teohjitkhiam’s Reviews > Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Thailand > Status Update
teohjitkhiam
is on page 418 of 456
"..the convergence of US and Thai [Cold War] efforts produced a unique relationship that..ultimately transformed Thailand and remain today at the center of Thai identity. For example, the military in effect became a separate socio-economic caste, deeply rooted in the mainstream economy and more illicit enterprises. In 1963, [General] Sarit’s assets alone were worth nearly 30 per cent of the country’s capital budget."
— May 21, 2021 01:02AM
Like flag
teohjitkhiam’s Previous Updates
teohjitkhiam
is on page 441 of 456
"In the 1980s, Reaganomics argued that wealth in a free market..economy trickled down to all. The ideological parallel in Thailand was that unfettered capitalist accumulation..could be made virtuous through donations to royal charities..following the 1997 crisis, Bhumibol pitched..for rural Thais to return to..subsistence farming..a thinly veiled reproduction of an American idea..the austerity economics..by the IMF."
— May 23, 2021 02:08AM
teohjitkhiam
is on page 376 of 456
"Zuckerberg’s snub to Prayuth was described as a diplomatic affront against the Thai junta chief. Zuckerberg..played the card of the young and rebellious start-up pioneer who does not bow to state authorities. Reality, however, is different..in October 2016, Facebook cooperated with the Thai authorities and, without the users’ consent, inserted geo-blocking into the privacy settings of individual accounts.."
— May 18, 2021 03:21AM
teohjitkhiam
is on page 350 of 456
"After five years under the [junta], a large number of Thais remain convinced that voting rights are not for all, instead these rights should only granted to those with a high level of education..In considering the trajectory of current Thai politics, we may once again be reminded of the famously instructive words attributed to..Voltaire: “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities”."
— May 16, 2021 10:29PM
teohjitkhiam
is on page 340 of 456
"..Thai elites..promote..unevenness..conspicuously in recent years..to prevent the disadvantaged from effectively using political-electoral means to alleviate socio-economic inequality..Yellow Shirt supporters..including Sino-Thai business elites..have proven remarkably forthright in their expression of..contempt for Red Shirts..such as portraying Red Shirt protestors as water buffalo [i.e. slow, dim-witted]."
— May 14, 2021 10:15PM
teohjitkhiam
is on page 315 of 456
With hindsight, Thailand grievously erred by abolishing the local sultans of its southern border provinces in the 1930s & attempted to forge a unitary Thai state via forcible assimilation policies like banning the Malay language. Since its current COIN shows little success & Bangkok seems unwilling to entertain a long-lasting political solution, it's only left with either "Chechnya" or "Xinjiang" solution? #TwoCents
— May 13, 2021 08:12PM
teohjitkhiam
is on page 301 of 456
"Since the mid-1970s, Thai state elites have intensified the public cultivation of a form of hyper-royalism with distinctly “religious” overtones. The royalist cult has been centred on king Bhumibol Adulyadej (r. 1946–2016) and articulated in terms of barami (Buddhist royal virtue). As a consequence, the Thai royal family has effectively been turned into “sacred beings and royalism [into] a religion”."
— May 10, 2021 09:51PM
teohjitkhiam
is on page 278 of 456
"Observed on the ground, however, Buddhism as..practiced in Thailand appears to be more preoccupied with securing political influence and material wealth than peace and detachment..Thai Buddhism cannot be conceived of as disfranchised from the accumulation of political influence and material wealth, as power is a constitutive part of its history, makeup, continued appeal and relevance in the contemporary world."
— May 09, 2021 08:38PM
teohjitkhiam
is on page 266 of 456
The use of ""dharma" & "karma" in Thailand doesn't differ from those in Malaysia using "takdir" or "cobaan". The religious terms disguise or justify socio-economic inequity, lack of development & infrastructure, & widening wealth gap between the haves & have-nots. But what's interesting is that employment of religion in this sense is seems more tightly woven in the social & cultural tapestry of the former? #TwoCents
— May 08, 2021 12:57AM
teohjitkhiam
is on page 251 of 456
"Second, Thai policymakers often show a penchant for capital-intensive prestige projects including..high-speed rail, and..often nurture ambitions to create a regional transport hub..investments in transport projects may not necessarily generate sufficient..benefits that can justify the use of public funds. Third, there is a clear policy bias towards private cars and a limited effort to promote sustainable mobility.."
— May 07, 2021 03:52AM
