid another 1,500 baht, after which an NGO helped him.

Another worker at a shelter said he came with a bus-load of deportees from Bangkok. They didn't have to pay for the trip and he didn't anticipate fees from border officials on the other side of the border, but his belongings and unpaid wages were still in the capital, he said, and even if deported he would simply make the return journey again.
''But after the floods have gone down,'' he added.

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT

Thousands of migrants have been fleeing flooded industrial parks in Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Pathom and Pathum Thani. The Federation of Thai Industries estimates losses from the seven hardest hit industrial estates could reach 400 billion baht, covering 891 factories and 460,000 workers, an unknown but high proportion of which are migrants.

Some 80% of migrant workers are Burmese, with the other large populations being Cambodian and Lao. In 20 flood-hit provinces 874,936 migrants are registered, according to Labour Ministry figures. Estimates by NGOs of the number of illegal migrants range between double and triple that of registered workers, pointing to up to three million migrant workers in Thailand, accounting for a crucial part of the country's 10 trillion baht economy _ and an estimated 5% of the total workforce and 7% of GDP.

''Migrants have contributed enormously to the Thai economy in recent years and they will be the force that ensures a speedy recovery of Thailand after this crisis,'' Ms Natali of the IOM told Spectrum. ''A flexible and effective migration policy will definitely support the government in its race to reconstruction once the water recedes.''

OFFICIAL RESPONSES

The immigration police have allowed migrant workers whose local immigration offices are closed, and whose visas are close to expiring, to contact offices in unflooded provinces for visa renewal until all offices have reopened.

Immigration Bureau Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Wibul Bangthamai issued a memo notifying immigration offices in flooded provinces such as Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Sawan, Lop Buri, Uthai Thani, Tak, Kamphaeng Phet and Phitsanulok to let migrant workers in their jurisdictions seek visa renewal elsewhere.

Labour Minister Padermchai Sasomsap visited the shelter at Wat Rai Khing to send a message to illegal and legal migrants to stay there.


PHOTO: WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM

He promised quick action to help those whose papers were missing or not in order.
''We try to tell them not to have to worry about that. Even if you're illegal, we're going to do it legal now,'' he said.

Labour Ministry officials also helped distribute food and water to stranded migrants in Pathum Thani and other areas.

''It should be acknowledged that a shelter for migrants was set up by the Ministry of Labour in Wat Rai Khing, then transferred to Ratchaburi,'' Ms Natali said. ''We hope to see more positive steps in this direction. Ultimately, the goal is to include migrants in the national response to emergencies, but the dedicated shelter is certainly welcome.''

Spectrum also spoke to Pol Col Yos Vaneesorn, head of Tak immigration, to respond to some of the accusations against immigration in Mae Sot in the past two weeks.

The Friendship Bridge at the border in Mae Sot, normally closed, was opened on Nov 3, he said, with no restriction on the number of people who can cross it. ''On the first day, however, immigration sent only a small number because they wanted to check if the migrants would be safe once inside Myawaddy.''

At first they sent migrants back twice a day, in the morning and afternoon, he said. On the first day, 350 were sent, 100 in the morning and 250 in the afternoon.

''We checked with the Myawaddy governor and the authorities there confirmed they were ready to take care of their people. They won't prosecute them.''

On the second day, 750 were sent back, he said. The number of crosssings has fallen over the week. At present about 500 cross a day.

He also denied there were any detainees currently being held in the detention centre.

''Only people who arrived late at the centre, say after 6pm when it [the border] was closed, would have to spend the night because they need to have their documents and everything checked. But none of them spent more than one night at the centre.''

He said the centre has a budget for food for detainees, and no detainees were being asked to pay 50 baht or any other fee for food. He added his staff actually had to buy formula milk powder for babies who came with their mothers.

''There is absolutely no case of night-time deportations,'' he said. ''It's very dangerous. Besides, the Burmese authorities won't allow it.''

Once they cross the bridge, migrant workers go to the Burmese authorities at Myawaddy, said Pol Col Yos, not to the DKBA.

He insisted that the fee for a re-entry permit has remained unchanged at 1,000 baht. He had heard of middlemen charging migrants more to help them with their documents, but he had never seen this or caught them at it.

Regarding temporary passports and identity papers issued by the Burmese embassy, which some migrants have reported as being essentially useless, Pol Col Yos said the immigration centre only recognises standard passports or Tor Ror 38/1 (temporary ID) cards.

''Anything else is against the law,'' he said. He said he has never been contacted by the Burmese embassy about the temporary passport or identity papers, and has never seen any.

