CityNews – The young man who once said he was “sick of Thainess’ on Thai television, and later became a symbol of an outspoken youth culture defying certain Thai social norms, lately wrote a letter to protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban.
Netiwit on Voice TV when he made the now notorious remark
Here is the translated letter (Thai version):
27th January 2014
To Suthep Thaugsuban and others
On Curiosity and Worry from a Student
Dear Suthep
My name is Netiwit Chotepatpaisarn. I am a Grade 11 student who is interested in political news. I am truly worried about the situation since it is violent and there have been some deaths. As you are part of this crisis, I would like to show you my concern, and also ask you some questions. I am sincerely concerned about our country.
1. I am curious about the objective of your protest. What do you want? I am so curious that I cannot hide it anymore. You protested against the Amnesty Bill. And I agreed that the government was not right about this. But the government already scrapped the bill, so why is the protest still going on, and even getting more violent? You said that it would stop this day, that day, since before New Year. Why you are still there now?
2. As I asked you “What do you want?” You say you want to reform Thailand to become a “perfect democracy”. However, I am curious if your methods, and your protesters, will really lead Thailand to reform. You proposed that Thailand elect provincial governors, but your council said the governors should be 75% designated, and 25% elected. You also proposed that soldiers come out to enact a coup d’état. You also said that you are against the upcoming election. You know this violates people’s rights. They are people, and you are one of them. We must respect each other’s rights, mustn’t we? I am not sure if what you are doing is really called democracy, or that it will lead to a “perfect democracy”.
3. I heard that some academics call you Gandhi, or Martin Luther King Jr. You might be overjoyed by this, but do they really feel that way? Do they just want to flatter you? Gandhi used ahimsa, which was not merely ‘words’. He used love and honesty as ahimsa and it came with Truth Force – the power of truth. He used love to conquer hate, but do you really follow this path?
4. If you follow this path as some academics have praised you, why did you say that “one thing that I never did as a politician is to be corrupt” since we all know what you did? Why do you have to lie to us and yourself? In “The Story of My Experiments with Truth” by Gandhi, he never lied to himself. Please consider this: do you and your protesters embrace truth and love for humans? Why is everyone who disagrees with you called “the slave of Taksinomy” or the “Red Buffalo”? I am often sad that when I hear speeches on your stage by educated people, the words they use are not that educated, and neither do they respect people. There are doctors who say foolish things (do vaginal repair for the prime minister) and a university lecturer who used rude words (fuck for the nation), for example. It hurt me that youths and other people have to hear these things, from those who call themselves educated or moral. It really hurt me too that your protesters prevented those who went to cast their vote at the pre-election.
I hope that you answer this letter. I am writing this with good intentions for you, and for mankind. Even though I disagree with you, I love you and I wish you well, but in a democratic and peaceful way. Everybody should be patient and respect each other.
With Love and Concern
Netiwit Chotepatpaisarn