A Kingdom in Crisis: Thailand's Struggle for Democracy in the Twenty-First Century (Asian Arguments) Paperback – November 4, 2014

For person wanting to understand the background to the problems in Thailand, seen in TV during the last decade, this is an easy to read and up to date book. Actually by reading this book we learn how the elite throughout the past 800 hundred years Thailand has existed, mostly managed as kings, in getting persons whom they could control, and thereby continuing in keeping their own power and wealth. But then 13 years ago it started to change so that the elite now have run into problem as the majority of the Thais now by voting, again and again have got the majority of the power in the Parliament, and are demanding in getting their part of the cake.The elite, the kings family, and the military, first in the year 2003, after the election of Thaksin and his party in 2001, realized that for the first time, since the ending of the Kings absolutism back in 1932, time really was beginning to change. Because unexpectedly in the Parliament there now had come a political leader and a party, whom after having being elected, not as normally, by corruption, stated getting money into their own pockets, but instead started to do for the voters what they had promised. And thereby suddenly the people had got power in the Parliament, and a got politician and a party they again and again would be continuing voting on. Among other Thaksin changed it for the farmers so that they no longer needed to pay 25-50 % of the rice to the big land owners, by to each Commune, from the State sending 1 million Bath, of which they at a low rent could lend money.The book is about the actual crisis we now are having in Thailand and thereby not a historical book which is going in details throughout the 800 years since the Thais had settled down in Thailand and until now, but instead mostly is watching the years since 1946, after the King Bumibols brother, Ananda, then the King Rama VIII, died. But even though it’s mostly a book about the political history during the last 7 decades, and I owe many historical books about Thailand, I still in this book discovered quite a few of interesting historical details.For example when I on side 63 read about the stone with the very long writing, which in 1851 was found in the ruins of Sukhothai, whereby it ought to be around 800 years old, I first here read that historians call the inscription a fake. This fits fine to the feeling which I had after first time reading its whole long story. In the writing, as seen in the book, is among other told about the proto-democracy in which citizens could ring a bell to alert the monarch to their problems. So without doubt an inscription in 1851 ordered by King Rama IV, for telling the peoples about the happy Thailand; and of course the Thais learn that it’s not a fake.And furthermore concerning the old history, we in the book are getting the personalities of quit a couple of the kings, some of these with strange behaviors, and laws, of which we learn by foreigners then visiting Thailand. As for example the paranoid King Prasart Thong who seized the throne in 1629, and who among other ordered pregnant women to be put down into the holes where then the post for the houses where driven through them, believing that thereby they would be turned into terrible monsters which in the future would be protecting the buildings. Actual all Thais are trusting in ghosts, for being nearly everywhere, and against which the monks helps them. Or we read about the King Ekkathat who was described as poor of intelligence, and worthless, which resulted in the Burmese, in the year 1767 concurred, and destroyed, the capital Ayutthaya.He was followed by the King Taksin, who had worked himself up nearly from the bottom, and about whom we in the book only get a few lines. But the King Taksin finally threw out the Burmese, and thereby made the first real connection of the whole Thailand, but still with the local kings, but made himself the biggest king, and then started concurring Cambodia. Actually first 120 years ago Chiang Mai finally stopped in having its own king. But the Thais don’t learn about King Taksin, even though he is one of the best kings which Thailand ever has had, because he is not connected to family of the Rama Kings. And actually in the year 1782 he was demanded to be executed by the following King Rama I, who during 30 years as the nearest friend had been working together with Thaksin, last as general. Taksin then only was 48, and wanted to retire as a monk, and knew more about Buddha than most of the monks. For more reading about Thailand history I highly recommend B.J. Terwiel,: “Thailand’s Political History From the 13th century to recent times”, 2011.But concerning the laws we among other in the book reads that according to the laws, persons who touches royal persons had to be executed. And as a result of this we on the side 65 read that in 1880, when one of the King Chulalongkorn’s queens was drowning in the river, plenty of persons were watching this, but scared to do anything!And furthermore we read about cases by which persons according to the lese-majesty, insulting of the royals, were put in jails. For example about a family who got 5 years in prison for calling their dogs the same names as the King and the Queen. But in the book by Søren Ivarsson & Lotte Isager: “Saying the Unsayable”, 2010, we get a whole chapter in which we read that in the German Empire 1880 – 1906, they then actually had parallel laws, and that up to thousands of persons a year was put in prisons, but only for months or few years. But in that book we also learn about the Thai politician Daranee, who in 2009 was put 18 years in prison for saying she believed that the King previously knew about the 2006 coup. But the Constitutional Court had in 2007 declared that there was nothing illegal in this coup, so thereby she actually was put in prison for not having done anything illegal; just as if she told that she believed the King knew that somebody would come and work in his garden! This case point out how actually the Courts works in Thailand, and for persons wanting to learn more we also have the book by the two law professors Andrew Harding & Peter Leyland: “The Constitutional System of Thailand”, 2011.