Word: thais
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...grain. But on September 9, Samak's food fetish looked like it would cost him his premiership when the nation's constitutional court found him guilty of conflict of interest for having hosted several episodes of a commercial T.V. cooking show earlier this year. According to the Thai constitution, the P.M. may not accept compensation from a private company while in office. The Thai company, Face Media, that made the shows, says it paid Samak around $2,300 for several appearances, an amount that the 73-year-old Premier maintains was used to buy ingredients and cover transportation costs...
...Sept. 2 skirmish marked the worst political violence to hit the Thai capital since 1992, when protesters were gunned down by security forces. But the tense face-off around Government House is about far more than the bloody airing of grievances. At stake is nothing less than Thailand's political future. Will it continue as a fragile democracy attempting, in however flawed a manner, to allow voters to choose their leaders through the ballot box? Or will it return to a past where the upper class took it upon itself to decide what is best for Thailand? "This...
...Underlying the entire situation is the frail health of Thailand's beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Now 80 years old, the world's longest-reigning monarch is viewed by many Thais as the adjudicator of last resort, even though the King forswears any involvement in day-to-day politics. No one is quite certain what will happen when he is no longer there to provide moral guidance for the nation. Complicating matters further is the military, which has shown a historical disregard for attempts to nurture Thai democracy. Now, with the army empowered to control security in Bangkok because of Samak...
...Bangkok Antigovernment Protests Grow Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej declared a state of emergency in the capital after antigovernment protesters clashed with the regime's backers, leaving one dead and dozens injured. Samak, whom critics denounce as a proxy for former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, vowed to weather the demonstrations, even as protesters occupied his offices and the nation's election commission recommended that his party be disbanded...
...unlikely command center. But a single piece of blue tarp laid behind loops of razor wire and stacks of tires serves as the makeshift headquarters of the anti-government alliance that has thrown Thai politics into anarchy. Sitting cross-legged on the sheeting, Sondhi Limthongkul, the co-leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), explains why thousands of protesters have occupied Bangkok's Government House, Thailand's seat of power, for more than a week to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. "It's taken for granted in the West that democracy is the best...