Reporter in Exile

Thai Floodocalypse 2011: The Wettening

The Great Lake of Siam

As I write this, a torrent of water is surging into downtown Bangkok.

Like many people, I considered the flooding of this giant megapolis extremely unlikely . Now I'm scrambling to make last-minute preparations.

Thailand's central plain is a giant funnel, and all of the waters from the annual monsoon season must drain out through the little hole on the bottom. This hole is also known as the capital city of Bangkok.

Since the modern urbanization, pavement and sprawl  of Bangkok -- which was once a watery Venice-of-the-East -- the national strategy has been to stop up the drain and let the rural provinces upcountry take a soaking. The panic unfolding downtown can't hold a candle of calamity to the dozens of provinces which have been under water for weeks.

Although global warming is suspect, the true fault according to Thai environmentalists are more traditional human impacts: Deforestation, urban development and destruction of natural water ways.

Water and dried noodle disappeared from stores two weeks ago when the hypervigilant (we rolled our eyes) bought it all. So much for sharing. During the course of the past week, as waters continued to advance and a secondary torrent of conflicting information leaked out, it became apparent that the Thai government has been less than forthcoming with information. Censorship is a cornerstone of Thai governance, but trying to keep hands on the spout -- to stretch the metaphor -- has led to confusion, panic and fear. No one has known for certain whether they are in danger or not. 

The politically divided leadership has fallen to finger-pointing and undercutting one another, further eroding the public's confidence.

The levee of doubt crashed open during the weekend, and residents leaped into action to save their city. Those efforts were quickly overwhelmed by fast-moving water. 

Municipal officials have declared the remainder of the month a holday, and have just urged people to leave if they can.

 

FYI, I have been and will continue to update via the Twits channel to the right -->

A woefully incomplete guide to Thailand's 2011 election

Early voting began over the weekend throughout Thailand, where glossy election posters have choked the streets for weeks.

A decade back, at the end of 2000, I was here during the campaign and eventual election of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

It was to be a historic election under the kingdom's newest and -- according to many legal scholars -- best constitution. (Which in 2006 would be unilaterally rewritten by the military.)

One thing changed are the candidates' images. Martial attire was the custom 10 years ago. But while the Royal Thai Army's power has not flagged during the past decade; its brand image has suffered.

Yet the army's primary area of operation has always been domestic politics. The modern Thai state has never made war, excepting an attempt to reclaim territory from an already-trounced France in 1940. Thai soldiers, however, have been deployed numerous times to supress Thai citizens.

Anyhoo. Net result: Resentment over the army's last political intervention, ouster of Thaksin and constitution-shredding has seen a 'demilitarization' of the political aesthetic. More sports jackets, jewelry and smiles.

Unchanged are the Shinawatra campaign's key messages: from Thaksin-then to Yingluck-now. What he said; she says. Business acumen. "CEO" leadership. Redistribution of wealth. Power to the people.

"Too rich to be corrupt" was the argument the electorate puzzled over in 2000. "Too big to fail" seems the prevailing wisdom today.

Here is a partial list of some of the many candidates and parties on oversized-display:

 

Name: Prachathipat (Democrat Party) 

Leader: Abhisit Vejjajiva

Election designation: No. 10

Current seats: 172

Abhisit Vejjajiva, while clearly a hell-of smart guy, just doesn't photograph so well.

Many observers wrote Abhisit Vejjajiva's political epitaph as soon as he became prime minister. They predicted he'd be replaced, toppled or worse within months for being too young, too privileged and too Oxford-educated. That was two-and-a-half years ago, and the "caretaker" PM now hopes to retain his post with a newfound credibility from the electorate. His Democrat Party formed a coalition government with others after the courts found another legal pretense to remove another Thaksin-loyal PM in 2008. Under his leadership, the Democrats doubled-down on populist policies similar to those which built Thaksin's base.

As for the posters, the Democrat campaign is defensive basketball. They are expending more effort on scare-tactics to portray their opponents as dangerous than they have built a case for their accomplisments. Their posters and speeches remind voters of the fires and violence in Bangkok last year, intimating that more of the same will come with a Puea Thai victory.  

