New Mandala

At one level Thailand’s conflict seems a relatively straightforward matter of class and privilege. On one side is a minority urban middle class that is frightened by the “tyranny of the majority” and that clings onto the established power of monarchy and army. On the other is a provincial and largely rural mass that has [...]

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I was reminded today of a blog post I was in the midst of writing for New Mandala by an article in the International Herald Tribune on orphanages
The article cautions those would be Brangelina’s against adoption of children from poor countries as a means to alleviating child poverty in the Third World.
It’s true that, sometimes, [...]

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One of the ironies of contemporary Thai politics is that a slim parliamentary mandate can confer more legitimacy than a strong parliamentary mandate. For some members of Thailand’s elite, weak politicians are a much more attractive prospect than strong ones. Strong governments are a threat and must be resisted. Weak governments have a right to govern.
Proven [...]

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From a New Mandala reader in Bangkok. The text reads: ประชาชนรู้ใครหนุนม็อบ!
“The people know who is backing the mob!”

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Thailand: The Cockroaches take over
Giles Ji Ungpakorn
Turn Left Thailand

The appointment of “Democrat” Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva as the new Thai Prime Minister is the final stage of the second coup against an elected government. After the deliberate chaos created by the PAD’s seizure of the airports, the courts stepped in to dissolve the hugely popular [...]

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But do not be put off, for without tourists the symbolic, heroic resistance of the Moustache Brothers would come to an end. They are comedians who dared to mock the regime. For this crime – for tyranny is terrified of laughter – two of them were imprisoned and set to work on chain gangs. Now [...]

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From Silkworm Books:
The Last Century of Lao Royalty: A Documentary History
Grant Evans
ISBN 978-974-9511-66-4
2009. 443pp, 21×28cm. 498 b/w photographs, 25 color photographs,
B1,850
Lao Royalty’s engagement in all the major events of the country in the last century forms a rich and complex narrative. But with the 1975 Communist revolution this history fell into oblivion and has all [...]

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A recent interview in the Phnom Penh Post with the Cambodian Minister of Women’s Affairs reveals the embattled position of anyone championing women’s rights and gender inequality in the country.
Are your male Cabinet colleagues interested in women’s affairs?
Should I lie to you? I would be lying if I said they are all interested. They are [...]

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Thailand will soon quiet down, the economy will once again boom and visitors will throng to its temples and beaches. And, with any luck, this king will be around for a good while longer to savor his victory.
- Extracted from W. Scott Thompson, “Bhumibol, Thailand’s remarkable king”, Los Angeles Times, 11 December 2008.

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On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me a coup against my arch enemy.
On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me a party dissolution and a coup against my arch enemy.
On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me a brand new constitution, a [...]

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