New Mandala

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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The former chairperson of the Constitution Court, Prasert Nasakul, has died of heart disease, aged 78 (Bangkok Post, July 11). He belonged to the minority judges who found then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra guilty of asset concealment. Since the verdict was 8:7 in his favor, Thaksin was allowed to stay on in office (probably correctly, from a legal [...]

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[This is the text of the talk given by Nick Nostitz last night at the launch of Red vs. Yellow held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand.]
Making a book is the most exciting and at the same time terrifying experience – you live for your subject matter for a very long time, and it [...]

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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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A New Mandala reader has urged us to feature this letter from the Bangkok Post.
Letter writer Mr Warner (”Isan and self-reliance”, Postbag, July 5), who has resided in a small northeast village for five months, cites health care as an enduring gift from Thaksin Shinawatra.  Forty years ago, when I first came to Thailand, one [...]

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In the wake of the April 2009 crushing of the Red Shirts, there was some speculation that Abhisit may be tempted to call an election sooner rather than later. I discussed this with a seasoned inside observer of Thai politics and he assured me that Abhisit would only call an election when he and his [...]

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…of reality TV or Thai politics then you will enjoy this latest report from Not The Nation.  Classic.

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The voters in Sakon Nakhon have overwhelmingly chosen to elect an MP who will sit on the opposition side of parliament. The by-election in Sakon Nakhon (3) was bought about when one of the sitting Pheua Thai members, Pongsak Boonsol, was disqualified for alleged electoral misconduct. The by-election, held yesterday, was a contest between Pongsak’s wife, Anurak [...]

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Over at Asia Sentinel political scientist and long-time Thailand watcher Kevin Hewison has an important summary article.  Readers new to Kevin’s work will find this 2007 interview has many details on his previous outputs and ongoing interests.

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The Irrawaddy’s May – June 2009 edition has a useful interview with Chulalongkorn University political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak.  It is well worth a look for those trying to get a handle on the current state-of-play in Thai politics.
I should also note that in same edition there is an interview with Quinton Quayle, the British Ambassador [...]

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