THAILAND'S BUDDHIST KING CANNOT SAVE THE DAY

By Nick Gier, Professor Emeritus, University of Idaho (nickgier@roadrunner.com)

They say that a kingdom is like a pyramid: the king on top
and the people below. But in this country it's upside down.
That's why sometimes I have a pain around [my neck and shoulders].

--Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej

         In 1992 I was excited about my sabbatical leave in India, where I planned to start  research for my book on Gandhi.  The best airline tickets were with Thai International, which lived up to its motto "Smooth as Silk," and also offered some great package deals to tour the country. As we were packing, my travel partner showed me a State Department warning about political conditions in Thailand.  Hundreds of thousands of Thais were demonstrating in the streets and on the campuses, and U. S. authorities could not guarantee our safety.  We decided to take a chance.

"Black May" of 1992 and King Bhumibol's Intercession

When we arrived in Bangkok in late May, the military government had been overthrown.  The official death toll, mainly from troops using U.S.-supplied M-16 rifles, was 52 with hundreds more wounded. Later investigations revealed that many protesters had been tortured and/or "disappeared."

The key to settling the conflict was the Thai royal family. The Crown Prince and his sister, both wildly popular, went on national television and appealed for calm and reconciliation. Then King Bhumibol Adulyadej--U.S. born, Swiss educated, and the world's longest living monarch--intervened and insisted that General Suchinda Kraprayoon and opposition leader Chamlong Srimuang put an end to the hostilities.  In a demonstration of ultimate respect for the royal office, both men prostrated themselves at the feet of the king. In the presence of the God-King--Bhumibol is an incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu--one places one's holiest part (the head) at the king's least sacred (the feet).

As we visited the shops of Bangkok and talked with our guides, we could tell that the people were relieved that the military dictatorship was gone. Everyone lavished praise on the king for bringing peace to the country. Everywhere we traveled in the country we experienced the boost in national morale that the royally mediated peace settlement produced. A Buddhist king is Dharmaraja (king of the moral law) and people knew that his divine magic, which he had used many times before to resolve political conflict, was still effective.

During the Vietnam War thousands of U.S. troops were stationed in Thailand, and thousands more chose Bangkok for R&R. One night in a Bangkok bar some drunken GIs accidentally destroyed the king's picture, which hangs in nearly all business establishments. This act of desecration, as one reporter commented, "caused an international incident, which took the utmost skill by the Air Force public affairs people to defuse." This hyper-vigilance about not doing harm to or criticizing the king will make it difficult for the Thais to face his eventually death and then deal with his son, who is widely discredited and disliked.

Economic "Tiger" Preserves Its Buddhist Culture

Although Thailand has followed the economic "tigers" Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong in rapid modernization and economic development, we were impressed by the fact that the Thais, 94 percent Buddhist, have kept their religious faith very much alive.  During our two-week tour of the country, we saw dozens of initiation ceremonies in which most young Thai men become monks for a summer.  We also marveled at the beautiful Buddha statues and temples, which were kept in immaculate condition.

In terms of personal wealth as a portion of Gross Domestic Product, Thailand is the 4^th richest country in Southeast Asia. Since King Bhumiboli's coronation in 1946, average Thai salaries have increased 40 times over. The Thai economy has grown as fast as 12 percent annually, but it fell into recession last year and a predicted recovery will be slowed by the current conflict between the government and the "Red Shirts."

In 1999 I had a second sabbatical in India and once again we stopped over in Thailand on the way. Blissed out the beautiful island of Kohsamui we did not pay much attention to Thai politics.  I did read in the English language newspapers that the Thai baht had recovered from the vicious attack upon it by currency speculators, who had caused an Asian economic meltdown in 1997.  To be fair some of these countries had put themselves in a vulnerable position by running up their debt--similar to the current crisis in Greece--and they had to be bailed out by International Monetary Fund. When we returned this year we found that the Thai currency had gained ground, selling at 30 baht to the dollar as opposed to 40 in 1992.  

Red Shirts versus Yellow Shirts

On our recent trip to Vietnam and Cambodia we flew in and out of Bangkok twice, and visited the Emerald Buddha and Golden Buddha temples for the third time. The "Red Shirts" were very much present, but we were not threatened by or impeded by them in any way.  In 2008 the "Yellow Shirts," wearing the royal color and supporting the Democratic Party led by Abhisit Vejjajiva, closed down the both international airports for 8 days. Now in power, Oxford-educated Abhisit was making sure that there was not a repeat of that huge blow to the Thai tourist industry.  As our taxi approached the beautiful new airport, we could see Thai army troops everywhere and the undercarriage of our taxi was searched with mirrors.  Even with the new airport open, arrivals have dropped from 30,000 to 20,000 a day, and the loss in tourist revenue may be as high as $8 billion.

