Thailand Voice

Earlier today the red shirts went to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s house to symbolically throw blood. BBC reports: Thai protesters have hurled plastic bags filled with gallons of blood in a symbolic protest at the prime minister’s house in Bangkok.Security forces agreed to let a few… Read full story >>>

Reuters: A brief statement from Montenegrin national police said Thaksin arrived on a private plane from Dubai on March 13 at the Adriatic coastal airport of Tivat.”Mr. Shinawatra is a Montenegrin citizen and is now located in Montenegro,” police spokeswoman Tamara Ralevic said in… Read full story >>>

The Nation: Veera, the chief red-shirt protester from the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD), denounced and purged ex-communist insurgent Surachai Sae Dan from the organisation for his strong criticism of the red leaders for not bringing down the government.The DAAD would Read full story >>>

Prachatai has this statement by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s personal spokesman Thepthai: ดังนั้นอยากตั้งข้อสงสัยว่าเลือดที่นำมาเทนั้น… Read full story >>>

After another questionable display of blood spilling, this time at PM Abhisit’s private house , and the decreasing number of attendance , there was still the looming question of what the next move of the anti-government protests would be. But more on that later. One of … Read full story >>>

It’s marvellous political theatre, but it has deep emotional significance… – Professor Charles Keyes , quoted in Olivia Ward, “ Thai protesters spill own blood ”, The Star , 17 March 2010. Read full story >>>

Directed by Witthaya Thongyooyong and Mez Tharatorn Starring Chawin likitjareonpong, Paula Taylor, Jaturong Mokjok, Nichapat Jaruratnawaree Released in Thai cinemas on March 11, 2010; rated 13+ Wise Kwai’s rating: 3/5 After the blood-spilling stunts by the red-shirt demonstrators in Bangkok, the gory twist in GTH’s Baan Chan … Talok Wai Gon (Por Son Wai) ( บ้านฉัน…ตลกไว้ก่อน… Read full story >>>

For those of us who aren’t traipsing the streets of Bangkok this week, freelance journalist Simon Roughneen provides a striking picture of the action in this photo page .  If you click on the YouTube video you get all the photos set to music. NM readers who come across other interesting photo collections … Read full story >>>

BP confesses to being a fan of The Nation’s Pravit Rojanaphruk for a long time. BP doesn’t necessarily agree with everything that Pravit writes, but in the seemingly one-dimensional worldview of The Nation (Supaluck and Chang Noi aside as well)… Read full story >>>

A round up of words, pictures and video from this morning. Some people justify the UDD’s campaign of blood-pouring rituals, saying the practice has a spiritual or mystical significance that is largely impenetrable to foreigners. That may well be true but none of the Thais I’ve spoken… Read full story >>>

I don’t suppose the people involved will thank me for saying so but since the print demise of the old Night Owl, the Database section in the Bangkok Post has become the sharpest and most accurate part of that newspaper. Today’s edition… Read full story >>>

A fun sport to watch in Thailand is Blindfold Boxing. The idea is quite simple. Put two people in a boxing ring, blindfold them, and then ring the bell. The results are often hilarious as the fighters swing out at thin air trying to…

Riot policemen stand guard while supporters of former Premier Thaksin Shinawatra gather outside the U.S. embassy in Bangkok March 17, 2010. Despite the fourth day of street rallies in Bangkok, Thai stocks hit a 19-month high and the baht currency raced to its strongest …

Anthropologist Michael Moerman spent 1959-61 in the village Ban Ping, Chiang Kham district, Chiang Rai province to do anthropology fieldwork. One of the publications based on this research is the 1969 paper A Thai village headman as a synaptic leader , which I found in the book… Read full story >>>

Thanks to Drew Kamthong , we can bring you these great pictures shot from high up in All Seasons Place on Wireless Road . The photos were taken earlier today, as protesters massed outside the US embassy in Wireless Road. Following their performing of a blood-pouring ritual at the… Read full story >>>

The cover of “Nation Weekender” this week provides a poignant headline: “Chase Away the Amataya; What You Get is Amataya.” What that really means is that the Red Shirts’ campaign to get rid of “amataya” — the so-called “elite” — may end up with their getting “amataya” any away. If the protestors… Read full story >>>

Learn Thai with the Red Shirts… When it comes to learning the Thai language, there is a real need for decent materials. Gaccha, an expat living in Bangkok, aims to inspire others to contribute their Thai skills towards creating the needed materials. I … Read full story >>>

The year 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit in the both the Chinese and Thai Zodiac. 2011 will be a Metal Rabbit year. The Year of the Rabbit will begin on 3rd February 2011 and close 22nd January 2012. The Rabbit is the 4th animal in the Thai Zodiac. The Year of … Read full story >>>

Here are my images from today’s red shirt “blood protest” — is that an official term now? — at the prime minister’s house. You can find the details in this BBC story . And there’s more from GlobalPost and AP . I have a short video… Read full story >>>

Today just before lunch I got caught in a traffic jam at an unlikely time, and stumbled upon a convoy of Red Shirts moving down Sukhamvit Road in Bangkok. They were on their way from Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjejiva's house to the US… Read full story >>>

A new airline is expected to start servicing Ubon Ratchathani within the next few months. Nakhon Chiangmai Air has received approval from The Department of Civil Aviation to begin flights as soon as possible between Chiang Mai and Ubon as well as other regional centres… Read full story >>>

  Phở, Vietnamese-style rice noodle soup, is probably the most popular noodle dish in Laos, but a few things set it apart from the dish of its origins. Firstly, the noodles used in Lao phở generally aren’t very high quality, and tend to be somewhat coarse and pasty. And Lao phở broth often … Read full story >>>

Media Asia has an interesting round of reports that Twitter is planning to launch a Chinese language version of its popular micro-blogging service. [CEO Jack] Dorsey…spoke of Twitter’s plans to open a Chinese registration page during a conference in New York, said that … Read full story >>>

Supporters of former Premier Thaksin Shinawatra carry containers of human blood as they make their way to pour the blood on the gates of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s home in Bangkok March 17, 2010. (Reuters) (Natthiti Ampriwan/Bangkok Post) Supporters of former…

It’s online . Swing your elephant round and round. Movie opens in Thai cinemas on May 5 . ( Thanks Deknang! ) ATTENTION: This is a post from Wise Kwai’s Thai Film Journal. The url for the source blog is http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com. If you’re seeing this … Read full story >>>

UDD protesters rally in Wireless Road before dispersing Having performed their blood-pouring ritual at the house of Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva this morning, protesters caused major traffic disruption along Sukhumvit Road as they made their way through Bangkok’s main business district… Read full story >>>

And like it or not, Thailand is ushered into the era preparing for the “Post-Bhumibol” days. Different political forces at home are already seen fiercely competing with each other for the dominant positions. – Extracted from Li Hongmei, “ Can the blood-stained Read full story >>>

An article at Business Insider — generously drawing on the insights of veteran market analyst Andrew Stotz — suggests that “its time to buy” in Thailand.  I tend to be open to contrarian logics, and appreciate the explicit crassness of the headline (above).  It got my attention and no doubt yours … Read full story >>>

Pro-democracy supporters are on their way to the residence of the enormously privileged quisling Abhisit Vejjajiva (who has run away in a typical show of fortitude and integrity ) and will pour out some ten gallons of the blood of the people, … Read full story >>>