Good evening,

In an act which can by no means be described as immature, intemperate and risibly predictable, the sleazy and repressive Abhisit regime has decided to recall the Thai ambassador to Cambodia, on the basis that the appointing of former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic advisor is an act of political interference and ainterference in the Thai judicial system (by revealing what most people think about the quality of the judicial process that led to the prosecution in the first place). Khun Abhisit himself is reported to be holding his breath until he is sick and thtamp and thtamp on the floor until he gets what he wants – and why not? It has got him everything he wanted in the past.

Meanwhile, elsewhere among the Diddymen, this: “A DNA test of the new US fragrant rice strain known as Jazzmen shows it is developed from a Chinese strain and is inferior to Thai Hom Mali fragrant rice when cooked, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Theera Wongsamut says.” Chinese eh? Possibly Communist therefore and a spy.

And the third? This from never terribly bright Assistant Editor of the Bangkok Post Sanitsuda Ekachai: At a time when Thailand cannot escape erratic weather patterns and natural disaster threats from global warming, our nation's priorities are pretty clear. We must preserve what little is left of our healthy environment. At the same time, we must nurture the degraded natural environment back to health to ensure that the majority have enough to eat.

When climate change keeps breeding new diseases, we also need to protect our biodiversity as a source of medicinal ingredients that will save the lives of millions.

Yet, under the Asean Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA), our government is going to do just the opposite. Instead of ensuring that the majority, ordinary people have control over their local natural resources, the government will serve our precious natural resources to a handful of rich foreign investors on a silver platter.” So what is the justification for this apocalyptic outbreak of fear and loathing? A proposed measure to increase economic integration among ASEAN partners.

Whatever happened to meritocracy? Eh? Oh.

As advertised yesterday, more of my book reviews have appeared at Bookideas. They are those of Lavinia by Ursula K Le Guin, Mefisto by John Banville and We by Yevgeny Zamyatin.

Back tomorrow at some stage.

Remember, remember …

Good evening,

Yet another member of Abhisit’s sleazy mob (they call themselves the Bangkok Cabinet, apparently) has been disqualified from parliament owing to improper share ownership. Five other cabinet members were found not guilty on account of being too important as a result of the august and entirely fair decision-making by wise judges. It is of course illegal to criticise court decisions in Thailand and I for one would never dream of doing so. It is also apparently illegal to ‘spread rumours’ – interesting how they are able to identify these supposed rumour-mongers, by the way: “The police discovered that Mr Somjate posted the information himself from his personal computer, but the rumour suspects were not connected and did not know each other.” Maybe it is true what people said about the 2007 Computer Crimes Act after all?*

The South Bangkok Criminal Court has ruled that Khun Mohammad al-Ruwaili, who disappeared without trace in 1990, cannot be declared a missing person because there is no paperwork to show he had not left the country and his wife did not turn up to say he was missing. Why should we care? “The disappearance of al-Ruwaili and the murders of four Saudi diplomats in 1989 and 1990 worsened the relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

It is believed he had knowledge about the embezzlement of the Saudi jewellery stolen by Kriangkrai Techamong, a Thai worker, from the palace of King Faisal in 1989.”**

The World Bank reports that the Thai economy will contract by 2.7% this year but may expand up to 3.5% next year. Then again, it may not. Given the snail’s pace at which the sleazy, repressive Abhisit regime has acted in terms of stimulating the economy, do not expect strong growth any time soon. Why are they doing this so slowly? It’s almost as if they think it is their own money. Eh? Oh.

My review of Norman Stone’s World War I: A Short History has been published at Bookideas – more are due momentarily. Meanwhile, my article Poetry of Shakespeare: The Rape of Lucrece has been published at Bookstove.

Back tomorrow.

* Yes, it is true.

