Author: Nicholas Farrelly, ANU

Over the past week Thailand’s Red Shirt protest movement has, once again, largely faded from international media coverage. Its key leaders have been arrested or are in hiding, and many others associated with Red Shirt politics in Thailand are now subjected to witch-hunts and official ridicule. Dozens have been killed, iconic buildings burned, and thousands have been left injured or traumatised.

Thailand’s reputed national ethos of compromise and conciliation has been pulverised beyond recognition. Insofar as the Thai government can claim a momentary victory over its foes it is forced to rely on the most draconian provisions of its security infrastructure.

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Author: Tobias Harris, MIT

On Friday, Fukushima Mizuho, the head of the Social Democratic Party of Japan, refused to bow to the prime minister’s decision to accept a modified version of the 2006 realignment agreement, forcing the prime minister to dismiss her from her position as minister responsible for consumer affairs.

Not surprisingly, on Sunday the SDPJ decided that it would leave the coalition, although it suggested that electoral cooperation in the upcoming upper house election is still possible. Read more…