Dopes abetting palace propaganda

Back in January, we wondered why the Bangkok Post was publishing the same story about the ever-so-wonderful-better-than-(almost)-anyone-else Princess Sirivannavari? The repeated story was of indigo dye and the ever-so-grateful locals-unable-to achieve-without-royal-support has gone around at least 3-4 times in our memory and it remains propaganda that induces a bilious response.

Now we know what was going on, with the Bangkok Post revealing that yet another UN official is doing the palace’s propaganda.

From Wikipedia

The whole plan was to make the princess look special (again).

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Escap), based in Bangkok was used by the royalist elite in the bureaucracy to boost the princess.

Alisjahbana managed to come up with the ridiculous claim that the communities visited by a UN delegation “are evidence of Thailand’s ongoing commitment to sustainability under the initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivanna­vari Nariratana Rajakanya.”

As well as being buffalo manure, this is an horrendously demeaning view of local communities. Alisjahbana should be ashamed and the UN is also demeaned (again).

Fragile royalist judges

If you are outside Thailand you can probably get to the no112 petition site. If you use a VPN in Thailand you can probably see it also. Yet the easily offended and eager defenders of royals and royalism in the biased judiciary don’t want Thais to see it or sign it. Interestingly, launched on 5 November 2021, by 5 March 2023, almost 240,000 had already signed.

Prachatai reports that in February 2022, the website became inaccessible, the website having been blocked by a court order that no one knew anything about. In “August 2022, the activist network Citizens for the Abolition of 112 filed a complaint with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES).” It was later found that the Ministry asked the courts to issue an order blocking the site.

iLaw explained that on 1 March the Criminal Court ruled that while “the public is allowed to propose amendments to laws, the logic behind the amendment has to be truthful and fair.” Apparently the delicate lads and lassies at the court found that the phrase “the monarchy is a political institution” used at the website was a fake claim. Believe it or not, “the monarchy is one of the country’s core institutions and is not involved in politics.” Nothing could be further from the truth, but royalists everywhere promote the palace’s propaganda.

Updated: Booooring royal nonsense

How many times can the Bangkok Post publish the same story about the ever-so-wonderful-better-than-(almost)-anyone-else Princess Sirivannavari? The same story of indigo dye and the ever-so-grateful locals-unable-to achieve-without-royal-support has gone around at least 3-4 times in our memory and it remains propaganda that induces a bilious response in the PPT team.

We realize that with Princess Bejraratana being maintained in a vegetative state by machines – watch for an announcement around the end of the month – the Post and palace have to promote the other daughter. She’s a pampered, taxpayer funded,  expense account on legs who has been inappropriately praised and promoted for almost her whole life.

We all need a break from this royal nonsense. What about some Post stories on truly admirable women? That would require the discovery of a spine at the Post.

Update: The Bangkok Post has managed to squirt out yet another “story” on this royal nonsense. This is far more than boring. It is reprehensible.

Jeered for good reason

Despite all of the protests of 2020 and 2021, the main change associated with the monarchy seems to be that the king now spends his time in Thailand. We can’t help thinking that’s a Pyrrhic victory.

Much else that happens seems little different from the pre-protest period or even from the previous reign. At least for readers of the mainstream media, this appearance is reinforced on a daily basis as syrupy stories are churned out about the monarchy and the rapidly diminishing royal family while anything that is not laudatory is simply not reported in an orgy of self-censorship and regime threats. Even palace lies are reported as truth. That’s how palace propaganda has long worked.

Think of some recent stories. When the HTMS Sukhothai sank, the explanations have been difficult to believe, but the fact that royalism led to many deaths is not pushed in reports. When navy chief Adm Choengchai Chomchoengpaet “explained” a lack of life jackets, he simply brushed it away as a royal necessity trumping the lives of sailors: “before the ship sank, it took on board 15 marines and another 15 personnel to take part in a ceremony marking the anniversary of the death of the Prince of Chumphon, who is regarded as the ‘Father of the Thai Navy’ in Chumphon.”

