Good afternoon,

The great danger in an economic crisis is nationalism, especially when mixed with protectionism. The ongoing scandal of abuse and manslaughter of the Rohingya ethnic minority people by the Thai military is similar to last year’s shameful inflaming of relations with Cambodia over the Preah Vihear issue as representing a pretext for whipping up nationalism – the various articles that have appeared in some of the more fact-challenged media (e.g. The Nation) alleging without any evidence that foreign journalists deliberately malign Thailand for money are another part of this process – and some of these articles are likely to resonate with the kinds of useful idiots who believed in the PAD’s lies. Without wishing to appear paranoid, all new policies should be considered in this light, since after all nationalism would be damaging not just to foreign relations but also to long-term economic development. Still, politicians have some responsibility to look after their primary constituents: the Labour Ministry is postponing the registration of foreign workers and considering making more job categories Thai only preserves. Let us hope people do not take advantage of deteriorating economic conditions to intensify the persecution of the poor foreigners (I’m a migrant worker too, of course).

Speaking of abusing poor foreigners, the Thai government has joined the Burmese and Bangladeshi governments in declaring the Rohingya people illegal immigrants instead of refugees – this gives the PADemocrat government a pretext to expel the Rohingyas and provides a figleaf to the military in its continuing activities.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has instructed the Thai people not to listen to what the world says about the Rohingyas and the many hundreds who have been killed at sea. Kasit has also spoken many times in favour of the seizure of the international airports by the PAD mob and labeled Hun Sen as a criminal and a lunatic.  

Reviews have started to appear at Bookideas, after a bit of a delay. New published reviews what I have written include those of Steven Erikson’s Toll the Hounds; Harumi Murakami’s Sputnik Sweetheart; John Reader’s Propitious Esculent: The Potato in World History; Stephen Baxter’s Weaver; Charles Stross’s The Family Trade; Ernest Gellner’s Nationalism; Yasutaka Tsutsui’s Hell and Yasunari Kawabata’s Thousand Cranes.

Back tomorrow at some stage.

Cheeseburger! Oy, Yellow Ribbon! Yes, uncle.