Hey Thai Government, This Girl Just Kicked Your Ass
Yingluck Shinawatra is expected to become Thailand's first female prime minister after her opposition party won an outright majority in parliamentary elections Sunday. Shinawatra is the sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, himself prime minister until 2006 when a military coup forced him into exile. (more)
Yingluck Shinawatra is expected to become Thailand’s first female prime minister after her opposition party won an outright majority in parliamentary elections Sunday. Shinawatra is the sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, himself prime minister until 2006 when a military coup forced him into exile.
Since that time, Thailand has experienced some upheaval with violent protests and government crackdowns leaving dozens dead and threatening the nation’s status as a tourist mecca.
So far there’s little sign that Yingluck Shinawatra will be blocked from taking power. Outgoing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has conceded and the BBC reports that a top military leader has promised not to meddle.
Some reports suggest that Thaksin is the real power behind his sister, although the former prime minister doesn’t yet have plans to return to Thailand, where he faces corruption charges. — PZS
Wait, before you go…BBC:
Mr Thaksin, whose government was toppled in a military coup in 2006, said the military should also “be listening to what the people think”.
Asked whether he would now be returning to Thailand, the former prime minister said he was in “no hurry”.
“I want to see reconciliation really happen,” he said. “I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
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The clash between the Thai establishment and anti-government "red shirt" protesters took a turn for the deadly on Thursday when a series of grenade explosions killed one person and wounded 75 in a Bangkok business district.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's days in office may be numbered. After last weekend's bloody clash between red-shirted protesters and government forces in Bangkok, Vejjajiva was dealt two big tactical blows Monday that could lead to his party's dissolution.
Thousands of anti-government protesters rallied in front of the Thai parliament on Wednesday demanding new elections. The demonstration forced legislators to pack it in and some of the Red Shirt protesters smashed through the compound’s gates, though they left shortly thereafter.
The demonstrations that have vexed Bangkok for the last few days took an ugly turn Monday as the Thai army fired at a crowd of protesters and ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra called for revolution. Current PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, the object of the protesters' ire, has promised to restore order, though he himself rose to power on the back of public unrest.
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