 

Name: Puea Thai  (For Thais Party)

Election designation: No. 1

Leader: Yingluck Shinawatra

Current seats: 188

 

PTP Candidate Little Sister is polling well among women and men, the rural and urban and foreign men.

Where the Democrats have scared, Puea Thai has uplifted. The third incarnation of Thaksin Shinawatra's banned Thai Rak Thai ("Thais Love Thais") party, PTP has run a positive campaign promoting its ticket-topping Yingluck Shinawatra, a political neophyte who also happens to be Thaksin's youngest sister.  So much for turning a new page with new leadership.

Yingluck has shown she can work a crowd, and a charm campaign/introduction tour has taken her from zero to hero among Thaksin and PTP supporters in a matter of weeks. Although she asserts her independence from Thaksin, there is little doubt among Thais that Yingluck is a proxy for the convicted/self-exiled former prime minister. After all "CEO Micromanager" was core to his political identity. Yingluck's policies and pronouncements are unlikely to come forth without the imprimatur of big brother-in-exile.

Her posters feature the highest production values. Whereas most women candidates seek to defeminize themselves with chopped coifs, Yingluck's cascading locks are full-blown Soft Power.

Everyone expects Puea Thai to outperform its opponents on July 3. Will they take the 260-or-so seats necessary to rule outright?

 

Name: Rak Thailand  (Love Thailand Party)

Election designation: No. 5

Leader: Chuwit Kamolvisit

Current seats: 0

Chuwit is mad as hell and he's not ... actually I have no idea what's going on here.

And then there is Chuwit. Known to most people as the Sex Parlor King, Chuwit ran an empire of megabrothels in Bangkok and doesn't shy from speaking his mind, making him an anomaly among Thais. (For the frankness, not the sex business.) He's run unsuccessfully for governor of Bangkok before. He also stomped a news anchor for questioning his manhood.

It's tempting to dismiss the overtly sincere-yet-hammy Chuwit as a mere joke candidate. It's also difficult to imagine him being an effective politician. Whether he's in it for simply for the Lulz or ego gratification, only Chuwit knows.That said, he is the most entertaining candidate in an election short on chuckles. (This poster reads: "Politics is like a diaper -- it should be changed often.")

His style draws an affectionate response. A surprising number of people, including well-heeled, status-quo types, have confided their impulse to vote for the Sex King. He might do well enough among those frustrated and undecided between the two majors to win a seat in parliament.

In case Chuwit's brand isn't clear by now, here's one more:

Name: Bhumjaithai  (Thai Pride Party)

Election designation: No. 16

Leader: Newin Chidchob

Current seats: 32

Originally a member of Thaksin Shinawatra's Thai Rak Thai party, Newin turned against his former boss two years ago and led his splinter faction, Bhumjaithai, into a coalition with the Democrats, which created today's Abhisit government.

Newin's been accused of corruption several times and actually convicted of vote buying. He's also been a significant power broker for a guy who was banned from politics four years ago.

Bhumjaithai is Abhisit's most important coalition partner. It's been a tempestous romance, at best.

For July 3, Bhumjaithai's posters have stressed policy over personality with ads such as this one, promising to lower the Value Added Tax by 2 percent. 

 

Name: Chartthaipattana (National Development Party)

Election designation: No. 21

Leader: Chumpol Silpa-archa

Current seats: 25

Another disbanded-then-reconstituted party once aligned with Thaksin and now part of the Democrat-led blok. Party leader Chumpol recently expressed umbrage after Abhisit said on Facebook he hadn't wanted to partner with Chartthaipattana. "Me neither," Chumpol said. Both men made veiled reference to external forces bending their wills together. Neither elaborated.

 

Name: Rak Santi  (Love Peace Party)

Election designation: No. 12

Leader:Purachai Piumsombum

Current seats: 0

Social conservative Purachai Piamsomboom made a name for himself as Thaksin's interior minister for his moral crusade against dancing, drinking and most things popular after dark. Bars closing at 2 a.m.? He's the guy.

Purachai, who has cultivated an image as "straight" and "honest," recently handed out rulers at a recent press event. He's offering himself as a middle-road compromise candidate for the undecideds.

