Asian Correspondent: Bangkok Pundit

Christmas/New Year blogging

128 — Wednesday December 23, 2009, 06:30:10pm +08:00

Light posting for the next week or so.* Happy holidays. *The last time that BP said this was during Songkran and well we had the red shirts going wild so the "light posting" is conditional on nothng happening politically....

Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones

128 — Wednesday December 23, 2009, 09:30:00am +08:00

The Nation in an editorial entitled "Cambodia's deportation of Uighurs is blatant hypocrisy". Key excerpt: After refusing to extradite a wanted fugitive...

Agreeing with Kavi

128 — Tuesday December 22, 2009, 07:10:06pm +08:00

Kavi in The Nation: It was interesting to read several editorials and vernacular columnists in the past two weeks criticising the government's handling of the arms seizure at Don Mueang Airport on December 11. They thought the impounding of illegal cargo was another scheme by the Abhisit government to gain praise from foreign countries, espe...

BU Poll : Govt. given 3.87

128 — Tuesday December 22, 2009, 04:00:00pm +08:00

Bangkok University has a new poll (Thai version here and Bangkok Post story here). Have adapted from the Bangkok University version although have made some changes for style, format, and content to reflect what the poll states.Sur...

Autonomy on the agenda for the Deep South

128 — Tuesday December 22, 2009, 11:00:00am +08:00

Have already blogged about the idea of autonomy for the Deep South when Chavalit raised the issue here, the idea of a referendum here...

Pinko liberal commie Thaksin

128 — Tuesday December 22, 2009, 06:00:00am +08:00

As we know Thaksin ruined the country through his populist policies (while still often balancing the budget) which, to quote The Nation in an ...

No longer a conspiracy of silence?

128 — Monday December 21, 2009, 05:30:00pm +08:00

Zachary Abuza refers to the fact that insurgents do not claim responsbility for attacks as a conspiracy of silence - he has a new book of the same title, but this story from the Bangkok Post ...

Abhisit on election prospects of the Democrats : Part II

128 — Monday December 21, 2009, 02:00:00pm +08:00

Have already blogged of Abhisit's views on the election prospects of the Democrat, but the Bangkok Post has a longer excerpt. Key excerpt below: If you lose another election, what will your politic...

Report Card: A year in office for Abhisit

128 — Monday December 21, 2009, 11:59:00am +08:00

The Nation: Business leaders more positive than political analysts over govt performance after Abhisit's first 12 months in officeThe Abhisit administration can boast all it wants of its supposed achievements on Wedn...

A third party merger?

128 — Sunday December 20, 2009, 07:34:05pm +08:00

The Nation: The merger between Bhum Jai Thai, Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana and Puea Pandin parties will help to strengthen the three coalition allies gearing for the next general election, Bhum Jai Thai leader Chaovarat Chanweerakul said on...

By-elections: Newin vs Thaksin Round II

128 — Sunday December 20, 2009, 11:59:00am +08:00

After former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Puea Thai Party defeated the Newin-backed candidates in by-elections in June in Sakon Nakhon and ...

Were the North Korea weapons destined for Iran?

128 — Sunday December 20, 2009, 10:00:00am +08:00

Have already blogged on the more than 35 tonnes of weapons seized at Bangkok airport (here and ...

Map Ta Phut and rights under the constitution

128 — Sunday December 20, 2009, 07:00:00am +08:00

As a follow up to this morning's earlier post, the problem that BP has with aspirational rights in the Constitution is that they pretend to be actual rights which can be enforced, but never are. Nevertheless, one day suddenly they may be enforced, but no government ca...

The environmental problems at Map Ta Phut

128 — Sunday December 20, 2009, 05:00:00am +08:00

Have already blogged (here and here) on th...

Did Hun Sen call for regime change in Thailand?

128 — Saturday December 19, 2009, 09:27:03pm +08:00

Yoon on his blog: When Hun Sen calls for the replacement of Abhisit, that's not the normal way of dealing with your neighbours. What if Abhisit says the same thing about Hun Sen? That ...

Is constructive engagement with Burma working?

