Word: thailand
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...crowds poured into Bangkok's royal plaza last Saturday, Vasan Sitthiket was there again-just as he had been in May 1992, when people power rocked Thailand and ousted a government. Then, the target of the people's wrath was a military regime. Now it's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, re-elected in a landslide victory just a year ago but vilified in recent months by many of Bangkok's residents. Demonstrations in the capital have become a weekly feature, led by a businessman-turned-political opponent of Thaksin, Sondhi Limthongkul, whose rallies draw tens of thousands. Vasan...
...Some 400 km to the northeast, the story is rather different. In the dusty village of At Samart, Ouan Poysomboon, 73, recalls her recent encounter with the man who has led Thailand for the past five years. Earlier this month Thaksin camped out for a week in the area, bringing an entourage of officials and reporters to tape a reality-TV show. Grandma Ouan was selected for a personal audience with Thaksin. She says she told him how she struggled to survive on $5 a week while paying off debts of $5,000 incurred by her two sons, both...
...though the demonstrations are unlikely to bring Thaksin down, they could hobble his second term in office. Says Kasit Piromya, former Thai ambassador to the U.S.: "A leader has to lead a country. You can't lead if every week there's a protest." Here's a guide to Thailand's turbulence...
...THAKSIN UNDER FIRE? When the Prime Minister first took office in 2001, Thailand was still struggling to overcome the Asian financial crisis. Thaksin boosted domestic demand with cheap loans and government handouts. By 2003, Thailand was leading the pack of Southeast Asian tigers. The same year, Thaksin declared war on Thailand's drug trade, cracking down on suppliers and small-time dealers. Over 2,500 of them died-killed, said government officials, by other criminals. (Human-rights groups claimed the killings were carried out by Thai security forces.) The campaign was welcomed by ordinary Thais fed up with the prevalence...
...Thaksin of abusing his power. Sondhi began staging weekly outdoor shows, drawing tens of thousands to a park in Bangkok after work on Fridays. He aired allegations of corruption against Thaksin and his family, sparking criminal and civil lawsuits from the Prime Minister. But the suits were dropped after Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej said in an annual televised birthday speech on Dec. 4 that government officials should not over-react to criticism or consult lawyers too quickly. Said the King: "Lawyers tell the PM to sue, to punish ... Do not punish. Punishment is not good...