First, some background information. Last April, BP already blogged on the ridiculous chart/mind-map developed by the military (and publicly endorsed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva) linking people in a conspiracy to overthrow the monarchy. An excerpt from that blog post is below: Matichon reports that yesterday, CRES and army spokesman Col.
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On May 20, 2011, Matichon Online had an article quoting from a Bhum Jai Thai meeting where Newin stated that internal polling showed that Puea Thai would win 210 seats, Democrats 160, and Bhum Jai* 70+ (??????????????????????? ??. ?????????????????? ????????????????????? ??????????????????????? 1 ?????? 210...
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If BP was a gambler, BP would put money down on there being a debate given the odds of there being a debate don’t seem that high. Despite some statements by members of Puea Thai, Yingluck has actually not ruled out a debate. The Democrats are likely to continually raise the issue of...
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The Bangkok Post : Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has changed his personal security team, replacing military commandos with police commandos , a PM’s office source said. Mr Abhisit’s security team has until now comprised soldiers from the 21st Infantry Regiment. They have been replaced by commandos from the Crime Suppression Division and the...
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The original is in Thai here . BP has excerpted the first part of The Nation ‘s translation which is headlined “Yingluck may not be my PM’s choice: Thaksin”: Following are excerpts from his interview given to Matichon: Yingluck is Pheu Thai’s No-1 party-list candidate. So, you have decided to make her the...
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From the ThaiElection11 twitter feed . The context of the photo is Rak Thailand Party leader Chuwit Kamolvisit (on left), meets Democrat party-list candidate Isara Suntornwat (right)at Siam Square: BP : The look on Isra’s face…..
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UPDATE : The chart in Q4 appeared in “preview” when wrote the post, but for some reason was not appearing in the “post”. It seems to be ok now… On Sunday, Suan Dusit released a poll that surveyed 3,584 voters nationwide. The survey was conducted between May 19-22, 2011. An html version of...
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ABC Australia has a short interview with former Thai PM Anand Panyarachun. Key excerpts: LAM: You were prime minister twice in Thailand. The parties that are linked to Thaksin are still in the political landscape. What should Thailand do about Thaksin Shinawatra, he’s still very much a polarising figure
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Today, is the one year anniversary of the crackdown and there are a number of stories. The death of one nurse though is prominently featured. AP : Cradling a framed portrait of her slain daughter, Payao Akkhahad approached a soldier outside a barracks in this vast Asian metropolis and delivered a letter asking...
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Jakarta Globe founding editor A. Lin Neumann in an op-ed for the Jakarta Globe entitled “Thailand’s Elections Won’t Solve Crisis”. Key excerpts: But ask nearly anyone in Thailand if they expect the elections to go well and the scenarios that come back are almost universally bad. “Things in Thailand are such a mess...
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VOA seems hopeful with the headline “Thai Election Season Brings New Push to Address Violence in South”. Key excerpts: But with elections scheduled for July 3rd, both the governing Democrat Party and opposition Puea Thai Party hope to lure voter support in the region. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Democrat Party leader, last...
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BP has already blogged on whether extra-electoral forces will intervene in Thailand’s democracy again, another post on the Thai military’s role on “persuading” the coalition partners to back the Democrats in 2008, and then a few months back BP blogged on a quote by Pairoj Suwannachawee, who was then the core leader of the...
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BP has already blogged about the E-san poll which surveyed 2,354 people in all 20 provinces in the Northeast showing that for those who have decided who to cast their party vote for it is Puea Thai 63.9%, Democrats, 20.7%, Bhum Jai Thai, 9.1%, and Chart Pattana Puea Paendin, 5.3%. However, the poll also had the breakdowns...
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TAN Network have translated a Kom Chad Leuk editorial. Key excerpt: Bangkok residents and the middle-class population in the urban areas should be worried by recent public opinion poll results. According to these polls, it is likely the Pheu Thai Party, led by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who boasts the “Thaksin Thinks,...
