New Mandala

[Apologies that there have been so few posts over the past week. Both Nicholas and I have been travelling.  The following message from the Thai Netizen Network was one of many that I found in my inbox.]
The case of Internet user, Mr.Suwicha Thakhor, who was arrested on January 14, 2009, has been detained in KlongPrem [...]

[Read more →]

Although [Thaksin Shinawatra] has repeatedly claimed his reverence for the King, he has yet to explain why he often invokes His Majesty in the political context. And he offers no shred of evidence to link the Privy Council to the political feud. He is also obligated to explain why he counts as his top lieutenants such convicts [...]

[Read more →]

I have been sent the following questions and comments by David, a regular New Mandala reader.  He raises interesting issues about the future of UDD and its support among sections of the Thai intelligentsia.
In his recent interview with New Mandala, Giles Ji Ungpakorn described what he viewed as the morphing of the UDD/red shirt movement away [...]

[Read more →]

It’s Friday and I’m sure everyone could do with a bit of a chuckle.  This little article should give us all moment to pause…and have a little laugh.  Of course, if you are offended by well-aimed satire (or by anything that could be construed as insulting the Thai monarchy) you should probably go here instead.  [...]

[Read more →]

Academics from four Thai universities are holding a discussion on the lese majeste law on 21-22 March  at Thammasart University. Details are available here. This is a rare event with several panels, some high profile speakers and various points of view represented. Hopefully it will encourage ongoing public discussion of the law. If anyone attends the event, or [...]

[Read more →]

Announcing … the blue-shirts.

[Read more →]

In today’s The Nation, Pornpimol Kanchanalak has an interesting set of reflections on student politics, Thai politics and academic politics.
She takes aim at what she perceives as a few personal agendas…and clearly doesn’t appreciate the analytical interventions of those she mocks as Western “scholars” (her inverted commas).  I guess she just happens to disagree with [...]

[Read more →]

Over the past seven months DKBA and SPDC patrols have repeatedly breached Thai sovereignty in their war against the Karen, Shan and Karenni rebels. They terrorise local Thais they suspect of harbouring sympathies. The SPDC’s latest offensives, which began in Karen State but have now pushed into Shan and Karenni States, are part of an [...]

[Read more →]

New Mandala readers who want to read the full text of Abhisit’s speech in Oxford will find it available from the official Government of Thailand website.
Thanks to the always on-the-ball Political Prisoners in Thailand for drawing it to my attention.

[Read more →]

It is a bit outside the realm usually covered by New Mandala but I thought this recent blog post by Ben Hillman, who works at the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the ANU, was worth drawing to our readers’ collective attention.  His reflections on media coverage and its impact on the cause of [...]

[Read more →]