Double Standard: The Devil of Thai Soceity

Double Standard or Soang Matathan in Thai word is the word to describe the un-equality practice in Thai society which existed in Thai society since the establishment of the first Thai state in the 13th century AD. If we carefully study the social structure of Thailand, we could find that social strata was strongly practiced in Thai society by the royal and feudal or high rank family,  until 1873 when king Chulalongkorn or Rama V was abolished the extreme prostration in front of the royal family and in 1905 he abolished the slave trading in the country according to slave Act of 1905, Even thought; the practice of slavery and extreme prostration had been banned , in fact; they practiced in different form of slavery and prostration up to this day which now we call such practice a “double standard”. A double standard was very important in uniting the people in Thai society and at the same time it’s also a bad stuffs for country’s development, by stressing the karma or Kaamma in Thai of Pali origin of Buddhist teaching, so Thai people believed that they had to clean their Karma of the previous world in this present world, in what ever state you were born then you have to accept and proud with it and achieve your noble duty, otherwise you will get trouble again in the next world because your Karma will follow you up in what ever world you be(Self-Sufficent philosphy derivation).

General Surayuth Chulnon former Thai Prime Minister

“Double standard” come to the scene when the red shirt used as their main objectives in the peaceful fight against the military coup in 2006 and Prachatipat (Democratic party) government in 2009 and it become more popular after the confiscation of General Surayut Chulanon, the privy councilor’s house and property at Khao yai tieng, Nakornrachasima province in north eastern Thailand in January 12, 2010.

The poor in Samutprakan near Bangkok waiting for rice distribution

Double standard is widely practice in Thai society, the upper class(Economic superiority or born feudal) people owned the privilege by birth and the civil servant(King Servant in Thai term) is granted after the birth, the lower class(economic inferiority) people is under-privileged. After the bloody demonstration of the red shirt in May 2010, the reconciliation proposal offered by government to the red shirt had include the “equality agenda” in the talk but many social analyzers believed that it is impossible to achieve without the eradication of Thai social structure.

Governor of Samutprakan giving away rice to the poor