So what, why Russia is there has absolutely nothing to do with how they have behaved. NO past history can ever be used to justify atrocities by the people committing them.
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Speaking of the succession
CHRISTINE GRAY - 14 OCT, 2016
Christine Gray examines the long-term legacies and paralysing effects of Thailand’s harsh lese majeste laws, particularly as one reign ends and another begins.... (read more)... http://www.newmandala.org/speaking-on-the-succession/
What is King Bhumibol’s legacy?
NICHOLAS FARRELLY - 14 OCT, 2016
New Mandala co-founder Nicholas Farrelly reflects on a remarkable and contentious reign.... (read more)... http://www.newmandala.org/king-bhumibols-legacy/
MOURNING THE KING WITH RESPECT TO OUR DIVERSITY
By Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer - October 15, 2016
Millions are mourning the passing of His Majesty the King, Bhumibol Adulyadej. As we transition into a new era, let’s recall mourning is about love and empathy as much as it is grief. It should not be about intolerance, coercion and excess.
The military regime of Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha wisely backtracked from its plan that all television channels broadcast nonstop state media eulogizing the late King for 30 days.... (read more).... http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/i...ect-diversity/
Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn Meets With Regent, Will Take Throne
By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter - October 16, 2016
BANGKOK — Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn had an audience with head privy councilor Prem Tinsulanonda who is now regent for Thailand’s vacant throne, junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha announced in a televised broadcast Saturday night.
The address confirmed Prem, 96, is exercising royal authority temporarily on behalf of the Crown Prince, who has delayed taking the throne because he wanted time to grieve his late father, King Bhumibol. The prince also said in the conversation with Prem that he would still assume the throne one day, according to Prayuth.... (read more)... http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politi...l-take-throne/
"Did he ask for the delay or was he told?".... any answer would be speculation. Accept the official line, he wants to grieve for his father.
WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FOR KING BHUMIBOL’S FUNERAL RITES
By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter - October 16, 2016
BANGKOK — For the first time in 70 years, Thailand will witness a funeral for a king, an elaborate ceremony that usually lasts for a year.... (read more)... http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/b...funeral-rites/
The Power Transfer Thailand
OCT 13, 2016
With the passing of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the naming of his son to the throne, the question of when and to whom power would be transferred in Thailand has finally been answered. The real question, however, remains: how to empower the Thai people.... (read more)... https://www.bloomberg.com/view/artic...thailand-needs
Do’s and Don’ts of Mourning Period for Expats and Visitors
By Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter - October 17, 2016
BANGKOK — As Thailand begins a new week since His Majesty King Bhumibol’s death led to the declaration of a year-long mourning period, foreign tourists and residents might wonder what is okay and what is not.
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/n...pats-visitors/
Lèse majesté purge erupts nationwide after the King's death
Submitted by editor2 on Mon, 17/10/2016
Thai police have arrested two more people accused of lèse majesté in Southern Thailand, after royalist mobs stormed a soymilk and then a roti shop to hunt for lèse majesté suspects over the weekend. Soldiers and police have also searched a house in the Northeast whose owner is accused of lèse majesté....(read more).... http://prachatai.org/english/node/6657
Show me the money: Thailand's mega-rich monarchy
Latest update : 14/10/2016
BANGKOK (AFP) -
Late Thai king Bhumibol Adulyadej has left behind one of the world's richest monarchies, with a multi-billion-dollar empire spanning property, construction and banks.
Analysts say the vast royal reserves have allowed the crown to build a deep network among the Thai elite, helping insulate the king from the political pressures felt by monarchs who rely chiefly on state funding.... (read more)... http://m.france24.com/en/20161014-sh...ate=2016-10-14
The lost kingdom
SAM MICHAEL - 16 OCT, 2016
King Bhumibol leaves behind a kingdom living in aura of a monarchy that has failed to drive the nation forward or deal with modern reality, writes Sam Michael.
The passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on 13 October 2016 left many Thai people and much of the entire kingdom in shock and despair.... (read more)... http://www.newmandala.org/the-lost-kingdom
Mon Oct 17, 2016
Thai junta urges restraint after crowds mob royal insult suspects
Thailand's military government urged people not to take the law into their own hands on Monday after three videos surfaced on social media of angry mobs accusing people of insulting the monarchy following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.... (read more)... http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-tha...-idUKKBN12H0XX
In Thailand, royalists’ vision of the late king still reigns
Pravit Rojanaphruk
Reverence for Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last week after 70 years on the throne, is enforced – and dissenting voices face severe penalties
Monday Oct 17, 2016
Being a royalist in Thailand can be emotionally comforting. You can join millions of like-minded subjects who venerate King Bhumibol Adulyadej. You feel like a member of a gigantic family, as the king is often referred to by these loyal subjects as their “royal father”.... (READ MORE).... https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...adulyadej-died
CALLS FOR CALM OVER ‘WITCH HUNT’ CONCERNS AFTER HM KING’S DEATH
By Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer - October 17, 2016
BANGKOK — Calls for tolerance have gone out as the national mourning for His Majesty the King sees outbursts of anger toward those deemed disrespectful.... (read more).... http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politi...m-kings-death/
Ultra-royalist calls for lèse-majesté purge in Paris
Submitted by editor4 on Tue, 18/10/2016
A hyper-royalist doctor has urged Thai people in Paris to hunt for a lèse-majesté refugee and those who shelter her.... (read more)... http://prachatai.org/english/node/6658
Whatever your view of the lese majeste laws, the law remains the law until changed.
That last post is almost certainly in breach of Thai law, as are several of those preceding it.
Be careful - if the Thai authorities are able to identify those hosting this site, (or you, for that matter..)
they could find themselves persona non grata in The Kingdom - or worse..
Agreed, that post was removed. (Thank you)
Friends,
This is a very sensitive time for Thailand. We owe it to the country and the laws they have enacted, not to engage is discussions about the Royal Family. It is and has always been one of the only subjects we are not to discuss It is the rule of the land and the rule of this site. Any comments about this topic may be unilaterally edited or deleted.
Thank you
Surfcrest
Negative references to Thailand's royal family. Thailand has very strict laws about this. The authorities have varying ideas on what are negative references so, as a general rule, it is better to just avoid the subject.
http://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/showth...amp-GUIDELINES
http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/20/asia/t...inkId=30150131
This is one of the most read threads on this or any forum and it clearly fills a need. However, during the first month of official mourning I'd like to suggest to up2u that it is voluntarily suspended. The possibility of breaching the lese majesty laws in this time when Thailand is the centre of world attention and there is a great deal of internal and external speculation is just too great. We know from one external source that extra censor monitors are now in place. I seriously doubt if this site will come to their attention - but then who knows?
I agree with Fountainhall, others may post as they choose, as I will suspend my posts. It was my hope we would have a chronological history from his very first post to the day democratic elections would resume. That is no longer possible. Both my bf and I are respectful to the King and we will visit the Grand Palace in several weeks to pay respects. As Fountainhall mentioned there is much on-going speculation and I have tried to provide information from nontraditional news sources. I know many expats that get their news solely from the Bangkok Post or the Nation and think they are well informed. Not. There are potential hiccups regarding the succession. My hope, the King's wish for the CP and succession comes to pass. Pray for the King and pray for Thailand's future.
Thank God I came home on Friday....at the moment, I'd hate to be in Thailand. And I've never said that before.
I can understand the fear and it is fully justified... there are going to be many victims over the next few months whose voices will never be heard. Inevitably, they will be the poor. This is Thailand.
Victims of what?
In my opinion, if democratic elections were held today and the good general allowed to run...I think he'd win. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems Thailand is finally enjoying a little but of political stability, something that has been always hanging on the edge, from the first day I visited Thailand. I haven't see so much change in the country since any other prior administration, whether everyone believes it's good or not.
Surfcrest
The grief may be genuine but its impulse is similar to that of North Korea when Kim Jong Il died - a personality cult that punishes dissenting views relentlessly. On Thai PBS today it is reported that The Generalissimo has asked Thai Embassies abroad to report back individuals who may be "slandering the monarchy"
There is no similarity between North Korea and Thailand, and to suggest so is grossly insulting towards the Thai people.
The Kim family's rule of North Korea is founded on absolute fear and tyranny. There is no popular love for their despotism - one day they will be overthrown and the people will dance on their graves..
In their Royal family, and their late king in particular, the Thai people found a rock of inspiration. Their is nothing contrived or stage managed about the recent outpourings of grief..
