Thailand Voice

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 …

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 >>>

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…

“Donated #redshirt blood arrives at Thailand Government House”, photo courtesy of John Le Fevre The fifth day of the anti-government protests by the Red Shirts took a somewhat bizarre turn. As announced yesterday, they called for their supporters to donate blood and … Read full story >>>

The day after the parade from Don Chao Poo is the climax of the Boun Pravet fesival as it is celebrated in Phana. Calling Phra Uppakrut was a necessary precaution and gathering in the forest and walking back to the wat in procession was… Read full story >>>

Marc Askew has a post (with photos) commenting on a red soi where his guest house is located and some views from this soi of the political situation, Srithanonchai has a post with photos and accompanying descriptions from the red shirt (AKA “rural hord… Read full story >>>

AP has the story: Thai protesters poured several jugs of their own blood at the front gate of the government headquarters and outside the ruling party’s offices Tuesday in a symbolic sacrifice to press their demands for new elections.Thousands … Read full story >>>

Your average Asian woman is a delicate flower,  with delicate features that compliment her usually delicate frame. Small hands, small feet, small ears and almost always small breasts. Thai women, being Asian,  are no different in this regard and the biggest thing you’re most likely to ever notice … Read full story >>>

Supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra break the police line to pour human blood in front of the Democrat Party headquarters in Bangkok March 16, 2010. (Reuters) A Brahman Priest performs a religious ritual in the pool of human blood poured in front of the Democrat Party headquarters in Bangkok March 16, 2010. (Reuters) …

Situation “normal” but increased security. Airports of Thailand (AOT) says Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is running normally but that travelers should arrive well in advance of their flights. Security procedures have been upgraded, with about 1 in every 10 passengers being searched. However, the political situation has so far not affected flights out … Read full story >>>

The lines of democratic division are less clear now and Thailand’s grinding political conflict is best understood as a power struggle between competing elite camps with divergent visions for the country’s post-Bhumibol future. Thaksin’s and the UDD’s calls for democracy and social justice mask a game of non-ideological … Read full story >>>

Protesters are just arriving at Government House in Bangkok. They’ve collected blood and plan to apply it to the goverment offices in a protest plan they say they’ll expand to include other politically-sensitive properties in the capital. The Thai-ASEAN… Read full story >>>

After the Bangkok Post had kindly called the protestors of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) “red rage” and “rural hordes,” I decided to pay a visit to the protest site on Monday, 15 March 2010. When I arrived at the UN building at around 16:30, a speaker announced that … Read full story >>>

Thai operator DTAC has doubled its sales iPhone sales target after enjoying a success first weekend selling the device according to Reuters . [D]TAC now expects to sell 190,000 iPhones in the year after launch, up from its earlier forecast of 100,000, Chief Operating Officer Thana Thienachariya told Reuters … Read full story >>>

Kishen, the author of our weekend post on “ A red show of strength “, has provided this gallery of images. Read full story >>>

UPDATE: This blog was slightly rushed last night so some additional comments this morning. There are a number of hygiene, well-being of those post drawing of blood, and safety issues if they actually “spill” the blood (i.e blood needs to be handled with care and once it is … Read full story >>>

“ Tired #redshirt sleeps on the pavement in #Bangkok ” by @alohalavina On the forth day of the anti-government protests Prime Minister Abhisit has unsurprisingly dismissed the demand to dissolve parliament and therefore the Red Shirts (a part of them), after the deadline expired at noon on… Read full story >>>

Available across web, blogosphere and Twitter platforms, thanks to the long, hard and hot work of a dedicated band of Bangkok Twitterati. Legal Nomads: Red Shirt Rallies – Thailand 2010 Day 2 A Picasaweb collection from Legal Nomads , who spent the last two days turning progressively more red. No, I don’t think her experience has transformed … Read full story >>>

Thai security forces inspect the site of a grenade attack on a military base in Bangkok on March 15, 2010. The attack wounded two soldiers as tens of thousands of anti-government protesters massed at another barracks in the Thai capital, a military spokesman…

Day four of the Red Shirts in Bangkok… Enjoy… Read full story >>>

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Most commentators appear to be trying to figure out the end game of the next few day’s red shirt rally in Bangkok and speculating about the possibility that violence will break out, but there are few who pay much attention to ordinary red shirt supporters. This has been a… Read full story >>>

A few days ago there was a first report inThe Nation stating definitively that Thaksin was in Cambodia: PM’s secretary Chavanon Indharakomansut said Thaksin travelled to Siem Reap province of Cambodia by his private jet.Thai foreign ministry has already contacted its em… Read full story >>>

Bloomberg: “Do they want to provoke chaos and that would bring it to some kind of climax, or are they going to have to now settle down for the long term?” said Chris Baker, a Bangkok-based political analyst and author. “Because the numbers involved Read full story >>>

Thousands of anti-government demonstrators gather Sunday, March 14, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand. Protest leaders have given the government until Monday at noon to accede their demands or face mass marches on key locations in Bangkok. (Richard Barrow/www.paknam.com) More Thailand pictures can be found at www.ThaiPhotoBlogs.com .

Thousands of red shirt supporters from Samut Prakan, 30 kms south of Bangkok, make the long journey into Bangkok on 14th March to join the rally in Bangkok. They went on foot, by motorcycle, on the back of pick-up trucks and in …