New Mandala

With the referendum scheduled for less than a month away, I thought it was probably a good time to post a link to the full text of the draft constitution.  The official 112-page draft is available here.  A translation of a previous version of the constitution (with 299 rather than 308 sections)  has also been prepared.  It [...]

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There are a large number of infrastructure and resource development projects being implemented in Laos. But does the country have a robust framework for social and environmental impact assessment? Some key issues of concern are raised in this message from Keith Barney.
Greetings New Mandala readers.
I would like to draw your attention to some very interesting sections in [...]

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Prominent human rights advocates have condemned the treatment of protestors in Bangkok.  The Asian Human Rights Commission has more details in a recent press release.  New Mandala readers who have yet to read Jaran Ditapichai’s letter to the Regional Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Bangkok will find the press release useful.  Last week, Jaran was arrested [...]

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Writing about politics in Southeast Asia – and particularly in Thailand – provides an outlet for all types of creative and colourful comparisions.  That’s just as well because anybody hoping to provoke their readers to sit up and pay attention often needs blunt and provocative imagery.  Today, I was struck by a long article in The International [...]

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Thailand’s electoral system may be struggling to keep up with its demographic transition. I recently received the following message from a friend in Bangkok.
This upcoming referendum is another important event of Thai politics. I have just registered my name at the Jatujak district, Bangkok, to have a right to cast my vote on the referendum [...]

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The 291st meeting of the Informal Northern Thai Group will be held in Chiang Mai on 14 August 2007.  The details are:Â
Tuesday, August 14th 2007
At the Alliance Fran̤aise РChiang Mai Р7:30 pm
“Sacrifice” – The Story of Child Prostitutes from Burma
A talk and film presentation by Laurie Maund and members of the Shan Women’s [...]

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This brief article from The Nation has already been posted by one of our regular commenters, but it deserves a more prominent billing:
A combined unit of 20 soldiers and 10 policemen Friday conducted a search on a home of a former Thai Rak Thai MP in Kamphaeng Phet and seized materials for the anticharter campaign. [...]

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Here is a press release (25 July 2007) from The United Front of Democracy against DictatorshipÂ
The events of the past few days leave me with great consternation. Firstly there was unprovoked aggression by the state, in the form of reckless baton wielding and tear gas showered upon what was an essentially peaceful protest against the unconstitutional [...]

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The Nation has announced the junta’s intention to establish a website www.truethailand.com to counter the dark forces of Lord Voldemort-Thaksin. A visit to www.truethailand.com throws up some intriguing information. This is a stroke of genius!
Sono anche vicini di casa, Valenza uno e Abbiategrasso l’altro, tanto che da quel momento si moltiplicano le occasioni per scambiarsi impressioni [...]

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Yesterday’s The Independent carried a combative article about Burma by John Bercow MP.  It drew its inspiration from a visit to the Thai-Burma border undertaken by a group of British parliamentarians.  Bercow argues:Â
The thugs and impostors who rule the roost practise some of the most egregious human rights abuses known to mankind. Rape as a [...]

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