128 — Saturday December 19, 2009, 04:46:42pm +08:00

The signs are that the Obama administration has moved towards a position of trying to engage with the Burmese junta. Senator Webb visited Burma in August and met with the Burmese junta and Aung San Suu Kyi. The Guardian also reports: ...

Creating a climate of fear

128 — Saturday December 19, 2009, 02:00:00am +08:00

Have already blogged on the arrests of the two persons arrested under the Computer Crimes Act for allegedly spreading rumours about HM the King - see here and ...

Is the Mekong under threat?

128 — Friday December 18, 2009, 11:00:00am +08:00

Thomas Fuller in the NYT: China has built three hydroelectric dams on the Mekong...Laos is planning so many dams on the Mekong and its tributaries — 7 of about 70 have been completed...Cambodia is planning t...

Lampang Red Shirts throw stones at villagers?

128 — Thursday December 17, 2009, 09:00:00pm +08:00

A publication of a certain media empire had a story yesterday with the headline "เสื้อแดงลำปาง ขว้างก้อนหินใส่บ้านชาวบ้าน" which translates as "Lampang Red Shirts throw stones at t...

Abhisit on election prospects of the Democrats

128 — Thursday December 17, 2009, 02:00:00pm +08:00

Recently, blogged on this excerpt from a Wassana Nanuam story in the Bangkok Pos...

Signs of cooperation from Malaysia?

128 — Thursday December 17, 2009, 11:59:00am +08:00

After the visit by the Malaysian PM to the Deep South, the Bangkok Post reports: Malaysian police have ...

Thai 'spy': A set-up or not?

128 — Thursday December 17, 2009, 09:00:00am +08:00

Tulsie in The Nation: I SPENT the last 24 hours trying to figure Hun Sen out. I failed. The sugar daddy smile, the warm handshake, the photo session - in fact, the overall treatment of pardoned T...

The conspiracy continues

128 — Thursday December 17, 2009, 03:00:00am +08:00

Have already blogged on the suggestion that the arrest of the Thai engineer was some elaborate set-up, but Sopon in The Nation ...

Cambodia must explain!

128 — Wednesday December 16, 2009, 09:00:00am +08:00

The Bangkok Post has this from Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva: On Mr Sivarak's claim that the Cambodian government had tapped his phone when he spoke to Kamrob Palawatw...

Reuters: Five political risks to watch in Thailand

128 — Wednesday December 16, 2009, 06:00:00am +08:00

Reuters has some analysis on five political risks to watch in Thailand. Some of the issues are relatively minor such as the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate decision - as far as BP understands individual members of the government are protected as they have a Co...

FACT needs your help

128 — Wednesday December 16, 2009, 03:30:00am +08:00

CJ Hinke of FACT has asked if BP could post the following: Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT) is a network of activists campaigning against censorship since November 15, 2006.We stand for NO censorship, NO compromise! Read that again: NO means NO!FACT is the only international news aggregator of censorship issues worldwide. We report and comment on censorship issues i...

A Bout Connection to the weapons from North Korea?

128 — Wednesday December 16, 2009, 02:30:00am +08:00

As mentioned in the post the other day on the arrest of the 5 people for smuggling arms from North Korea into Thailand by plane, noted arms trafficker Viktor Bout is in a Thai jail and there may be a possible connection between him an...

What law was the Thai engineer spy charged under?

128 — Tuesday December 15, 2009, 11:41:33am +08:00

A few days ago, a Khien Theeravit,* Chula political science professor emeritus, wrote a critique of the Cambodian court decision against Thai engineer Sivarak for Matichon. The problem though is that he doesn't appear to have read...

Military justice

128 — Tuesday December 15, 2009, 09:00:00am +08:00

Matichon reports that a military court has found Maj General Khattiya Sawasdipol guilty of defaming former national police chief General Sant Sarutanond and sentenced him to a jail term of six months, ...

Government wants the case to go away

128 — Tuesday December 15, 2009, 09:00:00am +08:00

The Bangkok Post reports: "I believe Mr Sivarak does not want the case to cause more problems," Mr Abhisit said. "I would like this problem to conclude now." Atiya in the Bangkok Post argues that th...