From: kxc@ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU (Khuanchai Chooboonraj)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: Re: The Greedy Thais
Date: 14 Dec 1992 01:31:14 +1100
Organization: University of Melbourne
NNTP-Posting-Host: ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au

fstawit@convx1.lerc.nasa.gov (Tawit Chitsomboon) writes:

>In article <1frieuINNfpm@ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU> 
>kxc@ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU (Khuanchai Chooboonraj) writes:

>>fstawit@marge.lerc.nasa.gov (Tawit Chitsomboon) writes:
>>
>>
>>>Recent news have indicated that Thailand will continue to side  (trade)
>>>with the Khmer Rouge despite the plea from the UN not to do so because
>>>................

>>........
>>I don't think that "the lives of the entire people of Kampuchia" is correct.
>>At least Khmer Rouge ppl decided to fight on until they get their way.

>Are the Khmer Rouge people?

Yes, they are...

>>>....... The Dalai Lama of Tibet can't even enter Thailand, despite
>>>his high buddhist stature. 
>>
>>Big deal about Dalai Lama! He's not really a Buddhist monk any more. He's more
>>a politician this day. 

>He is and has been the head of a state. So he is a de jury politician as
>well as a de jury buddhist monk. His profound teaching and his consistent
>bodhisattva deeds qualify him as an undisputable de facto buddhist monk and
>a very high one. This one Dalai Lama has helped promote Buddhism in the West
>in a short span of 20 years in what 500 million buddhists failed to do
>in the long span of 2000 years.

How could a good Buddhist monk be a politician? A Buddhist monk should be in
politic at all. Once a monk enter politic, he is a politician and should be
treated as a normal politician.

>>The way he has been conducting his political ambition,
>>the more ppl have to die for him (in Tibet). 

>Many more would have been dead had he not been conducting his strategy to 
>regain his homeland back in this peaceful buddhist way? And those who died
>didn't die by just being allergic to participating in peaceful 
>demonstrations -- someones killed them.

Unfortunately, Tibet is not an oil exporter like Kuwait. If it was,
UN possibly had a resolution to use UN military to free Tibet as UN did with
Kuwait by now. UN want to keep Tibet in their agenda for a little longer so
that they can talk about it and show the world that they care for this
country...

>>He should accept that he lost his power and leave with the fact. 

>He's a buddhist monk, not a defeatist. The Buddha himself would probably
>struggled in this manner if he faced the same situation. 

You are wrong here. Buddha wouldn't do the same thing.

>Would you not fight if Thailand were taken over?

No, I wouldn't. I have decided many years ago that I will not kill any lifes or
ask somone to kill for me. I will always try to avoid killing any lifes to my
best. Everything has its beginning and its end so as Thailand. It is no point
to figt or kill over something that is not real.

>Would that not be a big deal for you?

No, not really. It would be a sad thing to see but it is the fact of life.

>I saw Thailand made it such a big deal when a tiny patch of land were
>occupied by foreign troops. For Tibet, we are talking about the entire
>country which is about 25% of the land area of China.

Thailand is running by Military not by a Buddhist monk and that is a different.

>Had it not been for his peaceful buddhist struggle there would have been
>a lot of violences: guerrilla warfare, plane hijacking, public bombing,
>and the like. A lot of Tibetan hawkish elements have lost patience in this
>long uphill peaceful struggle and have been pressuring him to resort to
>violence but he has refused.  

His ppl are stupid. If they really believe that they could fight the red army,
they are mad.

>A Tibetan friend of mine complained bitterly to me that no buddhist country
>sympathize with Tibet. They all fear China. IMO, they don't deserve to be
>buddhist countries. 

So your friend is expecting all buddhist countries to grab their weapons and
help in their fighting. So he believes in killing to achieve a goal.
Anyway, he should realise that every countries have their own problem and
the last thing they want is to be in a war. Anyone who believes in killing
does not deserve to a buddhist.

>All the moral and financial supports for the Tibetan struggle come from
>Christian countries and various Christian denominations. Perhaps,
>His Holiness should take your insult seriously and self-convert himself
>and his people into Christianity.

Don't be too confident. Power and money have proved many times in history
that they can change any person.

>>>Why can't Thailand spare a certain amount of money each year, say
>>>$5 mill, to give away to Laos, with no string attached.
>>
>>If you really it this way, why don't you start sending your money first?
>>And then others will see a good sample you show and then hopefully more ppl
>>will send money.

>This kind of childish attack makes it very difficult to be humble.
>Thailand have been helped by many countries in forms of
>give away cash, personnel, scholarship, etc. even though we are not
>related to them in any way. Why can't we do the same to Laos? It even
>serves our long term interest, if you are only interest-oriented.

I am serious. Why can't an individual starts it. A _keen_ person could set up
a foundation and putting his/her money into it to get it starts. Once others
see that they will/should join in to help. For example, many times before I
went to Thailand, I told some of my friends that I would visit many temples,
once they knew that, they asked me to do them a favour by helping them
with their donations. There was times that I didn't tell them that I would
visit temples so they assumed that I was on a business trip so they didn't
come and ask me to help them with their donations. So if you really want to
help, you can definately make something happen.

cheers,
kc