“A Kingdom In Crisis” is the first book in which I have got some writings about Ananda Mahidol, the King Rama VIII, Bumibols older brother, and furthermore reading that Bumibol probably caused his dead, by an accident with a Colt 45. The first reading about this which I have seen, and without doubt because books telling this story not are allowed in Thailand, but even though, many Thais are whispering this story. By the writings it to me looks like Ananda was an interesting person, by for example not allowing other persons to sit on the floor when talking to him. Thereby being completely opposite to Bumibol who for example after the coup in 1972 changed some laws back to as before 1932, and among other thereby having person, even Prime Ministers, to come crawling on the floor and continuing in laying there while talking to him. Also interestingly how Ananda looked like being the wrong man for the elite, and how the elite, and the military, after the accident, besides getting rid of him, furthermore then were having a clamp on Bumibol (if he actually did it). But as a side remark, the book for example don’t mention, as in the book “Saying the Unsayable”, that actually it was Bumibols mother who arranged the coup in 1947, for thereby getting back to the King Bumibol more of the power which was lost in 1932.In the book we are getting information about the problems which began around 2003, when the elite, the Kings family, and the military, then started working on turning back history, that is to turn the function, “the behavior”, of the Parliament back to before Thaksin. We read about the Yellow Shirts (Kings color as he was born on a Monday), how they in 2005–2006, 2008, and again 2013-2014, made sabotages again the elected Governments. And again and again the Courts declared that according to the Constitutional Law there was nothing wrong in by their sabotage working on destroying the State and Government, or for examples by in 2008 occupying the airports, even though according to the Constitutional Law, it’s high treason to work against the Government. And later when the Airport firms went to the court the Yellow Shirts were not found guilty, as they had been fighting against a bad democratically elected Government, so the Airports didn’t get a Baht as compensation. And one of the two leaders during the 5 days taking hostages and occupying the new airport in Bangkok was rewarded by being Foreign Minister. And again the military had denied helping a democratic Government, this time by answering back: “There might be wounded persons”. But then when Suthep in 2010 as Deputy Prime Minister and called for the army, when the Read Shirt just was demonstration for getting an elected Government, and thereby not braking the Constitutional Law, then the army came, and this resulted in 92 killed and around 2,500 wounded. .In the book we on the side 179 read that many Thais were shocked when they in TVs were seeing how Queen Sirikit presided at the cremation ceremony for the women who died while the Yellow Shirts, by using army weapons and bombs, had been fighting against the police, during their invading of the Government building in 2008. But we don’t read that the Queen also was visiting the wounded Yellow Shirts in the hospitals, and how that the same hospitals actually denied letting in the wounded policemen. Later on, in 2014, during the Suthep blockade of Bangkok, the doctors and nurses, was demonstrating against the Government by illegally bearing Red Cross banners. The doctors have been angry on Thaksin since he made a law so that the poor can visit hospital/doctors and only pay 30 Baht (day salary for the poor 150 Bath = $ 5, or less), opposite to earlier 300 Baht.On the side 176 we read that Constitutional Court in September 2008, while the Yellow Shirts occupied the Government building for 192 days, then removed Prime Minister Samak, because according to the law, he illegally had been working for two firms, as he two times in TV had been showing how to make food. As the first point here, actually according to the democratic rules a Constitutional Court cannot touch a Government in this was! And as the second point we in the book are missing to read about a parallel, but more real case in bracing this paragraph in the law. Because in December 2008 Suthep Thaugsaban then became the Deputy Prime Minister in the Yellow Shirts Government which was put in by the elite, the Kings family, and the military, but in 2009 it showed up that besides he also worked for a chemical firm. What did he then do? He left the Parliament but just continued to work both as the Deputy Prime Minister and for the chemical firm, and the Constitutional Court found nothing wrong in this!On the side 206 we read that the 21 March 2014 the Constitutional Court declared the previous election for invalid, because it had not been completed in only one day. But here we in the book are missing how we among other on the TVs were seeing that the Yellow Shirts before the voting day in any ways were working against the voting, which they of course would lose. For example by burning ballot papers or jumped them out into the rivers, and concerning which, in TV, the Courts found nothing wrong. And on the voting days they especially in the South forced person away from the voting places. So the Government had to reprint new ballot papers for a following voting day, and besides getting more police for helping people getting into the voting houses. But as result the Constitutional Court again found the victims to be guilty, and the high treason criminals in not being guilty!As told in the book, Suthep is one of the most corrupt politicians in Thailand history, and during his blockade of Bangkok in 2013-2014 he announced that he was fighting against a corrupt Government, even though he in reality had no corruptions to point out. But newspapers in many foreign countries, as for example Denmark, just blindly believing this extremely corrupt person and thereby putting into the news that the Thai people were fighting against a corrupt Government! Furthermore Suthep declared that when he had destroyed the elected Government then he would retire as a monk. After the coup he was put in prison for some months, and then in silence set free to do what he wanted to do, but was not allowed showing up in TV. As we see