New Mandala

New Mandala readers seeking to dip into some of the prolific output of British Burma-watcher Ashley South will find his new website rewards a visit. It is available here. The site includes a number of otherwise hard to track down pieces.

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On December 1 2008, I visited Government House and spent several hours exploring the PAD protest site. I went primarily because I was curious to see first hand the political slogans, graffiti and public art created by the PAD. I spent approximately three hours there, wandering around the site – both in the three-sided occupied [...]

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The suffiency message is spreading. Here is a report from the Vientiane Times (27 Jan 2009).
The agriculture-based, self-sufficient nature of the country’s economy will protect Laos from any major fallout from the global financial crisis, according to a senior economics lecturer at the National University of Laos. Vice Dean of the university’s Economics and Business [...]

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Speaking in Singapore, former Foreign Minister, diplomat, royal advisor and scholar, Tej Bunnag has said that the lese majeste laws cause Thailand a lot of problems. The Straits Times reports:
Dr Tej Bunnag … defended the need for legislation protecting the royal family, and noted that under the law, the police and courts had to act on [...]

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PHNOM PENH, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Cambodian police fired teargas and eight people were injured on Saturday during the forced eviction of 80 families from a Phnom Penh slum, rights activists and police said. At least two of the eight slum dwellers were seriously hurt in clashes with clean-up crews hired to tear down the [...]

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The Thai army’s harsh treatment of Burmese boat people raises important issues about human rights in Thailand.
Thailand’s human rights record has not been impressive, not only on the part of the military but also the government policy itself. At a broader level, the Thai government has not been a party to the Geneva Convention of [...]

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From The Nation:

The Thai Khadi Research Institute of Thammasat University Monday urged the government not to provide any cooperation to Cambodia over Preah Vihear temple management before the demarcation is completed. Srisak Wallipodom, president of the institute met Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, at the Government House to submit the demand. He also demanded the government [...]

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At http://www.cesd-thai.info you can now download newspaper articles as well as pictures related to ethnic groups in Southeast Asia. The website also contains references to academic articles, an e-museum as well as conference and workshops announcements.
This database is the result of a 4-year collaboration between the Center of Ethnic Studies and Development (CESD), a research group [...]

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The following opinion piece, which I authored, appeared in today’s Sydney Morning Herald.
Rights abuse? You wouldn’t read about it
Harry Nicolaides was herded, shackled, into a Bangkok holding cell on Monday. He was sentenced to three years in prison for the contents of a single paragraph. The Melbourne author’s crime was to write a short passage [...]

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There has been considerable international publicity about the role of Colonel Manas (or Manat) Kongpan in the action against the Rohingya refugees. Readers interested in his record may find the following extract from the Asian Human Rights Commission informative:
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is pleased to inform you that a court in Thailand has [...]

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