Chang Noi

Chang Noi (Little Elephant) is a columnist for one of Thailand's daily newspapers, and this book is a collection of his columns tracing some of Thailand's recent history. The sixty-four articles, of 3-4 pages in length, were an incredibly quick read and full of insights into Thai culture and political history. Chang Noi provides a scathing critique of some of the political blunderings and heavy handedness of past Thai governments. He covers local godfathers and corruption which provide an show more insight into Thai political parties. Most articles provide a behind the scenes look at Thai political life, and what amazes me most is the continuity of names during the past twenty plus or so years. Chavalit, Newin, Samak, Thaksin, Sondhi and a host of other political and military actors are traced along with their involvement in the building of the airport, censorship, bangkok politics, the drug war, and the war on NGOs. Chang Noi also covers the 2006 coup and challenges for democracy in Thailand. The only bias he displays is for the honest law abiding politician and both Thaksin and the PAD receive equal criticism. Another aspect of the book is how Thailand is changing and its adaptation to globalisation. The writer examines Thailand's changing mores and the government's attempts to define Thai culture. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in Thailand and Thai politics. I do think that familiarity with the names and major events of recent Thai history are a prerequisite to enjoying much of the book however. That said, since reading these collected articles, I have become an avid reader of Chang Noi's weekly column. show less