The question as to what dictates the relationships and conflicts between the different political parties in Thailand is an intriguing one. While some may believe that the underlying influence is ambition, there is more substance to the argument that it is in fact political principles, personal loyalty, family alliance and, most importantly, political paranoia, which dictate Thai politics. The paranoia arises from a mutual distrust and fear that a fellow Thai member of the resistance may have some hidden agenda that is incompatible and in conflict with their own. This sense of paranoia is apparent in both the way in which Pramoj was hesitant to accept Kunjara and the way the American Free Thais and pro-constitution NLM were suspicious of the Prince Subha-Svasti-led FSM and their potential motive to return Thailand to an absolute monarchy system. At a glance, Prince Subha Svasti as a natural leader for the Free Siamese movement and one that facilitated the emergence of the movement in the UK. A true patriot, he was quick to oppose the Japanese when they invaded Thailand and attacked th...
Imagery and politics are two closely related concepts. “Politics will eventually be replaced by imagery. The politician will be only too happy to abdicate in favor of his image, because the image will be much more powerful than he could ever be” (McLuhan, 1971). The image has the power to make or break the politician. The impact of imagery also applies to the Government as a whole. The image created by the government influences the support of the population; because of this correlation, information regarding government affairs goes through filters; information that could negatively impact the image of the government may not be provided to the public depending on how important it may be for the general population to know. In the beginning of the Vietnam War, Laos was declared a neutral zone at a conference in Geneva by the United States and the Soviet Union (Jones, 2007). As the disputes about Laos’ future government structure continued, the United States believed it was time to take action and continue their fight against communism (Young; Buzzanco, 2006). The Americans were fighting the Cold War for the containment of communism and to make the world safe for democracy. If Laos became a communist country, communism would not be contained; this led to the Secret War. American officials did everything in their power to keep the information regarding the Secret War in Laos hidden. The prime reason for failing to acknowledge the public of the happenings in Laos, was to aid the government in the protection of their image. Many American citizens were against the government because of the war in Vietnam, which had started 10 years prior to the Secret War; knowing about Laos would give the general population more reason to protest. Furthe...
Burma has suffered through one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world. The Karen, a minority ethnic group in the eastern mountainous region of Burma, has been fighting for a federal system instead of a dictatorship. In the late 1940s, the Karen created the Karen National Union (KNU) to fight for an independent Karen state but switched to fight for a federal system for peoples’ freedom from oppression in the 1970s. After the failure of peaceful negotiations, the KNU waged war against the central government. Undaunted by Zoya Phan is an autobiography about the challenges and injustices Zoya faced and continues to face as an ethnically Karen person. At fourteen years old, Zoya and her family had to flee their village through the jungle to a refugee camp. As a refugee herself, Zoya raises in her book the many challenges the Karen faced in regard to their collective sense of identity and security. In contrast to the Karen’s struggles as refugees, Thailand as the refugee accepting state, also faces immigration challenges with the tens of thousands of people flooding into the country. In order to address the challenges both the Karen refugees and Thailand face, a collaborative summit needs to take place between the United Nations, NGOs, political organizations (KNU), and the participating governments to set clearly defined roles to ensure the safety and basic needs of refugees, while effectively addressing Thailand’s concerns.
The Khmer Rouge years was a period of time that devastated all of the small country Cambodia, a story that was so well told by Loung Ung about the Pol Pot regime. The Khmer Rouge years was from 1975 to 1979 (http://www.cambodiatribunal.org). The Khmer Rouge, otherwise known as Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), conquered Cambodia for four years. The Khmer Rouge forced people to work in the fields including children. To make matters worse, the people that were forced to work were also malnourished and were living in grim conditions (http://www.wcl.american.edu).
During the Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodia was turned into a giant labor camp creating a system of terror, genocide, and attempted cultural annihilation-a series of drastic events that the country is still recovering from. The years contained within this regime were devastating for the nation of Cambodia, with the establishment of the Khmer Rouge, a left-wing Communist political party whose actions have had an overwhelmingly detrimental effect on the political, economic and social structure of Cambodia-ruining the lives of millions.