** Don’t mention the jewellery – seriously, do not talk about it ever.

Good afternoon,

More protests at Government House today – some hundreds of disabled people are there to hand in a petition requesting a fairer quota for their share of lottery tickets (selling lottery tickets is one of the occupations that has been reserved at least in part for people with disabilities). Also, hundreds more of public sector union workers are demonstrating in favour of the union of the State Railways of Thailand who have a six point petition – reinstate the strikers sacked by the SRT and reject all plans for privatization. I may of course be wrong (it did happen once before, in 1989) but I would be surprised if any investors could be found for the SRT given the state of dilapidation into which it has fallen over the years. There would have to be some kind of strong ‘sweetheart’ deal to persuade anyone to take it on and, under the current climate, this would probably result in court-based accusations of bribery in due course.

From the sublime to the ridiculous – well, not quite but it was only a matter of time before the obviously nonsensical case against the ‘rumour mongers’ transmogrified itself into the obviously politically motivated suggestion that it was all a plot by the ‘old political clique’ led no doubt by the Dark One himself. Absolutely disgraceful.

The army was full of itself a few weeks ago with talk about its shiny new airships, not least because they could actually point to something to show for the enormous budget it receives under the Abhisit regime. Alas, the shiny, shiny airships are grounded because the Americans (no doubt under the influence of ill-intentioned people, wink, wink, nudge, nudge) are hesitant to sell high definition cameras to General Jackboots (why can’t they just go to Pantip Plaza like everyone else?) – because “"The US first needs to be confident that the cameras will not be misused or fall into the wrong hands when they arrive. "Internal coordination between the manufacturer of the airship and the US administration is required before the endorsement for the export of the cameras.” But surely, General, your name is all over the paperwork? Surely everyone trusts the Thai army? Eh? Oh.

Two more of my articles have appeared at Bookstove, they are Romances of Shakespeare: Cymbeline and Romances of Shakespeare: Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Nearly finished all of the plays now.

Back tomorrow.

It’s cooler outside than in here.

Good evening,

The Department of Special Investigations (DSI) apparently believes that there was a concerted and coordinated effort to force the Thai stock market to decline (with a view to making money by those involved – you buy when the market plunges and then sell when it picks up again). This effort involved individuals, juristic individuals, local news agencies and foreign news agencies. Two people have already been arrested and more arrests are being threatened (nice to see employer KT Zmico Securities standing up for its employee in a country in which there is supposedly still the presumption of innocence). So, are all these people in league with Bloomberg with a view to damaging the Thai economy or, given the nature of their jobs, was it just a case that there were discussing press reports already published around Asia and the world? Or perhaps another explanation is possible ….

The SET is down more than 1% again today – time for another Witch Hunt!

Schools are opening again in the southern border region, albeit under the usual high levels of security. The murders continue, meanwhile. Here are two people killed by unknown gunmen near a patrol in Yala. New Pheua Thai star General Chavalit Yongchaiyud was planning to visit the region today as part of his plan to establish a new autonomous region there (‘Pattani City’), which might work if the army can be forced out of its position of secretive authority. Meanwhile, the lack of any kind of talent in the ‘elected’ government was shown again when super-privileged Abhisit announced he was going to have a meeting about human rights in the south, another issue about which he would appear to know and care very little indeed, based on his previous performance.

Back tomorrow.

Blind me, we won. Evidence mounts again: despair is the way forward.

Good evening,

Is that the sound of a not very intelligent man with his brain grinding slowly into reverse? It is former Interior Minister Suthep Thaugsuban (disqualified as an MP for improper shareholding) and still Deputy Prime Minister who has become slightly equivocal about whether it is really a good idea to try to prosecute four people for rumour mongering when it was a story half of Asia was openly talking about. Apparently, the relevant law is ‘complicated’ – well, that is one why of putting it. The SET Index finished down another 0.70% today amidst suggestions that the police had been instructed to prosecute the BBC, CNN, Xinhua News, Adam Smith, Joseph Schumpeter, Michael Porter and Mahatma Gandhi and all his descendants for trying to defame the good name of Thai capitalism.

Still, one thing the government can do is to continue its spiteful reprisals against the union members who dared to point out that the locomotives of the State Railway of Thailand are dangerous. Not only will the SRT management try to sack six more union members they will try to make them pay 70 million baht in compensation.