NGOs have reported that the immigration department has said it requires a policy decision from the labour, interior and foreign ministries, who in turn won't recognise the papers without a cabinet resolution.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

Andy Hall of the Institute of Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, and also a consultant at the Human Rights and Development Foundation, recommended a few measures to decrease the risks for migrants and prevent exploitation.

''There should be amnesties for unregistered migrant flood victims,'' he said, ''allowing registration and not deportation or arrest. Registered workers should be allowed to travel outside their province of registration to return home or seek shelter.

''Transport to the border should be provided, funded by the government or international agencies. Relax formal fees relating to re-entry visas, change of employer or workplace, or lost documents.

''There should be a scaling-up of responses, with a committee to manage the migrant crisis with migrant, employer and UN agencies, and a one-stop crisis centre on borders.''

Of the current situation in Mae Sot, Mr Hall said the conditions for migrants were little changed. ''Myanmar [Burma] has opened the bridge, but still many migrants are being pushed through informal extortion channels instead to the border taskforce and DKBA at night.''

On emergency documents issued by the Burmese embassy, Mr Hall said there was no evidence that these have been useful. ''Thai authorities have not yet recognised them formally and will also not issue visas to accompany the free passports Myanmar has issued, 500 almost so far.''

He also commented that there needed to be ''a migrant-specific flood victim policy'' as well as more proactive measures as the floods approach Samut Sakhon with its large migrant population of more than 200,000.

''Samut Sakhon has one of the highest concentrations of migrants in Thailand, mainly working in the fishing industry,'' Ms Natali agreed. ''It seems unrealistic that all of the potentially affected migrants will be hosted at Ratchaburi. Employers have some responsibilities too and it remains to be seen how much they will be engaged in providing for their workers, including migrant workers, should Samut Sakhon flood.''

Surapong Kongchantuk, chairperson of the Human Rights Sub-committee on Ethnic Minorities, Stateless, Migrant Workers and Displaced Persons, of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, told Spectrum, ''Migrant workers are flood victims too. The government must help them without discrimination, and coordinate with the governments or embassies of the sending countries to help their citizens.

''We should help migrant workers without discrimination because they are an important part of Thailand's economy and they also pay taxes like other Thais.

''The law restricts migrant workers' freedom of movement. But in times of flood crisis, they must be allowed to leave their designated zones for safety. And when the flood recedes, they should also be allowed to work with new employers so they can help themselves, which will also relieve the burden on their old employers.''


SHELTER FROM THE STORM: Above, the emergency centre set up for migrants in Ratchaburi province. Right, migrant workers pass the time in front of the shelter.


HOBBLED: Thant on crutches and his leg brace,


INTO FORGOTTEN CORNERS: Aid workers and Labour Ministry officials distribute supplies to stranded migrant workers at Khlong Neung in Pathum Thani.


OPEN-DOOR POLICY: Director of Bangna Commercial College, Pativait Pongoubol, left, and a shelter registration form




HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Kanlayanee Jiranirankul, a teacher at Bangna Commercial College and shelter coordinator, highlights some of the shelter’s facilities.

Originally Posted by hazz

^Classic, the framing is so obvious and bad that its clear that they are as ignorant about polling and framing as I would expect.

Hazz, could you have a word with moonraker and SD explaining what framing social discourse means please, they seem to be rather lacking in their understanding of this concept.

What has 'almost' made my mind up about the politician photos, Betty, is that nowhere have I seen anything refuting it. This is becoming a recurring thing.

There's no counter-argument, just as with the soldiers on the railway lines. The photo of the soldiers on the BTS was damning, but seemingly damning images can be proven to be giving the wrong impression. If their is no evidence or reasonable challenge to the contrary, we can only assume the pictures depict what they appear to depict.

So BB, do you have a counter argument for the politician's photos on relief trucks? Why not use all of this analysis ability you claim to have. Or are you going to refute them without reason?

Originally Posted by Moonraker

So BB, do you have a counter argument for the politician's photos on relief trucks?

Post a link to the photos/article and I'll have a look. I criticize the reds/government regularly, I have no problem with that.

I'll ask you 3 easy questions:

1) Do you think that TAN offers fair and equal reporting about the government?

2) Do you think that the Bangkok Post offers fair and equal reporting about the government?

3) Do you think that the Nation offers fair and equal reporting about the government?

Originally Posted by hazz

^tea buggerers™.

TM - Tom Sawyer!

