Thailändska makthavare om politik och astrologi

[richie]

Jag tror visserligen inte att de röda ledarna varit speciellt enade. De kommer från olika läger men har samlats för en speciell sak. Såg en annan länk på “ett annat forum” som jag såg som mycket intressant.
Det kan kanske sprida lite ljus om varför man agerar som man gör just nu.
Varför någon t.ex. skulle vilja sätta en granat i grand-palace…
http://pioneer.netserv.chula.ac.th/~ppasuk/spiritsstarspolitics.pdf

[Nille]

tack Richie!
Intressant läsning skriven av auktoriteter i samhällspolitiska ämnen.

The spirits, the stars, and Thai politics
Pasuk Phongpaichit and Chris Baker
Siam Society, 2 December 2008
sammanfattning nedan

Conclusion – Let us sum up
Both astrology and saiyasat are “about power.” Being able to
predict future events, or to time important events at auspicious moments, is a form of
power. For great events that affected whole kingdoms – such as wars – accurate timing
was critical. Similarly, the ability to influence events through supernatural forces is a
form of power. Practitioners of astrology and saiyasat claim to be able to do things which
most people cannot.
These practices have great prestige because of their historical association with
monarchy and religion. The kings were able to impose something like a monopoly on
high-end astrology, and they advertised this monopoly as part of the public display of
their authority. They also tried to control saiyasat though this was much more difficult.
Saiyasat flourished because rulers and reformers failed to end the Buddhist monkhood’s
deep involvement with these practices – right down to the present day.
Today, access to these practices has become democratized. But the association
between these practices and the exercise of political power has not been weakened. After
the end of the absolute monarchy, the new military rulers took up astrology with
enthusiasm. The civilian politicians who succeeded the generals have been no different.
The democratization of access to these practices means it is more difficult to
establish an exclusive claim. This has created a niche for practitioners who claim such
specialism or rare expertise. Perhaps the best example is the Rangoon sage, ‘ET,’ who
became very popular with Thai generals and prime ministers precisely because they were
almost the only people who had the opportunity to fly over and see her. Others like Hon
Warin have had to work hard at establishing his expertise – by such devices as claiming
special knowledge of the past lives of Thai generals in the era of King Taksin; and by
making some predictions which proved true. Similarly, politicians of Khmer origin such
as Newin have been accredited with special expertise in aggressive saiyasat as a result of
ethnic prejudices.
In the end, the survival of these beliefs has a profoundly anti-democratic aspect.
Generals who command a nation’s armed forces, and businessmen with assets in billions
of dollars, are reluctant to accept that politics are moved by the sentiments of the people
rather than the influences of the stars and spirits over which they can claim some special
control.
Thank you.
[30/11 5444]

[richie]

Det ställer ju helt klart en del frågor.
Är tex. behandlingen av Burmesiska flyktingar som den är bara för att Thailändska toppolitiker och generaler fritt skall kunna besöka Burmesiska astrologer? Skulle mycket väl vara så då Burmeserna rapporteras vara om möjligt ännu mer vidksepliga.

Sen har vi säkert dem som använder sig av astrologer som förutsäger exakt det de vill för att skappa acceptansen runt omkring. De vanliga folket är ju faktiskt oerhört vidskepligt och respkten för Khmer-förbannelser är mycket stor på sina ställen.
Det finns ju ett helt yrkesskrå som åker runt i byarna och erbjuder sina andliga tjänster. I tjejens hemby passerar det ibland några riktigt beryktade kambodjanska trollkärringar. Ofta betalar man stora pengar för att de ska hjälpa till att lösa upp förbannelsen de själva berättat om.

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