http://bangkokpost.com/news/politics/412517/bids-to-tame-anti-coup-protesters
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/human-rights-under-threat/
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Settling in Chiang Mai
I'm finally settling into something of a quiet routine here in Chiangmai with a cheap but good hotel room:
https://www.google.co.th/?gws_rd=cr&ei=YgOIU47rMIbmrAfK1YDwAw#q=rest+bull+bed+and+bar
The "bar" part of the "bed and bar" service is closed for the low season. I'm also benefiting from a low season rate of almost 30% below the high season rate.
The monsoon season is just beginning so we've had overcast skies the past 2-3 days, but no heavy rains just yet.
The people I've talked to say it's definitely a slower low season than usual, but they don't necessarily attribute that to the recent coup and curtailed nightly business hours.
In this "old city" neighborhood, within the 700 year-old city walls, I have access to a couple good coffee shops, 8-10 restaurants that run the gamut of Thai cuisine, a couple convenience stores, 2-3 Thai traditional massage shops (about $12 for two hours), 3-4 laundry services (about $1 per kilo), and the famous Kasem store:
https://www.google.co.th/?gws_rd=cr&ei=-wSIU-TSPMbnrAeg8oHoAw#q=kasem+store+chiangmai
This is a local institution where you can buy excellent baguettes, imported cheese, vegemite, Fruit Loops (for real!) and other farang goodies.
Also nearby is the Warorot Market:
http://www.visitchiangmai.com.au/warorot_market.html
As nice as it is to feel like I'm settling in, there's also a strange feeling underlying it all: has it really been seven years since my last visit? (Yes, and it feels longer.) Did I really live here for most of eight years in the 1990s? (Yes, but what a world of a different time that was, and what a different city Chiangmai is now.) Can I still speak and understand Thai? (Yes, although I can tell my pronunciation of some of the tonal syllables is a little rusty.)
The youngest people I meet here--those under 25 years of age--weren't even born when I first visited in 1989. At that time Chiangmai's population was estimated to be around 100,000. Today, the city is at least five times that size with about 1.6 million people in Chiangmai Province.
And while The Rose of the North has always been a top destination for farang travelers and tourists, the past decade or so has seen the city evolve into the premier weekend getaway destination for affluent Bangkokians and other middle class Thais.
https://www.google.co.th/?gws_rd=cr&ei=YgOIU47rMIbmrAfK1YDwAw#q=rest+bull+bed+and+bar
The "bar" part of the "bed and bar" service is closed for the low season. I'm also benefiting from a low season rate of almost 30% below the high season rate.
The monsoon season is just beginning so we've had overcast skies the past 2-3 days, but no heavy rains just yet.
The people I've talked to say it's definitely a slower low season than usual, but they don't necessarily attribute that to the recent coup and curtailed nightly business hours.
In this "old city" neighborhood, within the 700 year-old city walls, I have access to a couple good coffee shops, 8-10 restaurants that run the gamut of Thai cuisine, a couple convenience stores, 2-3 Thai traditional massage shops (about $12 for two hours), 3-4 laundry services (about $1 per kilo), and the famous Kasem store:
https://www.google.co.th/?gws_rd=cr&ei=-wSIU-TSPMbnrAeg8oHoAw#q=kasem+store+chiangmai
This is a local institution where you can buy excellent baguettes, imported cheese, vegemite, Fruit Loops (for real!) and other farang goodies.
Also nearby is the Warorot Market:
http://www.visitchiangmai.com.au/warorot_market.html
As nice as it is to feel like I'm settling in, there's also a strange feeling underlying it all: has it really been seven years since my last visit? (Yes, and it feels longer.) Did I really live here for most of eight years in the 1990s? (Yes, but what a world of a different time that was, and what a different city Chiangmai is now.) Can I still speak and understand Thai? (Yes, although I can tell my pronunciation of some of the tonal syllables is a little rusty.)
The youngest people I meet here--those under 25 years of age--weren't even born when I first visited in 1989. At that time Chiangmai's population was estimated to be around 100,000. Today, the city is at least five times that size with about 1.6 million people in Chiangmai Province.
