Flashermac Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 So you presume they were evil agents and running dogs of the corrupt evil American fascist regime. Got any evidence, other than their American citizenship? To quote from the ORIGINAL news item in this thread: "Although some refugees from Laos have been involved in violent activities against the country's communist government, the couple was not known to be involved with them." They weren't even members of the formerly ruling Laotian royal family. The Sethatirath dynasty was ousted by the Thais in 1828. Sort of like the Bourbons trying to regain power in France??? http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9007929 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 p.s. Omagawd ... it was Rama II's funeral in 1825. The Britannica is wrong!!! (Of course, the Britannica is actually American and has been for around a century.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Flashermac said:So you presume they were evil agents and running dogs of the corrupt evil American fascist regime. Got any evidence, other than their American citizenship? I don't presume anything but somebody in Vientianne did. Surprising they would feel that way. It's not as if Laotians have any reason to distrust Americans. Sometimes the well-meaning agents can do more damage than the evil ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Most Laotians don't ... just maybe these folks? "The only legal political party is the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP). The head of state is the president, elected by parliament for a five-year term. The head of government is the prime minister, appointed by the president with parliamentary approval. Government policies are determined by the party through the all-powerful nine-member Politburo and the 49-member Central Committee. Important government decisions are vetted by the Council of Ministers." Also: " All dissent in Laos is suppressed, so information is difficult to obtain." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Flashermac said:Most Laotians don't ... just maybe these folks? "The only legal political party is the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP). The head of state is the president, elected by parliament for a five-year term. The head of government is the prime minister, appointed by the president with parliamentary approval. Government policies are determined by the party through the all-powerful nine-member Politburo and the 49-member Central Committee. Important government decisions are vetted by the Council of Ministers." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos The LPRP has evolved and become quite liberal (oops dirty word) in some ways. They have broadened the membership and allowed exiles to return. It's interesting to watch the process but not my business. Most Laotians I've talked to seem quiet and law abiding. There's obviously something of a tussle going on there between generations. Some remember the Vietnam war and the bombing....others would like to open the country up and become more like Thailand....they do watch a lot of Thai TV. Ordinary Laotians aren't too envious of the P4P business. They like to take things slowly there. I think they can probably work things out over time without any help from outside agitators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 I agree. Still, we are arguing about something we both really know nothing about. Even The Nation is just guessing at the reason they were murdered. One could as easily claim that right wing Thais were concerned that the couple were suporting a movement to "restore" Isaan to Laotian rule -- despite the reports they were not involved in politics. This used to be a serious worry during the military regimes of the 1950s and early '60s, and a lot of Isaan politicians were "eliminated" because of it. p.s. I enjoyed my chats with an educated multi-lingual Lao from Sawanakhet who had made his home in Wiengchan. (His French was far better than mine, his English was passable, and my Lao is basic -- so we settled on speaking in Thai.) He told me that the Laotians say they abandoned communism years before the Russians did. No one supports the current government, but they have to wait until the old geezers in power die off. But there is an active resistance in the country, probably not very large. Remember the bombing of the market in Wiengchan a couple of years ago? There were several bombings around that time -- which happened not too long after the communist government cracked down on student demonstrators demanding democracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Wasn't that bombing and shit stirring blamed on Hmong? I'm sure you know the whole story there and the promises made by Americans to Hmong 'good guys'. Anyway like you say it's all speculation. I do think the Laotians are quite capable of sorting their own problems out in their own slow way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 I asked about the bombings when I was in Laos last year. Nobody really seemed to know, but it was easy for the government to point a finger at the Hmong - even though they live a long way from Wiengchan. p.s. No, I don't know "the whole story there". That died with JFK and Bobby Kennedy. Pretty much accepted that the war in eastern Laos was intended mainly to occupy North Vietnamese troops who otherwise could have been sent to fight in South VN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Here's part of the Hmong story.... http://www.jefflindsay.com/Hmong_tragedy.html#forgotten now it seems the Thais don't want them either. Basically they picked the wrong side. The South Vietnamese army made the same mistake when they invaded Laos. I blame Jane Fonda and the goddam hippy media. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayjann Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 interesting link Chuckie. something i knew nothing about and good to learn something about the cruelty of others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.