New Mandala

If you go the website of Thailand’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology there is a page where you can alert the authorities to the existence of any “inappropriate website”. 

The “types of complaint” to choose from  includes lèse majesté, obscenity, gambling, narcotics, etc.
Do any New Mandala readers have experience with the site?  Has anybody made [...]

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[A New Mandala reader has provided the following translation of “State within the state” by Jakrapob Penkair, Thai Red News Weekly Magazine, Year 1, Volume 16, 21 September 2009. The source for the translation is here.  Translator notes are added in square brackets. ]
State within the state
This concept does not appear in progressive political science literature or research. It [...]

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[Dr. Paul Chambers is currently the Senior Research Fellow at the Politics Institute, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.  His research interests are civil-military relations, democratization, and Southeast Asian politics. His articles have appeared in the Journal of East Asian Studies, Contemporary Southeast Asia, and the Asian Journal of Political Science, among others.]
The Thai armed forces have [...]

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“I am quite worried our country is going into ruin because people have done things their own way”
- Extracted from Bhumibol Adulyadej’s speech, quoted in “King calls for unity in polarized Thailand”, Reuters, 23 August 2009.  Some more details on the speech, and the campaign to “blacken” Privy Council Chairman Prem Tinsulanonda’s upcoming birthday, are [...]

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Some New Mandala readers may have missed the analysis of post-petition scenarios for Thailand by Reuters correspondent Martin Petty.  It is well worth a look.  Later today we will be posting an illustrated report on the Thaksin Shinawatra clemency petition by Bangkok-based photo-journalist Nick Nostitz.  It will also be worth digesting.

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From the Bangkok Post online:

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A stunning first-hand account from the streets of Bangkok. Incredible photos that shock, move, entertain and inform.  A superb contribution to the documentation and analysis of Thailand’s recent political history. And this is just the first volume!
Published by White Lotus Press
UPDATE: Book launch details are here.

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The Nation online provides two ways to love Thailand.

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New Mandala readers who prefer their coverage in the Thai language will appreciate this translation of a recent post.  That post highlights the ongoing plight of Daranee “Da Torpedo” Charnchoengsilpakul who is on trial for lese majeste.  Does anyone know what has happened since the court was closed last week?  How is she faring?

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The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) is deeply embroiled in the ongoing circus of lese majeste accusations.  Jonathan Head, the BBC correspondent in Bangkok and FCCT First Vice President, has long been singled out for attention.  But now we hear that the entire FCCT board has been accused of insulting the Thai monarchy.  The [...]

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