in the book, Suthep in 1995, as Minister, by the corruption with farmer earth brought down the Government, and actually now his son is repeating corruption with earth, by money they got into their pockets from the 70 big sponsors behind the Bangkok demonstration.In the book we are missing some interesting cases about how the Corruption Department is taking care of its work. Because in the month of March here in 2014, the Prime Minister Yingluck was called to a meeting concerning corruption, after the Department during two weeks to the news had been talking about corruption without stating which kind of corruption. But the day she was called to the meeting she instead in front of news and TV answered back: “Meeting for what corruption? And besides why can it be that you so fast in calling me to a meeting about corruption, when Abhisit and Suthep not yet have been called in to a meeting concerning their corruptions from way back in 2009-2010?” There did not come any answer from the Department, and still we have not seen any corruption case against Yingluck. But actually when Abhisit was Prime Minister and Suthep Deputy Prime Minister, there in 2009-2010 for hundred millions of Bath had disappeared rice. And for example, besides 300 million Bath had disappeared concerning newer finished buildings, around in Thailand, for retired soldiers, were now only iron from cement is pointing up from the earth. But as Yingluck pointed out, Abhisit and Suthep had not yet, during 5 years been called to a meeting concerning corruption. And later this year the Corruption Department then started talking about that the papers for this old cases, by a water problem on 3th flour in the building, had been destroyed!During the blockade of Bangkok the Yellow Shirts among other blocked the Farmers Banks so that the Farmers, for the rice, could not get their payment from the State. During the Bangkok blockade the Constitutional Court denied the policemen to, as normal, carrying guns or even truncheons, so the Police couldn’t fight much against the Yellow Shirts who used guns and the small shooting bombs, and the Army again denied in helping. The Government then tried to lend money from the other Thailand banks for thereby paying the farmers. But all of the other Thai banks are owned by the elite, the Kings family, and the military persons and they denied lending money to the Government. And when the Government then wanted to lend money from banks outside Thailand the Constitutional Court stopped this by declaring it as being illegal! The Government then started to offer large quantities of rice from the States stocks of rice, and rich persons bought for millions of Bath for helping the Government. But not all farmers had been paid before the coup, and then after the coup, the military in TVs showed how happy the farmers now were, after the Military had done what the poor Government not could do, as the famers now could get into their bank and receive their salary.And again and again now during half a year in TV, since the coup, and censored by the Military, we have seen the happy Farmers getting their money. And in TV, after the coup, the General then talked about, that probably voting to the Parliament after 1 year, but later changed to maybe after y years, even though the TVs tells that measures shows that 82 % of the Thais are happy in having the Military coup Government.But in the book we for example also are missing another interesting detail telling how the Military only is taking care of its own interests, and don’t bother reading the laws. During the Bangkok demonstration led by Suthep, the rubber farmers down South, started to demand for from the State getting a higher payment for the rubber, and blocked the highway when the Government wouldn’t increase to what the farmers wanted. The Army denied helping the Government, and the Police couldn’t do much against the farmers, as the Constitutional Court denied the policemen to carrying their guns and truncheons. A policeman was killed, and none of the farmers, and the Army denied helping Government. The Government only would increasing their payment from 90 to 95 Baht/Kg (around 35 Bath = 1 $) which was higher than the actual marked price then being around 65 Baht/Kg (1 Kg = 2.2 Pounds), and the farmers, the Yellow Shirts, was demanding 105 Bath. After the coup the blockade stopped, but when the then farmers, opposite to before, then started in only being paid the marked price for the rubber which was now mowing between 65 and even 45 Baht/Kg, they again wanted to start a blockade of streets. But now the General went to TV and declared that it they dared to do this then instantly soldiers would be there!Furthermore only 2 weeks before the coup the Constitutional Court stopped the Yinglok Government newly started building of a fast train in Thailand, by declaring that according to the Constitutional Law, in Thailand it is not allowed to have any fast train! So the work was stopped and thereby many firms building houses for supermarkets, departments, and so on, on the places where the new train stations would come, had to stop their works. But then already in the second week after the coup, the Chief general was enlightened by getting at bright new idea about building a fast train in Thailand, and the Constitutional Court now also found that this to be an elegant idea. And in TV it again was told about how the Yellow Shirts are much better in getting good new Ideas for increasing Thailand than the Thaksin party. And furthermore, a few weeks later, the Military also restarted the work on the river passing through Bangkok, which the Constitutional Court in February had stopped by being declared it to be illegal according to the law.So by reading this book, and by the Thailand news, we have learned at least two things, of which the first is that it’s hard to predict if we after the dead of the King Bumibol, will have either the Prince or a Prices as the future royal chief in Thailand. The other thing we have learned, is that the Constitutional Court in the laws can read just what is needed for elite, so maybe we one day by the judges will be told that even though we are seeing the Sun rising in the East, according to their reading of the laws the Sun actually is rising in the West, so now, by laws this has to be the trout.

