<p>Craig J. Reynolds, history professor at Australian National University, gave his perspective on politics in Thailand and other mainland Southeast Asian countries as part of the 'outsider view' lecture series organized by Midnight University and Chiang Mai University on 3 Aug.</p>

<p>Prasong Panyatham, a 27-year-old homeless scavenger, is among 5 defendants who were arrested by the military in Din Daeng, Bangkok, on 21 May last year.&nbsp; While their trial is underway, his recent no-show has made the other defendants worry that their case might not end anytime soon.</p>

<p>On Wednesday (August 10), torture victim Sudeerueman Maleh, former client of missing human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, was sentenced to two years in prison. Why? The Thai police do not only enjoy impunity against gross human rights violations, but are also able to use it in order to make it a crime for victims to even file complaints of human rights abuses.</p>

<p>Late last month, Joe Gordon, a Thai-American citizen, was again denied bail on charges relating to lese-majeste and the Computer Crimes Act (CCA). The decision marks the seventh and final appeal for bail during the period of his pre-trial incarceration. </p>

<p>There is no single explanation for such a complex event as social unrest. &nbsp;</p> <p>Arguments circling around what lies beneath the London riots of 2011 can be categorised into socio-economic analyses on the one hand, and social psychologists&rsquo; explanations on the other.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>Benedict Anderson, professor at Cornell University and author of <em>Imagined Communities</em>, offered his view on Thai politics at a forum organized by the Midnight University and the Faculty of Humanities of Chiang Mai University on 26 Jan 2011.</p>

<p>According to the recent ruling of the Constitutional Court in relation to the case of Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul, the answer to this question is yes. While further information about the ruling and its implications will unfold over the next few days and weeks, a few preliminary observations are in order. </p>

<p>With the overwhelming win of the Pheu Thai Party in the July 3 elections and as Yingluck Shinawatra is headed to become the first ever female Prime Minister in Thailand, it is eerie to see the parallels between the recent developments in Thailand&rsquo;s political history centered around the figure of Thaksin Shinawatra and the period of the late General Juan Domingo Peron&rsquo;s influence in Argentina, particularly during the 1960&rsquo;s and 70&rsquo;s.</p>

<p><em>The article was first printed in Senathipat (Vol. 59, No. 3, September-December 2010), an academic journal published by the Centre of Doctrine and Strategic Development, Army Training Command, and written by an army officer under the pen name Chief Khuang, a Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy Cadet Class 32 (Infantry Regiment).</em></p>

<p>I wonder if anyone in this country can claim they are totally innocent and purely committed to peace. For me, the Democrat Party rally crowd on 23 June is an example of this.</p> <p>Out of the four speakers on the stage in front of Central World, Suthep Thaugsuban, the Democrat Party Secretary-General who also happens to be the country&rsquo;s Deputy Prime Minister, seemed to have the most interesting information to share (although I&rsquo;m not sure about its authenticity).&nbsp; </p>

<p>Hate speech used to be a compound noun meaning, according to Wikipedia, &ldquo;Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, or other characteristic In law, hate speech is any speech, gesture or conduct, writing, or display which is forbidden because it may incite violence or prejudicial action against or by a protected individual or group, or because it disparages or intimidates a protected individual or group.</p>

<p>The Crown Property Bureau (CPB) released its 2010 Annual Report (downloadable <a href="http://www.crownproperty.or.th/th/main.php">here</a>). The report&rsquo;s postscript particularly challenges the report by Forbes magazine which claims His Majesty the King of Thailand is the richest monarch in the world. It is well known that Forbes&rsquo;s asset appraisal includes &ldquo;crown property&rdquo; under the charge of the CPB. In essence, the postscript of the report says:</p>