“If voting made a difference”, Mark Twain once wrote, “they would never let us do it.” In Thailand, this has more than a hint of being true. The election was never going to resolve many of Thailand’s problems. The power of the pen, as a popular hashtag went, was never going to be enough to […]
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Takeaways From Thailand’s 2019 Election
I just flew from Washington D.C to New York City with no laptop. Originally, I had planned on commenting on the Thai election after I fly back to Berkeley, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to write a quick post. The election, already famous for its unpredictability, has took an even stranger turn: the junta’s […]
Vote Future Forward
“By three methods”, Confucius once observed, “we may learn wisdom. First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is bitterest”. If Thailand has gained wisdom, it has indeed been through bitter experience. Repeated military interventions that disrupts democracy, a corrupt political culture and an economy that […]
This Blog in 2019
Hi everyone! Every January, I like to write a ‘state of the blog’ post just to recap the previous year and outline some of my goals for the next. I usually write this very close – or on the date of – the new year, but I decided to take a short break from writing. […]
Thailand in Crisis: An Introduction
“Military juntas are rare in the modern world,” a professor at Berkeley said in lecture. “If you’re currently living under one, then you should realize that it isn’t normal.” As someone from Thailand, it was hard not to think about those words, with Thailand still ruled by that apparently rare species of government. The statement […]
Summer Reading 2017 & Other Thoughts
I have lots to say in this post. That’s probably not new, because most who know me will simply point out that I always tend to have quite a bit to say. Unfortunately, though, that will make this post a little long. I originally intended it to be about some of the books I’ve been […]
The Story of Thai Democracy: Octobers of Tragedy
This post is the seventh post in the series ‘The Story of Thai Democracy’, where I’ll be covering the political history of Thailand since the transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy. You can read the previous posts in this series here. The death of Sarit Thanarat left a vacancy in the post of prime minister. […]
Donald Trump, President-Elect
“Veni, vidi, vici”, Julius Caesar once said after a successful battle: “I came, I saw, I conquered”. A fitting maxim, perhaps, for the most successful general of the ancient world, but also, surprisingly enough, for a billionaire businessman-turned amateur politician. Against the seventeen Republican candidates, Trump triumphed; against the Democratic nominee, he repeated the feat. […]
10/8/15
Just a few status updates. Three days, into a new academic year at school, and I have entered firmly uncharted territory. For one, I’m starting the IB Diploma programme, which supposedly is one of the most rigorous high school academic programmes you can find. I don’t know about that quite yet, but I do know […]
Father of the Nation
It is, once again, December 5th: Father’s Day in Thailand. Every time this day comes around, scanning through the newspapers or turning on the TV will show you the same images: thousands wearing yellow, lining on the streets, waiting through the night. Thousands of articles and messages of well-wishing, of which this post is only […]
