If you're in Thailand, you might not want to read this post right now...


I've been out of Thailand for years (we left the day before the 2010 protests closed the airport in Bangkok), but I still have friends and family there, so I'm watching the situation carefully. And, honestly, the situation there has been unstable for a very, very long time.

The situation is particularly worrying if you believe, as I do, that a strong democracy cannot function without the access to information needed to form rational beliefs and the intellectual freedom to discuss opinions and ideas, leading to informed decisions, individually and collectively. Right now, both access to information and the ability to discuss the political situation are being stifled. People with the knowledge and ability are not being allowed to share information, and people who need information are not allowed to get it.This is, obviously, not conducive to supporting a democratic structure.

If Thailand will not function as a democracy, then it is time to call it what it is: a fascist state in flux. The king is dying; who will inherit the throne? It shouldn't matter so much (the Thai monarch is supposed to be a much-beloved non-political head of state, like the Queen of England - not a major political power). It would be nice to see an actual democratic government in Thailand, though - it is a beautiful country, full of wonderful people, and it makes me sad to see them in such constant turmoil.





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