Word: thailand
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...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...
...Thailand is indeed divided. While the hinterland, where 70% of the country's 65 million people live, still seems squarely behind Thaksin, Bangkok's urban ?lite accuses him of everything from abuse of power to mismanagement of the ethnic violence in the impoverished, Muslim-dominated south. The tipping point was the announcement in January that Thaksin's family had sold its 49.6% stake in the telecommunications giant Shin Corp. for $1.87 billion to a group led by Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government's investment arm. The sale has infuriated many Thais. It means that one of Thailand's corporate crown...
...past conflicts, Thais have often turned to their revered monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, for guidance. The King has yet to directly address the standoff between Thaksin and his opponents. But Thailand's army chief General Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, who is close to the palace, told reporters last week that "His Majesty must have been saddened" by the nation's recent political problems. Added another senior officer, Lieutenant-General Palangoon Klaharn: "His Majesty will be very happy if his subjects are unified and use peaceful means to resolve the problem." For the sake of the country, many Thais pray that the King...
...CHANGTHANA POSAYANUKUL Hotel employee, Bangkok Thaksin has a good leadership style. He's active. He thinks fast and gets things done. He has a good vision for Thailand. I like his policies, like fighting against drugs and cracking down on criminal gangs. I appreciate what he's done for Thailand. When he wants to do something, he takes responsibility and says, "This is my work." The economy is doing well under Thaksin. People have benefited from his policies. There's less unemployment. My sister runs an import-export business and she says it's getting better. At my hotel, there...
...urban population in Bangkok is strongly opposed to him, especially the intellectuals. They argue that he is buying votes in the countryside, which is to some extent true. Voters in the countryside are shipped to rallies in buses and given free food. But this isn't something unique to Thailand or Thaksin by any means. It is the dark side of democracy. Many other politicians all over the world do the same thing...