thailand

thailand

No obituary yet: Thai democracy and the 1932 revolution

A modest plaque has disappeared from the pavement at the Royal Plaza in Thailand. Arjun Subrahmanyan considers the wider significance of its removal The recent disappearance of a plaque commemorating the 1932 revolution in Siam shows the suspicion over popular sovereignty that still prevails in the country. The event, staged by a group of commoners […]

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Thailand’s military regime continues to tighten its grip

A return to democracy in Thailand is the hands of the masses It was on a normal workday on Tuesday 2 February at around 11 am at the studio of Peace TV—a Red Shirt-affiliated television station where the suppressed UDD (United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship) Red Shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan works as a host,

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Laos foots the bill for power-hungry Bangkok

Bangkok’s ever increasing electricity consumption is perpetuating injustice in Laos, writes DANNY MARKS. Seven months ago, in May, Bangkok’s latest shopping mall, Central Embassy, celebrated its opening with aplomb, attracting several thousand Bangkok celebrities to this glitzy affair. The 144 000 square-meter luxurious and futuristic-looking mall was described by Travel & Leisure magazine as a

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Understanding Thailand

The serious study of Thailand remains a marginal concern in Australia, writes NICHOLAS FARRELLY. On 22 May 2014, Thai society was shunted by yet another military coup. The country’s political order is now being reshaped by an ambitious cohort of army leaders seeking to finally stamp out the influence of deposed former prime minister Thaksin

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Thailand’s simmering security crisis gathers steam

A quiet but increasingly deadly struggle is taking place in Thailand’s deep south. JOHN BLAXLAND reports. Why has the security crisis in southern Thailand’s three southernmost insurgency-affected provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat proved to be so intractable and drawn out? And why have the Thai authorities struggled with finding a viable solution to the

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