More debate on The King Never Smiles---------A LOT OF TALKS ON A TYRANT, MONEY-MINDED, PUT ALL WEALTH AROUND HIS FAMILY , SMASHING DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH....IS HE AND HIS FAMILY BE REGARDED AS MACHINERY THAT PLAYING ROLES OF "POISONING" THE PEOPLE'S MINDSET...........????? NEED MORE ACADEMIC AND PUBLIC RESEARCH....BUT FREEDOM OF SPEECH MUST BE UPHOLD FIRST....

FOR ACADEMIC STUDY AND RESEACH
A WIDE SCOPE OF STUDIES OF THIS MAN SHALL BE DONE BY MOST UNIVERSITIES, ESP POLITICAL, WELFARE AND HISTORICAL DEPT.

MORE WRITE-UP TO BRUSHING THE TRUTH, THE WEALTH AND UGLY TACTIC TO POISONING AND MISLEADING PEOPLE'S MINDSET SHALL PUT ON RESEARCH...........

BUT ONE BIG THING IS NO TRANSPARENCY OF THIS MAN AND HIS SUCKING FAMILY....THIS IS THE BIGGEST FACT AND FACT ......

WITHOUT TRANSPARENCY OF WEALTH AND EVERY MOVE OF THIS MAN AND HIS FAMILY, THIS COUNTRY CAN NOT BE CALLED AS DEMOCRACY, AND SHOULD BE CALLED BACKWARD NATION AND TYRANY.

BASIC PEOPLE RIGHT HAVE BEEN TERRIBLY HARMED AND SUCKED!!!!!!!!!!

MORE OPENLY STUDIES AND RESEARCH ARE URGENTLY NEEDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


More debate on The King Never Smiles
January 25th, 2007 by Nicholas Farrelly · 23 Comments

Back in July, Andrew Walker posted a short review of Paul Handley’s The King Never Smiles. This book continues to attract a great deal of interest. Anybody keen to quickly come up to speed on the issues it raises could do worse than trawl through these New Mandala posts. Over the past week or more, Andrew’s review has seen a lot of traffic, and a number of fresh comments about the book have been posted.

To bring the debate back to the top of the New Mandala pile, I have copied some of the new comments to this post.

In my view, the book is one of the few must-read perspectives on Thailand published in the last year (in Thai or English). The debate around its contents and approach keeps smouldering for good reason.

Recent comments here on New Mandala include:

Paul Chen | January 9th, 2007 at 4:45 am

Did the Author who wrote The King Never Smile?
Had met the King? Did he make personel interview with King?
If, Not why? and How can this book named a King Biography??
All contents might be a full true facts!
This is not Fair to the King!!
Do you agree??
====================
Every Year Dec 5, the King Birthday, he got the chance to
speak to public only once a year.
Why the Book Author go to meet the King and have
personel interview with him.
This is Fair to him!!
=========================

anonymous | January 9th, 2007 at 10:12 am

Handley requested a personal royal interview, but was denied.

I wish that people who criticize the book actually read it. It’s a very factually correct biography, and the analysis is very interesting. I don’t agree with all the points, but if you’re interested in Thai politics and the King’s role, it’s a must read.

prem | January 14th, 2007 at 8:44 pm

If you’re really love the king ,you have to let him out of the politics. The king never protect Thai’s democracy but he protect his family and his conservative system as he did when Prem was the priminister. Thai people should learn to live with the principle of democracy ,not this beloved king .Don’t forget he can’t live forever. You have to develop yourself to live with the next King also.

Kasumo | January 23rd, 2007 at 2:42 am

Talking about being factually correct, on the first page of the book, Handley already got it wrong. King Bhumibol was born at the Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge Mass., not in Brookline. …. Need I say more…..

patiwat | January 23rd, 2007 at 1:45 pm

Kasumo, while technically true, that’s like saying that somebody born in Siriraj Hospital wasn’t born in Bangkok. The town of Brookline is opposite the Charles River from the city of Cambridge. Mt. Auburn Hospital itself is right next to the river.

Kasumo | January 24th, 2007 at 5:03 am

=)

Let us move on to the second page of the book concerning HRH the Princess Mother. Handley wrote that “A commoner, part Chinese, Sangwal was born to a poor parents in 1900 just across the Chaophraya River from the Grand Palace.”

Also wrong !

HRH the Princess Mother was born in Nonthaburi Province according to the book “My Mother Told Me” by Princess Galyani Vadhana, her owed daughter.

