If George Orwell were alive today, he might find the battle for democracy now playing out in Bangkok reminiscent of his masterpiece, Animal Farm.
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In Bangkok, he was considered by many as an outsider and a usurper. He seemed a direct threat to the long established balance of power. Worse, with his growing base in the countryside and his extraordinary wealth, which he used to buy votes, he became a rival for the affection the people have for their king.
Thaksin, in effect, threatened to rewrite the de facto feudal system in which the rural population played a subservient role to the Bangkok power elite. Peasants are meant to serve the upper class, not sit at the same table, democracy or not. One doesnt need to look very far to see how that has traditionally played out in Thailand: Practically all the laborers and servants of the middle- and upper-middle-class in the city are from the rural areas, and the massage parlors and brothels in Thailands infamous sex industry are populated by young, poor people from the countryside and by ethnic minorities.
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