# Monty: What if anything is your point about Thailand's royals?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [September 12, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818 "2015-09-12T14:22:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 5
### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2016, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/81 "2016-02-23T09:53:50Z")
> [@wolfman](#):
>
> How fucking complicated to use can a toilet possibly be?
How complicate? Royally complicated!
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/82 "2016-04-09T14:32:57Z")
[And the comedy rolls on](http://www.businessinsider.com/thailand-is-getting-close-to-becoming-a-military-dictatorship-2016-4). A couple of tidbits from that article:
[ul][li]Army officers can arrest anyone they damn well please based on nothing other than their suspicion.[/li][li]Civilians are tried in military courts.[/li][li]Lèse majesté is still being used as a weapon against political opponents of the junta.[/ul][/li]
And what’s the royalty doing about it? Well, not a damn thing. Here’s a thought: _lèse majesté_ is defined as insulting the dignity of the monarch; however, Thailand’s monarch has no dignity, as evidenced by the current situation in Thailand, so it’s impossible for anyone to insult a dignity that joke does not have.
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### Author:  [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/83 "2016-04-10T21:48:16Z")
I’m so disappointed in this thread. I was expecting some world-class, grade-A Pitting. Instead, I’m learning.
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### Author:  [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/84 "2016-04-11T00:04:37Z")
Monty continues to link the junta to the King. It’s more likely that the junta assumes excessive power _ **because** _ the 89-year old King is so infirm that he can no longer exercise the forceful role he once had.
The Crown Princess’s toilet is an ignorant and irrelevant distraction. What is _not_ irrelevant is the Crown Prince, heir apparent to the throne, who appears to be a very different man from his father. I may wish to join in the Pitting when the throne changes hands.
> [@](#):
>
> Lèse majesté is still being used as a weapon against political opponents of the junta.
And now Monty agrees with one of my points. These laws are used as judicial weapons by politicans and have very little to do with the King.
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### Author:  [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2016, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/85 "2016-04-11T01:08:17Z")
> [@septimus](#):
>
> And now Monty agrees with one of my points. These laws are used as judicial weapons by politicans and have very little to do with the King.
No, Monty said upthread that the crowned heads should waive all penalties for violations of Lèse majesté.
I suppose if I was a constitutional monarch I would strive to promote balance, conciliation, infrastructure and charity. Though voluntary abdication might be a better course.
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### Author:  [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2016, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/86 "2016-04-11T12:30:33Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#):
>
> I suppose if I was a constitutional monarch I would strive to promote balance, conciliation, infrastructure and charity.
So you support the present King of Thailand whose reign has been lauded by respected and informed people all around the world for his _ **promotion of balance, conciliation, infrastructure and charity** _ ? (Or, instead do you join in the ignorant blaming of a deeply ill 89-year old man for his country’s present woes?)
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/87 "2016-04-11T14:41:15Z")
> [@septimus](#):
>
> (Or, instead do you join in the ignorant blaming of a deeply ill 89-year old man for his country’s present woes?)
If the King has powers - which he does - that means he also has duties, and if he cannot fulfill his duties than maybe he should abdicate, or appoint a Regent. What he cannot do is remain king and avoid responsibility for the state of his realm.
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2016, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/88 "2016-04-11T23:35:52Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#):
>
> No, Monty said upthread that the crowned heads should waive all penalties for violations of Lèse majesté.
Thai royalty has long and often proved that they are quite content and supportive of that BS law and everything that goes along with it.
> [@](#):
>
> I suppose if I was a constitutional monarch I would strive to promote balance, conciliation, infrastructure and charity.
I suppose if you were a constitutional monarch, your country would have a constitution.
> [@](#):
>
> Though voluntary abdication might be a better course.
Yep. And an even better choice is to have a government of the people’s choice, not the military’s, running the country. “The king is frail and so you can’t blame him” doesn’t work because that joke has not been frail all along. septimus continues to rant, the king continues to be a joke, and Thais continue to suffer. All is well in the world!
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### Author:  [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2016, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/89 "2016-04-12T07:27:43Z")
> [@Monty](#):
>
> Yep. And an even better choice is to have a government of the people’s choice, not the military’s, running the country. “The king is frail and so you can’t blame him” doesn’t work because that joke has not been frail all along. septimus continues to rant, the king continues to be a joke, and Thais continue to suffer. All is well in the world!
:smack: :smack: So round and round in circles we go. _You’ve never deigned to offer an opinion on the efficacy of Thaksin’s “elected” governments_. Should we now infer you think they were better for the country than the present junta? 😕
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2016, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/90 "2016-04-12T09:51:23Z")
It’s perfectly fine to believe that a lousy elected administration is preferable an efficient dictatorship - in fact, believing so is the basis of democratic government. Personally, I loath and despise my own country’s elected Prime Minister, but I would defend him to the death if the opposition party \*I voted for \*attempted a coup d’etat. I want them to win, but I want them to win according to the rules.
