Word: thais
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...just a noodle-soup vendor, with a heroin addict for a son. Still, after watching her boy stick needles in his arms for a decade, what harm could there be in sending then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra a note identifying her son's dealer in the northern Thai town of Chiang Rai? A billionaire tycoon turned politician, Thaksin had just launched a war on drugs. The campaign would be assailed by human-rights activists for claiming more than 2,000 lives in just three months in 2003. But for this single parent, tough action was just what was needed...
...strongest in Thailand's rural north, where Thaksin grew up. Bangkok residents may rattle through a litany of Thaksin's alleged faults - corruption, a disregard for human rights, even an attempt to build his reputation at the expense of Thailand's beloved King - but, for people upcountry, as the Thais like to call it, Thaksin's populist health-care initiatives and village funds were manna. "When the soldiers took over, people were scared to say they liked Thaksin," says Nuntana Sommun, a teacher of Thai dance in Chiang Rai. "But in our hearts we still supported him." Such sentiments propelled...
...Even so, the government's survival isn't assured. On Feb. 26, Thailand's election commission found the PPP's deputy leader, Yongyuth Tiyapairat, guilty of vote-buying in Chiang Rai. Under Thai electoral law, the ruling could lead to the PPP's dissolution. Nor can Thaksin run for office, since he was banned from politics for five years by the junta. Any attempts by Samak's government to ease Thaksin back into politics could ignite protests by upper- and middle-class Bangkok residents, who took to the streets by the hundreds of thousands shortly before the former...
...League must develop a detailed plan before the proposal is adopted. Scudamore suggested fixtures could be matched to a host city through a ballot. So, although Manchester City is owned by former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a strong bid from Bangkok wouldn't necessarily be enough to land a match involving that particular club. (And given the weather in January, don't expect Chelsea - owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich - to head for Moscow.) Don't expect much enthusiasm, either, from the English fans who sing their lungs out every week watching their teams play, home and away...
...interfere in December's elections. Should Samak seek revenge against those involved in the coup, or put officers loyal to Thaksin in charge of the military, he could sow the seeds of another takeover. As Panitan says, "Coups never happen for a single reason." Reports in the Thai press have also fueled speculation that the abrasive Samak could be replaced by a more conciliatory leader. If the economy continues to falter, or if the new government overspends its political capital trying to rehabilitate the exiled Thaksin, his time at the top could be short-lived...