Is it Class Warfare in Thailand?

[Joanne98]

The political situation in Thailand seems to settle down after months of street protest. It is, however, impossible to assume this is the end of the problem in the Kingdom. In the eyes of the international political analysts and media, theyhave depicted the round of protests as class warfare and describe red-shirt protestors as ordinary people or "prai', a feudal word meaning the rights of commoners or lower-class citizens. For Thais, this term symbolizes the hierarchy in the contemporary Thai society. "Prai' represented those from low socio-economic background with poor education and less economic power.

The "prai' discourse is one of the very strong messages in the Thai political history. It unifies the large group of the citizen who perceive themselves at the bottom of the Thai social system. They are working-class people who are touched by Peonism-style policies from former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a coup in 2006. To encourage the majority of the Thai citizens, mostly from the North-Eastern Thailand, who have long lived in poor conditions and have lacked opportunities, to actively support the red shirts, the "prai' discourse has been strategically created by the ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

Like most developing nations in South East Asia a, Thailand has long suffered from chronic social problems stemming from corruption, social inequity based on the economic and educational gaps between the rich and the poor. The leaders of red-shirt protestors also utilised term "amataya',' the association with the nobles or the bureaucrats, to describe the current government.

The image of an Oxford graduate and noble family background of the current PM Abhisit Vejjajiva (and some of his Ministers who grew up in the UK or America) emphasized the elite status of the current government as the elite government, by and for the rich, supported by well-educated Thai bureaucrats. The strategic message that the ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra send to Thailand is that the current government does not represent the poor. He claims that the current political protest in Thailand has gone beyond a simple fight between his supporters and his opponents. It is a war between Mr. Shinawatra, the leader of the 'prai', and the current government, the elite or 'amartaya'.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Is-it-the-Class-Warfare-in-by-Nattavud-Pimpa-100527-124.html

[socialist_n_TN]

1. I have come to the conclusion that

nowdays it's ALL class warfare. I'm sure a case can be made that ALL wars are class warfare, but it just seems more blatant and obvious now. More obvious than at anytime since the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution.

[Joanne98]

2. I think you're right.

[OregonBlue]

3. The struggle in Thailand is between the rich and the poor but while Thaksin did help the rural poor,

he was extremely corrupt and made billions of dollars, (stolen from taxpayer money) while in office. Remember that he was on the board of The Carlyle Group for many years and was a big friend of the Bush family. He siphoned off lots of money from the government programs he set up to help the poor. His main goal was to privatize government functions and he set up companies in his family members names that "won" those private contracts.

In terms of our politics, think of Abhisit as John Kerry and Thaksin as George Bush. Abhisit is well educated but not particularly articulate or able to communicate with the average person. Thaksin is a great communicator but totally corrupt.

This is not going to be resolved easily and so far no "leader" has emerged who can unite the country.