Word: somboon
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...Southern Thailand is a stronghold for the Democrats, but the northeast region of Isaan is a graveyard. There, Thaksin is a tough act to follow. In None Somboon village, his face still beams from sun-bleached posters left over from a previous election. "Most Prime Ministers never leave their air-conditioned offices," says rice farmer Boon Mithaowan, 49. "Thaksin promised to do things, then he did them." Thanks to him, says Boon, the local irrigation canal was dredged and a new road built through the village...
...even supporters of the campaign express some unease. Somboon Gunpasri sells fruit along the road where Jay's parents were murdered. "They were such small fish," he sighs. Still, Somboon says, he's not worried because he doesn't use drugs and has no enemies. "If you do," he warns, "you better be afraid...
Still, the goal of breaking the military's grip on political life is not yet within reach. The leading candidate to succeed Suchinda as Prime Minister is Somboon Rahong, a member of parliament but also a former air force officer. Opposition politicians said he was simply fronting for the supreme commander, Air Chief Marshal Kaset Rojananil, and therefore was unacceptable. They warned that his appointment would set off more street demonstrations. Another potential flash point is the last-minute amnesty Suchinda handed himself and his military cronies, a step many Thais believe is illegal...
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