Clipped from Thai PBS

Then there’s the story of corruption and nonsense associated with the re-naming and re-signing of the Bang Sue Grand Station, now postponed. Why is a new name sign required? Of course, it is because King Vajiralongkorn rather belatedly “bestowed” a new name on the station: Krung Thep Aphiwat or “Bangkok’s prosperity.”

On fabricated palace “news,” see our recent post.

And, we are wondering why no one questions why almost every holiday is seemingly a royal holiday? There’s another new one for Coronation Day. The impression being manipulated is that only royals matter.

Meanwhile the pathetic efforts by ministries to promote the dead king with malleable UN agencies.

The thing is that ever growing numbers of Thais no longer “buy” palace propaganda. That’s why they jeered at the Blackpink concert.

That’s also why the regime and palace lese majeste dragnet is the largest ever. The most recent case involves:

Atirut (last name withheld), a 25-year-old programmer, on charges of royal defamation [Article 112] and resisting arrest. Atirut was charged for refusing to sit down and shouting “Going anywhere is a burden” as King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida’s royal motorcade passed a crowd gathered at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) on 15 October 2022.

That’s also why they jeered at the Blackpink concert.

Keeping the lid on rising opposition to the palace propaganda is becoming increasingly difficult for a regime that is itself falling apart.

 

VOA and Pavin

VOA Thai reports that its interview with Pavin  Chachavalpongpun sparked a “rare, vibrant discussion on Monarchy”:

Viewers flocked to VOA Thai’s interview with Pavin Chachavalpongpun – one of Thailand’s most influential activists for accountability and transparency of the country’s monarchy – with nearly 250,000 views and more than 100,000 engagement actions on social media. Pavin, a Thai scholar and political exile, explained how he saw his role in promoting constitutional monarchy and Thai democracy. The interview prompted lively online debate about the future of Thailand’s 800-year-old monarchy – a topic that is on people’s minds but not freely discussed, given its strict lese majeste law.

[PPT: It makes no sense to write of an 800 year monarchy given that there were so many changes of “capital,” many competing and self-proclaimed princes and kings, many usurpers, and many violent coups over that 800 years. That claim is part of a post-1932 royal propaganda meant to support the revival of the monarchy.]

Bureaucrat butt burnishing

During the many years of the last reign, senior bureaucrats came to learn that their careers were enhanced by the degree to which they could polish royal posteriors. Getting the previous king honorary degrees and global awards, particularly from various supine UN agencies became all the rage for those seeking high position or just wanting to bathe in the reflected light from highly polished royal butts.

It seems this continues after death, and especially as King Vajiralongkorn’s ideological positioning includes paying homage to his father, obviously hoping that there’s a rub-off from his dead dad’s highly burnished image.

The Nation reports that the “Education Ministry will next year ask Unesco to add Thailand’s beloved monarch, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, to the list of the world’s eminent personalities.” Even his now title was part of the whole posterior polishing process that became a symbol of “nation” and “national security.”

Education Minister Trinuch Thienthong wants her ministry to lead in having the dead king “globally honoured for the work he has done for his subjects as well as the world community.” The claims about “work” for “subjects” was stock-in-trade for past regimes, but the “world community” claim is “innovative.” For a while, such claims were made about agriculture, then about rain-making. The minister, however, emphasizes “King Bhumibol’s philosophy of sufficiency economy is now being adopted across the world.” That claim, like may others made for royals, is stretching the truth, but butt burnishers are used to making all sorts of wild claims in Thailand, where no one may question royal greatness.

Trinuch wants UNESCO “to add King Bhumibol to the list before his centennial birthday is marked on December 5, 2027.”

There’s not much information available – that we could find – on this UN program. What we did find – and it is quite old – suggests that UNESCO goes out of its way to promote royals, including a few Thai royals and connected sycophants.