Name: Pracha Santi  (People for Peace Party)

Election designation: No. 33

Leader: Seri Suwannaphanont

Current seats: 0(?)

This is what I'm talking about. Old school. Unenthusiastic-looking dudes in robes and uniforms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name: Matubhum Party 

Election designation: No. ?

Leader: Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratklin

Current seats: 3(?)

Led by Sonthi Boonyaratklin, a Muslim army general and leader of the 2006 military coup, Matubhum's support base is in the south of Thailand.

 

With election and return to democracy near, sparks fly from Thai hustings

By KENNETH TODD RUIZ

BANGKOK -- Polychromatic political agitators,  military-girded coups d'état, factional violence and courts of law have all had a hand in reversing Thailand's democratic fortunes during the past five years.

Next month, Thailand's electorate hopes to voice the final word in restoring representative democracy by choosing new leadership in the first general elections held since 2007. Until that time, about 150 candidates have sought police protection for the remainder of the campaign while opponents trade accusations of impropriety.

Although a panoply of parties will appear on their ballots, voters on July 3 face two choices: either to maintain the status quo of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva or once again return power to the political dynasty of Thaksin Shinawatra, who was forcibly deposed in 2006. Until that time, about 150 candidates have sought police protection for the remainder of the campaign and opponents trade accusations of impropriety.

Either way, Election 2011 is a buyer's market. There doesn't seem to be many promises off the table for candidates -- from higher wages and lower taxes to the wholesale elimination of poverty and drug abuse. 

Abhisit has said his government will put more money in workers' pockets by increasing the minimum wage 25 percent. Thaksin promised a government-supplied tablet computer for every student.

Dramatics typical to any election are beginning to play out as the campaign enters its final weeks. Those opposing Thaksin have sought to disqualify Yingluck Shinawatra from her top spot on the Pheu Thai party list. Pheu Thai is all but guaranteed to win the most seats in the election, after which it will seek to coalesce a majority and install Yingluck -- Thaksin's younger sister -- as prime minister.

The Democrat Party hopes to keep Abhisit in that job by holding enough seats with its lesser coalition partners to block another ascendant Shinawatra. The urbane Abhisit has proven his political talents by outliving all expectations when he became caretaker prime minister by fiat in December 2008. He's also had to dodge ice blocks and insults outside of his urban comfort zone while seeking inroads into the rural, Thaksin heartland.

Although Yingluck has asserted her autonomy, few doubt she will serve as a proxy for her big brother, who built his brand as the micromanaging "CEO" of ThaiGov.

As Thailand looks to move forward, its fate and narrative are still dominated by one man, now living in exile in Dubai.

Indeed the younger Shinawatra's campaign seems to borrow heavily from Thaksin Shinawatra's highly successful bid in 2001. Then and now, Team Shinawatra promised to wield a business acumen and decisive leadership to address national ills.

The possibility that Yingluck might rule at her brother's behest would be just fine with many of the supporters  who helped Thaksin become the first prime minister to survive an entire term. He won a second term in 2004 with wide support. The Royal Thai Army removed him from power two years later.

Ninety-two people were killed during unrest in 2010 after Thaksin-aligned "Redshirts"  sought to affect his return from Dubai through nonviolent means. 

They also demanded Abhisit step down because he lacked the imprimatur of voters. The winsome Oxford graduate led his party in opposition until the removal of a second Thaksin-approved successor by a court under spurious pretenses.

Yingluck has promised amnesty for those who've run afoul of the past five years' political turmoil. Her opponents fear this to be a mechanism whereby Thaksin could be absolved of his in absentia conviction on corruption charges and return to Thailand.

Pheu Thai has reportedly declined to field Yingluck in a debate with Abhisit prior to the election. Either party will need to command a majority in the 500-seat parliament to forge a ruling government.

Despite the results of next month's election, the first test of Thailand's return to democracy will come after the ballots are certified. Whether Thaksin, Abhisit, red, yellow or other prevails, it remains to be seen whether there will be a noble concession of the vanquished -- and the powers each represents -- and respect for the rule of law.

