Red shirt group aborts plan to besiege TPBS in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai - After getting an apology, a pro-government group aborted a plan to besiege again the Chiang Mai office of the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS), but insisted that nobody had paid them to stage a protest.

Thaksin's phoneinremarks 'awkward' for king
Military leaders expressed concern at a private meeting yesterday over any "awkwardness" ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra may have caused His Majesty the King through his phone-in speech to supporters on Saturday, informed sources said.

Will Thaksin phone-in be aired on NBT?
The public has been kept guessing on whether ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra's phone-in and pre-recorded video will be broadcast on the "Truth Today" programme.

Democrats gear for early election
The Democrat Party will organise a fund-raising dinner on Saturday to brace for a snap election, its secretary-general Suthep Thuagsuban said yesterday.

Pro-Thaksin people seizes Thai PBS station in Chiang Mai
A group of over 100 red-shirt members of the pro-government camp yesterday laid siege to the Chiang Mai office of Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS).

more >>

Thaksin must keep monarchy out of political rift
The downward spiral of politics has taken a new twist, threatening to bring about a change for the worse in an already bad situation.
Political reality isn't pretty, deal with it
From 2005 to the present, Thailand has been plagued with polarisation, which has brought about unprecedented volatility and a myriad of political woes, the likes of which have never been seen before.

more >>

Newin goes a-begging to London
Distancing himself from the crowds at Rajamangala stadium on Saturday may be one of the reasons why former "Gang of Four" member can't enter Thaksin Shinawatra's inner circle.
Will making merit save them?
As photographs of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his family attending a Buddhist ceremony showed up in people's e-mails last week, many desperately wanted to know what they were up to, where and when.

more >>

Reason to hope for calm tomorrow
How much should we be worried about tomorrow? The planned mass gathering of Thaksin supporters has triggered intense speculation and another red alert for Thai politics.The volatile prelude to the event does not help. And we have crossed many lines on political confrontations.
Winning ugly is name of the game
It almost looked like an anti-climax, didn't it? After Samak Sundaravej was pilloried for doing TV cooking shows that couldn't even pay his petrol bills and Pojaman Shinawatra received a humiliating lecture about moral and ethics, you must have expected Tuesday's court ruling against Thaksin Shinawatra to be the final, most spectacular firework.

more >>

Thaksin: A Don Quixote for democracy or a Shylock for power?
What ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra has been doing to rouse the crowds, like his phone-in, is nothing out of the ordinary. Desparate times call for desparate measures.
How can Thailand ride the storm?
"There is no clear map. This is not the same as the 1930s, things are different."