I learned my lesson about politics in the Philippines with Ferdinand Marcos. The only good thing that came out of that was it got my Master's Thesis published.
Right now I look around the United States where we have two people running for President and you have to wonder, "...so this is our best and brightest?" We have police officers shooting unarmed black men at will and we have a government where one side decides it will shut everything down every chance they get.
The majority of the folks on the right really would have no problem with an authoritative regime as long as it was one they supported. This election will not end with voting and the uncertainty will continue into 2017 and beyond. The United States is beginning a period of political instability.
Thus, I am not sure if it is a wise thing for people who live in glass houses to throw stones....
At least the Thai's have a King who brought them together.
Thais step up web surveillance after king's death
http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/10/19/16/thais-step-up-web-surveillance-after-kings-death
"At least the Thai's have a King who brought them together.".... that should have been past tense.
You are right in the literal sense but in another sense he will live on for years to come.
As I was out preparing my tropical garden for winter I decided that I am going to expand it and add a Thai Spirit House to show my solidarity with and concern for the Thais and Thailand.Attachment 4070Attachment 4071
Which Guardian Spirit where you hoping to attract or appease with your spirit house? The Guardian of the House? The Guardian of the Gardens?, the Guardian of Gates and Stairwells? The Protector of Storehouses and Barns?
do you seriously believe in such animistic practices? or are you just aping a Thai practice you don't understand the significance of?
and how do you think this shows "solidarity" and "concern"?
anyway I hope you at least took enough care with the placement such that the shadow of a building does not fall across it or the spirits will be very displeased and you may have to get a Feng Shui master in to re-harmonise you house with the surrounding environment
bkkguy
Oh, lets see...
My partner of 35 years is Chinese from Laos. I have a house full of Buddhist and Chinese shrines to his dead mother and dead father. Every door has something hanging above it to ward off something or another.
As far a Feng Shui goes after the first 15 years I just gave up on decorating, moving furniture, and or remodeling because of all the Feng Shui rules.
Since the King died we have watched Thai television every single day.
Now, for my perspective, since the garden is the only part of our home that I still have any sway over....
"Aping" really?
I am thankful that I was able to travel through Asia for over 5 years as a young man. As I would not claim to be an "expert" in Asian religion and or Asian religious practices I will say that I came away with a tremendous respect for and interest in Asian religious practices.
As I currently live in what is referred to as "The Bible Belt" let me add that Buddhism has had more of a influence in my life and has brought more peace to my life than anything that I have experienced from the Judeo Christian religions.
In fact I have spent the last 8 years tied up in one lawsuit after another, one investigation after another, and I have had one life changing event after another. Its been hell and at each "darkest moment" I found myself contemplating the meaning of life and I always found comfort in the concept of how the lotus flower grows and the concept of the circle of life....
Yeah, things look bleak in Thailand right now to the Thais but they will get through it just like I did....
So there is no "aping" but there is solidarity and concern.
As far as the comment of "animistic practices" goes....
I would love to believe that logic and rationalism prevails in the real world...but it doesn't take more than a quick scan of any news source to realize that we are experiencing a period of extreme illgoic and irrationalism....
So, if I want to find comfort and solace sitting in a tropical garden in a non tropical environment with a Thai Spirit House as a focal point surrounded by a six foot high wooden fence then so be it! Oh, and lets not forget the pond with Koi, Lotus, and water lilies growing in it..
I can thank the Thai's for showing me a way to live and experience life, even in its most evil and disgusting periods, without losing myself.
Soon after I moved to Hong Kong decades ago, I decided to revamp the office spaces to make it all more efficient. At a meeting of departmental heads (all Chinese) I informed them of the changes and the reasons. I then told them not to worry as I would have a Feng Shui master approve the changes before anything was done. I was met with a sea of blank faces and a long pause. Eventually, the Chief Accountant broke the silence. "You surely don't believe that rubbish, do you?" I did it anyway!
I always figured whenever "Feng Shui" was thrown in my face that just translated to "I want it this way!" Feng Shui is just a way to add a philosophical advantage to "Just quit moving the furniture."
I also told my partner that what he practiced wasn't really "Feng Shui" but rather "Mao Zedong" because everything has to be up against a wall with everything facing the center of the room...it looks like something from an old news reel of a visit from foreign dignitaries...