And while The Rose of the North has always been a top destination for farang travelers and tourists, the past decade or so has seen the city evolve into the premier weekend getaway destination for affluent Bangkokians and other middle class Thais.
Interruption of Facebook Causes Outrage in Thailand
http://bangkokpost.com/news/local/412255/facebook-temporarily-down
http://bangkokpost.com/news/politics/412357/udd-co-leaders-set-free
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/28/the-facebook-glitch/
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/lese-majeste-crackdown/
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/journalists-detained-and-threatened/
http://bangkokpost.com/news/politics/412357/udd-co-leaders-set-free
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/28/the-facebook-glitch/
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/lese-majeste-crackdown/
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/journalists-detained-and-threatened/
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Thai Curfew Eased Somewhat
Yesterday I flew from Hanoi to Bangkok, cleared immigration very quickly, and bought a seat on the last flight to Chiangmai.
The BCC reported this morning that the army has eased curfew restrictions somewhat from 10pm-5am to midnight-4am. This is better news for the economy which has been contracting all year because of the political gridlock which led to the coup, and the coup certainly hasn't improved that grim outlook.
Half the TV channels are shut down and replaced by an Orwellian screensaver with the name of the junta, the National Council for Peace and Order (Thai acronym Khor Sor Chor), and its red, blue, yellow, and brown seals.
All active TV channels have the Khor Sor Chor logo stamped on the upper right hand corner of the screen.
Thais are quite used to this sort of thing, but it sure looks awfully "funny" to Westerners. CNN is still unavailable, but the BBC, for some reason, is allowed to air its reports on "spontaneous" demonstrations.
The opposition PPT website (or at least its "mirrored" version) is apparently unblocked by the authorities. Maybe that's because the site is in English. Check out the links below for PPT's newest online reports:
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/interview-with-released-political-detainee/
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/hrw-thailand-rights-in-free-fall-after-coup/
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/national-peace-and-order-maintenance-council-announcement-no-372557/
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/prayuths-press-conference/
The BCC reported this morning that the army has eased curfew restrictions somewhat from 10pm-5am to midnight-4am. This is better news for the economy which has been contracting all year because of the political gridlock which led to the coup, and the coup certainly hasn't improved that grim outlook.
Half the TV channels are shut down and replaced by an Orwellian screensaver with the name of the junta, the National Council for Peace and Order (Thai acronym Khor Sor Chor), and its red, blue, yellow, and brown seals.
All active TV channels have the Khor Sor Chor logo stamped on the upper right hand corner of the screen.
Thais are quite used to this sort of thing, but it sure looks awfully "funny" to Westerners. CNN is still unavailable, but the BBC, for some reason, is allowed to air its reports on "spontaneous" demonstrations.
The opposition PPT website (or at least its "mirrored" version) is apparently unblocked by the authorities. Maybe that's because the site is in English. Check out the links below for PPT's newest online reports:
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/interview-with-released-political-detainee/
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/hrw-thailand-rights-in-free-fall-after-coup/
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/national-peace-and-order-maintenance-council-announcement-no-372557/
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/prayuths-press-conference/
Monday, May 26, 2014
Thai Academics Criticize Junta For Speech Suppression
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Ominous Reports From Bangkok
Yesterday the BBC reported that spontaneous demonstrations against the coup drew "several hundred" people to the front òf the McDonald's on Silom Road, Bangkok.
Thís ís yet another indication that lást Thursday's military pútsch ís quite different from thóse òf the pást, such ás the 2006 coup that ousted the democratically elected Thaksin Shinawtra , and the 1991 coup--which I ứas present to witness--that shortened the tenure òf then-prime minister Chatichai Chôonhaven.
In the past, these events were mostly a big yawn, both inside and outside Thailand. Thís time it's clear that Twitter, Facebook, and other social media are making it much easier to ỏrganize these "spontaneous" demos. It's also clear that Thai people are increasingly fed up with the way the army continues to intervene in politics.
