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Thailand Today
Political Stability?
After a fi ve-year period of political instability initiated by the 2006 coup
d’état, Thailand has reached a politicalplateau with the 2011 general
election. Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s politically allied
party, Puea Thai, won a clear majority of parliamentary seats, and his
sister Yingluck Shinawatra, a political novice, was elected prime min-
ister. She is Thailand’s fi rst female prime minister and this is the fi fth
straight electoral win for a Thaksin-backed political party. The people
have clearly spoken and so far there has been no resistance from opposi-
tion groups or the military.
Prime minister Yingluck’s fi rst days in offi ce set about fulfi lling cam-
paign promises, such as raising the national minimum wage to 300B per
day (a 30% increase), extending symbolic olive branches to the monarchy
and the military and pledging to work towards national reconciliation.
Her appointments for the important cabinet-level positions of security
and defence sidestepped hardliners in favour of two candidates who are
believed to straddle the political/military divide.
The next question mark in Yingluck’s administration is if or when
she will issue a pardon forThaksin to return from exile. Currently he is
barred from politics until 2012 and is evading a two-year prison term. So
far Thaksin has publicly stated that he has no plans to return to Thai-
land, though this statement was made from Japan where he appeared
to be on a diplomatic appointment. During the campaign, Thaksin de-
scribed his sister as his ‘clone’ and spoke of an indeterminate future
when he would return to the country. According to an Asia Time’s ar-
ticle (August 25, 2011), the government was described by a source as
operating like a family business with Yingluck as the fi gurehead and
Thaksin as the CEO.Thailand’s politi-
cal protestors are
divided into red
and yellow colour-
coded camps
and they swap
anti-government
positions depend-
ing on which
group holds the
prime minister’s
chair.Do & Don’ts Top Films
» (^) Do take off your shoes when
entering a home or temple. Be
careful where you put your feet
(considered filthy in Thailand).
» Don’t criticise the monarchy.
» (^) Do smile: it puts Thais at ease.
» Don’t argue or get visibly angry;
you’ll cause embarrassment.
» (^) Stand respectfully for the
national anthem (unless you’re
inside a home or building other
than a theatre).
» Dress modestly (cover to the
elbows and ankles) for visits to
temples or buildings associated
with the monarchy.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Re-
call His Past Lives (ApichatTop
pong Weerasethakul; 2010) Win-
ner of Cannes 2010 Palm d’Or.
Bangkok Traffi c Love Story
(Adisorn Tresirikasem; 2009)
Romantic comedy with public-
transit message.
THAILAND USA UK
population per sq km
≈ 32 people