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Thai politics Thailand

Abhisit and Democrats gathering at Rajaprasong today

2011 03 22 abhisit

As I mentioned earlier, Thai interim Prime Minister Abhisit and the Democrats plan to rally today at Rajaprasong intersection.

The Bangkok Post says the PM plans to unveil “new details” about last year’s violence:

At their campaign rally in the Ratchaprasong area today Democrats plan to release new details on who may have killed 92 people during the political unrest in April and May last year, say party executives.

Earlier, the Nation said the party is:

ready to face the consequences of its plan to rally at Ratchaprasong and express its views on the bloody military crackdown last year…

MCOT notes that Puea Thai says its red shirt supporters should steer clear of the gathering:

The Pheu Thai Party on Wednesday issued a statement asking its members and supporters to stay away from the Democrat Party rally at Ratchaprasong, citing concerns over possible disturbances by third parties.

I plan to attend the rally this evening and will be Tweeting (@newley) photos and observations.

More soon…

Categories
Thai politics

Channel News Asia on female candidates in Chiang Mai

Channel News Asia reports from Chiang Mai that:

Thailand’s fractious politics have largely been an all-male affair, but with more women contesting seats in the kingdom’s July 3 election, Thais are facing the prospect of a female prime minister for the first time in their history.

The TV report is embedded below, and can also be accessed by clicking the video on the right side of this page.

UPDATE: I encountered some technical difficulties with the embed code, so I have removed it.

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Thai politics Thailand

“What will the U.S. Reaction Be to Thailand’s Election?”

That’s the question Joshua Kurlantzick asks on the Council on Foreign Relations’ Asia Unbound blog. The post begins:

In the run up to Thailand’s national elections on July 3, most U.S. officials have said very little about the country and its poll…

And continues:

Unlike in 2006, the U.S. cannot this time even tacitly tolerate a coup, since the Thai military already has shown, in 2006 and 2007, that a coup will only set back the country’s economy and democratic progress badly…

And adds:

What’s more, the administration should be prepared to warn Puea Thai, as well, if it wins the election and immediately tries to use a mandate to launch its own cycle of recriminations against the judges, bureaucrats, and army officers it believes have made life tough for Thaksin supporters over the past five years…

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Thai politics

AP story on Yingluck

The AP says in a story today that “in the space of just a few weeks,” Yingluck “has catapulted to near rock star status on Thailand’s political stage, becoming the opposition’s main contender in the vote.”

The piece includes this snippet from the campaign trail in northeastern Thailand:

Holding the election was a key demand last year of the so-called Red Shirt protesters, tens of thousands of whom poured into Bangkok from the provinces and shut down parts of it by camping out downtown for two months.

One of them, civil servant Nutwara Autehaloek, said during one of Yingluck’s speeches in Trakarn Pheutphon that “if history repeats itself” — if the opposition legally wins but is prevented from governing — “we will return to Bangkok in greater numbers than before.”

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Thai politics Thailand

Democrats say they’ll rally at Rajaprasong on Thurs.

Today’s Bangkok Post reports that the Democrats plan to rally on Thurs. at Rajaprasong intersection, but have pledged not to block traffic.

According to Democrat candidate Ong-art Klampaibul:

…the main reason the party chose Ratchaprasong for the campaign rally was to remind voters that this was the location of the main stage for last year’s red shirt protest which damaged the country’s reputation so severely.

On Twitter, @terryfrd notes that Thai TV Channel 9 says:

There are rumours that some red shirts are planning on attending the Dems’ Ratchaprasong rally dressed as ghosts / Ch9

Stay tuned.

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Thai politics Thailand

A few images from today’s PAD protest in Bangkok

Red shirt “mobile rallies.” Remember those?

Well, today the yellow shirts, also known as the People Alliance for Democracy (PAD), took to the streets.

Here are a few cell phone snaps of what appeared to be the latter stages of a rally that began at the UNESCO Bangkok office and made its way down Sukhumvit Road.

I took these images in the Asoke area around mid-day.

As I tweeted, the demonstrators carried “Vote No” signs, encouraging people not to vote for anyone, since the yellows are unhappy with politicians — all of them.

There were also placards saying the Preah Vihear temple — that’s the UNESCO connection — had been “stolen by Cambodia.”

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Thai politics Thailand

Economist on Yingluck’s campaign

The Economist‘s Banyan columnist says that Yingluck is charming, her campaign is well-executed, and that the Democrats are in trouble:

In sum, the naturalness and easy manner that Thais appreciate in Ms Yingluck is authentic—but the fact that it comes over so well is the result of a lot of sweat and forethought. I have covered many campaigns now both in rich and in developing countries, and Ms Yingluck’s campaign is among the best choreographed and organised that I’ve seen. And, of course, it helps enormously that she is pretty (“hot” in Thai political-science jargon) and has a big smile—which is just the sort of thing that newspaper editors look for to brighten up their front page every morning.

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Thailand

Tweet of the day

2011 06 16 TAN tweet

Tweet of the day, from the Thai-ASEAN News Network (TAN). It says:

Cyber picture of monk planking on a stair railing has stirred up criticisms among Thai Internet users.

Yes, that would be planking. And no, I haven’t seen the image.

Categories
Misc.

NYT on status of Khmer Rouge tribunal

The New York Times has a story noting that:

As it prepares to open its most complex and significant case, a U.N.-backed Cambodian tribunal trying former Khmer Rouge leaders has been torn by conflict over what critics are calling interference by the Cambodian government and inaction by the United Nations.

Read the whole thing.

Categories
Thai politics Thailand

Thai army chief on upcoming election

2011 06 16 prayuth

Yesterday I tweeted about his comments, which appeared in a Bangkok Post story:

Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha has called on the electorate to turn out in force for the July 3 general election and vote “good people” into parliament to protect the monarchy and change the country for the better.

The WSJ says:

The gloves are off in Thailand’s hotly contested election, with army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha stepping into the ring to indirectly discourage voters from electing the younger sister of the man he helped oust in a military coup five years ago, Thaksin Shinawatra.

The story appears on page three of today’s print WSJ Asia, and includes a “Key Players in Thailand’s Election Drama” sidebar, which is also online here. The item features Prayuth, Thaksin, Yingluck, and Abhisit.

Meanwhile, the AP says:

Thailand’s powerful army chief, who helped oust former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has urged voters not to repeat the outcome of past elections in next month’s balloting — an apparent warning against supporting Thaksin’s allies

VOA also has a story.

(Image: Bangkok Post.)