Nơư thêre are ominous reports that the army ís preemptively arresting up to 200 academics, journalists, anti-coup protestors, and former lếse mạjeste prisoners. Thís gives me pause because it shows that not only are people very angry about the coup but the army ís also determined to stamp out all opposition.
Thís situation reminds me òf thé three-day 1992 Black May protests which I ưas also able to witness both from inside Thailand and from Malaysia, where I was renewing my Thai vísa.
Just as in Hanoi today I'm able to find a lot òf news about thếsé events but fear I'll be in a news blackout in Bangkok, in 1992 it ứas very difficult to tell what ứas happening in Bangkok while I traveled. It wasn't until I arrived in Malaysia, about two dáys into the event, that I ứas able to read relatively uncensored news reports.
Thís ís yet another indication that lást Thursday's military pútsch ís quite different from thóse òf the pást, such ás the 2006 coup that ousted the democratically elected Thaksin Shinawtra , and the 1991 coup--which I ứas present to witness--that shortened the tenure òf then-prime minister Chatichai Chôonhaven.
In the past, these events were mostly a big yawn, both inside and outside Thailand. Thís time it's clear that Twitter, Facebook, and other social media are making it much easier to ỏrganize these "spontaneous" demos. It's also clear that Thai people are increasingly fed up with the way the army continues to intervene in politics.
Nơư thêre are ominous reports that the army ís preemptively arresting up to 200 academics, journalists, anti-coup protestors, and former lếse mạjeste prisoners. Thís gives me pause because it shows that not only are people very angry about the coup but the army ís also determined to stamp out all opposition.
Thís situation reminds me òf thé three-day 1992 Black May protests which I ưas also able to witness both from inside Thailand and from Malaysia, where I was renewing my Thai vísa.
Just as in Hanoi today I'm able to find a lot òf news about thếsé events but fear I'll be in a news blackout in Bangkok, in 1992 it ứas very difficult to tell what ứas happening in Bangkok while I traveled. It wasn't until I arrived in Malaysia, about two dáys into the event, that I ứas able to read relatively uncensored news reports.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Hanoi TV Companion
Can cable television help typify a country for the novice visitor? My 100-channel service hás become something òf a dead-òf-night companion as I work my way through a jet lag that still hás me waking up far tôo early in the mỏrning.
I have three movie channels (Star, HBO, and Cinemax) which show the usual Hollywood stuff in English with Vietnamese subtitles, commercial free.
I also have CNN International and the BBC. Both òf thếse have had good comprehensive reports on the situation in Thailand, showing the army and police at various locations, statements from slick English-speaking army spokesmen, and scenes of placard-wielding anti-coup demonstrators.
There ís also NHK, the Japanese network in English, MTV in Vietnamese, Discovery in English, and loads of Vietnamese movie channels featuring Hong Kong classics and local soap operas.
The Vietnamese news channel I checked out also had a report on the Thai coup. In contrast to CNN, thís report showed only the scenes of army and police. Cónspicuously absent were any shots òf anti-coup demonstrators. Thís certainly tells ús something about the pơưerful influence on the media of Vietnam's one-party state and government which hás ruled the land for 60-some years.
Móst interestingly, on my TV thểre's also a Russian-language channel which appears to feature old Soviet classics (with no Vietnamese subtitles) and news reports from Moscow. Tensions in Ukraine are prominent in that station's reports.
I have three movie channels (Star, HBO, and Cinemax) which show the usual Hollywood stuff in English with Vietnamese subtitles, commercial free.
I also have CNN International and the BBC. Both òf thếse have had good comprehensive reports on the situation in Thailand, showing the army and police at various locations, statements from slick English-speaking army spokesmen, and scenes of placard-wielding anti-coup demonstrators.
There ís also NHK, the Japanese network in English, MTV in Vietnamese, Discovery in English, and loads of Vietnamese movie channels featuring Hong Kong classics and local soap operas.
The Vietnamese news channel I checked out also had a report on the Thai coup. In contrast to CNN, thís report showed only the scenes of army and police. Cónspicuously absent were any shots òf anti-coup demonstrators. Thís certainly tells ús something about the pơưerful influence on the media of Vietnam's one-party state and government which hás ruled the land for 60-some years.
