The Curse of the Blue Diamond
A post on New Mandala led me to the full Reuters piece by Andrew Marshall - a quite lengthy run-through of a complicated but revealing story. Here’s the opening:
‘The curse of the blue diamond has struck Thailand once again. The torturous two-decade saga of theft, deception, incompetence, corruption and murder burst back into the spotlight this month, doing renewed damage to Thailand’s economy, its relations with Middle Eastern countries, and prospects for reconciliation in its troubled mainly-Muslim southern provinces.’
There is also a very, very critical portrayal of the Thai police, and their penchant for getting tied up in criminal violence. For example:
‘What does the saga tell us about Thailand? Firstly, it illustrates the stunning extent of criminality within Thailand’s police. As The Economist pointed out in a 2008 article: ”In Thailand’s most sensational crimes, the prime suspects are often the police.” The country’s police have shown time and time again that they are far more inclined to commit crimes than to solve them. Many Thais have developed a weary acceptance of police behaviour and are rarely surprised even by the most blatant and lurid tales of corruption.’
Maybe I should also mention the crazy, unattributed photo included in the story. Or, have a look above.
