Word: rak
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...awful lot of mud has been thrown at Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra this year, but not much has stuck. A legal dossier handed to state prosecutors by the Election Commission last week could prove harder to hose off, though. It alleges that Thai Rak Thai, the political party founded and led by Thaksin, bribed three smaller parties to field candidates in Thailand's controversial April 2 election after the main opposition parties boycotted the poll, and that it also hacked into Election Commission computers, falsifying the candidates' records so they'd be eligible...
...Thaksin hasn't commented publicly on the dossier, but Thai Rak Thai spokesman Sita Divari has denied the charges of bribery and hacking, insisting that the legal process will clear the party's name. The stakes are high: if the Constitutional Court decides against it, Thai Rak Thai could be dissolved and its executives, including Thaksin, barred from public office for five years. It would be an ignominious end for the party and would trigger mass defections by members anxious not to be left out in the cold before the next election, scheduled for October. Some are already bailing...
...foreign investors as a rallying cry for demonstrations demanding change. Their noisy campaign prompted Thaksin to dissolve parliament and call snap elections, confident that his party machine would deliver the necessary votes on Apr 2. It did - over 50% of Thai voters kept the faith with the ruling Thai Rak Thai party, especially in the poor countryside where Thaksin's healthcare and housing subsidies have been very popular. But the opposition boycott of the elections and nonstop protests sapped the ballot?s power to redeem Thaksin...
Thailand's Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, once appeared unassailable. Just over a year ago, his Thai Rak Thai political party was re-elected in a landslide victory that gave it 375 out of 500 parliamentary seats. Many Thais love Thaksin for his decisive, can-do style, his toughness on crime and his open-handed policies to boost the economy. But in recent weeks a chorus of critics has put the Prime Minister on the defensive, questioning with mounting intensity whether he's good for Thailand. To reaffirm his popularity, Thaksin has called a snap general election for April...
...parliament, to let the people decide after they've heard from the protesters and from the government side. Let's see who will be trusted by the people. If the number of people who don't vote and vote for other parties exceeds the number that vote for Thai Rak Thai, Mr. Thaksin has said he won't be the Prime Minister. He has also said that after the election he'll move quickly to amend the constitution. We'll have an independent commission. Then we'll dissolve the parliament again and hold another vote, no later than 15 months...