Either way, I think it’s as silly to associate Thailand’s dysfunction with Buddhism as to associate America’s or Europe’s with Christianity.
And, mimicking U.S.A., Thailand has a few chief monks who aren’t very monkly. Just recently one died in hospital near us with a bag full of banknotes and gold bars. The bag was spirited away; I don’t know who will get the guy’s fleet of Mercedes.
Our own local chief monk allegedly does unmonkly things (girlfriends, not gold bars). There’s always a construction project on his temple grounds; my wife explains that, in a superstition, he’s safe until the construction finishes. (Cf. Sarah Winchester and her “Mystery House”.)
We’ve been out of the country for a few days and will be upcountry for the weekend, so it’s been difficult keeping up on this week’s developments. But more rioting appears to be on the way. The Constitutional Court yesterday (Wednesday) removed the prime minister from office on abuse-of-office charges. But it’s not a complete “judicial coup” since much of the cabinet remains intact. In fact, the commerce minister has been named acting prime minister for the moment. The red shirts are threatening violence and even all-out war, while the yellow shirts are vowing to take to the streets again since the entire government was not ousted.
We were down in Singapore for a few days. I’d even forgotten the court ruling was coming soon until in the hotel yesterday morning (Wednesday morning) we saw CNN reporting it was due later in day. Then late in the afternoon at Changi Airport, getting ready to board our flight home, we saw a live report that the bitch had gotten the axe. Ha! Take that! The wife almost did a little victory dance right there in the airport. But they’ll probably just get someone worse to take her spot. The commerce minister has been tasked with it for now, but Thaksin has another sister, the wife of former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat. That makes him Thaksin’s brother-in-law. He weaseled his way into the prime ministership two years after Thaksin got booted out by the army but served only 2-1/2 months in the position before himself being ousted by the Election Commission due to alleged past misconduct. His wife started being groomed about a year or so ago to take over just in case something like this happened to Yingluck, so now we’ll see if she gets a chance. At least Yingluck was fairly pleasing to the eye, whereas this other sister is a fat pig.
We’re leaving in the morning for a long weekend outside of Bangkok. If anything happens over the weekend and you don’t hear from me too soon, don’t worry. We’re just just upcountry.
And to add to that above, the National Anti-Corruption Commission today decided to launch impeachment proceedings against now ex-PM Yingluck due to perceived malfeasance in the scheme. A guilty verdict will see her banned from politics for five years, and they’re also deciding whether to file criminal corruption charges against her. Take that, bitch!
I wonder if Thaksin is making up his spare bedroom for her.
Sunday afternoon, we’re back in Bangkok again, and the situation is about the same. Nothing big seems to have happened while we were gone the past couple of days. Some protesters were tear-gassed in the street in front of the Government Complex in northern Bangkok. Yellow shirts occupied a couple of TV stations deemed sympathetic to the government and the other side. The parliament building – despite parliament being dissolved last December, the Senate still meets – and/or Government House might or might not have been occupied, depending on which news report you believe or your definition of “occupied.”
But the red shirts are rallying outside the city and making warlike noises. The yellow shirts plan to exit their Lumpini Park base in central Bangkok tomorrow and take to the streets again, reoccupying key intersections and government offices – no doubt the Monday-morning commuters will appreciate the hell out of this. And all eyes are on the army. So stay tuned.
Two killed and 21 wounded early this morning (Thursday morning) in grenade and shooting attacks at the yellow shirts’ renewed camp at Democracy Monument in mid-Bangkok. This is just around the corner from the backpacker haven of Khao San Road. It represents quite an escalation from previous attacks. Looks like it’s heating up again.
Fortunately, ex-prime minister Yingluck has participated in a supernatural ritual at a big temple in northern Thailand to rid her of her bad luck. I wonder if Nixon ever considered this.
Another person wounded in this morning’s attack died, bringing the death toll to three, with 22 wounded reported now. The army chief has issued a stern warning. That link says two of the injured were guests at a nearby hostel, so I’m wondering if they were foreign tourists, because Thais probably aren’t going to be staying in a place like that.
I dunno. It was the side that supports the government that did all the shooting this morning. Killing tourists is bad publicity but not unprecedented anyway.
Well, they don’t kill them on purpose. But shit happens. I recall there was a Swedish man who was staying on Khao San Road back during the Black May 1992 turmoil. He wandered over to this very same area during an army action “just to see” and ended up getting killed in all the chaos.