The last announcement we saw of Thais being added to the list stated:

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has honored two late but legendary Thais. The body approved a resolution by UNESCO to add Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra and 19th century scholar Phraya Sisunthonwohan to its list of the world’s eminent persons for their contributions to culture and learning.

HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana was described as the hardest-working member of the royal family [PPT: hold on, wasn’t that meant to be Bhumibol? Royalists tend to get confused on such banal claims] already beloved for its devotion to improving the lives of the Thai people.” Blah, blah, blah.

Back to the report, where Atthapol Sangkhawasi, permanent secretary for the Education Ministry, explained the “process”: “the Education Ministry will get the late monarch’s nomination details ready for the Cabinet to deliberate upon within this year before it seeks approval from King Rama X.” He explained that, as usual for Bhumibol, the “nomination” would be “based on the many achievements … including his talent in painting, sculpture, engineering, innovation and technology, photography, sports, music, language and literature.” It’s almost as if he hadn’t died. All the same old blarney-cum-palace propaganda is repeated ad infinitum, with truth long laid to rest.

Doing the monarchy’s propaganda II

With Vajiralongkorn’s birthday companies, ministries, military and other posterior polishers sought to buff the royal ego as shiny as it would go.

The big deal for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which thinks of itself as royally-connected, is an ebook, A Legacy for All. The book is a repeat of other propaganda from the Ministry like its video “A Legacy for the People.” That effort sank without much trace, having only 700+ views at YouTube in over 10 months. The book might do better, especially as it has had heavy promotion in recent days. Both efforts target a foreign audience.

The “new” 152-page propaganda piece introduces itself:

The Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is pleased to present you with this first ever E-book titled, “A Legacy for All,” which boasts a unique collection of articles and insights that reflect the wide range of royal initiatives and their legacy on national development. The articles are written by past and present diplomats, as well as practitioners directly involved with the implementation of royal initiatives which have been grouped under six important areas, namely, public health, sustainable development, water management, humanitarianism, foreign relations, and multiculturalism.

In fact, anyone who has repeatedly tortured themselves reading official propaganda knows that there’s not much that is “unique” about the collection of articles by former and serving diplomats, a priest, a privy councilor, and royal servants. There are chapters that regurgitate much of the constructed “legacy” of the previous king and the ideology associated with the dead royal grandmother, and so on. There’s a bit of polishing of the “legacy” of the king’s eldest daughter, suggesting she’s probably the “future” of the gene dead-end monarchy.

There are two things which stand out in the book.

First, it is evident in the book that there’s not much that can be said about Vajiralongkorn. He’s had a pretty undistinguished life and, as everyone knows, he’s not the brightest and he’s also not keen on displaying himself in the manner of his parents as they boosted the monarchy. About the best the Ministry can come up with for Vajiralongkorn is an essay on a 1992 trip to Bangladesh. The only other chapter that seeks to reflect on the current monarch is on Siam Bioscience and his alleged good deeds during the pandemic. Of course, there’s nothing on the controversy surrounding Siam Bioscience. As might be expected in a bum buffing exercise for a foreign audience, there’s no data and no questioning. The sore thumb is the brief mention of Princess Chulabhorn’s “Institute” going off and acquiring Chinese vaccine when her big brother’s company was meant to be churning out vaccine but wasn’t. The only hint at trouble is when reader’s are assured that her effort was “through an established procedure under the law,” kind of suggesting that it may not have been.

Second, reading across the essays, it is clear that the Ministry views the Thai people as a bunch of dolts incapable of thought or doing anything for themselves. Not surprisingly, the exceptions are Thai royals; each one mentioned is a polymath and magnificent in their “work.” We are not exaggerating. The impression given is that no ordinary Thai is capable of much at all, other than implementing royal advice and royal schemes. The people receive royal wisdom and those who adopt it prosper. Well, maybe not prosper, but get by.

The notion that all the people are children is not unusual in elite circles. It is also why the people repeatedly rise up to demand a say in their own country.

