Political Propaganda in Thailand

Introduction

Thailand, formerly Siam, officially Kingdom of Thailand, kingdom in Southeast Asia, bounded by Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) on the north and west, by Laos on the northeast, by Cambodia and the Gulf of Thailand (Siam) on the southeast, by Malaysia on the south, and by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar on the southwest. The total area of Thailand is 513,115 sq km (198,115 sq mi) (Race , pp 85-112).

Bangkok is the capital and largest city. (2)

Thailand lies within the Indochinese Peninsula (see Indochina), except for the southern extremity, which occupies a portion of the Malay Peninsula. The country's extreme dimensions are about 1770 km (about 1100 mi) from north to south and about 800 km (about 500 mi) from east to west. The physiography is highly diversified, but the mountain systems are the predominant feature of the terrain. A series of parallel ranges, with a north-south trend, occupy the northern and western portions of the country(Riggs , pp 77-100).

Thesis Statement

The elaborate and complex uses of propaganda by the governments in Thailand have been the hazardous threads of the nation in many aspects.

Discussion

By the late 1980s, armed insurgency--a national problem that had plagued a series of Thai governments and dominated police and army activities for more than twenty years--had been virtually eliminated. From peak strength of about 12,000 armed insurgents in the late 1970s, the number of armed guerrillas and separatists had declined to fewer than 2,000. Careful and coordinated government efforts combining military and police actions with social and economic policies had succeeded in reducing the level of insurgency. In addition, in the 1950s the United States had provided extensive military aid and technical assistance to the counterinsurgency program. (Sharp 157-161)

A number of insurgent elements had enjoyed fair success in the 1970s. They included the armed Communist Party of Thailand (CPT), Malaysian Communist Party (MCP) guerrillas, disaffected hill tribes people, and Muslim separatists. Their ranks had been increased by an influx of youthful, idealistic supporters who turned to the insurgents as a result of the 1976 military coup and the conservative policies of the Thanin Kraivichien government that followed it. By the mid-1980s, however, the government's coordinated counterinsurgency program had succeeded in eliminating all but a few small pockets of rebels.

Terror propaganda in Thailand

leaders lay the foundation for the political psychology of leadership in Thailand based on intimidation, violence and the lack of value for life(Riggs , pp 77-100). One of the many unique characteristics of our failing Thai leadership has to be the misconception and difference between what representatives think they are saying and what the politicians think they are hearing. I feel there is a large division that exists in this, the foundation of Thai civil service and political protocol. Putting aside all the artificial formalities, the genuine voice of the people have been silenced. I believe very few politicians even bother to listen to what the other representatives have to say. If this is truly the case and our form of ...