Móst interestingly, on my TV thểre's also a Russian-language channel which appears to feature old Soviet classics (with no Vietnamese subtitles) and news reports from Moscow. Tensions in Ukraine are prominent in that station's reports.
Zo! Making Friends With Bia Hoi
In an effort to shake this nasty jet lag I force myself from air-conditioned comfort last evening to take my first walk around Hanoi's Old Quarter. About eight blocks from my hotel is the small Hoan Kiem Lake with a beautiful park surrounding it. This is a pleasant place to observe from a slight distance the early Saturday night traffic of 100cc motorbikes, taxis, and cars in the area. And on the lakeside promenade are couples and families out to escape the cramped streets of this bustling neighborhood.
Within ten minutes I am approached by a young man who wants to practice his English. Phuong is 22 years old and recently achieved his degree in automotive technology from Hanoi University. He is seeking a job in the branch office of a Japanese company which sells spark plugs to local automobile factories all over Southeast Asia. His job will require some knowledge of both Japanese (he studied it for a year) and English, which he doesn't know very well having studied it for only two months.
Nonetheless we have no problem understanding each other as I pretend to be the company's human resource manager interviewing him for the job. As far as I'm concerned, this charming fellow is hired!
Soon we are joined by his lifelong friend, Viet ("as in Viet Nam?" I ask. "Yes!"), who also has his degree from Hanoi University. They are looking forward to tonight's European Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid (Real will end up creaming Atletico 4-1).
They invite me for a beer, and soon we are seated streetside at a typical bia hoi joint. Bia hoi is akin to microbrew which I explain to my new friends. I'm jotting down notes of our conversation and we use my notebook to translate for each other. Both Phuong and Viet come from the village of Te Xuyen which is about 10 miles from where we sit. The beer arrives in glasses and is accompanied by boiled peanuts, giant sesame crackers (banh da), and hot sauce for dipping.
"Zo!" is Vietnamese for "Cheers", "Kampai", Chok Dii" and so forth. This microbrew is excellent.
We trade email addresses and Phuong whips out his smartphone so I can direct him to some of my music online. Now we are talking about our families.
I tell the guys that my uncle was in the U.S. Army in Hue in the mid-'60s and that he advised me to take photos of women in ao dai. But after 24 hours here I have yet to see anyone in this lovely local dress.
"Is only for special occasion now" they explain to me. Oh well. . .
We agree to stay in touch so we can get together again when I return to Hanoi in early July.
Within ten minutes I am approached by a young man who wants to practice his English. Phuong is 22 years old and recently achieved his degree in automotive technology from Hanoi University. He is seeking a job in the branch office of a Japanese company which sells spark plugs to local automobile factories all over Southeast Asia. His job will require some knowledge of both Japanese (he studied it for a year) and English, which he doesn't know very well having studied it for only two months.
Nonetheless we have no problem understanding each other as I pretend to be the company's human resource manager interviewing him for the job. As far as I'm concerned, this charming fellow is hired!
Soon we are joined by his lifelong friend, Viet ("as in Viet Nam?" I ask. "Yes!"), who also has his degree from Hanoi University. They are looking forward to tonight's European Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid (Real will end up creaming Atletico 4-1).
They invite me for a beer, and soon we are seated streetside at a typical bia hoi joint. Bia hoi is akin to microbrew which I explain to my new friends. I'm jotting down notes of our conversation and we use my notebook to translate for each other. Both Phuong and Viet come from the village of Te Xuyen which is about 10 miles from where we sit. The beer arrives in glasses and is accompanied by boiled peanuts, giant sesame crackers (banh da), and hot sauce for dipping.
"Zo!" is Vietnamese for "Cheers", "Kampai", Chok Dii" and so forth. This microbrew is excellent.
We trade email addresses and Phuong whips out his smartphone so I can direct him to some of my music online. Now we are talking about our families.
I tell the guys that my uncle was in the U.S. Army in Hue in the mid-'60s and that he advised me to take photos of women in ao dai. But after 24 hours here I have yet to see anyone in this lovely local dress.