^

That's easy. I'll answer no to all 3 of those.

But just because they have their own agenda, it does not mean that everything they report should be disregarded solely on the grounds of the source. Even the Daily Mail would give an accurate report at times, when it suits them of course.

I have clearly said already before that i don't bother with the nonsense from those rags because I can't be bothered to try and separate the wheat from the chaff . I don't understand why you are asking me again if I think they are fair when I have stated in plain English that I think no such thing.

What I am laughing it is people refuting stuff purely on the basis that it doesn't say what they want it to say, while then going on to claim they are enlightened. I'm laughing at people that claim to be enlightened and not bias when they will not consider anything that disagrees with their stance.

I'll have a dig around for the photo's, not sure where they are.

^ but, the context IS relevant, ALWAYS.

Originally Posted by Moonraker

I'll have a dig around for the photo's, not sure where they are.

Photos, like anything, need context; the photos and article, please.

Originally Posted by Tom Sawyer

Originally Posted by hazz

^tea buggerers™.

TM - Tom Sawyer!

I have tea buggerers
you have teabuggers
and
the republicans have the tea party

Bangkok feminists, where are you? | Asian Correspondent

Bangkok feminists, where are you?

By Siam Voices Nov 13, 2011 11:11PM UTC


By Kaewmala

A week and a half ago many in the Thai social networks were stunned by a comment made on Facebook. A number of people were outraged, especially people from the North. Here’s the comment that started the brouhaha:

“I really don’t want to say this because it will seem like I look down on women… but the truth is… Northern girls who are uneducated or lazy and intellectually retarded will look for an easy job that normal women won’t do… Mainly it’s prostitution … Therefore, the Northern woman who is devoid of intelligence and extremely stupid yet thick-faced enough to take up the position, you should know what profession suits you.”

That was what Mr. Akeyuth Anchanbutr, a “self-made” businessman, aspiring political pundit and relentless anti-Thaksin crusader, wrote on his Facebook wall on 2 November 2011.

Of course, which particular “Northern woman” Mr. Akeyuth alluded to was not lost to anyone with a functioning brain. Thailand’s first female prime minister is a woman from the North and a kid sister of Mr. Thaksin. Mr. Akeyuth has raised his profile in the Thai political world ever since he accused Mr. Thaksin of manipulating the stock market in 2005. He founded a “No color, no camp, but have the truth” and anti-anything-Thaksin-related website called Thaiinsider.com.

But this article is not about Mr. Akeyuth. As mind blowing as his comment was, for all its crassness and thoughtlessness, more interesting are the reactions to it.

Mr. Akeyuth’s Facebook comment has by now been shared by more than 1,200 people directly from his Facebook wall. This number has probably multiplied by many factors. Judging by the reactions on the original post, most readers didn’t like the comment one bit, though of course it has received 31 “Likes” on Mr. Akeyuth’s wall and probably more elsewhere. Most thought the comment was “too strong,” many pointing to the unfair stereotype, lack of substance in the statement, insult on others’ humanity and dignity, etc.

After much flak and little praise, Mr. Akeyuth reiterated his original comment. The gist of it was, he “did not accuse or look down on anyone but merely spoke the truth,” nor was he looking down on any profession, sex work included. Annoyed by the still nagging critics, Akeyuth put it plainly once and for all: “I already told you that I hate lazy people who want to have it easy, that’s all… Like it or not, it’s up to you.”

And that was from a man on the run for twenty years (until the statute of limitation ran out) from fraud charges for allegedly masterminding a ponzi scheme back in the 1980’s. If anyone should have sympathy for Thaksin, you would think it’s Akeyuth. But self-awareness seems to be missing here.

No surprise that there was a public outrage especially from Northerners. An anti-Akeyuth Facebook page went up in no time. The page now has over 4,000 “Likes” and over 3,500 people talking about it.

A day after the comment was made civil society groups in Chiang Mai gathered to condemn the man. Representatives from Northern women’s groups, Empower the NGO for sex workers, Red women’s group, Chiang Mai City organizations and Lanna University joined to condemn his comment. They said it was a “denigration and dehumanization of sex workers and an insult on the dignity of Northern Thai women.” The group demanded that Akeyuth take the responsibility for his comment. A Lanna women’s group filed a complaint with the police against him for defaming Northern Thai women.

