Using the monarchy

A Bangkok Post editorial refers to a Facebook post by a well-known royalist ideologue and “academic” Arnond Sakworawich, who is claimed to teach statistics at the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA).

Arnond, who has a history of attacking young reformist women, attacked an unnamed People’s Party politician Rukchanok Srinork. He also attacked her parents, saying they engaged in an “indecent” profession.

Rukchanok “is open about her family background and how she was raised” and “the difficulties she faced.” But, she has “insisted … that her parents did not have indecent careers…”.

Of course, what the reprehensible royalist was doing was punishing Rukchanok for her reformism and for her criticism of royalism and royalists, including their corruption.

Even the National Human Rights Commission has now “criticised the academic’s behaviour as a ‘blunt disrespect of human dignity’ and urged Nida to take action.” NIDA, which was a leading yellow-shirted institution, hasn’t yet acted decisively, effectively protecting Arnond.

But more worrying is the reaction that Arnond’s commentary has had among his royalist audience. As he may have hoped, Rukchanok has since “experienced public shaming … while on the campaign trail in Chon Buri.”

There, a “group of rude and aggressive women approached her, yelled at her and branded her an ‘anti-monarchy politician’.” Police had to be called to “protect Ms Rukchanok as one woman tried to physically attack her.”

Later on, Suchart Chomklin, a member of “a rival political party” – they mean the gangster Bhum Jai Thai Party – “conceded the woman in question is his adviser.” That’s right, another violent mobster.

There can be no doubt that these royalist thugs feed off each other.