Bangkok Love Letter
SHORT FILM STARRING THE GENERAL
2 July 2016, Bangkok
Dear Foreign Friend,
The monsoon is in full flood. We’ve cleaned the drains of
all the rotted leaves. It’s a good feeling; good compost too.
Derek Sederman, editor of the news circular for a tiny
school in the English Midlands, is a good, persevering man who doesn’t deserve
to be ignored. He’s tried for years to get me back in touch with my old school
in England. I can’t explain to him that I want to forget about that sad
country; that I feel betrayed by England’s vision of itself which it sells to
the world, including to alien children shivering out their coming of age in its boarding schools.
I can still summon up that stale reek of boiled cabbage and
grey minced meat in the corridors, and the fat pink-cheeked bully who made fun
of my yellow skin & chinky English, exposing me to racism for the first
time at age 13. I don’t remember his name but I thank him to this day for
opening my eyes.
Political correctness hadn’t been invented yet, I’m glad to
say. People shouted the words “Chink!” and “Suzie Wong!” in public with
abandon. If I’d been bigger or had actual balls, I could’ve called him “Nazi!”
right back to his face. We were in touch with each other’s feelings & the
truth was not hidden or glossed over. Meanwhile in shouting matches across the
stream, the village children called us “Frankenstein!” Such was our class war.
Everyone laughed & no violence occurred because we’d all let off steam.
If you were small like me, you couldn’t fight back directly
but at least there was no spin to portray you as the oppressor, and no fuss to
make you feel sorry for yourself. You just dealt with it. Through it all I’ve
come to understand that pretense & distortion are the only real hate speech.
Childish name-calling I can deal with, and nowadays I’ll dish it out to anyone
dishing it out to me, but malicious lies do engender hatred because a real
injustice has been committed.
This is hard to imagine now that political correctness has
become a tool of oppression, abused by tyrants with lobbyists even more readily
than victims. In these absurd times, accusations of hate speech are just as
likely to be directed at angry victims by fictitious, impromptu NGOs &
whore academics as at the people actually doing the dividing & conquering.
I have no doubt whatsoever that corporate usurpation of democratic & human
rights lingo is hugely responsible for the global breakdown of the democratic
system, engendering helpless resentment that turn into Brexit, Trump &
jihadism. People get angry but don’t
know why exactly, then direct their rage at convenient targets rather than the
real culprits. They know drastic changes are needed, but what kind of change
and how? This renders them easy meat for predators.
If you abuse the means by which democracy communicates with
itself, how would you ever know or understand the socio-political reality? Talk
is our medium of exchange for points of views, feelings & resentments. Now
that discourse is corrupted, honest exchange has become impossible &
confusion reigns. I think it was TS Eliot who said that nothing is worst than
doing the right thing for the wrong reason. How right he is, (if he did say it).
Truth & lies become indistinguishable. That’s the end of the peace road and
the precursor of war, civil or otherwise.
With all the panic about refugees taking over Europe (and
over Third World tourists with no pre-booked route & accommodation,
effectively banning independent travellers—well, goodbye to your old friends
& customers & good luck with all the packaged tourists who only confirm
your prejudices), there’s no panic left when confronted by the mundane fact
that London is widely acknowledged as the preferred refuge of deposed despots
& other crooked corporate/political tyrants in need of full laundering
services both for their image and their cash. British law does not require PR
lobbyist agencies to declare their customers’ names, thereby aiding &
abetting international crime. Top London law firms often have meeting rooms
that block cell phone signal.
Haven’t you seen the TV ad for ‘London Direct’? That sickening, faux plummy male voice
dripping with unctuousness (possibly your future dream English butler,
impeccably attired) hawking prime London property to us apparently Crazy (&
Corrupt Evil Elite) Rich Asians. Shouldn’t the British be more worried about
the local effects—political, cultural & ethical—of these unnatural
industries that cater to the unnaturally rich & unnaturally powerful? Turning London into the preserve of the
literally filthy rich, sending real estate prices skywards beyond the reach of
the natives. Relatively affordable Shepherd’s Bush, for instance, used to be a
relaxing village full of Irish & Jamaicans, with a friendly Pakistani
grocer or two & a sprinkling of yuppies. Now parts of it are a sea of black
burqas. Public resentment & perception of a threat are understandable but
surely distorted & misdirected.
With Brexit, our hitherto smug English family & friends
begin to glimpse the reality beyond the veil. Doesn’t ‘apocalypse’ mean the
unveiling? The ordinary people there will soon realise, as we in Thailand have
realised, that these are not ordinary times. Sometimes the ordinary have to
take matters into their own hands and become extraordinary to fight for peace,
freedom & truth—for survival, in other words.