Doing the monarchy’s propaganda I

There’s a lot of palace propaganda about at present. We guess that most foreigners will rely on news outlets like the Bangkok Post, which has been around since 1946. To be around that long makes it a newspaper of record but also suggests a capacity for keeping on side with the elite. Indeed, its owners and board are of the ruling class.

Royal birthdays are usually regurgitation worthy times. The story on the king – “HM” – sorting everything out and responsible for everything good in government is pretty horrendous. Who knew or believes that “Royally initiated projects have played a vital role in elevating the lives of Thais and providing a cushion during difficult times”? Who knew or believes that the king has a “long list of royal achievements”? The “evidence” for this is a series of unbelievable claims.

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Sri-on says that his ministry “follows the King’s guidance” – who knew or believes the king had any knowledge of agriculture?

The ministry’s claims that there were 1,601 royally initiated projects “implemented and completed in the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years” and another “543 projects … carried out in the 2021 fiscal year.” This seems quite unbelievable. Are there any projects other than royally initiated ones? Or is everything the ministry does labeled royal?

This is followed by claims that the Royal Irrigation Department has “3,402 projects which have been implemented, 3,333 are complete and 69 are under construction.” We wonder that if this is true, how many do anything useful?

Purveying palace propaganda is not just about producing vomit-inducing “stories.” Indeed, it means leaving out much. Of course, there’s long been self-censorship on the monarchy. Part of that has to do with fear of the lese majeste law, but it also has to do with shoring up the ruling class and the royalist ideology that cements that class together.

As part of this process of bending the news – and eliminating some of it – has meant the Bangkok Post has more or less stopped reporting on lese majeste. We did a quick search of the Post online for the past three months and found essentially no reporting of the young protesters who are calling for monarchy reform (there was one story on bail for one of them). Other than that, there was one story on Chadchart Sittipunt’s comment on lese majeste, several stories on the Lazada lese majeste case because it involved celebrities, and a couple of stories on the mad 112 case against Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. The vast majority of 112 cases don’t get a mention.

We could be forgiven for thinking that the mainstream media is working for the palace. Certainly, by not reporting the travesties of injustice against the young protesters the Post is not serving its readers.

Updated: New zoo

Readers will no doubt recall that back in 2017, King Vajiralongkorn wanted the land occupied by the Dusit Zoo as he created a vast royal precinct. He got it. Almost no one dared question the king’s whims.

In an “exchange,” the zoo was kicked out and moved to a 300-rai plot in Pathum Thani’s Thanya Buri district that was undeveloped. At the time the land was grabbed, not even the plans for the new zoo had been drawn up. That land was reported as being “granted” by the king. It was an unequal swap, but no one dared say so.

As the king gobbled up the land, some 1,000 or so animals in the Dusit Zoo were made homeless and transferred to other zoos around the country.

The cost to taxpayers – yet another “gift” to royals – is immense, and not just in terms of the loss of the ability to visit a parkland in the middle of the city. The area is now off limits. According to a report in the Bangkok Post, the cost over the past budget and the upcoming one is a staggering 9.6 billion baht.

And, the project won’t be complete until at least 2026.

Again, the taxpayer picks up the bill for a royal wish to aggrandize himself and his line.

Update: In one of the Bangkok Post’s recent pieces of palace propaganda, there’s a zoo article. Of course, it emphasizes the king’s “donation” of land for the new zoo and there’s repeated references to the “Zoological Park Organization of Thailand under Royal Patronage.” Emphasis in the article is on how good the new zoo will be compared to the old one. It is as if the king’s sudden demand for the old zoo for his personal whims never happened. That’s how palace propaganda works: erase the greed and make up stories about royal “greatness.” And, there’s a lot of this drivel around right now.

