LOSERS
Elections
More evidence emerged last week that the military’s return to the barracks may be slightly delayed. The coupmaker and general prime minister announced a major green-shirt reorganisation “to serve the National Council for Peace and Order”. The shake-up is for Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), the military’s dirty tricks division, which is already in complete charge of the four southern provinces. The new, improved, massively more expensive and even more secretive Isoc will get huge new powers. The spin is that, don’t worry, it will be as hapless as the US Homeland Security Department. Actually, it’s to be like China’s Ministry of State Security. On steroids. Every item of “national security” will be under Isoc control.
Myanmar
Defenders and sycophants of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi spent the week explaining there was no Lidice massacre in Rakhine against Rohingya. Any rapes or infant killing that may have occurred were not on orders from above. Meanwhile Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai challenged Nobel Peace Prize winner to stop the “tragic and shameful treatment” that caused 125,000 stateless Rohingya to flee their army-razed homes and villages. Ms Suu Kyi reportedly is afraid to tell the army to stop. According to a civil society group, her government has sanctioned persecution of all Muslims. Burma Human Rights Network is certain the persecution is completely backed by Ms Suu Kyi’s government, which continuously enables violent monks and civilian groups. Ms Suu Kyi is soon to face a loud, regional protest.
Law and order
The headlines of the past seven days suggest a continuing breakdown of moral conduct. Or maybe it’s just that newspapers are doing a better and more granular job of reporting. Either way, it says little for society that a 24-year-old man, Anusorn “Benz” Saipin, 24, slit the throat of a five-year-old girl in his Kanchanaburi village, for no apparent reason. Then there’s the “doorknob gang”, four men accused as the degenerates who gangraped one of the men’s girlfriend — and hanged her until dead on a doorknob. These four are the sons of a policeman, a school director, a headman and so on. Heaven save Thailand from such future leaders. A case still under investigation: At least 40 men have “abused” a Phangnga girl who now is 14. More suspects are believed to be involved.
Jariyaporn Buayai
It’s only September but it’s hard to imagine any serious challenge to Loei’s most famous export as Jilter of the Year. The 32-year-old Facebook fanatic has gone through at least a dozen husbands in a short period, making her a bigamist, trigamist, finally at least a duodectuplist before police located her in Nakhon Pathom on Thursday and invited her for a discussion. Seven grooms had the guts to admit they fell for her pitch, which was “Invest in my fruit trade business and then you can sleep with me and we’ll get married”. She left off the last part, “... and I’ll steal the sinsot (dowry), leave you and look for the next sucker. Oh, and I also have a real husband.”