Amidst all the cynicism, it’s easy to forget that reform is
a real aspiration for those who have fought for it. Some months ago the fab
fearless females at 2 Magazine asked me for an essay on freedom of
expression for their art in Thailand issue (March/April 2016). It came
out in the form of a short film, the kind a student might send in as homework
on the theme. Hope you’ll enjoy the movie below & that all’s well with you
despite all the apocalyptic images on TV.
With Love from Bangkok,
Ing Kanjanavanit
A SHORT FILM STARRING THE GENERAL
EXT. Government House – Day
Establishing shot. Track in with a day-tripping line of
uniformed SCHOOL CHILDREN, like a row of ducks following their TEACHER.
INT. Prime Minister’s Office – Day
PM is not seated behind his desk but pacing the room. He
sees:
the Last-Ditched PR Expert (PRX), an aging hippie in a Paul
Smith suit, being ushered into his presence by an AIDE.
AIDE
Prime Minister Sir, this is the
last-ditched PR expert they recommended.
PM nods.
PM
I’m a no-nonsense man, and
irritable, as you know from TV. Cut to the chase.
Say anything you like.
All 3 sit down at the sofa grouping on one side of the room.
PRX
Suits me.
AIDE
His Excellency has another
appointment with visiting school children
in ten minutes.
PRX
The brief calls for drastic and
speedy fixes. Obviously, or you wouldn’t
have called me in. Here are four
measures, ranging from easy no-brainer
to near-impossible. I’ll lay them
out for Your Excellency’s consideration
in their order of difficulty. The
easiest, and therefore number one, is:
Legalise same-sex marriage. Gay
marriage is win-win, in Thailand.
This costs you nothing. Big human
rights score and a tourism bonanza.
Indians and gay people have the
most lavish wedding celebrations.
Indian fantasy destination
weddings already bring in billions a year.
The gay wedding market is
potentially as big.
And you, sir, would be forever
known as an LBGT champion.
PM
(nods)
Hmm.
PRX
Number Two is slightly more
controversial: Legalise marijuana.
The whole world is waking up to
the fact that the US, having forced us all
to ban an ancient sacred
medicinal plant as an evil drug, is legalizing it
as it realizes its potential to
be the world leader in hemp and
hemp products, which the US was, before tobacco, before oil,
before Ford,
before Apple and Hollywood.
There’s sure to be some backlash
from the moralistic freaks,
but also huge popular support. A
Free Ganja law reform meeting
held at the Bangkok Art Center
(BACC) recently was so packed
the room overflowed. The
panelists including a doctor
and an anti-corporate colonialist
were all pro-legalisation,
all advancing solid reasons and
medical findings.
Think of the gains for the
agricultural sector! Thai ganja is more famous
than Thai jasmine rice. You’re
telling farmers to switch from thirsty rice
to more drought-resistant cash
crops. Ganja is it.
Isan farmers would be rich, the
drug mafia would lose income.
Australia has invested heavily in
it because it doesn’t need much water
and is even good for the soil.
Worldwide, legalization is gaining pace,
it’s inevitable. This is a matter
of some urgency:
a US corporation has already
bought up the rights to Bob Marley’s
face and name—the Jamaican
government can do nothing! This is typical
of the lose and lose vicious
cycle that client states have found ourselves.
Since the US has been acting like
an enemy to Thailand,
this is the perfect time to
declare independence by legalizing ganja.
Uruguay and Mexico have done it,
and they should know.
Again, great PR and economic
gains.
Your hip quotient would go
through the roof, sir.
Thaksin’s PR nasties would be
stunned. You’d be forever known
as the PM who freed ganja, daring
to defy the corporate colonialists
for the betterment of his
country.
PM
Uh-huh. Look into that.
AIDE
Yessir.
PRX
Three: Free Thai Cinema. End the
banning of films.
Everything to gain here, but
first the government must lose its fear of artists
as toxic creepy-crawlies who
can’t be trusted with the people’s vulnerable
hearts and minds. This is not
easy. Two main obstacles:
the fascist mindset and ideal of
nationhood as set down by Field Marshall Plaek Pibulsongkram and his
propagandist Lhuang Vichitvadakarn, an insistence on
only one version of nationalism,
tolerating no other vision of
‘Thainess’;
and the Thai film industry
itself, whose de facto union is chaired
by a representative of a national
chain of multiplexes.
That’s why, despite the absurdity
of banning films in the digital age,
it’s second only to the last one
in difficulty.
It can’t be changed by normal
democratic means.
You are a dictator, sir. You can
just do it. Delete 26(7), the banning clause.
Imagine the PR gains: “Thailand
ends banning of films”!
