Alexander Sitkovetsky Performs the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto

Judging by the long line of mostly young female admirers waiting for Alexander Sitkovetsky’s autograph following his performance at Mahidol Salaya, Sitkovestsky may have sex appeal, in addition to his obvious talent as a super violinist.

Nakhonpathom, Thailand. March 26, 2011. I attended another excellent concert by the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, the highlight of which was a gorgeous performance of the ever-popular Mendelssohn violin concerto, by the 28-year old Russian violinist, Alexander Sitkovetsky. Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture completed the program.

Small Acts of Resistance: Popular Movements and Democratic Change

Author and Amnesty International advocate Steve Crawshaw (left); Bangkok Post columnist and TV pundit Voranai Vanijaka (right).

A very timely discussion took place at the FCCT on March 22, 2011, featuring author and democracy advocate Steve Crawshaw, and Bangkok Post columnist and TV pundit Voranai Vanijaka. Crawshaw is the co-author of Small Acts of Resistance: How Courage, Tenacity, and Ingenuity Can Change the World, and currently is attached to Amnesty International. His thesis, now on display in the Middle East, is that ordinary people, in many ways, can affect democratic change and human rights. The examples he gave of successful democratization efforts in Poland, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and other places, were instructive. When I asked him during the Q & A session, whether he felt that foreign intervention, as is happening in Libya, aided incipient democratic movements, he had no opinion to state, reiterated Amnesty International’s position that both sides must avoid excessive force and the injury of civilians.

Kh. Voranai was the more interesting speaker. He took the audience on a deft and perceptive tour of contemporary Thai politics, a subject of increased interest in the Kingdom because of the looming election. Basically, Kh. Voranai does not see that the election of a new parliament, which will then choose a prime minister, will change very much because Thailand remains divided, and the losers, regardless of which party or parties lose, will not accept the election’s outcome. If the Thaksin party wins, then the yellow shirts will be back on the street; and if the Thaksin party loses, the red shirts will be back on the streets. In either event, expect more of the same. Thai politics is still very much about fugitive former PM Thaksin.

Kh. Voranai reported that a recent poll showed that a majority of Thais do not want an election, viewing it as a waste of time and money; rather, a majority of those polled would prefer an appointed government, a procedure that is provided for in the current constitution under certain circumstances. After the this summer’s election, it seems likely that no party will receive an absolute majority, and a coalition government will most likely once more turn to the Democratic Party to form a coalition government with the current Prime Minister Abhisit again heading the government.

All observers hope that the election will be peaceful, and, to me, it seems likely that it will be, unless Thaksin stages a grandstand play and returns to Thailand, at which point, all bets are off. As for a revolution in Thailand, Kh. Voranai pointed out that things never get that bad for the Thai people, the poor are not that poor, corruption is bad, but not that bad, civil liberties are denied, but not that much, and so forth. As for another military coup, that possibility always exists in Thailand and will exist until fundamental changes take place, which are unpredictable. I think that Kh. Voranai’s message is: stay tuned.

Dinner with Thailand's Prime Minister

PM Abhisit eats dinner prior to his keynote address.

Bangkok, Thailand. March 21, 2011. I very much enjoyed attending the FCCT’s major annual event, dinner with the prime minister of Thailand, who gave a keynote address, after which he answered questions from the international press corps. It was a classy affair at Bangkok’s InterContinental Hotel, which was all the more enjoyable for me because I like and admire Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is running for re-election this year. I wish him well.

Thaksin’s Last Foreign Minister Reminisces at the FCCT

Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand. March 15, 2011. US-educated former foreign minister of Thailand and now Professor of Law and Diplomacy at UCLA, Dr Kantathi Suphamonkhon, was suppose to speak about “Thailand's Diplomacy: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” Instead, he gave a self-approving anecdotal recitation of some of his actions as Thaksin’s foreign minister for about 18 months before the 2006 coup in which both Thaksin and Kantathi lost their jobs. It was a mildly entertaining evening, but one that was short of any analysis or new information. Dr. Kantathi had nothing even mildly critical of Thaksin. I got the impression that he was waiting in the wings for another job, if Thaksin regains power.

