Thailand's Struggle for Peace (Video)
This excellent documentary from Al Jazeera 101 East, titled 'Thailand's battle for peace' is definitely worth watching. 101 East wonders whether the new elections will bring peace, tranquility and stability or new political unrest?
2011 general election in Thailand
Thailand will go to the polls on Sunday 3 July 2011. On that day a new parliament will be elected. The battle between incumbent Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democratic Party and Yingluck Shinawatra of the Pheu Thai party seems to be settled in favor of the latter. The sister of deposed and exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is miles ahead in the polls. With this, Thaksin seems to be the smiling third. His sister forward…
Yellow Shirt Movement on the verge of death
The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD, yellow shirts) will probably be dissolved. The demonstration at Government House, which started two months ago, is attracting few supporters and important politicians are also staying away. According to an anonymous source, the two founding PAD leaders, Sondhi Limthongkul and Chamlong Srimuang, will announce the dissolution on April 6. PAD spokesperson Parnthep Pourpongpan, however, knows nothing about a possible cancellation. 'We will continue our political movement until the government bows to …
Un-Thai conditions during debate in parliament
This week the Thai House of Representatives is holding a so-called censure debate, a debate that the Dutch parliamentary company does not know. Opposition party Puea Thai is going to put the fire to the cabinet for four days, during which things will be un-Thai. In everyday life, Thais avoid criticizing so as not to make the other person lose face, but members of parliament are not aware of that shyness. Sometimes the President of the House even has to fight two ruffs …
Shooting is cheaper than buying votes
Suppose you have a political opponent and you want to defeat him in the elections. What are you doing? In Thailand there are two options: bribe voters or have your opponent killed. The first option costs 5 to 10 million baht, the second - depending on the difficulty - 100.000 to 300.000 baht. Since the attack on two local politicians on the same day in Prachin Buri and Nonthaburi and with the elections approaching, the police fear that…
Politically bad for Thailand's development
A number of recent surveys show that people are increasingly concerned about politics in Thailand. Especially since it hinders the development of Thailand. A major objection is the inconsistent implementation of political decisions due to the many changes of government over the past five years. According to Chatchai Boonyarat, vice president of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, it is a pity that Thailand cannot develop faster economically. This is mainly because government changes have a disruptive effect in…
Thais divided over new social policy of Abhisit (video)
he year 2010 was one to forget for the Thai government. The division in the country was reflected in protests and disturbances in Bangkok. After the drama in the capital, the government promised to close the gap between rich and poor.
Red shirts back in Bangkok (video)
In this video from Tony he shows footage of the Redshirt protest today in Bangkok. The red shirts want to show that they are not defeated and can still mobilize many supporters. Politically, Thailand still seems far from stable.
Redshirts back in action!
By Khun Peter After four months of relative calm, the Redshirts returned to action yesterday and today. The action consists of a two-day procession from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, the stronghold of the UDD (the political party of the Red Shirts). 2006 Coup Commemoration In Chiang Mai, a large event will be held at the Nakhon Chiang Mai Municipal Stadium to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the …
Redshirt protest in Chiang Mai (video)
After the lifting of the state of emergency in Chiang Mai, the Redshirts have once again taken to the streets to demonstrate. With this they want to emphasize that they are not defeated. Despite the fact that most of the Redshirt leaders are imprisoned, the supporters are still fighting. They are angry about the harsh intervention of the Thai government several months back in downtown Bangkok Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay, with a video report from Chiang Mai
Interview: Abhisit on elections (video)
Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva speaks to the Wall Street Journal about the upcoming election, criticism of his government and the possibility of an election defeat.
BBC documentary: Red Rage Thailand
A 20 minute BBC documentary. Asia Correspondent, Alastair Leithead is looking into the background to Thailand's political crisis and wondering what the next step will be? For two months, the center of Bangkok was dominated by the blockade by the UDD, the so-called 'Redshirts'. The protesters demanded democracy and the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit. The demonstrations were violently ended by the Thai army, which…
The question is: what now?
by Hans Bos Trains and buses are ready to take the protesting Red Shirts back home, but at the moment it does not look like they will give up Rajprasong and the surrounding area. maj. Khattiya is discharged from the army and stripped of his rank for insubordination, but he still happily inspects the barricades in Bangkok's business district. Minister Suthep has complied with the demand of the Red Shirts to…
by Hans Bos With the 'roadmap' that the incumbent Prime Minister Abhisit puts on the table, he has played his last trump card. He could not do much else, because with an army and a police force that do not want / dare to intervene, the future did not look bright for the prime minister. In addition, his party (Democrats) runs a good chance of being disbanded in the long term as a result of accepting money from …
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has had a tough week. The Redshirts demanded his departure and bloodstained his home. The prime minister refuses to respond to the protesters' demands. The large numbers of demonstrators show that Thailand is a divided country. In this video he gives text and explanation. .
What can't be said
On the website of 'The Economist' there is an interesting story about the political developments in Thailand. I understand that the print edition is banned in Thailand. Internet access from Thailand to the article may also have been blocked. Because we do not want Thailandblog.nl to gradually become a political blog, no comments are possible on this article. What is clear from the piece is that the political situation in Thailand is so complex and that…
Redshirt leaders demand dissolution of Thai parliament
UDD leader Veera Musikhapong made an official statement today at Fa Phan Bridge in Bangkok demanding that the current government of Abhisit Vejjajiva resign. The statement, read by UDD leader Veera Musikhapong, said that since the September 19, 2006 coup d'état that overthrew the Thaksin Shinawatra government, Thailand has been a dictatorship. We ask the government to relinquish its power and return it to the Thai people.