Although Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932, the military essentially ruled the country until May of 1992.  There have been 18 military coups and 18 different constitutions written since 1932. Advances in democratic rule were slowed by the fact that the U.S. found the Thai generals the best allies during the Vietnam War. U.S. fighter-bombers from nine Thai bases delivered 80 percent of the ordnance dropped on Vietnam.

During the 1970s Thais demanding more democracy were easily targeted as Marxists, and McCarthy-type witch hunts for traitors took place. Hundreds of students and workers were killed and/or tortured during this time. Those targeted were also accused of being republicans, and there is good evidence that King Bhumiboli approved this violent suppression of dissent.

Thaksin Shinawatra: Thailand's Silvio Berlusconi

Contrary to what some external observers believe, the Red Shirts are not Communists. Instead they are followers of Thaksin Shinawatra, a populist leader who has won three elections, the first in 2001. In 2005 Thaksin he won the first absolute majority of any political party in Thai history. Thaksin undertook large public works projects in the rural areas, where he got most of his electoral support and where most of the Red Shirts come from. His calls for universal health care, public housing, and cancellation of farm debt were hugely popular.  External political observers describe Thaksin, a billionaire media mogul, as a combination of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Italy's Silvio Berlusconi.

Our recent guide in Bangkok, a fervent Thaksin supporter, pointed out a new airport rail link that the Thaksin government built but now stands idle because of, according to our guide, the current government's mismanagement.  Our guide was furious that Thaksin's political party had been declared illegal because of alleged corruption, and that the leader of a new party, backed by Thaksin and winner of the 2007 election, was forced out because he broke a legislative rule by hosting a TV cooking show.

The Red Shirts are particularly angry that the military once again intervened, banned their new political party--the People's Power Party--and made it possible for the Abhisit to gain control of the government. Red Shirt demands appear reasonable enough: their main request is that new elections should be held without military inference. They are confident that their new political party will again win at least a plurality of votes. Abhisit knows this, and to make matters worse, his own Democratic Party has been found in violation of the law by the Thai Electoral Commission.

Black April-May, 2010: 88 dead and 1,800 wounded

Early on Red Shirt demonstrations were peaceful, even festive, and one leader's Gandhi T-shirt was a constant reminder that the protests were supposed to be non-violent. When the army moved into to break up their encampment on April 10, 23 people were killed and about 400 wounded.  Armed "men in black" had infiltrated the Red Shirts and they were blamed for the tragedy.  We were in Cambodia at the time and we were afraid that we could not take our scheduled flight home from Bangkok.

Red Shirts continued to pour into Bangkok from the countryside and the government charged that Thaksin, exiled in Europe and $1.4 billion of his vast wealth confiscated by court order, was not only supporting them financially but also giving them direct orders. The government claims that Thaksin was the source of the Red Shirt decision to reject a government offer for November elections.

After the collapse of negotiations, Thai troops moved in on May 19 to dislodge the Red Shirts.  The protesters had set fire to 30 buildings, including the stock exchange and the largest shopping center in Asia. Overwhelmed by the army, the Red Shirt leaders surrendered and are now in government custody. The death toll now stands at 88 with over 1,800 wounded, much worse than May of 1992.

 King Bhumibol Cannot Save the Day

The fact that King Bhumiboli is 82 years old and gravely ill is used by most Thais to explain why the king has not intervened.  The real reason is that, even if he were healthy, the king can no longer be a neutral mediator. The king supported the ouster of Thaksin in 2006 and his chief royal advisor was appointed to replace him as prime minister. 

Early in his reign the king was tireless in visiting his people in the countryside and personally assuring them that he would attend to their problems. Thaksin is now perceived to be the people's man, and his performance of religious ceremonies at Buddhist temples was taken as usurping royal prerogatives.  The king now finds his closest allies in the military and business community. Some observers comment that it is significant that earlier the Red Shirts always carried pictures of the king, but recently they have disappeared. One reporter said that "the Red Shirts still love their king. The anti-monarchy Reds do exist, but they are not the majority."

 The Yellow Shirts, distinctively elite in carrying golf clubs as their weapons, are fanning the flames by accusing the Red Shirts of being terrorists and republicans.  At a recent awards ceremony in Bangkok, thrusting his Oscar-like statue in the air, a famous Thai actor declared: "If you hate father [the king], if you don't love father any more, then you should get out of here!" The audience gave this "love it or leave it" oration a standing ovation, taking very seriously the Red Shirts' explanation that they are waging "people's war against the elite" and by implication the king himself, the richest monarch in the world holding $34 billion in assets.

A very troubling connection has recently been publicized.  Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, now on his third wife and widely scorned, is in close communication with Thaksin.  It is rumored that when the old king dies, the new king will pardon Thaksin and that will make way for his return to political power.  If that does indeed come to pass, the Yellow Shirts are certain to pour into the streets thrusting their golf clubs into the air.

Nick Gier taught philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years.