Until then, voters have only promises and pasts through which to sift.

 

Kenneth Todd Ruiz is a Bangkok-based journalist.

Thailand one year on

Antigovernment Redshirt demonstrators are marking the first anniversary of a violent crackdown by massing at the same location from which they were forcibly expelled May 19, 2010. Their vigil in front of the Central World Plaza in the Thai capital's upscale shopping district comes despite a rumored deal that has kept them off the streets in large numbers. Today the political parties drew their numbers for ballot position in the much-anticipated general election to take place July 3. 

After a year of relative quiet, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the exiled Redshirt figurehead, has been actively campaigning for his Puea Thai party.  His sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, is heading the party in his absence. Authorities have jailed several Redshirt leaders in the run-up to election day.

Although Puea Thai is expected to increase its majority, it will likely remain in opposition. It will be difficult to garner the number of seats needed to overcome the Democrat Party of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's coalition bloc. The newly formed New Politics Party of the status-quo leaning Yellowshirt movement has not fielded any candidates out of protest.

The election is being cast as a test for Thailand's stricken democracy. Political analysts augur the vote could either be a fresh start or catalyst for a new round of divisive angst.

Meanwhile the Grand Guignol of distractions along the Thai-Cambodian border, in which soldiers and civilians from both countries have been killed in the fight over an ancient Khmer temple, has been quiet under a new cease-fire agreement.

Thailand has admitted using banned cluster munitions in its attempt to lay claim to the temple. The International Court of Justice ruled 60 years ago the border temple lay within Cambodia.

Do it in the Road, Eat it in the Street

So I noticed foodie Evan Kleiman of KCRW in that other City of Angels has unilaterally declared May 1st Global Street Food day. Good to see America tasting some of its much-celebrated diversity. Although the hipster horde of Los Angeles may have recently discovered catering trucks serving up lengua and all-things con carne, the joys of street food are largely absent from the American diet. I'm sure health codes and dysentery dissonance are factors.

But while Americans focus on 'square' meals in carefully scheduled nutrient-consumption rituals, much of the world cruises through life grazing from stalls, booths, mobile kitchens and gutter-kettles tended by stooped oldsters.

In Thailand, street food isn't an option - it's what's for dinner. Each thanon and soi in Bangkok is lined with stalls selling trays or bags of eats-to-go. Many Thais don't cook at home and most residences lack stoves. (It's hot enough already.) Instead Thais either grab a plastic stool for a quick meal or take home plastic bags stuffed with tom yum goong, som tam and other spicy curry, noodle and rice dishes. Or one of the many, many mystery meat-on-a-stick satays, from dried squid to chicken knuckles. Dinner for a dollar.

As a longtime vegger, I can't say hyper-carnivorous Thailand's streets are the palate paradise of those in India, where a plate of Samosas ($6@Paru's on Sunset) can be scooped up fresh out of the pot for less than 10 cents. 

 

Under a plastic tarp to shelter from the monsoonal rains, revelers  during the 2010 Vegetarian Festival in Phuket, Thailand, peruse trayloads of the spiciest Vegan food I've ever tasted. (Photo: Todd Ruiz)

Abstaining from meat is considered a righteous Buddhist thing to do, but most Southeast Asians can't be bothered. In a very unscientific assessment, a 25-year-old Thai friend of mine estimated that he eats 10 pigs-worth of pork per annum. But for 10 days in October every year, yellow flags are strung above many stalls throughout the city to herald the Vegetarian Festival, a fortnight of eating je, which is really closer to Vegan. No meat, no dairy, no eggs -- also no garlic. (It may excite the senses and un-Buddhist passions!) On the southern island of Phuket, with its huge Chinese enclave, the festival takes on a mystical element with the inclusion of spirit-possessed men engaging in bloody self-mutilation and incendiary antics.

Not to say there aren't some good veg kitchens to be found. My favorite vegetarian cuisine on the planet is somewhere between a restaurant and a stall. I've been du-du-du-du-duhhh lovin' May Kaidee's cooking for more than a decade, ever since first visiting Bangkok. It is unfortunately located near the backpacker ghetto/mecca of Khao Sarn Road, but tucked around on a small soi, or alley, this is easy to overlook.

