<p>The elections for Tambon (Subdistrict) Administrative Organizations (TAOs) across the country have just passed without much press coverage. Achara Rakyutitham writes about how people in a village up on a hill in the North see and deal with local politics.</p>

<p>It&rsquo;s 19 September, 2009. Three years after the coup - how time flies. Might some want to revel in nostalgic idealization of the past, of the complimentary-flower coup d&rsquo;etat which ousted Thaksin Shinawatra? Some may at least want to look at things on a bright side and at least thank these generals for their invaluable service to &lsquo;Thai democracy&rsquo;.</p>

<p>Prachatai has made several visits to Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul during her detention in the prison. Here is her life in the lockup, assembled from her own accounts.</p>

<p>There she was, in a tiny undated black and white photo, slightly over an inch in height and less than an inch in width, still smiling. Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul, aka Da Torpedo, a former journalist and a supporter of ousted and convicted former premier Thaksin Shinwatra. Daranee&rsquo;s posture is slightly Mona Lisa-like &ndash; which is rather bizarre, given the kind of news she found herself in.</p>

<p>Historian Charnvit Kasetsiri writes about 16 Aug 1945, a very important date which should be remembered and commemorated. &nbsp;However, it has been &lsquo;made to be forgotten&rsquo;, non-existent in official history textbooks of the Ministry of Education.</p>

<p>A journey of a bra does not begin at the department store but in the hands of petite women who are 100% committed to their jobs. What they get in return for their love of their work comes in white envelopes.</p>

<p>Kevin Hewison, professor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, presented his paper 'Thai-Style Democracy' at the Faculty of Political Science of Chulalongkorn University on June 26, 2009. &nbsp;The paper is published here in full.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The ASEAN charter was adopted at the 14th ASEAN Summit in November 2007 and eventually came into force in December 2008.</p> <div style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;<br /> line-height:15.0pt;"><span style="Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;Angsana New&quot;;color:black;">One of ASEAN&rsquo;s crucial visions is creating a single free trade area by 2015, but there are doubts that it will be implemented or achieved. </span></div>

<p>As the target date for launching the ASEAN human rights body (AHRB)<br /> nears, civil society groups have warned depriving it of watchdog<br /> powers would erode the credibility of the regional organization.</p>

<p><span style="Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;Angsana New&quot;;color:black;">Malang</span><span style="Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;Angsana New&quot;;color:black;">, Indonesia</span><span style="Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;Angsana New&quot;;<br /> color:black;"> - Siti, a middle-aged woman who makes her living as a home-based worker, was busy weaving a net around a shuttlecock, moving her two hands quickly and skilfully along with the other women workers at her house.</span></p>

<p>Surachart Bamrungsuk, political science lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, wrote about the red shirts&rsquo; movement in his column in Matichon Weekly, Apr 24, 2009.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Surachart says the crushing of the red-shirts by military force was not unexpected.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>And such use of force was not the result of the collapse of the ASEAN Summit, but was due to the fact that the red shirts politically and socially pose a threat to the middle-class and the elite.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p>In the present political crisis in Thailand, it is shocking that most Thai NGOs have disgraced themselves by siding with the Yellow Shirt elites or remaining silent in the face of the general attack on democracy. It is shocking because NGO activists started out by being on the side of the poor and the oppressed in society. To explain this situation, we must go beyond a simple explanation that relies on personal failings of individuals or suggestions that NGOs have &ldquo;underlying bad intentions&rdquo;, or that they are &ldquo;agents of imperialism&rdquo;.</p>