Democrats only participate in elections if they are fair
Opposition party Democrats will only participate in the upcoming elections if they are fair and candidates from parties other than [former governing party] Pheu Thai can campaign unhindered. Secretary-General Juti Krairiksh announced this position yesterday on the day the party celebrated its 68th anniversary.
Powerful car bomb explodes in Yala: 1 dead, 28 injured
Violence dominates the front page of Bangkok Post today. In Yala , the capital of the province of the same name in the South, a powerful car bomb exploded yesterday afternoon, followed by three smaller explosions. One man was killed and 28 people were injured, including two girls.
Thailand is facing its worst drought in eight years this year, particularly in the northern region. But there is also a bright spot: most water reservoirs in the North and Northeast contain enough water for irrigation and domestic use.
Outlook for rice exports is bleak
The prospects for the export of Thai rice to the Asean countries are not promising, because most neighboring countries opt for cheaper rice from Vietnam. Vietnam currently serves 70 percent of the market in Southeast Asia; the remaining part is for Thailand.
Red shirts are making a fist today
Today and for the next two days, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) is holding a major rally in Thawi Watthana in western Bangkok. As a protest against the anti-government movement and as a warning to the Constitutional Court and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
Mekong Volksraad must save endangered river
It is urgent that the people who depend on the Mekong for their livelihood join forces and take a stand against the attacks on the river. Because the water supply from the river, which flows through five countries, will be a source of conflict in the coming years.
Rating agency warns about Thailand's credit status
The Japanese rating agency Japan Credit Rating Agency is the first agency to downgrade Thailand's credit rating from 'stable' to 'negative'. JCR warns that the political unrest could cripple the economic recovery.
When Prime Minister Yingluck has to leave the field, there will be no neutral interim Prime Minister. Those who hope so can go to hell. Yingluck's duties are performed by one of the deputy prime ministers. Thus 'key Pheu Thai Party figures', writes Bangkok Post.
Tensions are rising, writes the Bangkok Post, now that the Constitutional Court has decided yesterday to consider a petition that in the worst case scenario will lead to the fall of the cabinet. It's all about a transfer and a case of favoritism.
WWII bomb explodes in scrap yard: 7 dead, 20 injured
Seven people were killed and twenty injured yesterday when a World War II bomb exploded at a scrap yard. The company was razed to the ground.
The curtain could fall on the Yingluck government today. The Constitutional Court is considering a petition calling for the transfer of Thawil Pliensri, secretary general of the National Security Council, to be unconstitutional.
Guard shot dead on way back from demonstration
A guard of the protest movement was killed and four demonstrators injured yesterday afternoon when demonstrators from two protest groups came under fire on their way back to their base.
Prime Minister Yingluck tries to buy time in rice case
Surprisingly, but it didn't last very long. Prime Minister Yingluck herself went to the National Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday to hand over her defense against the allegation of negligence.
Bangkok Post expects chaotic April month
Bangkok Post expects political pressure to rise to a breaking point next month. Two procedures threaten the position of Prime Minister Yingluck and her cabinet. In the worst case, they have to leave the field and a 'political vacuum' is created.
Protest movement repeats: First reforms, then elections
A grenade that missed its target, a skirmish between a pro- and anti-government group, firm language from action leader Suthep Thaugsuban and 30.000 (authorities) or hundreds of thousands (protest movement) demonstrators on the Royal Plaza. The first Saturday of two major rallies of the protest movement and the red shirts, respectively, passed without the violence some pessimists had predicted.
Yingluck hits back: I'm not being treated fairly
Prime Minister Yingluck believes she is being treated unfairly by the National Anti-Corruption Commission. On her Facebook page, she vehemently lashes out at the committee accusing her of dereliction of duty as chairman of the National Rice Policy Committee.
Opposition party Democrats faces a difficult choice at its annual meeting this weekend: boycott the elections again or run the risk of losing the support of the anti-government movement.