Hej
Hittade det här på Bangkok Pundit "Thailand: No longer the land of smiles?" där tar en f.d Australiensisk Diplomat upp hur hon ser på den politiska situationen i Thailand, på hela 19 läsvärda sidor.
"Marianna Brungs, who was an Australian diplomat based in Bangkok from 2005-2008, has written a paper (PDF - 19 pages) for Chatham House (AKA Royal Institute of International Affairs). The introduction:
While Thailand’s reputation as ‘the land of smiles’ is a cliché, the recent images of violence and unrest in Bangkok have been a shocking contrast to its reputation as a stable regional travel and business hub.
Bangkok’s streets have been cleaned up and normal life has resumed, but political instability is likely to continue in Thailand for some time. The conflict has moved beyond the initial ‘colour- coded’ tension between yellow and red shirts. There is now a sharp divide between the conservative elites who have traditionally governed Thailand – palace, military, business – and those who view themselves as the underclass.
The recent round of protests in May 2010 were won by the conservative powers, albeit with significant costs in lives and damaged buildings in Bangkok. But the struggle is far from over – rather than capitulating, the protest movement is using the military crackdown and the government’s continuing media and political repression to increase its support.
The former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, and his associates played a key role in turning the urban and rural poor in Thailand into a political force. In the build-up to the recent violence, it seemed that the protest movement was progressing beyond Thaksin to emerge as the new face of democracy in Thailand, with the movement developing into an ideological struggle between the traditional elites, fighting to maintain their position and status, and a broader social movement rising from pro-Thaksin groupings. Thaksin, however, did not plan to disappear so quickly. He has continued to play a key role in the protest movement, and by focusing on his own agenda – regaining his assets and political power – has to some extent stymied the protest movement’s progress towards more inclusive democracy and greater equality."
Vill man läsa hela artikeln så finns den på den här länken.
http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/files/17099_0810pp_brungs.pdf
Mvh Isan Lover