Still, one person seems to have won the lottery – Rakesh Saxena has been promised a fair trial by the government (wonder how much he could sell the ticket for) – he has just been extradited from Canada where he has spent the past 13 years denying embezzlement from the Bangkok Bank of Commerce and causing its subsequent collapse. The government has promised that the case will proceed strictly according to the law and will definitely not be a basis for negotiating good deals with politicians alleged to have been involved in the case in some way, no definitely not, that would be wrong and is completely ruled out. Absolutely not. Rule of law only.

My article Tragedies of Shakespeare: Timon of Athens has been published at Bookstove.

Back on Monday.

Not even sure who we’re playing – doesn’t seem to matter anymore.

Good evening,

More repressive measures from the Abhisit regime? Well, Prachatai is reporting that the Cabinet has approved in principle a new draft law from the police to regulate demonstrations: provisions include: “Section 3 states that ‘in order to facilitate and maintain security for public gatherings’, organizers must report in writing to local police at least 5 days in advance, providing details including the objectives, means, place and date, duration, approximate number of participants, and names and addresses of the organizers. 

Section 4 prohibits gatherings within 500 meters of royal palaces or 200 meters of hospitals, places for religious rites and schools during school time, blockading government and state enterprise offices, and carrying weapons in gatherings.

Section 5 authorizes police to order demonstrators to disperse and leave the site, provided the gathering violates the law or is likely to harm the lives and properties of demonstrators, other persons or the state.

If demonstrators do not follow the order to disperse, Section 6 allows police to use as much force as necessary in accordance with ministerial guidelines.” Of course, this being Thailand, the proof of the pudding will be in the interpretation and, specifically, whether the law will be applied equally to all part of the political spectrum (which, generally, it is not).

Speaking of repressive (and rather absurd) measures, the police are apparently planning to prosecute four people identified as spreading rumours concerning the health of HM the King and thereby causing losses on the stock market (which, in reality, was reacting to rumours that were travelling all over the world and not from any particular people). Then again, this was only an Abhisit announcement.* The SET index was down 1.97% today – police plan to arrest the whole of CNN for reporting that the recession isn’t over yet.

Speaking of the super-privileged, integrity-challenged one, his new wheeze is to persecute the striking train drivers. The SRT has apparently sacked six workers immediately and has made application to sack two union leaders. More vindictive perfectly justified sackings of union members are expected. This is 2009 after all.

Back tomorrow.

* What is the question to which the answer is: ‘his lips are moving’?

Hunt out for the season. Physio out forever. Rats and sinking ship time?

Good evening,

The SET Index has finished down 1.5% today, which is a loss of just 10.6 points. All sectors seem to have declined. The President of the SET has been talking of changing the regulations for the initiation of the ‘circuit breaker’ to take place if the Index declines by 5% rather than the current 10%. Recent rapid declines were accredited to rumours concerning HM the King’s health – rumours are difficult to control, of course, especially when the natural approach of the Thai establishment is not to be highly transparent and immediate in revealing what has happened. Meanwhile, the recession in Thailand continues, with a contraction in GDP of 3.5-4% in the third quarter although some government job’s worth is still talking up an increase of 3% in the fourth quarter (about which I am a little skeptical).

The trains are apparently due to start up again in the South sometime tomorrow – although since some are out of place not all services will begin at once. There has also been a near collision between trains as the government’s scab labour ignored signals and nearly drove into each other.

In an entirely coincidental piece of timing for which the government is not responsible, definitely had nothing to do with it, no sirree, nothing to do with us, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra is to be stripped of his decorations and police rank just (and this I must emphasise is entirely a coincidence) just a few days after he completely overshadowed little Abhisit’s big moment with the grown-ups. Only ill-intentioned people could possibly conclude anything else, given the long record of Thai justice.

Back tomorrow.

Yes, I’ll be the judge of that, I’m thinking.

Good evening,

Despite suggestions to the contrary, drivers from the Union of the State Railways of Thailand (SRT) are maintaining their industrial action over the unsafe nature of the trains in the south. True to form, the super-privileged rich kid (never knowingly responsible for a useful day’s work) Abhisit Vejjajiva has threatened to ‘punish’ those drivers who took leave in order to make their protests. Police and armed goons have been used to ‘seize’ a train from where it had been driven.

