THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Attitudes cannot be 'adjusted' through force and fear

Attitudes cannot be 'adjusted' through force and fear

IT IS difficult to understand why the junta is resorting to arbitrarily detaining its critics to "adjust" their attitudes, when it keeps insisting that its main aim is to bring the country closer to democracy and reconciliation.

What sort of democracy will Thailand end up with if her citizens are not able to express themselves? And how can gagging critics possibly restore harmony?
Last week, the junta detained several politicians and a journalist, taking them to unknown locations to have their attitudes adjusted as they had been too critical of the government and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). They were released yesterday. 
Earlier, a former minister’s passports were revoked because he had criticised the draft charter – the same charter that the junta chief did not like either. 
Junta-chief-cum-PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has warned that anybody voicing dissent will be taken in for attitude adjustment – this is despite the fact that Prayut and his crew know that the international community will attack them for limiting people’s rights and freedom. 
Ironically, next week Prayut will be in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, where democracy and human rights are taken very seriously. As expected, people are planning to rally against him outside the UN headquarters and many international human rights groups and media associations have already voiced concerns about the detentions.

Attitudes cannot be \'adjusted\' through force and fear

Perhaps UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon could mention this when he meets Prayut. Also, it’s time the PM’s team realised that simply putting the detentions down to maintaining law and order is not convincing, especially since those detained posed no threats to national security – they were just talking. 
It is likely that our prime minister will come home embarrassed and the New York trip will be nothing more than a waste of taxpayers’ money, if he is not able to adjust his attitude first. Of course, he always has the option of declaring that “Thailand will never be a democratic country”. 
As for changing people’s attitudes, the junta would do well to realise that people can’t be changed through force. In fact, arbitrary detentions will only make people more angry and critical. 
The military already has experience of this in the South – where it has been busy detaining people for the sake of security for a decade now, yet it has not been able to win the people’s hearts and minds. The military will never be the people’s hero – not until it changes its attitude. 
Similarly, people in the rest of the country will never consider the junta and the military-backed government as neutral agents who can bridge the deep political divide, as they will always be seen as elite players who stepped in to suppress them and perpetuate power. 
Looking closely, the arbitrary detention could be put down to the junta’s insecurity and desperation, but it’s still unclear how throwing people behind bars can make it feel more secure. 
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