Belief in democracy is the belief that the process is more important than the results.
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2016, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/91 "2016-04-16T07:47:09Z")
> [@septimus](#):
>
> :smack: :smack: So round and round in circles we go. _You’ve never deigned to offer an opinion on the efficacy of Thaksin’s “elected” governments_. Should we now infer you think they were better for the country than the present junta? 😕
Wait a moment. The present junta, like those before it, will go the king or his regent to ask permission to stop martial law. Why will they need to do that when they didn’t ask his permission to overthrow the legal government in the first place. You might recall that the legal government had the king’s approval. Basically what I’m getting from you is that you, along with the junta, think they know better than the Thai electorate _and the king_ on how to rule the country. Your use of quotes for _elected_ is also telling.
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> It’s perfectly fine to believe that a lousy elected administration is preferable an efficient dictatorship - in fact, believing so is the basis of democratic government. Personally, I loath and despise my own country’s elected Prime Minister, but I would defend him to the death if the opposition party \*I voted for \*attempted a coup d’etat. I want them to win, but I want them to win according to the rules.
>
> Belief in democracy is the belief that the process is more important than the results.
Exactly right. And septimus continues to try to switch the conversation away from one simple fact: the king is a joke.
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/92 "2016-05-08T02:29:12Z")
I can’t decide if Thailand’s dictators think government should be run like _Starship Troopers_, _Fahrenheit 451_, or _1984_; perhaps they want it to be a combination. Courtesy of _The Washington Post_ comes [this latest outrage](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/thai-authorities-arrest-dissidents-mom-for-online-inaction/2016/05/07/60a8756a-1439-11e6-a9b5-bf703a5a7191_story.html), in which a woman is arrested, not for maligning the royalty, but for not responding to others who did malign the royalty. Yes, you read that correctly; she’s been arrested for not saying what the junta thinks she should have. From the link:
> [@](#):
>
> **Thai authorities arrest dissident’s mom for online inaction**
>
> By Associated Press May 7 at 7:14 AM
> BANGKOK — The authorities in Thailand, who previously declared that marking a potentially illegal Facebook post with a “Like” could be cause for arrest, have charged a dissident’s mother for failing to rebut a Facebook message that allegedly defamed the country’s royal family.
>
> Police on Saturday sought to defend the arrest of Patnaree Chankij for allegedly violating the law on lese majeste — defaming the monarchy — and the Computer Crime Act. They told reporters they had other evidence against her, but would not give details.
More at the link.
Look, I know that without a monarchy, the junta would still be doing what they’re doing now. The point is that they’re doing it under the pretense of defending the current monarchy. And the monarchy is knowingly complicit in this abuse.
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2016, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/93 "2016-05-08T03:14:42Z")
> [@Monty](#):
>
> the king is a joke.
Do you have an opinion on oven-baked confections w/r/t their veracity?
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2016, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/94 "2016-05-08T03:27:11Z")
> [@Superdude](#):
>
> I’m so disappointed in this thread. I was expecting some world-class, grade-A Pitting. Instead, I’m learning.
You and me, both, except when I try to learn I keep thinking of Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/95 "2016-05-08T03:41:53Z")
And **SD** , do I know you IRL? Snarky, semi-pro standup who was touring recently but who went back to a telemarketing job before your Big Break?
Yeah, that narrowed the field to several thousand people, but I thought I would ask.
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2016, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/96 "2016-05-08T05:33:31Z")
> [@Ludovic](#):
>
> Do you have an opinion on oven-baked confections w/r/t their veracity?
Okay; I like humor as much as the next person. I even like humor at my own expense. However, I’m not getting this one.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2016, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/97 "2016-05-08T07:29:40Z")
Fortune cookies, perhaps?
That’s as far as I can get, though.
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2016, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/98 "2016-05-08T07:55:35Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> Fortune cookies, perhaps?
>
> That’s as far as I can get, though.
Hmmm…could be except for one thing. Fortune cookies aren’t baked; they’re basically miniature pancakes folded into the trademark shape.
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2016, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/99 "2016-05-08T07:56:42Z")
> [@Monty](#):
>
> Hmmm…could be except for one thing. Fortune cookies aren’t baked; they’re basically miniature pancakes folded into the trademark shape.
Maybe it’s a “let them eat cake” thing? I don’t know how, but that’s all I’ve got.
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### Author:  [@nachtmusick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nachtmusick)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2016, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-what-if-anything-is-your-point-about-thailands-royals/730818/100 "2016-05-08T08:51:14Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> Belief in democracy is the belief that the process is more important than the results.
Yes.
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