New Mandala

Cambodian provincial and military officials said they are recruiting militias along the border with Thailand to protect frontier villages if hostilities erupt again amid a territory dispute between the two countries…
- Extracted from “Cambodia recruiting militias on border with Thailand”, Xinhua, 23 October 2008.

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Political scientist Michael Connors has written an important, provocative and colourful article (published both on his blog and in the Bangkok Post) which takes aim at international commentary on the ongoing political crisis in Bangkok. I’m not sure if he had New Mandala in his sights, but the argument that opposition forces in Thailand should [...]

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I don’t care if Thaksin was corrupt. All politicians are corrupt.
- Gad Pokasang, a farmer from Buriram, quoted in Jocelyn Gecker, “Thaksin legacy taints Thai politics”, Associated Press, 21 October 2008.

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Resettlement of villages on the Nakai Plateau for the Nam Theun 2 project has prompted much debate in Laos and more widely.  Among other important issues, are questions about the “new” livelihoods the project envisaged for villagers and villagers’ perspectives on the changes they will experience. I was in Nakai very briefly this month and [...]

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As a political sociologist by training, I find it interesting to analyze the local discourse on democratization processes in different transitional societies in East and Southeast Asia. I have lived in Taiwan for almost ten years and during that time I have frequently visited Thailand, South Korea, Mongolia and Japan for research purposes.
In political science [...]

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A group of government supporters is planning to take up arms and stage running battles with the army on the streets of Bangkok if the military attempts to stage a coup against the Somchai Wongsawat administration.
- Extracted from Wassana Nanuam, “Red shirts, mobilised”, Bangkok Post, 19 October 2008.

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In late 2005 I made my first trip to Cambodia. Before my departure from Australia I’d bought myself a guidebook to the region. Instead of being stranded and needing to survive in an unfamiliar environment, the theory was that all I would have to do is turn to the guidebook of laziness for warmth and [...]

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It is now conventional wisdom to state that PAD protest leaders actually want violence in order to invite a coup against the government – I can see how this might logically flow from their actions, which is to say it is one possible outcome. It can also be deduced from some of Sondhi’s comments. But [...]

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A note-taking New Mandala reader has contributed a very interesting account of a recent seminar hosted by the Australian National University’s College of Asia and the Pacific.  This report provides an excellent overview of the event and its take home messages.
On Tuesday, 14 October, Paul Risley, the Asia Regional Communications Advisor and Spokesperson for the United Nations [...]

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It is hard to see this conflict being settled quickly.
- The final flourish in Jonathan Head’s “Modern conflict near ancient ruins”, BBC News, 15 October 2008.

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