The result from last Sunday's Bangkok city and district council elections should please those who believe in Thailand's democracy.
In the city council race, Democrats won about 75 per cent of the vote; in the district council, they took over 80 per cent. Despite the low voter turnout, this is a strong endorsement of PM Abhisit and his government and a clear rejection of the red shirts, Pheu Thai and Thaksin - at least in the nation's capital.
Notably, all districts where the red-shirt protests and the ensuing violence took place, including Pathumwan, Ratchatewi and the working-class Klong Toei, were won by Democrats. The fact that Democrats won in Klong Toei undermines the notion, created and spread by Thaksin's PR machine, that only the so-called urban elites support the government. Indeed, many Bangkok-born working class voters vehemently reject the red shirts.
Unfortunately, the international media seems to have ignored this election completely. I strongly urge BBC, CNN, The Economist and others to take note of this story - especially of the Democrats' victories in working class neighbourhoods - and draw appropriate conclusions. In the past, Bangkok's citizens were at the forefront of struggles for democracy. Their rejection of the red shirts should speak volumes about the democratic credentials of this movement.
That being said, it is important to note that at 42 per cent of eligible voters, the turnout was low. It is unfortunate that during a time of national crisis, so soon after the country verged on the brink of civil war, so many voters shrugged off the election. Perhaps voters thought the local polls were not important enough, but voting is not only sending a politician into office, it is about sending a message. The message should have been an overwhelming rejection of political violence; instead, it was that too many Thais still haven't grasped how much trouble their country is in and how vital their political participation is.
On the other hand, there is little evidence that a higher voter turnout would have had a markedly different outcome, so despite the low turnout, the result was a fairly accurate reflection of Bangkokians' mood.
The Democrat victory in Bangkok may or may not be a sign of how well they'll do in the upcoming national elections, but it builds valuable momentum for the party from their previous two post-protest electoral wins - and it definitely hinders the red shirts in their claim to be the champions of true democracy.
Bangkok Dave
Bangkok
No apologies, no regrets
Two men are in the spotlight today, with the same backdrop but different perspectives. They have two things in common: no apologies, no regrets.
Former British prime minister Tony Blair's position is predictable. He lied to the British public and led Britain into an illegal war in Iraq, and seeks to excuse it by saying that Iraq is better off without Saddam Hussein.
Barack Obama pays tribute to the huge sacrifices that the United States and its people have made to give Iraq its freedom.
The sanctions (led by the US) against Iraq for not revealing weapons of mass destruction - which it did not have - caused a severe deterioration in the lives of Iraqi people. They denied the educational system books, research reports and equipment. They caused economic decline. The illegal invasion followed. The universities were opened to the mob to destroy and steal. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis died. There has been a diaspora of the intelligentsia. The US spent billions of dollars with American companies for security and building contracts, with minimal effect but large profits. The oil price has been hiked by the oil industry. US troops are now ready to leave after an election that clearly identifies the rifts that have always been in Iraq.
The people of the US have been served badly by their government at no gain for the Iraqi people. They deserve an apology and so does Iraq.
Richard Bowler
Bangkok