No replies to this topic

[Hedda]

Well, there's less than a week left until the referendum on the junta's new Constitution and no one has yet produced a final copy in English. You might so: so what. This is Thailand where everyone speaks Thai.

According to the Bangkok Post, however, of the 19 million copies of the new constitution printed, not a single copy is printed in the Malay language, which just so happens to be the native dialect of millions of southern Thais, most of whom are muslims. For lots of folks, especially those over 50, it's the only language they speak or read.

I realize, of course, that the authorities are in a hurry to get this lengthy legal document approved, given it's been scheduled for a referendum vote less than 30 days since the official Thai copies were mailed to many voters. Compare that timing to places like Switzerland and California, where ballot initiatives are required to be published months in advance of elections to ensure time for public opinion to form.

It's entirely possible, of course, that no one intends to ever translate this document into Malay, which is not recognized as an official language here. The folks in Bangkok might think about that situation the next time they wonder why so many people living in the south feel estranged from the political process.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/14Aug2007_news07.php