Last November, after Thailand's crown prince stripped his wife of her royal title while the press looks on in silence, I posted on facebook, "So can anyone figure out what is going on in Thailand, and if they can, do they dare say it out loud?" The answer is yes, Andrew MacGregor Marshall has a theory that he is willing to put out there plainly. For that, I say THANK YOU!!! To an outsider it looks like insanity: The clampdown on discussion of politics, the intimidation of dissident, and a military junta whose stated goal is to "reform democracy" such that the majority's preferred party can no longer win elections; the rabid public devotion to a king who can't do anything because of mental and physical deterioration so severe that some whisper he is dead already, and is kept going somehow by some artificial means; the public insistence by two opposing parties that monarchy is somehow essential to the existence of Thailand though most seem to hate and fear the crown prince next in line to take over. This book is an easy read with some, not a lot, of new information relative to what I'd already picked up from reading two other books and following the situation from afar (I live in the United States). But if it can put together the above puzzle pieces it has done its job! The key to understanding the drama is that often the people who are the most publicly and virulently hyped about something are hiding an insincerity. In this case, the author theorizes, those most loudly shouting their love for King Bhumipol are planning to ignore his wishes with regard to the succession. There are clear rules of succession, but as Andrew points out, they have never been followed in the past. They can be managed by whoever is in power when the king dies. If Prince Vajiralongkorn really does takes over, many of the elite will be in trouble because they have been against him all along. The privileges they derive from their association with the monarchy will be in jeopardy. The soap opera of the royal family has all kinds of consequences if the monarch really does call the shots. It means that the elite is jockeying for position around the royal family and is not afraid to stomp all over democratic principles and the citizens of the country to preserve their position at the top. If Thailand had built a more solid democractic foundation, less would depend on the whims of the next monarch; and if the monarch were only a figurehead, Thailand would have a more solid democracy. So Thailand needs less reverence for kings, not more.

Received as described on time

Swift and correct

the title and the promos promise far more than the book delivers. the king is not perfect, a fact he has stated, but this book is a relentless diatribe against him. a far better researched book is 'the king never smiles'.there are powerful forces in the military and the elite which have shaped the current political turmoil in thailand but these are not clearly identified nor presented. rather, the author seems to blame the king for all current ills. allegations are fine, but only if supported by facts and research; not enough of the latter and too much of the former.

I bought this book for a university research and found it very useful and on point. It's historically precise without being heavy, I suggest it to everyone interested in the history of Siam and recent Thailand.

Its an interesting partial critique of Thailands political chaos. It fails to deal with the Taksination issues and creates yet another one sided version of Thailands story..