Bangkok: In a post on his official Facebook page on December 26, 2025, Pravit Rojanaphruk, a veteran Thai journalist, expressed his views regardless of nationalist outrage. His intention was to convey a sentiment of peace toward a neighboring country. The following is a translation of the veteran journalist’s words:
This is the state of Thai society when it is “drunk on war”!
When I was a child studying at a school in Bangkok, we were taught that the Burmese attacked Ayutthaya and even burned down Buddhist temples. Back then, I couldn’t imagine why they would do such a thing, and I often wondered: how was it possible, given that they were fellow Buddhists?
It was only later, when I learned about the incident where Thai soldiers demolished a massive statue of Vishnu built by Cambodia—with the Thai side claiming it was built encroaching on Thai territory—that I began to understand. Being “drunk on war” makes us lose our minds. Our society loses self-awareness and stops caring about how the world perceives us.
It is like a person who is dead drunk, stumbling around and talking nonsense (using various excuses to justify the destruction of that religious symbol). Because whether the statue is old or new, whether it has undergone a consecration ceremony or not, or whether it is officially registered, using heavy machinery to demolish it in such a manner inevitably hurts the feelings of the Indian people and those who revere Hinduism.
For example: If any country used a similar method to topple a large Buddha statue abroad and used the same excuses—that the statue was not yet consecrated, was not an antique, or was not registered—Thai Buddhists would undoubtedly explode with rage. The most important thing is the “symbol” that is being insulted. Even when Westerners put replica Buddha statues as decorations in pubs, some Thais are already furious, even though those statues are not antiques.
Just look at these images; you will see how extensively the Indian media has covered this news.
Note: I want to tell the Thai ultra-nationalists that you should also go and protest against the Singaporean media.
If you are so “talented” at making enemies with neighboring countries, go ahead and make one more. Stop caring about the world or the relations between states and foreign peoples. Yesterday, The Straits Times, a Singaporean state-owned newspaper, ran a headline stating that after checking Google Maps, the demolished statue was located 400 meters from the Thai-Cambodian border—but inside Cambodian territory. Go deal with Singapore to show them how “drunk on war” you are.
And don’t forget to go and attack Google Maps as well!