The statement by the Lanna University pointed out the economic structure that exploits poor rural women from the North and other regions as a reason for regional inequity that should not be ignored:

“To say that Northern Thai women are lazy and stupid is to ignore that fact, and to speak of the prime minister in such a way is to insult the majority of people in the country who elected her… Lanna University faculty calls on all parties to condemn … the view that supports gender oppression, the view that looks down upon the people in a democratic system, and the view that denigrates the leader of the country.”

On 4 November, the Phayao women’s networks also came out to demand an apology from Akeyuth.

As a Northerner, I myself was outraged and condemned Akeyuth for his blatantly sexist and racist remark as soon as I saw it on Twitter . Many others—women and men, Northerners and non-Northerners alike—were doing the same on social media. Some were calling the comment a “hate speech.”

Then something occurred to me. Chiang Mai University was missing in action. This is peculiar given CMU has a Women’s Studies Center which has feminists who can usually be depended on to be vocal about women’s issues.

But not all torchbearers for women’s rights were silent. In the first week there were two reactions from high-profile feminists.

The first was a Thammasat University lecturer in Bangkok, Chalidaporn Songsamphan, who responded on the first day with a series of 9 tweets, which was not a condemnation but a mini lecture on public criticism in Thai. Some selected tweets:

“It is understandable that many people dislike and condemn PM Yingluck for all kinds of reasons. The way she is reproofed tells us something interesting about Thai society (1).” (original tweet)

“Many groups of Thai people don’t debate on issues or reasons but tend to pick characteristics of individuals to point out how they are wrong such as they are bad people hence whatever they say is wrong (2).” (original tweet)

“Abusing the female PM by referring to her being a Northern woman may gratify those who dislike her, but it shows that in fact Thai society hasn’t moved away from gender prejudices (4).” (original tweet)

“PM Pou isn’t all good. To protect her without considering relevant issues and make her untouchable is not constructive. Abusing her without any reason using vulgarity isn’t constructive either (8).” (original tweet)

I agree with most of Chalidaporn’s tweets above, but I couldn’t help feeling that something was missing in those tweets. Like feelings. Can feminists get worked up? Oh yes, probably more often than not. It is almost obligatory if one is a feminist actually: Ability to get worked up when the female humanity and dignity is violated. I don’t know Dr. Chalidaporn personally but I suspect she must have a very cool head.

If the first response from the famous Bangkok feminist made me feel like I was surfing in the vast, cool sea of adroitness, the second response from the famous feminist writer, public intellectual and TV host from Chiang Mai was like a bucket of icy water—that was thrown directly at your face. Kamphaka is not known for mincing words. She threw her exact sentiment and her political stance in the face of everyone who read her first response in the form of a 9-word tweet:

“Selling pussy is more honorable than killing people, Akeyuth.”* (original tweet)

The sharp-tongued Kamphaka more eloquently elaborated her point of view in a Voice TV interview later that day (3 November) The video interview now has more than 12,000 views and spirited discussions in the comment section. Her key points:

Akeyuth’s comment was sexist as well as racist and it attempted to further divide Thai society along regional and ethnic lines.

Sex workers are people who also have dignity.

Akeyuth’s comment presented a good opportunity for Thais to reconsider our views on gender and regional prejudices.

Over the next several days, I looked for more well-known feminists to come out and make a stand. Not that I think Thai women need feminists to tell us where to stand as we can very well manage to find a place to stand by ourselves. Or that I think the reactions thus far from many local women’s and civil society groups aren’t meaningful. To me, they are indeed as meaningful as the muted response from leading feminists in Bangkok.

Still it was strange that the torchbearers of Thai women’s rights were silent.

I recall the outrage against the Oxford Dictionary many years ago, which had the audacity to define Bangkok as “a city famous for its temples and prostitutes” or something to that effect. Thai feminists and non-feminists alike were up in arms, hyperventilating and demanding change in the definition. Was I wrong to expect reactions from feminists in this instance? Especially those in Bangkok?

Why, only a few months ago those leading feminists were weighing heavily in on the first female prime minister of Thailand. Chalidaporn likened Ms. Yingluck’s historic rise to the premiership to her “flying” into it on the [Shinawatra] magic carpet. Arpaporn Sumrit, a lecturer at the Women’s Studies Center at Chiang Mai University, predicted Yingluck wouldn’t do anything for women because she was a man in a woman’s body (I discussed Thai feminists’ first reactions to Ms. Yingluck’s coming to power here.) What’s more, Sutada Mekrungruengkul, director of the Gender and Development Research Institute made a splash by chastising the PM for calling herself by her nickname “Pou,”** suggesting that PM Pou “could not separate between the personal and the official” and “might risk confusing foreigners” by calling herself by her nickname. (I am not kidding!)

