Saturday, 12 February 2011
Sunday, 6 February 2011
韩国是重要的。
Whilst media remains concerned about past and present in the Middle East; Egypt, Tunisia, the plight of Palestinians and Israelis; the only real 'Avatar-Sprite', or change-agent, in the world...the only thing that can rock this world is... Korea. 韩国是重要的。
Egypt: 不重要. Korea Matters
Egypt...12 day rebellion in the CBD. Big deal. Bangkok 2010: 4 month rebellion in the CBD, taking over Parliament House. The nation stopped, the economy destroyed etc etc...The result? Business as usual. It's all good stuff for the media crying out for this and that but... mai pen rai... mai guan si...
不重要 it doesn't matter. The Middle East doesn't matter. Thailand doesn't matter. Korea matters.
Thailand Cambodia Border battle
This battle at the border temple-hot spot seems to have sprung from the conviction of 2 Yellow Shirt Thais as spies in Cambodia.
Cambodia's Hun Sen, allied with Thaksin's Thai Red Shirts versus Thailand's PM Abhisit aligned with the Yellow Shirt powerhouse of Bangkok City.
What is this about/ I think it is about who has power in the radical development of Chiang Mai as a profound new wealth link in Thailand's North.
Abhisit and the Bangkok Yellow Shirts and Old Capitalism, versus Shinawatra and Hun Sen and Cambodian state sponsored expansionist new capitalism. Capitalism versus Capitalism. How appallingly predictable.
The fact that both sides demand the possession of an ancient buddhist temple just adds to the total silliness of the dispute...but more so it is a poignant indicator of how many good lives can be lost between two men wanting more money.
Cambodia's Hun Sen, allied with Thaksin's Thai Red Shirts versus Thailand's PM Abhisit aligned with the Yellow Shirt powerhouse of Bangkok City.
What is this about/ I think it is about who has power in the radical development of Chiang Mai as a profound new wealth link in Thailand's North.
Abhisit and the Bangkok Yellow Shirts and Old Capitalism, versus Shinawatra and Hun Sen and Cambodian state sponsored expansionist new capitalism. Capitalism versus Capitalism. How appallingly predictable.
The fact that both sides demand the possession of an ancient buddhist temple just adds to the total silliness of the dispute...but more so it is a poignant indicator of how many good lives can be lost between two men wanting more money.
Saturday, 5 February 2011
The Achievement of Indonesia
Indonesia remains, for me, the most dynamic force in SE Asia...350 million people, mostly muslim, with the government sponsoring more and more conversion and more and more muslims into powerful positions in government: the outcome....a much more moderate, democratic, and a far more secular state. Remarkable intelligence at work. The other democratic SE Asian states like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand remain basically single family businesses more than actual nations, and far more intrinsically repressive in terms of class structures.
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China Spring Festival 2011
Tomorrow we enter China in the New Year Spring Festival time when 100s of millions of migrant workers are returning home within the 2 week period bringing with them their wages & food & gifts, criss-crossing the giant nation. It is the world's largest annual mass migration of human souls. The tens of millions of workers building dams and Apple iPads and Chevrolets only see their parents/wife/husband/friends/children once each year in this very busy, crowded & fully joyous time of reunion.
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