No enthusiasm from either PM or the AIDE.
PRX
Consider, sir, the Creative
Economy angle.
To make money from media, art and
culture, you must liberalise
the cultural economy. You want
Thai movies to sell like Korean movies,
you must unchain Thai filmmakers.
They can’t compete with their hands tied,
they’re not allowed to touch
anything that’s actually relevant to audiences.
If you want money from art, you must
let art be. Stop interfering.
Respect the artistic process as
you respect other professions.
Controlled art is not alive. It
is dead art. Dead art doesn’t sell, sir.
It doesn’t move people or inspire
discussion.
This isn’t just
about entertainment. Smart films elevate their audience.
It helps to make it harder to
manipulate Thai people.
Do you still want that, sir?
PM
(laughs)
I think so.
PRX
Recently the Administrative Court
gave hope
when a judge said the film ‘Insects
in the Backyard’ was not obscene
and the censors infringed on the
filmmaker’s rights.
However, the actual verdict on
Christmas Day [2015] sided with the censors!
Only your dictatorial powers can
make it happen now.
The other film to sue the Film
Board is ‘Shakespeare Must Die’,
banned by Yingluck as a national
security threat.
If the Court were to unban this
film, think of the PR fruits from the headline:
“Thailand unbans Shakespeare”* [*Full
disclosure: the writer of this screenplay
directed ‘Shakespeare Must
Die’. Observe how in classical fashion I’ve inserted
my real agenda in a list of
other people’s demands.]
AIDE
That’s very sexy.
PM
Look into that. Next?
PRX
Amend
the Lese Majeste law.
There is SILENCE in the room.
AIDE
The children will be waiting—
PM
Go on.
PRX
112 amendment is of course the
hardest one. But like the others,
It’s inevitable. 112 is not an
unchangeable monolith. It’s undergone much
change in practice especially in
recent turbulent times. According to at least
one history writer, the founders
of the present dynasty recognized that the law
contributed to the degradation
and eventual downfall of the Old Capitol.
Strangely, the law has become
more oppressive, not less, with the advent
of democracy, as the US secretly
took over Thailand after World War 2
and the monarchy became a shield
against communism.
Now Article 112 is out of
control, its powers extending to cover criticism
of not only members of the royal
family, but also past kings—an honest
examination of our history has
become impossible.
As a PR problem, 112 is Thaksin’s
greatest ally.
It damages the institution it’s
supposedly protecting, even as it burnishes
his aura of Mr Democracy, successfully obliterating his blood-soaked
track record: you don’t hear a
word from the US or EU of the thousands of
extrajudicial killings in the War
on Drugs or the South.
He wins both ways—as the
fanatical royalists are made more paranoid
and hypersensitive over real and
imagined transgressions, it becomes
harder and harder for people who
have campaigned for years to quietly
amend the law. They get lumped
with the cynical, fake anti-monarchy
movement, even as these people
are making it impossible to change 112.
PM
They are making it
impossible. People feel their beloved institution
is under attack.
PRX
What’s necessary is never
impossible. You can cite that His present Majesty
has publically supported
amendment of 112. You will never win if you do not
amend 112. You’d be forever
forced to play the enemy’s game, always
dancing to their tune.
PM
It’s not that I don’t see that,
I’m not stupid. But it’s impossible
in the present climate.
PRX
The PR harvest would be huge.
Thaksin’s gang would be robbed of
their only righteous and most
convenient weapon.
PM
I know. (sighs)
But it’s impossible at this time.
Surely you see that.
PRX
Well then, you will always lose
and so will the rest of us.
PM nods. PRX is ushered out by the AIDE; as the door opens,
the previously glimpsed party of SCHOOL CHILDREN pour into the room,
bright-eyed and thrilled to be where the big decisions are made over their
future and the country’s fate.
THE END
Photographed in
Technicolor
Made in Hollywood,
USA
[First published in 2 Magazine, March/April 2016 issue]
________________________________________________________________
A pioneer of environmental investigative reporting, Ing
Kanjanavanit is a filmmaker, painter & bilingual writer, best known in Thai
for the cult classic travelogue/handbook for environmental activism, ‘Khang
Lhang Postcard’ (‘Behind the Postcard’) under the nom de guerre Lharn Seri Thai
(136)—‘Free Thai Descendent/Force 136’, to evoke the Free Thai Movement against
fascist forces during World War 2, which fought for the Allies then after the
war was betrayed by the Allies. Sadly, she no longer attends Free Thai
merit-making rites, not since Thaksin’s redshirts appropriated the name &
equated Thaksin with Free Thai leader Pridi Banomyong, which is a travesty
& a sacrilege.
