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Published on September 23, 2007

Indeed, this audience who used to listen to the BBC's impartial coverage and distinctive commentary on Thailand's political drama for many years might have mistaken the BBC as being part and parcel of Thailand's political crisis. Since the late 1970s up to the early 1990s, when the Kingdom journeyed through bouts of political turmoil, one particular foreign commentator sprang to mind: the BBC's Judy Stowe.

Judy Stowe churned out a series of radio commentaries on the tumultuous transitions in Thai politics through the BBC's World Service, and much of her analysis was transcribed and published in many Thai national papers.

General Prem Tinsulanonda, a prime minister at the time, was credited with effectively ending the communist insurgency with his "reconciliation policy" (order 66/23), but political confrontation continued, with a classic struggle between progressive forces and the pro-democracy movement on one side, and conservative elements and the military establishment on the other. Regionally, the war in Indochina came to an end and Thailand's neighbours were embarking on nation-building. The winds of change were blowing.

In Thailand, scheming Army generals were locked in a perpetual power struggle while General Prem was trying to steer the country away from the so-called "half-baked" democracy toward civilian rule. But ambitious and power-hungry generals vying for the top political job started to challenge Prem's authority.

One particular general, General Arthit Kamlangaek, who was the most powerful Army general at the time, made it clear he wanted the top job even if he had to take it by force. Again, Judy Stowe's radio commentary on General Arthit's ambitions put him under the spotlight and his credentials under sharp scrutiny. His manoeuvring failed to make an impact, and General Arthit faded into political oblivion after retiring from the Army. One Thai political columnist described Judy Stowe as "the lady who turned off the Sun" (arthit in Thai means the sun).

What made Judy Stowe's radio commentaries distinctive was the depth of her knowledge of Thai political history. She drew on her vast reservoir of knowledge of the country and its aspirations. In her analyses she put the topical situation into a historical context as against regional development.

Once based in Bangkok as a British diplomat, Judy fell in love with this country, and she learned to speak the language. She spent many years during the time she headed the BBC's Thai service doing academic research while raising her young son single-handedly.

In the end she managed to author a book titled "Siam becomes Thailand: A Story of Intrigue". The 394-page volume, an attempt to explain what happened in a kingdom formerly know as Siam from the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932 until the end of World War II, was published by the University of Hawaii Press in April 1991. The book draws on rare materials from the British Archive, the Thai National Library and the US Library of Congress. It is a "must read" for anyone who seriously wants to study Thai politics.

Born Judith Ann Stowe in October 1934, she served as a British diplomat in many countries in Europe and Asia, including Thailand. She travelled extensively in East Asia. With a young son, she later decided to leave the British Foreign Office and started a new career as a "talk writer" with the BBC's world service in London and later became head of the East Asia talk unit. She took over as head of the Thai service in 1986 and stayed on in the position until 1991 when she moved on to take over the Vietnamese service until her retirement. In recent years, Judy Stowe had been suffering from cancer. She passed away September 13 with her son, Michael, by her side. She was 73.

Somchai Suwanban

Somchai Suwanban is the former head of the BBC's Thai service.