 

 

Royalist regime fighting for the past

While not a new revelation, Marwaan Macan-Marker’s article at Nikkei Asia is revealing of change on the monarchy. The royalists are fighting to restore what increasingly looks like the past. But it isn’t clear if they can prevail, at least in the short- to medium-term, given the huge resources the military-backed regime has been expending on shoring up a declining monarchy.

He explains:

Self-crowned

On a recent visit to a cinema in Bangkok, I was reminded of the dual role that movie theaters play in Thailand. One, of course, is to show films, local and foreign. The other is to reinforce in the audience a belief that their monarch serves as a unifying pillar in the Southeast Asian kingdom. That lesson plays out just before the main feature, when the screen in the darkened auditorium displays a message requesting the audience to stand as the strains of the king’s anthem fill the hall, accompanied by images of the king’s achievements….

The response of audiences — standing up for the anthem — was almost universal until the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in late 2016 ended a 70-year reign.

We think this is something of an overstatement. We recall that in the mid-1970s, when the royal stuff came on at the end of the film, many bolted for the exits to escape the hagiographic kitsch. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, audiences at movies and concerts often waited outside until the royal propaganda was finished and then rushed to their seats. But back to the story today:

But something quite different is now going on in cinemas….

[A]t Siam Paragon, a high-end mall in Bangkok’s upmarket shopping district…, [w]hen the familiar request to stand flashed across the screen to the strains of the royal anthem, only a middle-aged Thai couple stood up. The rest of the audience, which mostly consisted of younger Thais, sat impassively through the entire anthem as if it were perfectly normal.

… The display of silent defiance has gathered momentum in recent months; it has been noted by many Thais on social media and is discussed openly….

For the moment, the government appears at a loss on how to respond to this discreet but public challenge to the cinema reverence ritual. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the ex-army chief and former junta leader, has appealed to young people not to give in to peer pressure.

Yet, Thai cinemas have emerged as a new frontier for a generational zeitgeist. They have given a decisive answer to the question of whether or not to stand, something that seemed inconceivable just two years ago. From this perspective, Thai cinemas provide an inflection point in which the simple act of going to the movies becomes a political statement.

The royalist response to this anti-monarchism – or at least the rejection of the palace propaganda – is deepening. As they have for many years, it is the regime and the military are taking the lead.

Former red shirt, now paid turncoat, Seksakol/Suporn Atthawong, a vice minister attached to the Office of Prime Minister continues his boss’s conspiracy theory-inspired campaign against NGOs. Amnesty International is his main target. He claims – and it is a lie – that “NGOs that are supporting the three-hoof mob [he means the 3-finger salute] to destroy the country’s stability and abolish the royal institution…”. He means the monarchy.

He salivates over the AI target:

Amnesty International is an illicit organization that must be held accountable for its actions, and must be prosecuted to the fullest…. We should not give in to organizations that undermine national security.

Here, by national security, he means the monarchy. What did happen to his lese majeste charge? Oh, yes, he sold himself to the military rightists.

As in so many other places struggling with authoritarianism,

Seksakol’s gambit is typical of Thai ultra-royalist fringe politics. But as his position in the prime minister’s office attests, the fringe has migrated gradually to the center and the top of the Thai governing establishment since the military coup led by Prayut 2014. Facing a legitimacy deficit, Prayut’s current military-backed administration (direct military rule technically ended with the holding of a flawed election in 2019) has relied heavily on the blunt force of Thailand’s controversial lese majeste law, which outlaws any critical comment about the king or the monarchy, to silence critics and quash protests.

The regime is planning to stay. Forget all of the parliamentary realigning. This is about maintaining the political status quo well into the future through another rigged election. And just to help it along, the regime has extended its state of emergency. Thailand has been under this kind of draconian control for most of the period since the 2014 coup. This situation allows the military, police, ISOC and the judiciary to keep a lid on anti-royalism.

How it deals with the more passive rejection of the monarchy and the regime requires more propaganda, more surveillance and more repression. It means keeping Thailand in its past and rejecting the future. All in the name of the monarchy.