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AFP : Thailand and Cambodia agreed in February to accept Indonesian military observers on the border but the initiative remains on ice due to Thai demands that Cambodia first pull troops out of the temple. “An agreement had been agreed upon, (Thailand) should adhere to it, I wouldn’t want to say lacking in...
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If anyone doubted the sense of dislike from the ASTV Manager Daily /PAD crowd towards Abhisit then one can just look at this headline from a May 6, 2011 article that ran on the frontpage of ASTV Manager Daily . The headline is “??????”?????”???????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????”. You can loosely translate this as “Mark ...
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Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva stated to Reuters yesterday that the “election should be on the third of July” and this will be confirmed in the next few days as it is expected by Tuesday, May 10 that Abhisit will dissolve parliament. Hence, as we move into the election period polls become even more...
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UPDATE : A tweet from the official Thai government twitter account “Will submit dissolution decree for royal approval this afternoon before leaving for the ASEAN Summit in Indonesia, says PM Abhisit”. BP : So it seems in line with the May 10 dissolution… - Suthep has previously suggested there will be a slight...
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Via e-mail from a new report from Human Rights Watch which criticizes both sides: (Bangkok, May 3, 2011) – No government official has been charged with a crime related to the political violence that wracked Thailand in April and May 2010, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. The government...
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Voranai in an op-ed in the Bangkok Post wrote: Back to the present day. Cambodia will have a general election in six months. According to experts, it’s usually about this time that Premier Hun Sen tries to drum up nationalistic sentiments. Heaven forbid that Hun Sen make noises about border problems with Vietnam....
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A tentative ceasefire was agreed upon yesterday, but it has lasted less than a day with new clashes over night. The Nation Channel tweets that the Thai 2nd Army Region Commander discloses that there were continued clashes at the border near the Ta Krabey and Ta Moan temples with one Thai solider dying...
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AP : Thai and Cambodian military commanders agreed to a cease-fire Thursday after seven days of artillery duels killed 15 people, Cambodia said. Thailand did not immediately confirm it, but the contested border was quiet most of the day. Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said regional commanders from both Southeast Asian nations reached...
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The Thai and Cambodian defence ministers were meant to meet in Phnom Penh, but the Thai cancelled at the last minute, as blogged about here . It is not just AFP that had Col. Sansern’s statement, you also have Reuters : A meeting between Thai and Cambodian defence ministers expected on Wednesday was...
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Last week, Thai Finance Minister Korn tweeted : Thaksin said DP copied PT’s policies – that’s up 2 voters 2 decide. Fact: DP has worked 4 ppl 4 2 yrs, PT only instigates fear & violence. BP : And this is from Korn, and not the likes of Thepthai (Abhisit’s personal spokesman) or...
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BP wishes that the headline was an exaggeration, but that is the reason offered up. First, the brief background to the talks from the Bangkok Post : Thailand and Cambodia could soon enter into ceasefire talks after five days of heavy exchanges of fire which has claimed the lives of at least 13...
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Time : “ In any country where the army seeks a prominent role in politics, it needs a security dispute to command attention and influence ,” says John Ciorciari, an assistant professor at University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. The Thai military is strongly wedded to the border dispute...
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WSJ in an opinion piece on the latest Thai-Cambodian border clashes which has killed 12 people . Key excerpt: The world may never know which side started the latest clash, since Thailand continues to resist allowing international observers to monitor the area. And both countries deserve some blame for stirring the pot at...
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The Nation : Meanwhile, the coalition Bhum Jai Thai Party yesterday produced a document from the Royal Household Bureau to reject an allegation that the party had His Majesty the King’s pictures published without permission . House Speaker Chai Chidchob, who is a senior Bhum Jai Thai figure, showed reporters a letter dated...
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Voranai Vanijaka in an op-ed in the Bangkok Post . Key excerpts: If one uses lese majeste as a tool for political gain, is that not the same as using the royal family to further one’s personal interests ? Could this then be considered defamatory and insulting to the royal family? Threatening to...
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The Bangkok Post: Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday called for a large voter turnout in the coming general election. He said whether or not the elections would lead to changes for the better depends on the number of people who vote. There would be no, or only a few, changes if...
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