The recent escalation of protest action by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has taken Thailand to the brink of civil breakdown. Swathed in King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s royal yellow, the protesters have forced the government of Samak Sundaravej to declare a state of emergency.
There is real fear that one wrong move could send the situation [...]
Thai crisis. Royal silence.
September 3rd, 2008 by Andrew Walker and Nicholas Farrelly · 52 Comments
Tags: Thailand
More extracted from Handley’s TKNS
September 3rd, 2008 by Nicholas Farrelly · Add a Comment
As something of an ongoing service to the New Mandala-reading audience I have selected another useful extract from Paul Handley’s The King Never Smiles: A Biography of Thailand’s Bhumibol Adulyadej. This one turns back the clock to a time when my parents were teenagers. The Beatles were huge, or so I hear. The Americans had yet to [...]
Tags: Thailand
Key editorial from the Financial Times
September 3rd, 2008 by Nicholas Farrelly · 1 Comment
The Financial Times has a useful editorial on the current political standoff in Bangkok. One of its bankable quotes is:
The Election Commission’s decision to recommend the Supreme Court disband the PPP [People Power Party] for election fraud could fuel suspicions that a Bangkok elite, including elements of the army, bureaucracy, court and palace officials, is conspiring [...]
Tags: Thailand