So I thought if these feminists found PM Yingluck’s rise to power, her potential (or lack thereof) and her choice of personal pronoun worthy of discussion before, they would surely think a man suggesting the first Thai female PM should work as a prostitute instead of a PM worthy of a little fuss. I was so wrong.

Luckily other high-profile women thought it was worth making a fuss about. On 7 November, Ladawan Wongsriwong, chairwoman of Thailand’s Women’s Voices Club, came out to condemn Akeyuth and called his comment “a slap on the face of all Thai women.”

A former deputy minister and a banned Thai Rak Thai politician, Ms. Ladawan and friends filed a defamation complaint against Akeyuth with the Bangkok police and called on all chapters of Women’s Voices Club to do the same throughout Thailand. Her group also burned Akeyuth’s effigy (see ). Ladawan threatened Akeyuth, if a public apology was not issued by 15 November an aggressive boycott campaign against all his businesses will ensue. She said:

“Akeyuth needs to be taught a lesson and made an example of for the Thai society to see that it is not acceptable to insult women like it’s a pastime.”

A heavy counter punch! But that’s what you might expect from such a vocal veteran newswoman, a seasoned spokesperson, and a woman from the North.

Interesting enough, several Thai men (not from the North) expressed their outrage. Some even wrote about it from the very first day, like this and this. Even the second deputy president of Parliament, Mr. Visut Chainarun, scolded Akeyuth, saying his action was “extremely inappropriate” and his opinion “disrespects women’s honor.” “Mr. Akeyuth should be a gentleman and make an apology to Northern Thai women,” he said.

If leading Thai feminists who are not from the North felt any outrage, they certainly kept it very well hidden. One can only ask why. Now that my expectation was much reduced, I was hoping for just any high profile non-Northern women to say something. Even if it’s obligatory. Somehow I felt the need for some female camaraderie. Perhaps to reinforce my understanding, my hope, that Thai women in all regions are entitled to equal rights and dignity. I didn’t think I was expecting too much. Was I?

On 8 November, the first non-Northern Thai woman came out officially at last to plead for fairness for the prime minister and all Thai women. It perked up my spirit a bit. In her opinion piece on Matichon Ms. Thitima Chaisaeng said, as a public figure the PM can be criticized, however the criticisms should be based on reasons and in good taste. She characterized Akeyuth’s comment as “an attack on the prime minister [and] a strong insult on Thai women.” She called on women to come out to fight against sexism. Ms. Thitima is the spokesperson of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Ms. Thitima’s op-ed was the first drop of rain that preceded a storm. I was not at all prepared for what was to come. On that same say, two female Democrat MPs caused a big stir with their direct reproof of Ms. Thitima’s boss. But they weren’t talking about Mr. Akeyuth’s comment. Their focus was the PM’s tears.** Both blamed PM Yingluck for damaging Thai women’s image by causing women’s leadership to be scrutinized and inviting an insult on the rest of Thai women. In their own words:

Mrs. Siriwan Prasachaksatru, deputy leader, Democrat Party:

“Khun Yingluck has caused the fight for female leadership to be scrutinized and her repeated failures and repeated, incredible lies have become the talk of the town. People question: Is that all Northern Thai women have to give? Are they all like this? Why do they always cry if they can’t do a job and use feminine guiles inappropriately? This has caused the Democrat Party to think seriously, especially among us women, because we don’t want the image of women to be destroyed any further. We are probably going to put this matter on the agenda of the Party’s committee on women, so that we can advise the prime minister.”

Ms. Mallika Boonmeetrakul, deputy spokesperson, Democrat Party:

“Crying the first time invites sympathy. Crying the second time draws consideration. Crying the third time is suspicious. But crying the fourth time is getting a bit too much and shows the woman must have so much guile that it invites insults… Thailand is one of the leading countries in the world that have women in executive positions but that fact is contradicted by the behavior of the leader of the country… In less than three months, [Ms. Yingluck] has destroyed the image that we women have worked all our lives to protect. Of course, women are sensitive and can cry, but not so much that it becomes suspicious like play-acting, fooling the public…”

Then on the next day, as if to make sure that the message of the two female MPs above (both from the North) came across clearly to the Thai public, the most senior female executive of the Democrat Party stressed the point again. Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich:

“There are no women or men in politics. When you volunteer to work you must be able to deliver. You must be strong. Be a role model who is strong and determined. Therefore, you should not cry because besides the fact that it doesn’t solve the problem, it destroys the image of women. People won’t believe that women can do the job.”

