Topic: Thailand

Has it really been a year?

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 08:11:21 +0000

Posts here at TopicThailand.com have been ~~few and far between~~ nonexistent since just before the May 19 army crackdown brought the protracted red shirt protests to an end. But the site lives on. And I have plans for future postings.

I recently updated the summary, timeline, who’s who, and resources pages. I’ll continue to add to the site as time allows. TopicThailand is very much a work in progress, and I welcome feedback. You can email me at newley AT gmail.com My goal for the site remains to provide context and explanation for what is a very complex situation.

In the meantime, thanks for reading. Next up: Thailand looks ahead to general elections on July 3. Stay tuned…

A note about updates

admin — Sun, 16 May 2010 05:44:10 +0000

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…

Government says it will cut off electricity, power at red shirts’ protest site

admin — Wed, 12 May 2010 11:27:58 +0000

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]

Red shirts continue to protest, but accept proposal for new elections

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 09:48:13 +0000

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]

Following the red shirt protests on Google Maps

admin — Mon, 03 May 2010 08:24:00 +0000

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.

Red shirt protest update: clashes with troops; hospital invasion

admin — Sat, 01 May 2010 11:05:46 +0000

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

admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 07:49:20 +0000

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

admin — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 15:07:27 +0000

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

admin — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:51:31 +0000

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

admin — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 03:37:26 +0000

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.