steffi Posted December 6, 2003 Report Share Posted December 6, 2003 Anybody got the full transcript of His Majesty's speech? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted December 6, 2003 Report Share Posted December 6, 2003 BKK post might have something www.bangkokpost.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 6, 2003 Report Share Posted December 6, 2003 Last year I was shocked as the speeach seemed a personal attack on the PM right in front of the TV cameras on the PM and the whole country watching. This year I see some applause and some criticism of the PM. Seems almost like a report card of sorts. Maybe the king's way of re-establishing the royal family is hierarchically above the government? The royal family has done some fantastic work around the country and don't seem to discuss it much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 6, 2003 Report Share Posted December 6, 2003 I read the articles in the Bangkok Post and in The Nation. Very interesting articles IMO, even without the comparison to last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamui Posted December 6, 2003 Report Share Posted December 6, 2003 Experts of King's speech HIS MAJESTY'S BIRTHDAY War on drugs ``Victory in the war on drugs is good. They may blame the crackdown for more than 2,500 deaths, but this is a small price to pay. If the prime minister failed to curb [the drugs trade], over the years the number of deaths would easily surpass this toll. The lives of many officials are lost in working to bring the drug trade under control. These figures are often not counted, but it could be as high as the number of victims in the war on drugs. ``They blame the prime minister for the drug deaths. Not all the deaths have been counted, but most of victims were killed by those involved in the drugs trade. There may be only a few deaths for which authorities must take responsibility, so we have to classify those who were killed by fellow dealers, buyers and addicts, and those killed by authorities. ``The prime minister instructed his CEO deputies to take responsibility for the war on drugs. So they are responsible, while the prime minister, also a CEO, did not have to take responsibility for anything. The deputies could leave the matter to ministers, while ministers could leave them to deputy ministers. The prime minister also said ministry permanent secretaries did not have to take responsibility, so deputy ministers leave responsibility with their deputies. Deputy permanent secretaries can then leave it with department chiefs. This means that in the end it is the `CEO citizens' who are made responsible for everything. ``Governance these days is funny. The public is made responsible. And the one who is in trouble is me. A deputy minister once told me I was a super CEO. I have to be responsible for everything. The citizens make it my responsibility, which is not correct according to the constitution, which states that the King does not have to be responsible for anything. ``Under the Thai system, the prime minister is responsible for everything. As the prime minister is the only one who makes decisions, it's natural that you alone should be pinpointed, but if you did good things and everyone benefited, you would benefit also. So don't be angry, and be proud of what you did. ``[The prime minister] must consider what is real, and what is not. Read the papers, let them criticise, listen to them. If they do well by touching on the right subjects, thank them. If not, just tell them to soften their tone. ``I'm the one in the tough position since no one can criticise me. I'm not the one dictating this, those drafting the constitution did. I don't know why they did that because if they said that I must not be criticised, I would never know if what I did was right or wrong. Arrogance ``I know the prime minister doesn't like being criticised. Let me tell you this about being criticised. Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother, my mother, told me when I was 40-50 years old that I was doing good when I performed well, but she always added that I must not forget myself. She said I must not let success go to my head and that my name, Bhumibol, meant I had to keep my feet on the ground. She kept reminding me until I was about 60 years old. ``Whenever I did something good, she said it's all right to recognise what I did, but I should not let it go to my head.''Child-centred education ``The government's new way of thinking, which would allow students to teach teachers, is impossible. The students are just learning how the world works. How can they teach their teachers? ``It is true that some teachers cannot teach. Some ministers can't teach, either. But if the lessons are taught properly, the teachers will learn from the students, which is not the same as students teaching the teachers. ``If students come across problems and are allowed to ask questions, this is one way they can educate their teachers. But what happens most of the time is that teachers are angry at students [who ask questions], or feel they are being looked down upon. ``Education reforms should encourage students to have curious minds and not feel guilty about asking questions to teachers, department chiefs, ministry permanent secretaries, assistants to ministers, deputy ministers, and ministers. If they notice and question something, listen to them. Some children have fascinating ideas. ``I say this because I have experienced it before. I was interested in things that were not taught at school, so I had to teach the teachers. I complied with the prime minister's policy before he was born. I taught the teacher, and he accepted it in the end. The PM should let the students teach the teachers, but not let the students replace the role of teachers.'' Sufficiency economy ``A sufficiency economy is not about growing just enough crops for consuming, but has to be more advanced, to have enough space for schools, or even to