Word: thailander
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...legal noose tightened around former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra this week when, on July 31, the nation's Criminal Court found his wife Pojaman Shinawatra guilty of tax evasion, sentencing her to three years in prison in a decision that will likely increase already sharp political tensions in the country...
...says Donavanik, does the verdict bode well for the political tumult that has been rocking Thailand in recent months. Since Thaksin's ouster two years ago, Thailand has become deeply divided between supporters and opponents of the former PM; last week, dozens of anti-Thaksin protestors were injured when antagonisms between the two groups turned violent at two provincial rallies...
Prior to the 2006 coup, political cases rarely made their way through Thailand's justice system. But that is changing. Earlier this month, three of Thaksin's lawyers were jailed for attempting to bribe court officials of the Constitutional Court by handing them the equivalent of $59,000 in a pastry bag as a gift. "This judicial review and activism on the part of the courts could mean the start of a real checks and balances system in Thailand, and so if it continues it would be a positive development," Donavanik, the law professor, said. "I hope it stays...
...this week's verdict will play out in rural Thailand, where Thaksin enjoys his greatest support, remains to be seen. Last week, violence broke out in two northeastern provinces when pro-government groups attacked anti-government demonstrators as police looked on. Dozens were injured, prompting civil rights groups, academics and opposition politicians to demand the government protect its opponents' right to peacefully protest...
...stability - Hun Sen's mix of rural development, political jockeying, and his iron grip on all facets of the country's administration helped him soundly defeat his rivals. Regional geopolitics also helped. In the last week of the election campaign, the possibility of war with Cambodia's historic foe, Thailand, over disputed border territory, spurred a widespread feeling that Cambodia could only be safe in the hands of its long-time "strongman," as the leader refers to himself. The question for many now is whether Hun Sen, who now has the opportunity to rule alone since the country's first...