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Reconciliation and Charter Change: Underpinnings and Scenarios

Thu, 05/07/2012 - 21:30 | by prachatai

Public forum "Reconciliation and Charter Change: Underpinnings and Scenarios" organized by the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) at Chulalongkorn University on 3 July. Panelists include Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Suchit Bunbongkarn, Duncan McCargo, and Panitan Wattanayagorn.

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#27501 - by john francis lee (visitor) () | Fri, 06/07/2012 - 08:27

I'm off to see the videos

I'm off to see the videos :

  1. A Public Forum on "Reconciliation and Charter Change: Underpinnings and Scenarios" part 1 of 2

    2. 90 minutes

  2. A Public Forum on "Reconciliation and Charter Change: Underpinnings and Scenarios" part 2 of 2

    3. 60 minutes

I'll need some popcorn. The short answer, it seems to me, is that the Royal Thai Army stole sovereignty from the people of Thailand … 'fair and square', and is now trying to make it stick.

Don't blink.

#27502 - by john francis lee (visitor) () | Fri, 06/07/2012 - 10:25

Part 2, begins at 00:00:53 -

Part 2, begins at 00:00:53 - Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University

"This lockdown [rule by the unelected who prevent the rule of those who are elected] ... it's very sad and depressing ... but at the same time one has to be falalistic about it ... It's just the way it is, and it's going this way for a while ... it's going to be very difficult to maintain this lockdown, but this lockdown is going to maintained for some time ... it's been costly, we had to suppress left-wing students in '73 in '76 - especially '76 - but, overall I am grateful ..."

#27539 - by tom hoy (visitor) () | Sun, 08/07/2012 - 23:28

I thought Thitinan was very

I thought Thitinan was very interesting , very direct, and I thought he said "royalist lockdown"

#27540 - by john francis lee (visitor) () | Mon, 09/07/2012 - 00:21

He did ... several times. I

He did ... several times. I transcribed most of his spiel, skipping the first bit about 'reconciliation' ... amnesty for the Royal Thai Army ... A Public Forum on "Reconciliation and Charter Change: Underpinnings and Scenarios" part 2 of 2. I hate to have to watch these things in real time. I prefer to read them at my leisure. I think that Thitinan made an excellent apology for fascism in Thailand, if you can appreciate the excellence of fascism.

#27580 - by Sam Deedes (visitor) () | Tue, 10/07/2012 - 10:52

Thitinan was indeed very

Thitinan was indeed very illuminating. For an insight into establishment thinking, Suchit Bunbongkarn was equally revealing. We learn from him that the red shirts are "very popular in the lower strata of Thai society" including the "what do you call them? - motor bike riders." He does not sound like a person who has ever used the services of a motorcycle taxi driver.

The red shirts are "a united front between the extremist elements and Thaksin". Extremist elements is almost certainly code for communists, especially since we learn that "these extremist elements have been granted amnesty in the past." So the communist bogeyman is wheeled out to justify continuing repression.

My report of the forum can be found on Facebook