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It blows my mind that someone could reign from just after WWII until this year. I hope that Thailand will stay stable. Support of the King has been key to succ

by zymhan 10y ago

It blows my mind that someone could reign from just after WWII until this year. I hope that Thailand will stay stable. Support of the King has been key to successful military coups and transitions. The Crown Prince is much less admired, and quite odd: "The 63-year-old crown prince, Vajiralongkorn (pictured), is spoilt and demanding, and—to put it mildly—widely loathed. Three times divorced, he spends a lot of time abroad, often in Germany. In 2007 leaked video footage showed him and his then-consort, who was wearing nothing but a G-string and heels, holding a lavish royal party. The only guest appeared to be Foo Foo, his poodle, which before dying in 2015 enjoyed the rank of air chief marshal." http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21702497-after-ailing-monarch-goes-what-next-twilight-king http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21702497-after-ailing-mon...

stuaxo 10y ago
Stopped reading at the "Calm and orderly" bit - if you've ever spent any time in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, this is far from the case.
- chrisfosterelli 10y ago
  I'm assuming they meant this comparatively to previous times of unrest in Thailand's history.
- zymhan 10y ago
  They didn't mean in the context of hustle and bustle, they mean political and societal stability.
ddeck 10y ago
Unsurprisingly there is no byline on that article. For those unaware, it has been illegal to defame or insult the monarchy for the last 100 years or so under the country's Lèse majesté law, widely used to silence critics. Some notable cases from Wikipedia [1]: 2008, Harry Nicolaides from Melbourne, Australia - Wrote an offending passage in his self-published book Verisimilitude. The book, which sold a mere 7 copies, mentioned the "romantic entanglements and intrigues" of royalty. He was arrested upon arriving at Bangkok's international airport[56] and charged with lèse majesté. After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to three years in jail but then pardoned by the king after spending a month in jail, released, and deported. 2012, Ampon Tangnoppakul, He was accused of sending four Short Message Service (SMS) messages from his cell phones. The messages were deemed offensive to the King and Queen of Thailand. He had been denied bail on 8 occasions and died in a prison hospital at the age of 61 while serving a 20–year prison sentence. 2013, Somyot Prueksakasemsuk - Sentenced to ten years in prison, convicted of publishing two articles under a pseudonym that made negative references to the crown in his now-defunct magazine Voice of Taksin. 2015, Thanakorn Siripaiboon, Thai factory worker - He had been detained on 8 December 2015 and had been kept in an undisclosed location prompting fears of his forced disappearance. He faces multiple charges including that of insulting the king's adopted dog Tongdaeng. Thai military junta did not detail the precise insult made towards the animal. He faced up to 37 years in prison. He was granted bail on 8 March 2016; the bail was set at half a million baht [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A8se_majest%C3%A9_in_Thailand#Acts_punished https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A8se_majest%C3%A9_in_Thai...
- throw_away 10y ago
  That may be true, but Economist articles almost never have bylines.
- ethbro 10y ago
  Not being Thai, I won't comment on his effectiveness and I mourn anyone's passing. But it would seem like it's a lot easier to be 'widely loved' when you make it illegal to feel or communicate anything negative.
  - kbutler 10y ago
    Laws preventing criticism don't generally motivate people to hang pictures of the king in their homes. A more plausible cynical position would argue that the widespread development projects funded by revenue from the king's vast royal fortune bought the affection. But the Thai people seem to generally respect, even revere King Bhumibol, feeling that he sincerely cared for the well-being of his people.
    - ethbro 10y ago
      And that may be. My point is that a lack of access to a free, balanced-on-net press can influence opinion heavily. Which is why seizing the radio / television station is always a Day 1 priority for any successful coup.
    - rasz_pl 10y ago
      >Laws preventing criticism don't generally motivate people to hang pictures of the king in their homes. obviously you never been/read about central Europe during Soviet occupation (1949-1991), Stalin pictures/busts everywhere, people cried on the streets when he died. In Poland we had _mandatory_ 'work holiday' celebrations on 1 of may. People would march on the streets holding Stalin pictures and chanting "Stalin! Peace! Party! Comecon (Eastern Bloc version of EU) makes us stronger!" and other nonsense while being observed by secret police and party monitors. Stalin picture was a standard wall ornament in every living room and classroom.
  - 10y ago
1024core 10y ago
> It blows my mind that someone could reign from just after WWII until this year. Queen Elizabeth of UK (and CANZ) has been ruling since 1952.