HRH the Princess Mother’s grandfather lived across the Chaophraya River from the Grand Palace as Handley understood, but her father and mother moved to Nonthaburi before she was born. This is why HRH the Princess Mother actually born in Nonthaburi not just across the Chaophraya River from the Grand Palace. In fact, many websites got this fact wrong. So, was Handley.

If I have more time, I will point out to you further on Handley’s other mistakes on page 2. There are several more. And I can tell you, since his book has around 500 pages, there are plenty of other mistakes within the book and it shows how careful and how well research the author has been with his subject.

Well should I say any more….. =)

charles st. | January 25th, 2007 at 9:32 pm

The King is very rich. Thai Baht 3,000,000,000 is also tax-free.
It’s a real pity for poor Thai people. The rich keeps telling us to follow the Sufficient Economic Policy. Between the line is that the rich doesn’t want poor people to have more economic power.

“Let the people be poor and uneducated, they will be very obedient and easy to be controlled.” That’s the unspoken opinion from the blue blood and the anti-Taksin groups.

Tags: Thailand
23 RESPONSES SO FAR ↓
1patiwat // Jan 26, 2007 at 8:23 am

Nonthaburi is a very large province and covers both the east and west banks of the Chao Phraya River. Some districts (Pakkred) are on the east bank – some districts (Bang Bua Thong, Bang Kruai) are on the west bank.

Given the lack of well-known 19th century landmarks on the upper east bank of the Chao Phraya river, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the Princess Mother was born both in Nonthaburi province and opposite the Grand Palace.

Quality comment or not? 0 0

2patiwat // Jan 26, 2007 at 8:38 am

Actually, HMK makes much more than 3,000,000,000 baht a year tax-free.

By law (specifically, the Royal Assets Structuring Act of 1936 – พระราชบัญญัติ จัดระเบียบทรัพย์สิน ฝ่ายพระมหากษัตริย), all income of the Crown Property Bureau is exempt from taxes.

There are no current public estimates of his wealth available, but foreign estimates from around 1999 put his wealth at up to 320,000,000,000 baht. A risk free 5% government bond on that would already earn over 15 billion baht a year. CPB-owned equities in the stock market earn on average much more than that.

Quality comment or not? 0 0

321Jan // Jan 26, 2007 at 12:27 pm

Besides small errors – which may be judged by more knowledgable people than me – the main points of the book remain valid:
a.) The first and most important interest of the king and his network is the protection of the institution.
b.) The king has a certain affinity to military dictators and has no real trust in democracy.
c.) His dhammaraja-image is mostly constructed and while he might be a person of high morality he is not the source of everything good that happens in Thailand.

The good thing is that in the eyes of the international community this biography will remain while everything biographical under the Lèse majesté will be considered as hagiographic.

Quality comment or not? 0 0

4Srithanonchai // Jan 26, 2007 at 3:05 pm

So why did they have to sacrifice the Siam Inter-Continental Hotel for Paragon. Or wasn’t that an act of the CPB? Just curious.

Quality comment or not? 0 0

5d. silang // Jan 28, 2007 at 1:37 am

I can understand why Thais would react vehemently to what Handley has written. There is no doubt that Thais love their king dearly. But setting emotions and some bitchiness in Handley’s writing aside, the book contains truth about the obvious machinations by palace insiders to portray the virtue of the monarchy, despite its being anachronistic, not for the benefit of the king itself but those with vested interests, notably certain Thai elites. Although this is unfair to some, but I observed that Thais failed to see the half-truths being peddled around especially when it comes with the monarchy. Or even if they know they refuse to act for fear of reprisals, political or socially. Perhaps it is about time Thais start questioning all these truths for one day (which might not be too far) the dam will just burst and overwhelms everyone.

Quality comment or not? 0 0

6Ananth // Jan 31, 2007 at 4:08 am

Thai monarchy should be studied in Thailand’s unique context and without prejudice. Thai monarchy after 1932 has been placed in a very special position. Even a famed civilian leader of the 1932 coup, Pridi Phanomyong, once was the regency for the Rama VIII. He did not harm the monarchy though he once worked with ‘miltary men’ to topple the absolute monarchy! (that may be why military can not stay away from Thai politics.)
And Rama IX is just an aspect for this special development, he and his 200 year – old family should be seen exclusively.

Quality comment or not? 0 0

7June // Feb 1, 2007 at 5:14 am

1.There are an uncountable number of king in the past, present king, royal family, relatives and high society people in Thailand who have special rights more than general people.
2.These group of people are out of constitutional law.
3.Military and people relate to king project or business gain high benefit.
4.Thai student books has been writen to brush people brain to respect these group of people.
So, they keep power, while Thai people still close eyes and stay in the old world.


http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2007/01/25/more-debate-on-the-king-never-smiles/