A note about updates
A quick note: There has been ongoing violence here in Bangkok over the past several days. I will continue to add background info on Thailand’s political crisis here at TopicThailand.com when I can.
In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter for real time updates or check out Newley.com.
Stay tuned…
Updates to TopicThailand today:
Added the following to the News Reports and Analysis section of the Resources page:
- News report: Bangkok Protesters Face Water and Power Cutoff [New York Times, May 12, 2010]
- News report: Thailand PM gives ‘final word’ to defiant red-shirts [BBC News, May 12, 2010]
Updates to TopicThailand today:
Added the following to the News Reports and Analysis section of the Resources page:
- Protesters remain entrenched in downtown Bangkok [AP, May 5, 2010.]
- The fuel behind Thailand red-shirt protesters’ fire [Christian Science Monitor, May 4, 2010]
- Thai leader offers vote in risky move [WSJ, May 5, 2010]
Here’s a Google Map of red shirt protest sites. The map (embedded below) also includes the locations of various clashes and blasts that have occurred here in Bangkok over the past weeks.
I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the points or the descriptions of the various incidents, but the map is helpful in gauging the scale of the space red shirts have occupied.
View Bangkok Dangerous – Red Shirts Rally March-April 2010 in a larger map
Source: Richard Barrow.
Updates to TopicThailand today:
Added the following to the News Reports and Analysis section of the Resources page:
- Video: Soldier dies as red shirts and Thai military clash [Al Jazeera English, April 28, 2010.]
- Thailand red-shirt protesters storm Bangkok hospital [BBC News, April 30, 2010]
- Head to head: Trying to avert another bloody showdown [Economist, April 29, 2010]
Map of red shirt protest zones
Above is a map of red shirt protest zones here in Bangkok. It appears to be accurate as of April 25.
The map shows the areas currently occupied by protesters, and includes details about roadblocks. It also shows the location of the state in the Rajaprasong intersection.
You can find a bigger version here, or by clicking on the image above.
Image source unknown; found via @farangone.
Map of Bangkok blasts
Updates to TopicThailand today:
Added the following to the News Reports and Analysis section of the Resources page:
- Thailand PM rejects protesters’ offer [BBC News, April 24, 2010.]
Includes this image of the red shirts’ protest zone and area where explosions occurred on April 22.
- Is Thailand headed for civil war? [Global Post, April 24, 2010]
Image source: BBC News
Explosions in Silom
Updates to TopicThailand today:
Added the following to the News Reports and Analysis section of the Resources page:
- Thai protest hit by grenade attacks [Al Jazeera English, April 22, 2010.] Embedded below:
- Blasts Bring Fear of More Thai Violence [New York Times, April 23, 2010]
- Explainer: What are the protests in Thailand about? [CNN.com, April 23, 2010].
- Q+A: Thailand’s escalating colour-coded crisis [Reuters, April 23, 2010, 2010.]
Added the following to the Wikipedia pages section of the Resources page
Added the following under a new section, Thailand Twitter lists, on the Resources page.
- http://twitter.com/newley/thailand — a growing collection, compiled by me, of 100 individuals and media organizations that tweet news and commentary on Thailand.
A look at Thai constitutions since 1932
The chart below shows how Thailand’s various constitutions have alternated between largely elected legislatures and absolute executives.
Many red shirt protesters say they want to eliminate the current constitution, which was put in place in 2006 by a military-led government following the bloodless coup that overthrew then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Critics say the current constitution should be replaced with the previously-adopted 1997 constitution.
Here’s a look at how those documents — and other constitutions in Thailand since 1932 — differ:
This chart has been added to the Wikipedia Pages section of the Resources page.
Source: “Constitutions of Thailand (1932-2006), by balance of power between legislature and executive,” by Patiwat Panurach. From the Wikipedia entry for Constitution of Thailand.
Return of the yellow shirts?
Updates to TopicThailand today:
Added the following to the News Reports and Analysis section of the Resources page:
- Thailand faces threat of yellow-shirt counter-protest [BBC, April 18, 2010.]
- Thailand Tourism Devastated by Political Unrest [TIME, April 18, 2010].
- Bangkok’s main shopping boulevard declared unsafe [AP, April 18, 2010.]
- Thailand mulls a ‘half coup’ [Asia Times Online, April 17, 2010]
Added the following to the Books About Thai Politics and Society page:
- Thailand Unhinged: Unraveling the Myth of Thai-Style Democracy [2010], by Federico Ferrara.