My Other Stuff : Thailand Part #1

This blog is getting a bit boring nowadays. I am always writing about my knee injury, recovering, my attempts to recover and run, blah-blah...

On CNN and the BBC tonight "Thaksin Shinwatra has resigned as PM". That suprised a lot of people including me at first but later I found out he had visited the Thai king, Bhumipol Adulyadej I am quite sure the King had advised or perhaps hinted for him to resign from the PM post despite his party (TRT) "winning" the election.

The Thai king has no constitutional power but he has something else more powerful; Respect and Trust from everyone in Thailand. In the past (twice I think- in 1972 and 1992) he has exercised these intangible powers to stabilise the political situation in Thailand.

I have to confess to be something of a Thailand affairs watcher. I keep up to date on what is happening in Thailand through various websites. Ever since my first visit to Thailand in 1989 (17 years ago), I found the happenings in Thailand fascinating.

In Thai society, there are two institutions that is well respected; the Buddhist monkhood and the monarchy. Over the past 10 years, the image of the Buddhist monkhood has taken a beating. There have been numerous scandals (sex and money) involving monks and abbots. In one of my trips in Thailand, I was surprised to observe some monks hanging out and smoking cigarettes.

In Thailand, many young men become monks for a short period of time (months). According to Buddhist belief they will bring merit or good karma to themselves and their parents. The problem is nowadays it has become more of a social obligation instead of a religious one. So some of them become "monks" without the proper motivations and intentions. In some cases, it is an economic necessity for some men to become monks. For example, education is freely provided and meals (in theory - only twice a day) by the monastery. So that is why you can see monks smoking cigarettes or involved in the occasional scandals.