by zymhan 10y ago

stuaxo 10y ago

Stopped reading at the "Calm and orderly" bit - if you've ever spent any time in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, this is far from the case.

chrisfosterelli 10y ago
I'm assuming they meant this comparatively to previous times of unrest in Thailand's history.
zymhan 10y ago
They didn't mean in the context of hustle and bustle, they mean political and societal stability.

ddeck 10y ago

Unsurprisingly there is no byline on that article. For those unaware, it has been illegal to defame or insult the monarchy for the last 100 years or so under the country's Lèse majesté law, widely used to silence critics. Some notable cases from Wikipedia [1]: 2008, Harry Nicolaides from Melbourne, Australia - Wrote an offending passage in his self-published book Verisimilitude. The book, which sold a mere 7 copies, mentioned the "romantic entanglements and intrigues" of royalty. He was arrested upon arriving at Bangkok's international airport[56] and charged with lèse majesté. After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to three years in jail but then pardoned by the king after spending a month in jail, released, and deported. 2012, Ampon Tangnoppakul, He was accused of sending four Short Message Service (SMS) messages from his cell phones. The messages were deemed offensive to the King and Queen of Thailand. He had been denied bail on 8 occasions and died in a prison hospital at the age of 61 while serving a 20–year prison sentence. 2013, Somyot Prueksakasemsuk - Sentenced to ten years in prison, convicted of publishing two articles under a pseudonym that made negative references to the crown in his now-defunct magazine Voice of Taksin. 2015, Thanakorn Siripaiboon, Thai factory worker - He had been detained on 8 December 2015 and had been kept in an undisclosed location prompting fears of his forced disappearance. He faces multiple charges including that of insulting the king's adopted dog Tongdaeng. Thai military junta did not detail the precise insult made towards the animal. He faced up to 37 years in prison. He was granted bail on 8 March 2016; the bail was set at half a million baht [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A8se_majest%C3%A9_in_Thailand#Acts_punished https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A8se_majest%C3%A9_in_Thai...

throw_away 10y ago
That may be true, but Economist articles almost never have bylines.
ethbro 10y ago
Not being Thai, I won't comment on his effectiveness and I mourn anyone's passing. But it would seem like it's a lot easier to be 'widely loved' when you make it illegal to feel or communicate anything negative.
- kbutler 10y ago
  Laws preventing criticism don't generally motivate people to hang pictures of the king in their homes. A more plausible cynical position would argue that the widespread development projects funded by revenue from the king's vast royal fortune bought the affection. But the Thai people seem to generally respect, even revere King Bhumibol, feeling that he sincerely cared for the well-being of his people.
  - ethbro 10y ago
    And that may be. My point is that a lack of access to a free, balanced-on-net press can influence opinion heavily. Which is why seizing the radio / television station is always a Day 1 priority for any successful coup.
  - rasz_pl 10y ago
    >Laws preventing criticism don't generally motivate people to hang pictures of the king in their homes. obviously you never been/read about central Europe during Soviet occupation (1949-1991), Stalin pictures/busts everywhere, people cried on the streets when he died. In Poland we had _mandatory_ 'work holiday' celebrations on 1 of may. People would march on the streets holding Stalin pictures and chanting "Stalin! Peace! Party! Comecon (Eastern Bloc version of EU) makes us stronger!" and other nonsense while being observed by secret police and party monitors. Stalin picture was a standard wall ornament in every living room and classroom.
- 10y ago

1024core 10y ago

> It blows my mind that someone could reign from just after WWII until this year. Queen Elizabeth of UK (and CANZ) has been ruling since 1952.