I have received the following message from Ji Ungpakorn, author of A Coup for the Rich.
Thai Special Branch Police ban the sale of “A Coup for the Rich”
I have just been informed today by Thammasart University bookshop, the only bookshop to agree to sell my book, that the Thai special branch have issued a letter to the shop banning the sale of “A Coup for the Rich”.
This book, which was published in January 2007, has sold over 900 copies, almost its entire print run. Mostly the book was sold directly by myself or by Thammasart University bookshop. This is because my own university bookshop refused to sell the book, citing “incorrect procedure”.
“A Coup for the Rich” criticises the military coup and the liberals who supported the coup. It discusses the role of the Thai Monarchy, citing the work of Paul Handley (The King Never Smiles). There is a chapter on the politics of the Peoples’ Movement. The final chapter deals with the crisis in the South.
I shall provide updates of the situation as they become clearer. Anyone wishing to obtain copies of the book can do so by sending me 200 baht. Alternatively people can download this book for free in pdf file form from: www.pcpthai.org, or http://wdpress.blog.co.uk/, or http://www.isj.org.uk/ .
The banning of academic books by governments or bookshops is a gross infringement of democracy and academic freedom. Unfortunately this practice has become more frequent under the junta. The emergence of a PPP government lead by Samak Suntarawej is not encouraging either. As Interior Minister in 1976, Samak banned around 100 academic books and ordered their removal from libraries throughout the country.
[UPDATE from Ji:] Bangkok Metropolitan Police, acting under an appeal from the Special Branch to investigate my book, have issued a letter to the Thamasart bookshop banning the sale of “A Coup for the Rich”. According to the letter, dated 18 January 2008, the book is currently under investigation concerning charges of lèse majesté. The letter, signed by deputy police chief Chutti Tamanowanij, states that the continued sale of the book risks creating a “misunderstanding” about the Monarchy among the Thai population. The book is on sale at the New Internationalist bookshop in Melbourne and Bookmarx in London.
23 responses so far ↓
1 jonfernquest // Jan 28, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Samak becoming Prime Minister and Marxist Ji Ungpakorn’s book being banned at Thammasat bookstore, all on one day, or within the space of a few days, a coincidence?
Like Michael Connors pointed out “The picture of coup and anti-coup forces contending in Thailand is simplistic at best.”
The military government allowed the book but the democratically elected Samak government is not going to? Or was this planned beforehand? Or did this originate from some independent source within the bureaucracy?
The book seemed to suffer a little in the objectivity department and didn’t seem to read like straight reportage, to such an extent that I didn’t finish reading it, but IMHO banning it, particularly in such an untransparent fashion in which no one knows exactly why it was banned, as is so typical in lese majeste cases, seems like a strategy of generalized fear emanating from somewhere in the police or interior ministry bureaucracy, that is very reminiscent of how the regime in Burma works.
2 Global Voices Online » Thailand: Book on Coup Banned // Jan 29, 2008 at 6:22 am
[...] Pundit and New Mandala comment on a book that is now banned in Thailand. Share [...]
3 farang // Jan 29, 2008 at 2:07 pm
I hope that with the new government things are going to change!
Go away censorship!
4 fall // Jan 29, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Haven’t you heard? Thai history ended with the abolition of slaves.
The rest of history onward are revert back to the glorious antiquity sake of using bard and poet to sing the story orally.
What the use of keeping written history anyway, especially when its bloody and dirty? Not like they are not going to be taught in school or university.
Ignorant is bliss, I told you to take the blue pill Mr. Anderson.
5 redandwhitestripes // Jan 30, 2008 at 12:30 am
The sad thing is we need the Unpakorn brothers now more than ever. Have they ever spoken at the FCCT?
6 Srithanonchai // Jan 30, 2008 at 12:46 am
Whaat?
7 Observer // Jan 30, 2008 at 1:09 pm
A Coup for the Rich was launched at the FCCT. If we need the brothers it is for entertainment and saying things that need to be said. God forbid their nutty marxism ever had an influence on reality.
8 Happy New Year! // Jan 30, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I sort of agree with Observer, but they are hardly alone. This country is already run by an elite and a King who continually act as if they are all on acid.
9 James Haughton // Jan 31, 2008 at 11:03 am
since Ungpakorn’s “nutty marxism” is mostly about calling for the working class to have a voice in politics, I say more of it is needed.
10 Srithanonchai // Jan 31, 2008 at 2:59 pm
xSaying that Jiles’ main aim is to increase workers’ political participation sounds like a gross understatement.
11 jonfernquest // Jan 31, 2008 at 11:08 pm
“If we need the brothers it is for entertainment and saying things that need to be said. God forbid their nutty marxism ever had an influence on reality.”
