Author’s Note

When novels are written about real places, and the names of presidents and Kings are mentioned, it is often unclear to the reader which is fact and which is fiction. So I thought I would qualify and clarify the differences so as not to cause any confusion.
First, Thailand is a Constitutional Monarchy, a form of government with a long history of political turmoil, converted from an Absolute Monarchy in 1932. (Fact) The King is only mentioned to give the story a sense of history and authenticity. The Royal Advisory Council, RAC, is real, and is composed of noblemen, family members, trusted advisors and politicians and used to illustrate the hierarchy of power. No real names are used in this story, with the exception of long deceased kings and Prime Ministers. All references to the King, RAC and any political party’s participation in this story are fiction.
Santiban, Special Branch of Police Power, is real. It is no secret that this coercive prebendalism form of police power operates throughout Thai society. Much has been written about this operation, and much can be surmised as to the level of oppression delivered to the people by such ruthlessness. There are plenty of scholarly books written about how this organization of thugs manipulates the people into submission. All names and references to Santiban agents are fiction.
Young Turks, is a real term created during the coup of 1932, and consist of younger military officers fighting in the field, who had come to appreciate the needs of the people. These were reformers, idealists, and for the sake of the story I have utilized this idealism in reverse, with the fictitious group referred to as the Five Young Turks who believe they are political reformers.
Mafia Ministry is a secret organization, another name for the Five Young Turks, and I have taken the liberty to utilize this term to create a de facto government within a government, which is fiction. It may be fact, but de facto ministries are secret, so no one really knows.
Lese Majeste Law is real. This law prohibits anyone, Thai or foreigner, to say, write, insinuate anything negative about the King, the royal family, Buddhism, or the military. There is currently a global campaign organized by Thai nationals forced into exile to disband this law. It violates the Freedom of Speech on every level. Those who have violated it in the past have been imprisoned. There are dozens of political prisoners sitting in jail right now because they have written something about the Monarch on a website, in a book, article, or on a blog, and over 18,000 websites have currently been shut down because of this. These are facts that are reminiscent of Communist China, and they continue to oppress the people today.
When a society is rendered to such tactics that they dare not mention the truth about their leaders, not even in close familial circles, for fear that a spy will report them to the authorities, something is drastically wrong. When a government proclaims to support democracy and publically proclaims to strive for transparency, and then imprisons its citizens for exercising the Freedom of Speech, transparency is merely a lie. This is the impetus of Thai Redemption; to expose this generational fear to the global community, and how Thai society is continually repressed by its autocratic dictatorship.
One’s imagination does not need to work very hard to perceive the hidden fears behind the power to be in Thailand. Oppression is the rule, Freedom of Speech is non-existent, and these are the simple facts. I simply asked myself the question “What if?” The passing of the baton of power is drawing near, and the global campaign for reform is in the works. This government has all of the ingredients for an economic and political meltdown in the not too distant future. The newspapers and blogs outside of Thailand document all the facts. The underground reformers have supplied the global communities more factual information than one could digest. The emails are flying about the globe. Change is eminent.
Thai Redemption is a fictitious story about a very real political crisis looming.