Also, the Supreme Master herself has one of her vegan "Loving Hut" restaurants about one click downriver in Thonburi, next to the Marriott. (Note: For those unfamiliar with Supreme Master TV -- check it out. Supreme network headquarters? Arcadia, Calif.)

Amazing Pattaya amazes

    

Images courtesy Tracy V.

If you need a break from the figurative-and-literal meltdowns of global catastrophe, or the trove of lulz from #WINNING, I recommend one of my sources for daily succor: The Pattaya news crime blotter feed.

From today's scan:

"Kid Gangsters Rounded up by Police"

"Body of Man Found in Waters"

"Danish Expat Found Dead in Room"

"Pattaya Packed with Russians"

"Killing Cheaper than Vote-Buying"

and "Amputee Out for Revenge gets Busted before Payback"

Once a quiet beach escape at the end of a gravel road, American shore-leave helped transform Pattaya into what it is today: an accumulation of the most salacious stereotypes of Thailand and its expat population. Today it's mostly septuagenarian Vikings, hordes of Russians and loads of Limeys stumbling through its unctuous alleys.

Every day -- it would seem from the crime blotter -- an Aussie is found with a shank in his gut, someone mysteriously 'falls' from a hotel balcony or a Thai-style, 20-on-1 beatdown is doled behind a temple. Occasionally inside a temple.

Such a magical place. Where else on the planet could you write a lede such as:

"Another high season has brought another crop of Russian tourists getting caught having sex on the beach."

From the Triads and Mafiya Russkaya to the Yak, it seems everyone has a piece of  the action in Pattaya, which helps stave the forces of conformity and maintain Pattaya as a premiere adult destination and sexpat paradise. Somehow, it also remains a popular destination for Thai families.

 

Return of the red shirts

A red rally which was to circulate through symbolic sites in Bangkok has stopped at Ratchaprasong intersection. The same site they'd occupied prior to being violently swept out four months ago. A bid to retake the area? Or a strong reminder to Bangkok that they could do so at any time? A more instructive experience might be found at the government-organized rally where Interior Minister Chavarat and the "Monarchy Defense Network" will administer an oath of allegiance to the king.

Update: Today was a reminder to the red shirt movement itself, not just Bangkok and the government, of their power. It was an energetic and enthusiastic gathering free of violence or enmity. Surprisingly, anti-monarchy sentiments were being aired quite openly. The construction barrior in front of the burnt Central World mall was covered in handwritten messages challenging not just the government, but openly criticizing the royal institution.

More details from me twits here, and I'll post some video and images by tomorrow.

Warning: Thai cigarette warnings could make you seriously ill

Before leaving Los Angeles, I relinquished 95 percent of my material possessions. Just let it go to a ravenous horde of undead Craigslisters. This included remnants of bizarre collection fetishes from my youth: Antique cameras, playing cards from various states of the Union and those hideous souvenir bronze monuments. One Chinese family wanted the Liberty Bell thrown in for free with the Kodak Brownie they bought for $2. I declined.

Living in Bangkok has provided a new obsession -- the actual inspirational material I failed to include in yesterday's post re: Thais and their affection for the macabre.

Their exquisitely graphic cigarette health warnings.

Now, I don't recall Bangkok being so stridently anti-tobaccy a decade ago. Urbanite sensibilities, however, have integrated nonsmoking into the prevailing obsession with fastidious cleanliness. Not to worry, plenty of Thais still smoke, and a huge span of prime real estate in central Bangkok still belongs to the frankly named "Thai Tobacco Monopoly."

The state-sanctioned public health campaign, however, might be a little too extreme to ever go over in Pomona.

Inside each 7-11 -- as prolific in Bangkok as Thai restaurants are in Los Angeles -- cigarettes are housed inside  shuttered metal cabinets. At first this seemed to keep them from young eyes. A more likely motive is the fear some customers may opt out of that day-old hot dog or Pocky if confronted with a wall-spanning gallery of horrors.

Who needs the Forensics Museum?