pattaya127 Posted April 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 he regularly gets death threads. ----------------------- why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 17, 2004 Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 well, because he makes a strong impact. that is part of making a strong impact here on national and local level. or do you think one can make contributions, change things, without making enemies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted April 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 not a bad point, pointing to the fact that maybe a farang has no real place to occupy in that hierarchy, not that he lacks any status, but outside of the realm of thai social life, unless in an anecdotical way. The case that FlyW intrigues me. Again, someone who is doing good, but is being threatened by other interests ( which one, Fly will tell us, I hope). I sense that if you are a notorious farang, even a good samaritan, it exposes you. Why shoud it be so? I actually think that a good thai samaritan exposes himself as well (numerous examples). There is just so much violence out there for the people who questions the statu quo. I do not mean to be sarcastic, but maybe, if The Buddha was lving in Thailand nowadays, he may have died much younger, and to the least, be defrocked and his influence shrunken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted April 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 or do you think one can make contributions, change things, without making enemies? ----------------------------- In Thailand? No. I think like you. But in France, we have this priest, Abbe Pierre, who has been moving mountains literally for the disfavored, and hes has been for over 20 years, the most beloved figure in the country as polls constantly show. His being threatened, which he is not, would certainly cause much problems to his tormentors. Of course, he is french in french society, but as i just said, a thai samaritan does/would brush a few hairs the wrong way. The topic is changing abit, but still very interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 17, 2004 Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 >>>Again, someone who is doing good, but is being threatened by other interests ( which one, Fly will tell us, I hope). I sense that if you are a notorious farang, even a good samaritan, it exposes you. Why shoud it be so?<<< simple. if you are doing "good", you are fighting some established order. wherever you see poverty and suffering, there will be some vested interest who is profitting from those conditions. those vested interests want to keep profiting - ergo, they will try to stop the person who tries to change an established status quo. it has not much to do with the man being thai or farang, only that some established order is threatened. which vested interests do the threads? does it really matter? there are many - from the logical underworld ones to the ones you would not really expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elef Posted April 17, 2004 Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 Senator wins humanitarian awards Published on Apr 14, 2004 Downtrodden children from around the world have chosen Senator Prateep Ungsongtham Hata as the recipient of two top awards from a prestigious Swedish-based organisation dedicated to the rights of children. The World?s Children?s Prize for the Rights of the Child (WCPRC) announced on Monday that Prateep had won the World?s Children?s Prize and the Global Friends? Award. The WCPRC said on its official Internet site that Prateep won the prizes because she ?devoted 35 years of her life to giving the most vulnerable children the chance to go to school?. Over 1.3 million children from around the world participated in the global poll this year to select the winner of the Global Friends? Award, the WCPRC said. Prateep was chosen for the World?s Children?s Prize by another international jury of children who used to be soldiers, debt-slaves, slaves in brothels, refugees, war victims or street children, the WCPRC said. There were two other groups of nominees for the awards. Paul and Mercy Baskar from India, who have been fighting against child labour for more than 20 years, were awarded the World?s Children?s Honorary Award. Liz Gaynes and her daughter Emani Davis from the US also won the award for their 20-year struggle on behalf of imprisoned children. This year?s total prizemoney of US$65,000 (Bt2.53 million) will be used to further the winners? efforts to defend the rights of children, the organisation announced. Patrons of the organisation include Queen Silvia of Sweden, Nelson Mandela, President Xanana Gusmao of East Timor and Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson. The prize ceremony will be held on April 16 at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Sweden. Queen Silvia will help children award the prizes. The Nation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 17, 2004 Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 >>>His being threatened, which he is not, would certainly cause much problems to his tormentors.<<< in the west the threads won't be that obvious or martial, but he will surely have pissed off some people. they might not necessarily make death threads but will still do everything possible to keep a status quo that man fights. and, would you know about those threads? often those people are so used to these threads that they won't lose much sleep over them anymore, and will not see much reason to go to the medias with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted April 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 You are basically repeating what i said. I am more interested in the specific workings of that resentment in Thailand. BTW, I do not believe evry good samaritan in Thailand is going against vested interests. I think what some people resent is the notoriety they gain, being successful, and in that sense, what Rompan said about status is correct. Thailand does not still view very well people who step out and up from their own station, especially if they are succesful at it and in the public eye. You are quite right nonetheless, and it is because these peole are breaking the usual "patrons and clients" order that is the fabric of the social ordering of Thailand. It happens in other countries as well, where upward mobility and helping others "too much" is not still what people are encouraged to strive for. Thinking of threatened farangs in an unjust society (thriving socially on inequities), i am reminded of A. Schweitzer who got murdered running a leprosy in Africa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted April 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 would you know about those threats? --------------------------------------- well, in the case of F. Joe, I know...You told us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 17, 2004 Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 and, i have not met a single person who "does good" in that way who does not get the occasional or regular death thread. that is simply part of the profession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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