"Is only for special occasion now" they explain to me. Oh well. . .
We agree to stay in touch so we can get together again when I return to Hanoi in early July.
Bangkok Post and Other Links
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/411425/anger-on-the-streets-and-online
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/23/anger-as-military-arrest-anti-coup-activists/
http://www.bangkokpost.com/multimedia/photo/411441/a-day-in-photos
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/411309/lessons-of-black-may-1992-and-the-2006-coup
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/23/anger-as-military-arrest-anti-coup-activists/
http://www.bangkokpost.com/multimedia/photo/411441/a-day-in-photos
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/411309/lessons-of-black-may-1992-and-the-2006-coup
Friday, May 23, 2014
Safe in Hanoi
I arrived
safe in Hanoi last night after a grueling 60 hour journey from O'Hare.
My original Tuesday night flight was canceled because of a mechanical
problem exacerbated by thunderstorms which prevented mechanics from
working on the aircraft. Qatar Airways made a very poor first
impression on me when they basically dumped us for the night without
food or lodging.
Of my 60 hour ordeal, about 15 of those hours were spent, standing in line, dealing with the extremely frustrating and incompetent QA bureaucracy, and waiting for them to fix their errors (such as issuing me the wrong boarding passes).
Now that I'm in Vietnam, I'm looking for all the news reports I can find regarding this bizarre coup in Bangkok. Of the 19 or so coup attempts and successes in the past 80 years, this one was really quite different for a number of reasons. You can find out more here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/
Also check out this website for many reports from the opposition in Thailand and the large Thai diaspora :
http://
I'm checking these and other websites now while I'm in Vietnam because they are likely to be blocked in Thailand. Indeed, the Thai army shut down about a dozen TV channels including CNN, so Thais aren't able to get real news for the moment.
Although its reports are likely to be censored, you can also check out the Bangkok Post:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/
Although this news sounds really bad to us Americans, it's really much worse for the Thais and for Thailand's political development.
The irony here is that with the coup, Bankok is likely to be very safe now that the army has closed both semi-permanent protest camps and imposed a 10pm-4am curfew on the capital.
CNN reported that protesters turned out to support the arrested ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra, but apart from some minor scuffling with police, there was no violence. CNN said the protesters eventually dispersed and went home for the curfew.
I'm monitoring things very closely ahead of my Tuesday arrival, but I'm not worried about getting snagged up in any of it. The neighborhood where I stay is quite far from the government districts which are so often the target of both Red Shirt and Yellow Shirt protesters.
Of my 60 hour ordeal, about 15 of those hours were spent, standing in line, dealing with the extremely frustrating and incompetent QA bureaucracy, and waiting for them to fix their errors (such as issuing me the wrong boarding passes).
Now that I'm in Vietnam, I'm looking for all the news reports I can find regarding this bizarre coup in Bangkok. Of the 19 or so coup attempts and successes in the past 80 years, this one was really quite different for a number of reasons. You can find out more here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/
Also check out this website for many reports from the opposition in Thailand and the large Thai diaspora :
http://
I'm checking these and other websites now while I'm in Vietnam because they are likely to be blocked in Thailand. Indeed, the Thai army shut down about a dozen TV channels including CNN, so Thais aren't able to get real news for the moment.
Although its reports are likely to be censored, you can also check out the Bangkok Post:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/
Although this news sounds really bad to us Americans, it's really much worse for the Thais and for Thailand's political development.
The irony here is that with the coup, Bankok is likely to be very safe now that the army has closed both semi-permanent protest camps and imposed a 10pm-4am curfew on the capital.
CNN reported that protesters turned out to support the arrested ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra, but apart from some minor scuffling with police, there was no violence. CNN said the protesters eventually dispersed and went home for the curfew.
I'm monitoring things very closely ahead of my Tuesday arrival, but I'm not worried about getting snagged up in any of it. The neighborhood where I stay is quite far from the government districts which are so often the target of both Red Shirt and Yellow Shirt protesters.
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