There could be more complications ahead for travelers flying through Bangkok.
Runway repairs at the Thai capital’s overcrowded Suvarnabhumi international airport have caused delays in recent weeks, with a power failure that temporarily affected the facility’s air traffic control system – causing further holdups – the most recent concern.
Now, in a bid to ease congestion at the six-year-old facility, the Thai government is urging some budget airlines and other carriers to shift their operations away from Suvarnabhumi to Bangkok’s old international gateway, Don Mueang airport – the same airport that was shut down by massive floods late last year.
Here are a few recent Thailand-related stories I wanted to point out:
Embedded above and online here is a recent Al Jazeera story on the anniversary of Yingluck’s election — and what the future might hold in store for her.
With the help of her photogenic looks, disarming personality and popular appeal, Thailand’s first female prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, has helped maintain a fragile peace since being swept to power in a divided country one year ago.
The political neophyte, who leapt from running a boardroom to governing the country in less than three months, has surprised critics and reassured investors by rebounding from devastating floods and building ties with the top brass of a military entrenched in Thailand’s rough-and-tumble politics.
But the honeymoon might not last much longer and the reason for that lies with her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former premier whose political machine catapulted her to power.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg has a story today on the Constitution Court hearings:
Thailand’s Constitutional Court opens hearings today to determine if allies of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra can rewrite a charter ratified after the army ousted him in 2006, raising the possibility of street protests.
The court last month ordered Parliament to halt consideration of an amendment that would establish a body to rewrite the constitution until it decides whether the process complies with the current charter. The ruling may undermine plans by the party of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin’s sister, to change the document to increase the power of elected politicians over appointed judges and bureaucrats.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra faces the possibility her party could be dissolved, just one year after her landslide election victory.
The Constitutional Court is scheduled to hear arguments Thursday on whether the methods used by her Puea Thai (For Thais) party in attempting to amend the constitution—written after the military overthrew Ms. Yingluck’s elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra in a 2006 coup—are illegal.
And finally, for more nitty gritty on the case, see this Bangkok Poststory today:
Fifteen people will take the stand when the Constitution Court holds its two-day inquiry beginning today into the legality of the government-sponsored charter amendment bid.
The charter court has finalised the lists of people who will appear in court _ seven from the complainants and eight from the defence, said Constitution Court spokesman Somrit Chaiwong yesterday.
File under: The centrality of sanook (สนุก), or fun, in Thai culture.
I saw this motorcycle taxi driver’s helmet yesterday and simply had to snap a pic.
The guy had quite a menagerie of figures hitching a ride on top of the old brain bucket, from aliens to crocodiles to what looks like a kung fu-practicing lion.
The U.S.’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, says it has cancelled its plan to use Thailand’s Vietnam War-era U-Tapao airbase for an atmospheric research study because Thailand’s government has put off granting its approval.
For reference, my earlier story on U-Tapao is here.
Thailand’s “red shirts” turned out in force on Sunday to warn the judiciary they will not stand by if a plan to amend the constitution is rejected, a rewrite critics say is aimed at allowing exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra to come home.
And:
According to police estimates, 35,000 red shirts had gathered at Democracy Monument in central Bangkok by late afternoon, many from Thaksin strongholds in the north and northeast, meeting in a festive atmosphere under light police presence.
And:
The red shirts chose June 24 for their latest gathering as it marks the anniversary of a revolution that brought an end to absolute monarchy in 1932.
Plans for the U.S. government to expand its use of a Thai military airbase have created a stir in Thailand, with domestic politics likely playing a significant role in the controversy, according to a Thailand security expert.
@Anasuya found this notable sticker today at a Red Shirt event here in Bangkok.
Yes, it refers to lèse-majesté — Article 112 of the Thai criminal code — and is modeled on…the PizzaCompany logo.
Pizza Company restaurants are popular and widespread here in Thailand, and their advertisements often include a jingle with the number you dial for delivery: 1112.
Hence, the play on 112 and the (likely unintentionally misspelled) reference to “fast derivery.”
For all the bickering among Thai political parties, they agree on one thing: Now isn’t the time to amend a law last changed in 1976 that has been used to shield the royal family from criticism.
Runway repairs at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi international airport are causing flight delays, and a global airline association says carriers and passengers could be significantly affected in the weeks ahead.