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St. Francis in the Americas---A Caribbean Mass

Bangkok Music Society. Bangkok, Thailand. March 12, 2011. A serious mistake made by many amateur music groups, is to perform difficult works which are beyond their capacity. Happily, in selecting American composer Glenn McClure’s theatre piece “A Caribbean Mass,” the Bangkok Music Society was able to bring together The Bangkok Music Society Choir, the MBS Percussion Ensemble, the Urban Bones Dance Company, as well as two vocal soloists and a pianist, to perform a delightful musical theatre piece loosely based on the Latin mass, but set to Latin America rhythms and instrumentation. It was a fun evening listening to the traditional Kyrie, Credo, Gloria, Agnus Dei and Sanctus, creatively set to the music of samba, calypso and salsa groove, and sung by a capable chorus and soloists, accompanied by interpretive modern dancing, with bongo drums, xylophones and other percussion instruments providing the rhythm.

A Thai Buddhist Walks the Camino de Santiago

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain is the destination of the pilgrimage

The Siam Society. Bangkok, Thailand. March 10, 2011. Surprisingly, before Thursday’s program at The Siam Society, I had actually heard of the Camino de Santiago. Years ago, I briefly met a young man in Barcelona who had just made the pilgrimage, and a good German friend of mine who lives in Munich, had told me a little about his journey through France and Spain to reach the Tomb of St. James (“Santiago” in Spanish) in Spain.

Camino de Santiago is the most important pilgrimage route in Europe and it dates back to the 9th century. To do it properly, a pilgrim walks 900 kilometers along a set route which takes about a month to navigate through mountains, forests, streams, rural towns looking much as they must have looked centuries ago, along roads, paths, and rocky and unimproved walkways. It is a physically grueling and debilitating experience.

Kh. Jumbhot Chuasai is a Thai Buddhist who, for personal reasons, decided to embark on this particularly Christian activity. He explained to the audience that he wanted to challenge himself, and to look inward for some period of time, and towards this end, he raised 500,000 baht (US$17,000) from friends to sponsor him, with all money going to pay for cataract surgeries for 100 poor Thais, the procedure itself to be performed by a ophthalmologist friend at 5000 baht ($170) per surgery. Kh. Jumbhot lost 10 kilos (22 pounds) and six toe nails during his 27 day pilgrimage.

Kh. Jumbhot’s lecture and slide show of his unique pilgrimage journey, reminded me of the travelogues which used to be common fare many decades ago. I used to love attending them at Grady Gammage Auditorium in Tempe, Arizona, which ran a yearly series of about six films each. There were several well-known professional travelers who came back every year to narrate their films in person. During these early years, such places as London and Tokyo were considered exotic and most people in the audience considered foreign travel out-of-reach. Like these professional filmmaker-travelers, Kh. Jumbhot excelled in his engaging commentary accompanying his beautiful slides. It was a fascinating evening. I was particularly struck with the medieval-looking towns in northern Spain through which much of the Camino del Santiago passed, no signs of modernity, such as TV antennas, satellite dishes, utility poles, being observable. I had thought that such towns had ceased to exist.

Anyone interested in learning more about Camino de Santiago can take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago. It’s a fascinating story.

Buzz’s Journal---Two Sides of the Same Coin

Bangkok, Thailand. March 7, 2011. This week, two countries, the US and China, approached the same problem in different ways. In the US, which has been without a budget since last October, congress voted to keep the government going for another two weeks without a budget, that is, without a plan. In China, on Saturday, PM Wen Jiabao present a 5-year blueprint for economic growth and stability, which will seek to change China’s focus on exports, raise wages and tackle rising inflation. So, folks, there you have it: two weeks vs. five years. Where would you like to place your bets?

Stones, Flags and Guns

Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand. Bangkok. February 22, 2012.

The main focus of these talks by two notable and highly respected academics, Thongchai Winichakul and Chris Baker, was the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, which has been heating up recently with skirmishes between the armies of the two countries, resulting in the loss of several lives on both sides and the destruction of border villages in Thailand. The historical context of the continuing border disputes between Thailand and its neighbors, was explained by Ajarn Thongchai, while the domestic political influences of Thai and Cambodian politics was commented upon by Ajarn Baker. The main lesson that I took away from the evening, is that no final and compressive settlement is possible which will demark the border, and that conflict management is the order of the day.