Prompted by the reporter who asked, “what do the people feel if the leader of the country show this level of maturity?,” Khunying Kalaya did not miss a beat. She laughed while delivering a retort, “Is there any maturity?”

Any comment from me would be superfluous, I think.

At any rate, it’s probably too much to expect politicians (even those claiming to have “worked all their lives” for women’s rights) to understand that using women’s tears as a point to attack a woman leader isn’t going to advance their cause very far. But the merit of their attack is hardly relevant. Politicians, even the female ones, don’t usually let principles, their own gender, or a sense of female camaraderie get in the way of political point scoring.

As I was about to lose all hope, a long-awaited opinion finally came on 10 November from the feminist journalist whom I have admired for many years, Sanitsuda Ekachai of the Bangkok Post. In her aricle “A mind dirtier than a pigsty,” Sanitsuda wrote:

“Despite having a big team of babysitters handpicked by her fugitive brother, her inability even to read a scripted speech correctly had made her a laughing stock. Her management of the current flood disaster is simply disastrous.

Criticise her poor performance if you will. That is what democracy is about. But what came from Mr. Akeyuth is not criticism. It is misogyny. It is ethnic prejudice. It is arrogance from the city centre against other regions. It is ugly chauvinism that must not be tolerated.

You don’t need to be a fan of PM Yingluck to feel indignant. You only need to believe that gender and ethnic prejudice is wrong… That is why I thought Mr. Akeyuth’s hate speech would be a good chance to unite women of all political colours to condemn it. How wrong I was.

As community leaders in the red zones with possible political links to the Pheu Thai government, they might be even expected to do something to protect Ms. Yingluck. But the silence from other women’s rights groups is simply deafening.

Why is this so?… Whatever it is, silence is the wrong move because advocacy is an important part of social activism for change.”

Sanitsuda said what needed to be said and I commend her for overcoming her perceptible dislike of PM Yingluck to make a principled stand. Hers is a true spirit. But what about other women’s rights advocates whom she was calling out to? Will they be able to do the same? The signs are not very encouraging. It’s been three days and no one else has emerged.

Few insults can better serve than Mr. Akeyuth’s comment as a showcase of the old prejudice that persists at the root of gender and social inequalities in Thai society. The comment rightly stunned and outraged many. But for me, the initial anger for Mr. Akeyuth is long gone.

What remains is the dismay and disappointment at the unaccountable silence from those who profess to be the advocates of women’s rights: Those who claim to abhor violence against women, who complain about the appallingly low representation of Thai women in politics, but who ignore the blatant and public denigration of the first female leader and the entire female population of a region of the country. Their silence is far more stunning and outrageous than the original insult by Mr. Akeyuth.

So where are you, Bangkok feminists?

Where are you when your Northern sisters need you?

NOTES:

*Kamphaka was alluding to the accusations from both sides: Akeyuth practically telling the prime minister she should become a prostitute and some Reds calling the former prime minister Abhisit “a murderer” for his responsibility in the 90+ deaths in the April-May 2010 protests.

**Ever since the floods inundated the Thai geographical and political landscapes, certain groups among Thai media and Thai population have developed an obsession with the PM’s tears. Headlines and pictures have featured her in various stages of crying—actual and presumed—while she toured the flooded communities.

***There is not one neutral “I” first person pronoun that everyone can use in Thai as in English. Thai women often call themselves by their nickname in informal interactions and use the pronoun “di-chan” in formal situation, while Thai men use the common and neutral pronoun “phom” in both informal and formal situations. “Di-chan” is not a true equivalent of “phom,” however, in that it is perceived as highly impersonal. Prime Minister Yingluck uses “di-chan” in official and formal situations such as in cabinet meetings, speeches and interviews.

Kaewmala is a writer, a blogger and an avid twitterer. She blogs at thaiwomantalks.com and is a provocateur of Thai language, culture and politics [at]thai_talk. Kaewmala is the author of a book that looks at the linguistic and cultural aspects of Thai sexuality called “Sex Talk”.

^^^

Buggered if I could find any photos, they are there though.

Did find an acknowledgment from FROC it happen though:

"They have the right to do so," Mr Wim said. On the allegation that some trucks loaded with flood relief bags bore campaign banners for certain MPs, Mr Wim said Froc would prove the allegation was true and warned MPs not to repeat such inappropriate conduct.

Bangkok Post : Froc comes under fire for supply fiasco