By Anonymous
By following theirs idols Field Marshal Plaek Phibun Songkhram and Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat's footsteps, the reinvention of Thai history was designed to justify its current campaign to recuperate lost territories. For instance, Veera Somkwamkid and the Abhisit government are portraying Thailand as a nation under attack by the enemy and due to Prime Minister Abhisit's and the Foreign Minister Kasit's strong personal animosity against the Cambodian government, the Abhisit government has regained some popularity. The Abhisit government, also used false history to validate his accusation against Cambodia.
The myth of lost territories is therefore immensely powerful and is alive and is well and solidly ingrained in the mindset of many Thais. False memories and the rise of paranoid nationalistic anxiety have convinced Thai nationalists that the country is poised to lose its sovereignty over the surrounding areas because of Cambodia’s greed .
Here, an amalgam of false history, nationalism and political crises at home has combined into a cocktail leading to the deterioration in the bilateral relationship and also lead to Thai army directing its animosity against Cambodian innocent civilians, such as the incidents of Thai soldiers shooting and killing innocents poor Cambodians crossing to Thailand looking for works.
The Preah Vihear issue truly reflects the vulnerable relations between Thai nationalists and Cambodia. The false historical background of Thailand, with the Thai paranoid nationalism being used as a tool to damage the relationship with Cambodia. In the case of Thai-Cambodian relations, Thai nationalistic bias over Cambodia has not ended but has even been re-produced and has re-emerged recently. The Thai false history has been recreated as a political weapon and Thailand‘s domestic crisis has harmfully affected its relations with Cambodia since various factions in Thailand continued to treat Cambodia as their political hostage.
By following theirs idols Field Marshal Plaek Phibun Songkhram and Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat's footsteps, the reinvention of Thai history was designed to justify its current campaign to recuperate lost territories. For instance, Veera Somkwamkid and the Abhisit government are portraying Thailand as a nation under attack by the enemy and due to Prime Minister Abhisit's and the Foreign Minister Kasit's strong personal animosity against the Cambodian government, the Abhisit government has regained some popularity. The Abhisit government, also used false history to validate his accusation against Cambodia.
The myth of lost territories is therefore immensely powerful and is alive and is well and solidly ingrained in the mindset of many Thais. False memories and the rise of paranoid nationalistic anxiety have convinced Thai nationalists that the country is poised to lose its sovereignty over the surrounding areas because of Cambodia’s greed .
Here, an amalgam of false history, nationalism and political crises at home has combined into a cocktail leading to the deterioration in the bilateral relationship and also lead to Thai army directing its animosity against Cambodian innocent civilians, such as the incidents of Thai soldiers shooting and killing innocents poor Cambodians crossing to Thailand looking for works.
The Preah Vihear issue truly reflects the vulnerable relations between Thai nationalists and Cambodia. The false historical background of Thailand, with the Thai paranoid nationalism being used as a tool to damage the relationship with Cambodia. In the case of Thai-Cambodian relations, Thai nationalistic bias over Cambodia has not ended but has even been re-produced and has re-emerged recently. The Thai false history has been recreated as a political weapon and Thailand‘s domestic crisis has harmfully affected its relations with Cambodia since various factions in Thailand continued to treat Cambodia as their political hostage.
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