Anti-government group vows to topple government after fatal attack
Reuters Nov 20, 08 5:54 CST
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Thai protesters vowed to step up their campaign to oust the government after a grenade thrown into their camp killed one and injured 23 this morning, Reuters reports. The government—and a renegade major-general who vowed to attack the protesters with bombs and snakes dropped from planes—denied involvement. Unions supporting the protesters are discussing strikes, and tensions are expected to remain high in the capital Bangkok.
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Split thought to shelter couple's assets as UK boots Thaksin; may have fled to Dubai
Financial Times (UK) Nov 17, 08 6:07 CST
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Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand, has divorced his wife Potjaman—a fellow fugitive—after 32 years of marriage, reports the Financial Times . Thaksin is said to have left London for Dubai after the British government revoked their visas, citing their convictions on tax evasion and conflict of interest. Thai political analysts have speculated that the couple divorced for financial reasons, as most of their assets are in Potjaman's name.
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Mechanical 'clappers' become vital accessory for cheering at rallies
AFP Oct 23, 08 8:49 CDT
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Plastic hand-shaped clappers have become a must-have among Thais trying to bring down their government, AFP reports. Hands clapped raw by months of protesting need a break, and vendors outside the occupied Government House sell hundreds of clappers daily. The clappers—used to hound the prime minister out of a mall last month—have become a potent symbol of the movement.
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Zoo officials move sensitive animals away from noise and tear gas
BBC Oct 14, 08 3:53 CDT
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Violent clashes in Bangkok between police and protesters have produced two unlikely refugees—anteaters in the city's Dusit Zoo. Two 4-year-old anteaters who arrived from the US last year have been moved to another zoo where they won't be traumatized by the noise of rioting or tear gas, the BBC reports. Bangkok has been rocked by clashes for the last six weeks.
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Protesters barricade government inside parliament after police tear-gassing
Reuters Oct 7, 08 6:44 CDT
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Thailand's deputy PM has resigned after fierce clashes between anti-government protesters and police outside the country's parliament injured at least 100 people and killed one, Reuters reports. Police fired tear gas canisters into a crowd of 5,000 people protesting new prime minister Somchai Wongsawat's first policy speech, causing serious injuries. Two men had part of their legs blown off.
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Strip-club owner turned candidate irked by probing questions
Reuters Oct 2, 08 3:28 PM CDT
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A Thai politician, vexed by an interviewer’s questions, pummeled the man on live TV today, Reuters reports. Chuvit Kamolvisit, a strip-club magnate turned Bangkok gubernatorial contender, did not deny the charges. “What I did was a petty crime,” he said. “I am happy to pay the fine for elbowing him and kicking him.” Host Visarn Dilokwanich said the candidate “behaved like a thug.”
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ANALYSIS
Protests in Bangkok pit elite against fairly elected government
New York Times Sep 12, 08 6:30 CDT
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In Bangkok, the People's Alliance for Democracy has entered its third week of occupying the office of the Thai prime minister, who was booted from office on Tuesday by the country's supreme court. But as Seth Mydans of the New York Times observes, the PAD only looks like a "people's power" revolution. In fact, it's a counterrevolution—against a government that, good or bad, won power in a fair election by a huge majority.
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Samak forced to resign as protests continue in Bangkok
Associated Press Sep 9, 08 6:19 CDT
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Thailand's supreme court has ruled that the prime minister and his government must resign, declaring that his participation in a TV cooking show violated the constitution. The unanimous ruling comes as opponents of Samak Sundaravej continue to occupy Government House in Bangkok, reports the AP. While Samak may seek a new mandate, he might use the court's ruling to make a graceful exit from the political crisis that has gripped Thailand for months.
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MOVIE REVIEW
Cage-starring remake of Asian hit lacks the spice of the original
Rotten Tomatoes Sep 5, 08 10:37 CDT
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The Pang brothers' Hollywood rehash of their 1999 hit Bangkok Dangerous lacks spice despite the exotic locale, say critics. The "rough, Bangkok underworld-set story" has morphed into "a cleaner tourist's take on crime and corruption," Jordan Mintzer writes in Variety , with Nicolas Cage playing a more conventional hit man than the deaf-mute of the original.
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Army steps in after clashes kill protester, injure dozes
BBC Sep 2, 08 2:03 CDT
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A state of emergency has been declared in Bangkok after clashes between rival groups of protesters left one dead and dozens injured, the BBC reports. Pro- and-anti-government groups battled each other with sticks, clubs and pipes after administration supporters smashed through police lines near a complex occupied for a week by protesters. Witnesses reported hearing gunshots.
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Protesters mark 7th day of occupation of Thai PM's office
Reuters Sep 1, 08 5:03 CDT
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A small bomb went off outside a Bangkok police station as anti-government protesters continued their occupation of the Thai prime minister's office for a seventh day. Although nobody was injured in the blast, a senior government source told Reuters that the People's Alliance for Democracy "has launched a guerrilla war with us." The PAD denied responsibility for the explosion.
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Asian betting syndicate may have connections to Ghana team
Deutsche Welle (Germany) Aug 30, 08 3:57 PM CDT
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Asian betters may have fixed a World Cup game between Brazil and Ghana 2 years ago, a Canadian reporter says. His research links players on Ghana's team with a Bangkok betting ring that wanted Brazil to win that match—and it did.
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Police post eviction order on 4th day of protest occupation
Reuters Aug 29, 08 7:37 CDT
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Riot police clashed with protesters in Bangkok as demonstrations against the Thai government continued for a fourth day. Cops posted a court order evicting the People's Alliance for Democracy—a woolly coalition of monarchists, academics, and youth activists—from the lawn of the prime minister's office. Some protesters were detained, but police failed to oust some 4,000 demonstrators. Nine leaders have been charged with insurrection, a crime that carries the death penalty, reports Reuters.
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