<p>Readers have sent e-mails to <a href="http://smbuyer.consumerthai.org/">Smart Buy magazine</a>, criticizing a column written by a dentist who talks of Da Torpedo’s molar abscess as bad karma resulting from speaking ill of the monarchy.</p>
By Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation |
<p>Marwaan Macan-Markar, president of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, has denied being forced by the government to withdraw permission for the red shirts to hold a symposium at the clubhouse.</p>
By Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation |
<p>German freelance photographer Nick Nostitz is no stranger to either the red-shirt or the yellow-shirt political rallies. In fact, he stands out as having the most detailed photographic records of Thai political turmoil over the past few years and his 160-page photo book "Red VS Yellow, Volume 1: Thailand's Crisis of Identity", published earlier this year by White Lotus, is testimony to that.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.taksin-voice.com/">A red-shirt magazine</a> issued during the New Year has a feature article about Thaksin and King Taksin, who rescued Siam from the Burmese over 200 hundred years ago. ASTV-Manager finds this a serious affront to the current dynasty.</p>
By Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation |
<p>What is certain about the upcoming major political protest by the red-shirt Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) members is the political uncertainty it will engender. Their announced goal is to finally dislodge from power the Abhisit Vejjajiva government, which they deem as not legitimate, after their failed major attempt in April 2009. Asking top DAAD leaders about the likelihood of achieving their objective this time is not likely to gain accurate answers as whatever they say will be premeditated and calculated.</p>
<p>The Nation Channel headlined a news report ‘<a href="http://breakingnews.nationchannel.com/read.php?lang=th&newsid=421897">Red Shirts in Lampang throw stones at a villager’s house</a>’, while the news was actually about an incident where red shirts surrounded a villager’s house after being stoned by the villager.</p>
<p>On 27 Oct, Prawase Praphanukul, lawyer for Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul, filed an appeal at the Criminal Court, which in late August had sentenced her to 18 years in jail for lèse majesté.</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://www.thaipost.net/tabloid/200909/10997">Thai Post</a> interview published on 20 Sept, Kasian Techaphira of Thammasat University’s Political Science Faculty talks about the drastic changes in Thai politics over the last few years since the coup on 19 Sept 2006. With the unprecedented phenomenon of two large mass movements rallying on the streets, he argues that these people need to be brought into formal politics as mass political parties, but this is not allowed under the existing political system; so a new political reform is needed to accommodate them. However, the elite, frightened of mass movements and of the red shirts in particular, are not ready for reform, he says.</p>
<div>In his column in the latest issue of Red Weekly on 14 Aug 2009, Jakrapob Penkair criticizes some leaders of the Democracy movement, but without naming names. However, when he fled the country during the Songkran incident, it was reported that his split up from other leaders was not amicable.</div>
<p>On Aug 15, about 200 local people and red shirts in Lampang gathered at Ngao District Hospital to protest against a doctor who had refused to treat an old woman whose daughter wore a ‘Truth Today’ red shirt.</p>
<p>On Aug 6, a letter from a local educational office in Buriram ordering schools to collect the signatures of staff and students against the red shirts’ petition was posted on the <a href="http://www.pantip.com/cafe/rajdumnern/topic/P8170010/P8170010.html">Pantip webboard</a> by a poster named Mati Khon.</p>
<p>A confidential letter has been sent to a Prime Minister’s Office Minister, blacklisting websites, community radio stations and cable TV stations. The source of the letter has not been reported.</p>