an international academic conference

Scholars Debate Biography of Thai King

January 10, 2008 - 7:41pm

By DENIS D. GRAY
Associated Press Writer

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - An American journalist whose critical book on Thailand's king is banned took the limelight at an international academic conference Thursday even though the author didn't appear in person.

One participant read out a paper written by journalist Paul Handley and others debated the accuracy and relevance of his "The King Never Smiles," while taking swipes at the tough stance of censors when dealing with perhaps the most sensitive issue in Thailand _ the role of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

In tracing the life of the 80-year-old monarch, Handley alleges that Bhumibol has proved a major stumbling block to the progress of democracy in Thailand as he consolidated royal power over a long reign.

This view is shared by some Thai academics, but the king remains greatly revered by the majority of the population, in part because of a lifetime of effort to alleviate the plight of the have-nots.

"This book raises in a dramatic way some of the most important matters concerning the past, the present and the future of the kingdom," said Annette Hamilton, an anthropologist who has worked in Thailand for more than two decades.

While questioning some of his sources, noting inaccuracies and even questioning his conclusions, both Thai and foreign participants at the 10th International Conference on Thai Studies credit Handley with stimulating debate on the issue within the country.

"Banning books is something we associate with fascist regimes," said Hamilton, but added that suppression of information has been practiced in recent years in a number of democracies, including her native Australia.

"Handley's book presents such a profound challenge to a prevailing Thai world-view that we can see that many people would respond with fear and negativity," she said.

The conference itself has been controversial, since open critical discussion of the monarchy is rare in Thailand, even in academic circles. There are three panels covering the subject.

"Coverage of the monarchy (in Thailand) is a mixture of genuine praise, mixed with excessive flattery and laced with a heavy dose of propaganda," said Pravit Rojanapruk, a reporter at the English-language daily The Nation. "It hides and blurs a complex reality with this one-sided coverage."

Handley, who now lives in Washington, published his book in 2006. He had earlier worked in Thailand with the Hong Kong-based news magazine Far Eastern Economic Review.

The import of Handley's book into Thailand was banned by police order even before its publication, but bootleg copies _ both the legitimate Yale University Press version, and photocopies, as well as partial translations _ have circulated widely though discreetly.

Handley is not known to be officially banned from entering Thailand, but it is widely assumed he would be liable to arrest under the country's broad and tough lese majeste law making it a crime to insult the monarchy.

"I don't like it. The nation doesn't like it," Prem Tinsulanonda, the former prime minister who heads the Privy Council body of advisers, said in a 2006 interview with Far Eastern Economic Review. "It's a hearsay book and is not based on the fact. We are worried (about) the foreigners who read it. My suggestion is please ignore that book. It's useless."

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Associated Press Writer Ambika Ahuja contributed to this report.
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By DENIS D. GRAY Associated Press Writer