The Abhisit regime is once again threatening to use force against unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators. Government spokespersons are busy spreading lies about the intentions of the demonstrators, with the full support of media lackeys.

Amusingly, the papers are still full of stories about the dread twin bugbears of Khun Thaksin and Khun Hun Sen – both of whom effortlessly overshadowed the recent ASEAN Summit with a few well-chosen comments. Disgraced former Interior Minister and current Deputy Prime Minister (integrity? Whassat?) Suthep Thuagsuban has been mouthing off as has flap mouthed criminal Kasit Priromya, still bizarrely drawing a salary as Foreign Minister despite facing terrorism charges for his role in the violent and illegal seizure of the two international airports. You couldn’t make it up – I was in Australia when Oasis came for a tour a few years ago and the media was being a bit sniffy and ticket sales apparently were not promising – then the boys performed a few stunts on the plane over (offering to fight, getting drunk etc) and sales went through the roof, media attention became intense etc and so on and so forth.

I think that since the last time I posted these have become available: Tragedies of Shakespeare: Antony and Cleopatra and Tragedies of Shakespeare: Coriolanus.

Back tomorrow.

A slightly less rubbish performance is not really grounds for optimism.

Good afternoon,

The train strike seems to be coming to an end, insofar as it is ever possible to tell what is going on in Southern Thailand – nothing seems to have been done to improve safety – the most recent derailment was blamed (as ever) on the driver who subsequently claimed to have somehow ‘passed out’ and allowed the train to go where it should not have gone and failing to explain the absence of the ‘dead man’s brake.’ Apparently, according to union leader Wirun Sakaekum, “Armed police take control of locomotives arriving at Hat Yai station, he said, suggesting that it may tarnish the image of Thailand’s train services.”

The strike has provided opportunities for fools and charlatans to have their say – there has been a lot of nonsense about privatization, for example, as if there were a stream of would-be investors who imagine they can make a profit out of Thailand’s railway system and the poor people who have to use it,

The number of deaths attributed to H1N1 (swine flu) influenza in the Land of Smiles has risen by two to 176, according to the Ministry of Public Health. Vaccines are again delayed because of some ‘technical reasons’ and the first batch of imported vaccines are due in December (they are, apparently, about to start vaccinating in the UK today).

My article Tragedies of Shakespeare: King Lear has been published at Bookstove (Macbeth is due up next).

Back – well, off to Singo tonight and tomorrow is a holiday anyway (it is King Rama V Chulalongkorn Day) and, because the Sunday flight was 7,000 baht more than usual, I am coming back on Monday at lunchtime. I may have opportunity to post in the afternoon thereafter or else it will be Tuesday.

Leicester? Schmeicester.

Good evening,

It looks like the rail strike is coming to an end or may even have come to an end: this being Thailand, nothing is really cut and dried. On the one had, firm action by the government has brought the SRT Union officials to the negotiating table; on the other hand, mind-like-a-steel-trap accepts that the safety problems are real. Whatever the truth (I think we know or at least can infer the truth), it seems very likely that the newspapers will not be mentioning the poor people inconvenienced by cancelled trains until the next time this all kicks off again (Let’s not mention this bring the troops in call, shall we?).

It is in no way and definitely not any kind of political action but the Office of the Attorney General has rejected the report from the National Anti-Corruption Commission into the police actions on October 7^th against the violent PAD mob that had illegally occupied Government House, causing so much damage and political instability. It remains to be seen whether the repot comes back again with additional people pricked out for prosecution for in no way politically motivated reasons but entirely according to the law.

Somebody track down the evil foreign rumour-monger – the SET is up 3.21 points! Eh? Oh.

My article Tragedies of Shakespeare: Othello has been published at Bookstove, while three new reviews have appeared at Bookideas: there is my review of John Le Carre’s Our Game, my review of Charles Stross’s Saturn’s Children and my review of Fredrik Pohl’s Gateway.

Back tomorrow.

Just sack him – appointing a manager younger than I am was never going to work, was it?