Thai protest alliance not so happy with democracy

Friday, Aug. 29, 2008
By GRANT PECK
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Thai police fired tear gas at thousands of right-wing protesters besieging their headquarters Friday, while demonstrators outside the capital disrupted air and rail service in a growing campaign to unseat the prime minister.
Saying that Western-style democracy has allowed corruption to flourish, the protesters have said they [...]

Thailand Never-ending coup

Two years after a coup which forced Thaksin Shinawatra into exile, the same establishment forces are rattling the cage of the Thai prime minister, Samak Sundaravej – the man they accuse of being the media tycoon’s proxy. As a report this week by the International Crisis Group says, this is a struggle between two deep-seated [...]

FACTBOX: Thailand’s political crisis — what happens next?

Sun Aug 31, 2008 12:05am EDT
 
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thousands of protesters have been occupying Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej’s official compound since August 26, vowing to remain until he and his elected government fall.
Samak has repeatedly said he will not bow to the demands of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the protest group that [...]

Thai protesters ‘want new coup’

updated at 19:34 GMT, Tuesday, 26 August 2008 20:34 UK
In pictures: Thailand protest
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has accused protesters in Bangkok of trying to foment another coup.
“They want bloodshed in the country,” he told journalists.
In a day of stormy protests, supporters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) invaded government buildings and a state-run [...]

Thailand disputes Forbes report on king’s wealth

The Associated Press
Published: August 23, 2008
 
BANGKOK, Thailand: A Forbes magazine report that lists Thailand’s king as the world’s richest royal is “inaccurate and inconsistent” because it includes vast property holdings as part of his net worth, the Thai foreign ministry said.
Forbes placed Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Wednesday at the top of its list of [...]

The World’s Richest Royals

Special Report
Tatiana Serafin 08.20.08, 11:00 PM ET
 
Earlier this year, Nepal voted to eliminate its 240-year-old Hindu monarchy, and former king Gyanendra was forced to turn over his royal palace in Kathmandu, which has become a museum.
So far the 15 rulers on our list have held on to their riches, despite controversy ranging from tax evasion [...]

Bra factory bust-up as Thai stands up for sitting

Tue Aug 19, 2008 10:22am EDT
By Ed Cropley
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Nearly 1,000 bra makers protested outside the German embassy in Bangkok on Tuesday in a labor dispute stemming from the vexed issue of whether Thais have the right not to stand up in honor of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The workers chanted slogans accusing the bosses [...]

Run, Thaksin, run

Aug 14th 2008 | BANGKOKFrom The Economist print edition
Thailand’s deposed prime minister jumps bail. But political turmoil may persist
GIVEN the avalanche of corruption cases tumbling on Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Potjaman, it caused some surprise in Thailand when the Supreme Court let them leave the country to attend the opening of the Olympics in [...]

Thailand readies extradition bid for ex-PM

August 13, 2008 — Updated 1718 GMT
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) – The Thai government on Wednesday began preparing to request the extradition of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who returned to exile in Britain after missing a court appearance earlier this week.

Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, front, and his wife Pojaman.
The Supreme Court issued arrest [...]

Thailand’s lèse-majesté law: No disrespect

Aug 14th 2008 | BANGKOKFrom The Economist print edition
More royalist than the king
ONE of the shabbiest but most popular tricks in Thai politics is to accuse your critics of disloyalty to revered King Bhumibol. Anyone can file a police complaint of lèse-majesté on the king’s behalf and the penalty is up to 15 years in [...]