New Mandala

The Bhum Jai Thai party announced a movement against the million signature campaign of the Red Shirts. There was a buzz when it was announced that the Blue Shirts were to protest at Royal Plaza today (July 30). Was it the same guys as in Pattaya? Were there soldiers in Blue Shirts? PAD guards in [...]

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A message from Ji Ungpakorn:
Why is trade union bureaucrat David Cockroft of the International Transport Federation supporting the fascist PAD – who want to reduce the number of elected MPs in the Thai parliament to 30%, backed the army coup of 2006 and are extreme Monarchists? These are the guys who have used armed violence [...]

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How do I explain how gaping a hole Malaysian filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad’s sudden demise has left behind in the Malaysian heart, soul and consciousness? Where to even begin to explain the phenomenon and personality of her work and Yasmin?
Yasmin Ahmad, fondly known as Kak Min to young fans, passed away on 25 July 2009 after [...]

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Myanmar government figures for the latest financial year have been released and essentially it’s more of the same.
Gas sales to Thailand amounted to about US$2.38 billion, a slight drop on last year’s $2.53 billion, and continued to be by far the largest export earner. However, the volume exported dropped sharply from 516 billion cubic feet [...]

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“Ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra will award 6,000 scholarships in Thailand to celebrate his 60th birthday in what is seen as a direct challenge to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s popularity…”
- Extracted from “Thaksin marks birthday with scholarships”, The Nation, 22 July 2009.
“His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is granting 152 scholarships to secondary students from needy [...]

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July 26th was Thaksin’s big birthday party, celebrated all over Thailand. Here in Bangkok three main venues of the festivities were chosen – Wat Kaeow Fa, Wat Uthaitharam, and the big Chinese table dinner at Mangkorn Luang Restaurant.
I went at 9 am to Wat Kaeow Fa first. Thousands of Thaksin’s supporters gathered there. The event [...]

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When we launched the campaign to name Taronga Zoo’s baby elephant in honour of Thai political prisoner Suwicha Thakor we had no real expectation that the first elephant born on Australian soil would be named “Suwicha” (สุวิชา).
Our small hope was that our effort would raise awareness of Suwicha’s plight.  Suwicha Thakor’s incarceration is a black mark [...]

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42 years after the formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the regional grouping has recognised the importance of human rights. Or has it?
The 42nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting adopted the Terms of Reference for the ASEAN human rights body which will be named, the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights. Perspectives from both [...]

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From the Bangkok Post online:

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One Night in Bangkok
 Chris Coles
 �
Wednesday 5 August
7pm @ Forth Gallery
69A Pagoda Street
Singapore
The blinding neon and shady denizens of the Bangkok night are captured vividly in American painter Chris Coles’ watercolour renditions of the lurid and colourful world of the Thai capital’s notorious nightlife.
Heavily distorted lines and strong, clashing colors dominate in these paintings which [...]

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