Loyalty Demands Dissent: Autobiography of an Engaged Buddhist

By Sulak Sivaraksa

Book Overview

Sulak Sivaraksa of Thailand was nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize, and is one of Asia's leading Buddhist thinkers and social activists. These memoirs explore a life rooted in the Buddhist... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1888375108
• ISBN13: 9781888375107
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Parallax Press
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Sulak gives a very honest account of Thai politics

This is one of the best books by Sulak. It is not only exciting to learn about his narrow escape from the threat from the military dictatorship in 1991, but also interesting to learn about this man's fight for social justice and democracy both domestically and globally. Daring to criticise the revered monarchy, he is undoubtedly the most frank and outspoken among the Thai social critics. The foreword is given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Not Only A Buddhist, But A Humanist.

On 26 April 1995, the eminent Thai social critical and writer, Sulak Sivaraksa, wes declared innocent of charges of lese majeste and defaming the former military strongman, Suchinda Kraprayoon. The final decision by the court to hear this case was almost simultaneously followed by Sulak's nomination for the Bobel Peace Prize, inviting obnoxious but inevitable comparisons between Thailand and the military junta's suppression of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma (Myamar). This book is Sulak's autobiography as well as memories. From my viewpoint, nevertheless, this book deserves to be an important reference for those who explore the socio-political changes and democratisation in modern Thailand.Also recommended: David Streckfuss, ed.,1996. Modern Thai Monarchy and Cultural Politics - The Acquittal of Sulak Sivaraksa on the Charge of Lese Majeste in Siam 1995 and Its Consequences, Bangkok, Santi Pracha Dhamma Institute.