Crime in Thailand affects Thais first

Both were well reasoned, worthy pieces, while the final few lines of each were perhaps the most revealing. They both framed the arguments in terms of Thailand’s position relative to the international community, and this is where the whole thing falls apart. 

Thailand’s stock response when unpleasantness is revealed is to enact something cosmetic to save face and preferably blame a foreigner. Of course, this does nothing to address the root cause of the problems, let alone solve them. In today’s global environment, hardly anything is an exclusively national issue any longer. However, what needs to be recognised and embraced is the fact that both the question of human rights abuses in Thailand and “terrorism” affect Thai people first and foremost. The men from Hezbollah were doing bad things in Thailand, regardless of where the bombs were intended to actually explode. Equally, the victims of human rights abuses are overwhelmingly Thai, regardless of who blows the whistle. These problems are both serious and require action, but the only way solutions have a chance of being found is when they are considered Thai problems, involving and affecting Thai people. To give too much weight to the international aspect is only to invite the stock response.

Alan Mehew

Bangkok