[The Nation] Someone to keep us guessing
[Newsrooms are being filled with educated as well as simply clueless guesses about the "big surprise" being planned for ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's 60th birthday celebrations in various provinces. Here is a summary of all the theories we have heard:
...
6. Don't laugh, but actually there are people who think that the first, second and fifth scenarios will take place at the same time. Thaksin, visiting as a hologram, will declare that he has absolutely no hatred left in his heart, then he goes ahead to give the Democrats a good spanking before announcing projects like scholarships and transforming the People's Station (formerly D-station) into a free tutoring channel employing expensive, qualified lecturers.]
BP: No. 6 is Tulsie's guess. It is so out there it just may be true... BP thinks he will be much more conciliatory in parts than in the past.[Washington Times] Ethnic violence spreads in Thailand
[Terrorist attacks in the villages of southern Thailand have reached an all-time high, as schools become breeding grounds for young fighters in the conflict between Muslim insurgents and Buddhists, analysts say.
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"The level of violence is up, the level sophistication is up, the level of religious fervor is up," said Peter Chalk, a senior political scientist at the Rand Corp., a nonprofit think tank.]
BP: Some other interesting quotes from senior Thai diplomatic staff in Washington and others.[The Nation] Chumpol supports rewrite
[The Chart Thai Pattana Party has supported the charter rewrite - declaring it unnecessary to review any further the panel report on the six proposed amendments, Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silapa-archa said yesterday.
"My party has studied the report.... and found it compatible with the party's stand," he said. The panel's six issues slated for rewriting were in line with his party's seven-point proposal to amend the charter.]
BP: Chumpol is quite equivocal. We haven't heard anything concrete from the other coalition partners (aside from the Dems who appear to want a delay/disagree with some of the amendments).[Bangkok Post] A step in the right direction
[Given the fact that 90% of the Thai population own less than one rai of land, while the other 10% own more than 100 rai, this new property tax is more than welcome as it would redress the root cause of inequity and injustice in this country. It is simply outrageous that when there are more than 500,000 landless families in need of land to till, 75% of the land owned by the richest 10% remain idle.]
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