CM: Looking back on your long, distinguished career"including stints as commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army as well as prime minister of Thailand and your current post as president of the Privy Council"what in particular stands out in your memory as the most meaningful or significant episode?
General Prem: I am very happy, very proud to be a cadet to get commissioned and serve the army I always said that your [ones] life duty is to repay your motherland. So thats what I am so proud to be in the army. It is the most appropriate career to repay your motherland.
CM: What do you mean when you say repay the motherland?
General Prem: [If] You [are] born Thai, you have to protect your country. You have to tell the people to love the country and protect the country as best as you can. Being a soldier allows you to directly serve your country. [As] The Americans and Europeans [have] said: An old soldier never dies. General [Douglas] MacArthur considered that once you are in the armed forces you will be [in the army] all your life until you die"your body, your heart, your mind and your soul must be for the country, for the army.
CM: Any particular milestones in your career that stand out?
General Prem: Back in 1969, we had a very difficult problem in the northeastern part of the country with the communist terrorists [that] occupied there. In 1974, I was the commanding general, second army area in the northeastern part of the country. There I took about three years to talk to those people who misunderstood about what were the problems between them and the government. We took three or four years to talk to them to let them know that you are not communist terrorists but you hate the government because it treated you badly"wrongly. And after three years we stopped fighting"stopped using guns and bullets and started to talk and then we bring back peace to that part of the country. That is my great memorable episode.
It was not easy to talk to them. But we had ways and means.
So after that I became the prime minister in 1980. I became the commander-in-chief, Royal Thai Army in 1978 and I used these techniques and applied them to the whole country. And we stopped that crisis, or at least we lessened the crisis.
This [time in the army] was one of my most memorable moments, one of my proudest achievements"[it wasnt] to be the prime minister. No, I was not happy with the premiership at all. I just got to be prime minister by necessity. To differentiate between the premiership and the second army commander is so clear.
CM: What aspects of being a prime minister did you not like?
General Prem: I didnt say like, I said like to be. But I had to [take the position]. It was not my aim. I was not born to be prime minister, [but was] born to be in the army. But they wanted me to lead so I had to lead.
To me, being prime minister is not a wrong thing or a bad thing. To serve the country is good. But it is not my career.
CM: Looking at the newspapers these days, there is a lot of bad news coming out of Thailand. Some people say the country could be moving toward becoming a failed state. Specifically, there are the problems in the restive south, the political uncertainty that hangs over the country in the wake of the failed April 2 elections, and a host of social problems facing the country. When you look at the newspaper how do you feel about the current situation? Is Thailand losing its way?
General Prem: Please dont ask me about politics. I am not allowed by law to speak about that. But to speak about my country in terms of security is okay.
You [indicates to this reporter] as a foreigner who knows not very much about the situation in this country, what happened before, even the history of the country, may see what happens [here in Thailand] differently.
We [Thais] do not consider that what is happening in the country to be very serious. No. It happens once in a while, politicians might oppose each other one party doesnt like the other party. Things like that. But that [politics] is not my job. Security and sovereignty"that is mine [my job].
We dont worry about anything at all"[or] as you put it [the] uncertainty. There is some small point of uncertainty but not as big as you mean. But we can cope with that uncertainty for sure. We love the country. The Thai people love their country, so we can sit and talk about what is bad and what is good [for the country].
If you mean about the south of Thailand, then that is a different story. It might take hours to talk about the south. Lets not talk about that.
CM: How do you think the issue could be resolved in the south?
General Prem: I dont know. I do have my own [ideas] but it is not right for me to talk about that.
CM: What about social and economic issues. How can the people of Thailand find their place in the global economy?
General Prem: I dont know much about economy. Have you heard about the kings philosophy? You should write something about it. The king has initiated this for the last 20 years. The Thai people should follow this philosophy which is the most effective philosophy for the Thai people. You might not get what it is but if you study it you may learn something. The poor and developing countries like my country [Thailand] should follow the kings philosophy and way of life. If you dont know about this philosophy a lot of books have been issued [on the topic] these days.
