Nick Nostitz
💔 Peter Klashorst
The truth?
I have been there, I surived and photographed how pro democracy protesters were shot and killed by the military right in front of me, in 2010. Vasan cheered the military for killing those protesers.
In 2014 I was assaulted and beaten up by a PDRC mob, a proto fascist group which Vasan suported in a leading role. I was hate campaigned by them, and survived an abduction attempt that had the aim to torture and kill me, as they did with many of people they declared their enemies, including some who were only at the wrong time at the wrong place.
Friends of mine were tortured by them, for hours.
On numerous occasions I saw and photographed Vasan at ultranationalist protest stages holding speeches.
Google my name, read my articles and look at my photos. Nothing is fake there.
Vasan your friend? I know Vasan since 25 years, and different than you, I speak Thai, and have lived in Thailand for 23 years, until my family and i were forced into exile. He will only be your friend as long as you are useful to him.

💔 Peter Klashorst
Nick Nostitz
I have been reading your stories. You are a brave man and I understand why you want to get involved in politics and tell the truth, but still I think it’s hard to be part of anything in a country that is not your country. Even if you speak and read the language we are outsiders. Thai politics are in my view very complex like all politics worldwide. What is motivating people to become leaders or vote for them I don’t know. You could say that politicians even if it’s Trump or maybe Hitler want to help the people. I mean the common people who have nothing, the poor. What I see with Vasan is that in his art and life he wants to help the downtrodden. He is a champion of the underdogs. Maybe both of you are motivated by the same ideals, but express it in a different way. You both want the truth and help others. You both are taking the risk of being crushed. I lived in Thailand for 17 years, but I don’t take sides, because to be honest I don’t understand anything of this country. I am still a tourist, an outsider and now I even feel like a tourist in the Netherlands. I try to understand why people do what they do , but I even don’t understand myself. Do you understand yourself? If you think about the Second World War was there much difference between a Nazi and a resistance fighter? I am from a German Dutch background. A fascist can be a very nice person and a resistance fighter a big asshole. Things are not black and white. I can only judge people by my own experiences with them and Vasan has always been a good friend and more or less my only Thai friend after 17 years in Thailand. In my opinion it’s a hermetic society. Maybe it’s different for speaking the language and having a Thai family like you. I don’t have a Thai girlfriend or Thai male friends. I am here, but not really. I watch it from a distance. Maybe there are no countries anymore. We live in the digital world. Facebook is a country.

Alann De Vuyst
Nick Nostitz
I do not understand this. I cannot get my head around your accusations. I have visited Vasan’s shows as early as 1993 in Bangkok. I never met him until last year in Bangkok. But I do remember that most of his art, his performances, were always mocking, taking the piss on the junta, the military, dicators, abusers of any sorts. So, how come that he is anti democratic and ultra nationalist, siding with the royals, too? Just asking.

Nick Nostitz
Alann De Vuyst
It’s very complicated, so i am trying now to be somewhat brief, and won’t go too deep into Thai culture, and why he and many other Thai artists have been siding with the ultra nationalists and has supported the Thai military.
Back in 2005 – 2006 protests against the controversial Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra started. Thaksin was most definately authoritarian, but was elected. These protests definately had legitimacy. However, very soon these protests were clandestinely supported by the traditional establishment and the military, as Thaksin’s popularity under especially the rural population in the North and the North East became a threat to them and the established order.
Vasan and many other artists entered in this strategc alliance with these traditional elites, as their opposition to Thaksin turned into completely unreasonable hatred. In addition, over time this group of artists got positions and wealth when they made their peace with the establishment, and came to completely dominate not just the Thai art scene, but also the very profitable foreign money stream for Thai artists. They came to represent “Thai art”, and were therefore a very useful tool for the Thai establishment to represent itself to foreign countries on the cultural field. There is of course more to that, but that would mean going into the nature of Thailand’s peer group oriented social order, and how Vasan’s elders and patrons, such as the recently deceased Kraisak Choonhavan late in life found is royalist leanings again, right back into his own family tradition.
So, Vasan and his artist friends entered willingly in a strategic alliance with the ultra nationalists and ultra conservatives, and worked for them.
Over the years things turned very violent. When many progressives turned away over time from that strategic alliance especially after the 2010 massacre against the Red Shirts by the military, Vasan and his artist friends became even more fanatical, and openly celebrated the killings, and called the Red Shirt protesters unneducated buffaloes. No more support for the downtrodden, I am afraid to say.
In 2014 they founded the so called “art lane” a very important part of the PDRC protests, which were clandestinely organized by the military to justify their 2014 coup. Horrible things happened during those protests. People were tortured, some of them to death, by PDRC guards. I was targetted by the PDRC because of my previous work on the conflict, and for six month did not know if I will survive or not.
These artists now claim that they did not support the 2014 military coup, and did not know anything about this.
This is a blatant lie.
All along these six months of PDRC protests on stage speeches regularly the military was called to step in a coup against the elected government. After the coup, these artists never positioned themselves against the military, but always defended the coup government when other artists protested against the coup.
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You see yourself how Vasan reacts when confronted – no different than his friends – he just calls me and Chris “a shit”. No debate, no discussion. The next step usually is, when called out, in order to dehumanize his critics, accuse us of “being paid by Thaksin”, and similar ridiculous and baseless accusations.
Vasan is a deeply corrupt fascist.
On the positive side – there are now increasingly Thai artists who do have deep democratic convictions, and do not play along with those rules anymore. I would suggest to turn towards them.
Here is some short reading material. Go from there.
https://obieg.u-jazdowski.pl/en/numery/azja/niechetna-awangarda-polityka-i-nbsp-sztuka-w-nbsp-tajlandii-1-
https://www.artforum.com/news/activists-criticize-gwangju-museum-for-exhibiting-anti-democratic-thai-artist-s-work-60476https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/arts-and-entertainment/1004685/art-attack

Alexander Schabracq
Beste 💔 Peter Klashorst
If you cannot see the difference between News and Fake News, that’s fine with me, but when you cannot see the difference between a WWII resistancefighter and a Nazi your argument becomes very weak. However to be a Mephisto is dangerous.You can paint Maxima as a whore with huge tits. Can be funny but why don’t you paint Queen Sirikit as a pornstar?? Andy Warhol did a nice series of queens. Go one step beyond and see who your real friends are.

💔 Peter Klashorst
Alexander Schabracq
Haha. I have been in prison for my art enough times. And even survived some attempts to kill me, but you are right I am a coward and too old and sick to go to jail. I don’t really have powerful friends. it’s easy to make fun of Máxima, but in the end of course the establishment hates you in Holland too. That’s the reason I am not in the museums, haha. Not that my work had not enough quality and I am just another aids and cancer artist, a loser and coward,  but I am scared to go to prison again to tell you the truth. It’s not a nice experience and people hate you so much, that they want to kill you. That is also the ultimate in art criticism. I am tired of being a rebel. I want to live a harmonious life. No confrontations anymore. I try to live in peace with all people and animals. Maybe I die soon. so I don’t want stress about useless politics. I want love and live and no hate and die!

Alexander Schabracq
💔 Peter Klashorst
OK, I understand. I’m also only sitting here on my italian mountain reading that Facebook shit. Have a good time as long as you can!!

💔 Peter Klashorst
Alexander Schabracq
Thanks. Italian mountain sounds good. Relaxing.

Jaap Holtzapffel
Last night I dreamed 💔 Peter starts working on “💩 Dirty Diarrhea,” part II.