Cadet case reflects regime callousness

Cadet case reflects regime callousness

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, speaking to the media about the death of Cadet Pakapong Tanyakan, said it was 'normal' and he went through cadet school, too,
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, speaking to the media about the death of Cadet Pakapong Tanyakan, said it was 'normal' and he went through cadet school, too, "But I didn't die". (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)

Dogmatism and intolerance are both inherent characteristics of dictators. This, combined with an unnecessary callous streak that marks the personal traits of certain government leaders, will lead to a further decline in approval for the military regime and eventually trigger its downfall.

Strongmen usually reveal tipping points in retrospect. At the height of his power, former coup-maker Gen Suchinda Kraprayoon justified taking the premiership despite vowing not to do so with the infamous phrase: "I lied for the sake of the country."

His overconfidence, which revealed how he removed the former army chief and PM, stemmed from public sentiment which led to protests that culminated in a crackdown in May 1992, claiming over 40 lives. Gen Suchinda was forced to resign in disgrace and it ended his political career.

Atiya Achakulwisut is a columnist, Bangkok Post.

Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra saw his counter-insurgency effort in the deep South slip out of hand after boasting the violence was caused by "low-grade gangsters". As the unrest intensified both in scope and degree of severity, Thaksin's mistaken arrogance stood out as being among the gravest mistakes when it comes to state policies towards the restive region.

Like these past fallen leaders, the military regime and retired generals ruling over Thailand at present have had their flanks exposed after three years of tight control. Their narrow-mindedness stemming from their deeply conservative backgrounds plus insensitivity bred by the perceived "sacredness" of their mission and confidence in their near total domination has given rise to a high-hatted attitude.

The holier-than-thou mentality, expressed through official remarks and casual interviews by leading members of the government, has caused resentment even among supporters of the regime.

In the most recent case, a response by Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon to the allegedly suspicious death of army cadet Pakapong Tanyakan has unified the country in fury. Even though autopsy results appeared to conflict with some of the information still not yet available, the "big brother" of the government and defence minister insisted Pakapong, 18, died of heart failure, not because of corporal punishment at the school as suspected by his family.

Without offering his condolences, Gen Prawit went all in to defend the practice of physical punishment, saying it's "normal" for military cadets to be subject to hazing or penalised for violating rules.

The retired general said he was subject to the same treatment to the point of passing out. "But I didn't die," he said, as if those who did were somehow at fault.

When asked what should be done to prevent the deaths of other military cadets, Gen Prawit said: "Then don't enrol. Don't study at the army cadet school. We only want those who are willing."

Willing to die? Gen Prawit was apparently keen to protect the armed forces preparatory school and by extension the army itself from criticism following the successive deaths of young men entrusted to their care. But to do so with no sympathy for a life lost in allegedly unclear circumstances was extremely inconsiderate.

The truth is that the remark about the cadet's death is but a more extreme version of the kind of thoughtless, uncaring response this government has made in response to people's hardship and an assortment of problems.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has been no less insensitive in his responses to growers suffering from declines in crop prices. All these "grow lemons if the rice price falls" or "go sell rubber on Mars" type of comments are equally crass, stemming from the same couldn't-care-less assumption that farmers or growers run into problems because they didn't try hard enough.

As for recent flood victims, the government at first vehemently denied the problem. Once it could not be covered up, the host of the regime's daily propaganda programme simply said villagers should take the opportunity to learn to live in harmony with nature.

This kind of irresponsible spin can be repulsive. It seems the old conviction that the military is here to "save" the country has forged the mistaken belief among the top brass that other people's lives may be treated as collateral damage.

Without a clear answer, the army cadet's death will shake up the entire system.

Atiya Achakulwisut

Columnist for the Bangkok Post

Atiya Achakulwisut is a columnist for the Bangkok Post.

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