CM: How much has this philosophy been adapted? Is it working in practice?
General Prem: It is practiced, the kings system. The Board of Economic and Social Development, the board which governs the social and economic policy of the country, right now they [are implementing their ninth five year plan] they adapted [this] to be the country's policy. So the kings philosophy has been adopted.
CM: Is the kings philosophy of self-sufficiency compatible with globalization?
General Prem: Globalization is something we like and dislike. Globalization is not bad at all―it is good―so to speak. But you know you have to be prudent to [preserve] ways of life, social and economic [ways] and [that it] is well adapted to this country. Not just take it all. You have to reconsider. Globalization is not bad, but it is not good for particular countries at all. We have to study, learn and consider very carefully how to use those globalization systems.
CM: Has Thailand managed to take the right parts of globalization?
General Prem: Yes in terms of economy it [globalization] is very attractive, good to study. But in terms of culture, tradition, and other things, I dont think it is good for my country [Thailand]. The way you [indicates this reporter] eat and the way I eat would be different. The way you spend your life and the way I spend my life is different. The way you talk about how you make your life as a good person [is different]. You are Christian and we are Buddhist. So it is not the same.
CM: But dont we share universal values such as democracy and human rights?
General Prem: Yes, we share common values. But as I said we have to be prudent and careful to catch up with globalization.
CM: Do you think democracy is one of our shared common goals?
General Prem: Democracy? Yes. [But] you have your constitution, and we have our constitution. The constitution you have is different from my constitution.
CM: So you see a Thai-style democracy?
General Prem: I should say so―we should do it in the way we think is most useful to our nation.
CM: How would a Thai-style democracy be different from a Western-style democracy?
General Prem: We are a kingdom. You are not. So you have to think some minor different ways to run your country. Normal [Thai] people love the king very much, you know that. If you saw what happened on June 9 [60th anniversary celebrations of King Bhumibols reign], you can tell how much we love the monarch. Thats something thats different between your [country] and mine.
CM: Can I ask you about your comments over the summer regarding the military and the role of the military in Thailand? Some observers were surprised by your comments when you spoke to the cadets.
General Prem: In this country we consider that we belong to the king. The armed forces [belong to the king]. Thats what we take oath [on] and have to profess―that we have to belong to the king. So that makes it easier to understand.
Do you know horse racing? In horse racing they have the stable and the owner of the stable owns the horse. The jockey comes and rides the horse during the race, but the jockey does not own the horse. Its very easy [to comprehend].
CM: What makes a good jockey?
General Prem: Ethics and moral standards. A good government can make a good jockey.
CM: Do you think this type of jockey"leader"exists in Thailand?
General Prem: Yes, of course.
CM: Ten years from now, in 2016, where you do you see Thailand as a country? What sort of vision do you have for this country in 10 years?
General Prem: My country is about 800 years old, and we run the country as a kingdom. We will never be a republic or be without the king. So that is the trick―the only thing that induces the people together. So as long as we have the king, the monarchy"this very, very good king we have right now, we will go ahead"either slowly or rapidly"but we will be united. So if you have a united country and the people united you have few problems to undo.
So [in terms of the] political, economic and social, it is because we have the king as our leader, in those areas we dont think we have any problem at all. Well, I mean not a big one, not a big problem. If minor problem, okay, everyone has it. So we dont worry about that, we dont worry about how to bring the country ahead.
What we have to do is to bring the country to the modernized country as rapidly as we can. So I dont think we have any problem at all―[at least no] big ones.
CM: On the issue of the book The King Never Smiles, by Paul Handley, isnt the type of discussion that the book can promote"namely open debate on the role of the monarchy"good for Thailand?
General Prem: I dont like it. The nation doesnt like it. Its a hearsay book and is not based on the fact. We are worried [about] the foreigners who read it. My suggestion is"please ignore that book. Its useless.