How can you lump them together? Jon Ungphakorn won a Magsaysay Award in 2005 and hardly has nutty ideas, whether you agree with his storming parliament or not.
[Please note: either your spam bucket is full of rejected posts or you are being censored/blocked by someone, maybe yourselves]
Nicholas Farrelly notes: Thanks Jon. I have attempted to save as many of your comments as possible. I think I got them all. If other New Mandala readers are having similiar problems posting comments then please let me know. Spam filters are sometimes far less sophisticated than one would hope. I apologise for any inconvenience this caused, Jon. Let’s hope the problem is now sorted.
12 jonfernquest // Jan 31, 2008 at 11:09 pm
“If we need the brothers it is for entertainment and saying things that need to be said. God forbid their nutty marxism ever had an influence on reality.”
How can you lump them together? Jon Ungphakorn won a Magsaysay Award in 2005 and hardly has nutty ideas, whether you agree with his storming parliament or not.
[Please note: either your spam bucket is full of rejected posts or you are being censored/blocked by someone, maybe yourselves]
sdfsdfsdfsdfsdfsdfsdfsdfsdfsdfsdfs
13 Phil Tierney // Feb 4, 2008 at 10:18 pm
At the ABC website (Radio Australia Asia-Pacific program) Ungpakorn is quoted: “We really do need to talk about the monarchy, especially in the light of the 19th September coup d’etat in 2006, because the military junta claim they had the support of the monarchy,” he said.
“Many people in Thailand go even so far as believing the monarchy planned the coup d’etat. I’m not one of those people but we really need to ask the question what is the relationship between the monarchy and democracy.”
The “I’m not one of those people” is fascinating.
14 Land of Snarls // Feb 5, 2008 at 12:18 am
‘The “I’m not one of those people” is fascinating.’ Why?
15 Srithanonchai // Feb 5, 2008 at 12:49 am
He merely needed that sentence to be able to put in the preceding one. Anyway, who would believe that?
16 Reg Varney // Feb 5, 2008 at 7:37 am
You mean he said it so that he can’t be attacked or charged? If that’s the case, then the rest of his interview seems very odd.
In his paper there seem to be a number of “fascinating”, perhaps throwaway lines. e.g. he also seems to think that the king acted democratically when he didn’t respond directly to the call to use Article 7. Is that a serious statement or is he swallowing royalist propaganda?
17 Piyathida // Apr 14, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Jonatharn Head of the BBC has been insulting the monarchy after taking payment from Thaksin and Jakrapop - this is dirty farang media and the FCCT is guilty also of doing this bad thing for money
the BBC is not real and lies - Thai people are not stupid! We know what BBC and Jonathon are doing
many ugly story on BBC website also, these media will go to HELL!
18 Mariner // Apr 14, 2008 at 4:18 pm
The whole problem of lese majeste scares me and should, you. I don’t want to break the law but how is anyone to know just what is and isn’t the right side of the ‘line’ if alleged derogatory remarks are never published?
Can I refer to His Majesty as Thailand’s ‘Asbestos king’ (impervious to chemical/physical attack)? Can I talk of the greed of commercial companies which are royally controlled without this being interpreted as a slight on the royal person?
If J. Head can be hauled before the courts -and here is someone who has never dared voice even the mildest criticism of Thai monarchy publicly- then we all have cause for concern. Luckily the authorities are reluctant to act against foreigners, mindful of the adverse publicity which follows.
(Slightly off subject: You do know that New Mandala is a ’subversive’ website, of course?)
19 Grasshopper // Apr 14, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Mariner, don’t be afraid of lese majeste. If you’re afraid of it, you’re more likely to say something inadvertently about it and find yourself in Bangkwang too. Or maybe that’s what you want subversively, revolution from behind the prison walls!
20 FCN // Apr 15, 2008 at 1:52 am
Decoding this one:
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/04/14/politics/politics_30070733.php
Rahu = R. 9
“bad karma” = “I need to ha siang”
21 Dog Lover // Apr 15, 2008 at 5:41 am
Piyathida, you are dumb. You posted on the wrong link in the blog and then you make crazy allegations without examples of justification. And you spice it with nationalist, and by implication, racist epithets.
22 Teth // Apr 15, 2008 at 5:45 am
Pretty quick how people like Piyathida popped up. Either ironic or deluded, I’m not sure which, but I’m pretty sure it represents a typical royalist view really well. Uninformed, emotional, and irrational.
23 Bangkok Pundit // Apr 15, 2008 at 7:36 am
Mariner - what are you doing visiting a subversive website?
Piyathida - were you the same person who posted the comment on my blog? It reads very similiar. Not bored spamming everyone?
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