nurture arts. The country must be developed in every way. No hunger at either the stomach or the heart. What's important about sufficiency economy is priority. We cannot achieve anything too quickly, or too slowly. We have to learn to progress without troubling others. This is the sufficiency economy we have spent much time learning. I have been talking about it for 10 years. We must put it into practice. ``There is also sufficiency in governance. In economics, there is also sufficiency in political science. Without it, governance is messy. What I want to say is that it's not only a case of economic matters, but the whole idea of sufficiency.''Domestic development ``When I was in Pran Buri [district in Prachuap Khiri Khan] to observe how they preserve mangrove forests, my heart flew to various parts of the South, like Nakhon Si Thammarat, then to Phitsanulok. What I learned from that trip led to many more projects. This means that I don't need to travel a lot, because with my heart I can develop any region of the country.'' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 Hi, Another version, also from the Bangkok Post. Sanuk! -------------------------------------------------------------- BIRTHDAY SPEECH King warns PM on arrogance Listen to critics, keep your feet on ground Anjira Asavanonda His Majesty the King has advised Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra not to let success go to his head. In his birthday speech, the King said he needed to say something to the prime minister although he knew that Mr Thaksin would not appreciate another person giving him a warning. In delivering his message to Mr Thaksin, the King referred to Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother's teachings when she was alive. ``When I was 40-50 years old, my mother told me sometimes that I was great but she always added that I must not forget myself. She said I must not float and that my name `Bhumibol' means that I had to keep my feet on the ground. ``She said when I did something good, it's all right to know what I did but I should not be too proud,'' said the King. He urged the prime minister to be more careful about policies he had implemented, particularly the war on drugs in which 2,500 people were killed. The King said he believed the real number was far beyond 2,500 deaths, although the actual number killed by state officials might be small. ``People say the prime minister killed 2,500 people in his war on drugs, so how can we take responsibility for this?'' His Majesty said. He urged the government to verify the cause of those deaths, as some people might have been killed by drug dealers rather than police. The prime minister had left the matter to CEO ministers and government officials, but nobody had taken responsibility, and the public had to bear the results. The King said since the prime minister was keen to take responsibility for every matter, he needed to accept any criticism. ``As you're the only one who makes decisions, it's natural that you alone should be pinpointed, but if you did good things, and everyone benefitted, you would benefit also. So don't be angry, and be proud of what you did,'' said the King. Comparing the prime minister's position to his own, the King said he was in a tighter spot because the constitution did not allow people to criticise the King, so he did not know whether he did right or wrong. ``The only person I could listen to was my mother, who has gone already,'' he said. The King suggested that Mr Thaksin should listen to the media and allow it freedom. ``You have to read newspapers ... and let them write,'' he said. Mr Thaksin, in his birthday wish to the King, said drugs were the country's major problem and the government's success in the crusade against drugs showed its loyalty to the King. His Majesty also commented on the child-centred education system promoted by the government. ``The government has a `think new' concept which encourages students to teach their teachers. ``This is impossible because children have just been born and seen the world. How can they teach the teachers?'' said the King. ``It's true that some teachers cannot teach, but if they teach with the right method, that will enable children to teach them back,'' he said. The King said teachers also should listen to their students, and not get angry when they express doubts. Referring to the day the prime minister taught Mathayom 5 students at Samsen school in September, the King said despite the child-centred concept, Mr Thaksin did not allow the students to teach him. In one part of his speech, the King mentioned rifts among people and called on everyone to maintain harmony and unity. ``The worst rift of all is the rift among people, especially senior ones and those in power, which is hard to heal. ``Don't let the rift happen, and do keep yourselves in harmony,'' he said. The King said his birthday wish was for people to listen to his words and put them into practice. ``My voice has turned hoarse after this speech, and if people won't listen it's their business. If you listen but don't follow my words then you could get into trouble. But if you listen and think about it, that would be good.'' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 very interesting was the difference between the excerpts chosen by the nation and the bangkok post. still though, both papers left out a few interesting quotes of the last 15 minutes of the speach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 Hi, Since this is a rather sensitive subject and I am going offline now, I am closing this until tomorrow morning when I can keep an eye on it again. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steffi Posted December 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 So no references to any of the full transcripts then? It would be nice to read the whole thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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