Prak, K, B, & Schuette, S. (2007). Gender and Women in politics in Cambodia. Henrich Boll
B. The island of Singapore, on the tip of the Malay Peninsula, guards the entrance to the Strait of Malacca --- one of the most vital trade routes in the world
"Khmer Rouge Page." Killing Fields. Cambodian Information Center, 15 Aug. 1995. Web. 21 May 2014.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s political career demonstrates how she enlightens and voices the issues of her country and how she stood up against the military dictatorship. In 1988, she returned back to Burma to care for her terminally ill mother from years of living and studying abroad where she was only to find widespread slaughter of protestors rallying against the barbaric rule of dictator U Ne Win. Suu Kyi began speaking out criticizing him where she had democracy and fundamental human rights as a priority for Burma in her campaign. She had the audacity to voice and stand opposing the military dictatorship’s rule where she could have easily been slaughtered due to the corruptive nature of the military government. This displays that she was willingly to sacrifice herself for the benefit of
Indochina, modernly known as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is located on the border of the eastern Indochinese peninsula and it occupies, according to the online encyclopedia (encyclopedia.com), about 331,000 kilometers squared, where in 1987, 25% of that land was under cultivation. Vietnam is bordered by the South China Sea, the Gulf of Thailand, and Gulf of Tonkin; and it is alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia. Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital since the nation’s reunification, is located in the northeast; and Vietnam’s largest city, Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, is located in the southeast of Vietnam. However, before becoming independent from Imperial China in 938 AD, Vietnam’s capital was “Đại La”, where it was located in present-day Hanoi. Additionally, the northern part of Vietnam is mainly composed of highlands and the Red River Delta; and the southern part of Vietnam is divided into coastal lowlands, large forests, and mountains of the “Annamite Range”. Vietnam’s official language is Vietnamese, and their largest ethnic group in Vietnam is the Kinh people, which takes about 86% of the nation’s population.
Thaksin did not come from Thailand’s older elites, but instead was born in Chiang Mai from a relatively lower class background as a police officer. He made a fortune for providing mobile phones and communi...
Thailand is a diverse and unique country that is rich in culture and tradition. Thailand has gone by many names such as the Kingdom of Thailand and Khmer. This paper includes researched material regarding Thailand’s social, economical, geographic, religious, political, and relations to the United States. The social part of the paper will cover the current and past make up of the Thai people; information on how they became to be the Thai people. The economic part of the paper will give information about the ways Thailand seeks to bring revenue into their country. The geographic part of the paper shall cover the full lengths of the country; this includes lakes, river, and etc. The religion part of the paper will cover the main religion in Thailand, Buddhism. The second to last section will cover the politics that are within Thailand’s government. The last part of the paper shall cover the relations between the United States and Thailand.
...country to change: the King. He invites the “imperialistic” teacher to teach his eldest son. Why? In the letter confirming Anna’s employment, the King says that he wanted Siam “to take its place among the nations of the modern world.” As a man and as a king, he acts very carefully. He wants to ensure that in his country “no man is above the law.” He does not make any extraordinary changes, but he allows Anna to teach his children anything she wants (he knows Anna’s liberal position). His decision determines the future of Siam: his son abolishes slavery, institutes religious freedom and reforms the judicial system.
"Thailand Protests: 5 Things to Know." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
The relationship and cooperation in handling the issue in Southern Thailand between Malaysia and Thailand government since a long time ago, has become disappointed, frustration and unsatisfied. This is might be best description that has been looked up since the working relations between past Thai governments and their Malaysian counterparts was comes to Southern Thailand (Thanet, 2013). For the Thailand government, cooperation with the Malaysian authorities is really needed while in dealing with the separatist insurgents that often to the slip across the porous border from Thailand. Meanwhile, for the Malaysian side, through the sharing of same ethnicity and Islamic religion in the Southern Thai Muslims, was means that their politicians ought to have a key role to play in understanding and resolving insurgency issues in Southern Thailand. Therefore, it might can be seem in logically think that, without the help by the Malaysian government, the issues that regards to Muslim separatist moments in the Deep South would be difficul...
It was written in order to present the People’s Party in a positive manner. This is done in two main ways. The first is by presenting the former government and the king in an especially negative manner, helped by the negative opinion on the economic policies of the king’s government. Second, the People’s Party gave promises to the Siam people that were staunchly different from the policies of the king’s government. This distinctive difference meant that the party would be seen as a new way for the people to go, versus a more conservative government. The secondary purpose of the document is information. In particular, information concerning the revolutionary actions that the party saw fit to do, and information regarding the changes they wish to enact in the