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Students from Thammasat and Chulalongkorn University show a banner during a football match between the two universities on February 2, 2013. The students are calling for the release of veteran labor activist Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, who has been sentenced to 11 years in jail for lèse majesté in January 2013. (Picture via Twitter/@Anuthee)

Debate rages over Thailand’s lèse majesté law

By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Mon, Feb 04, 2013 10:30AM UTC 0 Comment

After the verdict against veteran labor activist Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, discussions about lèse majesté have been reignited on many levels and also in many forms. Somyot was recently sentenced to 11 years in prison, 10 of them for publishing articles (which he didn’t write himself) in a magazine that were deemed insulting to the monarchy – after being previously...

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In Udon, Red Villages grow into Red Districts

By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Sat, Nov 19, 2011 4:27PM UTC 0 Comment

By The Isaan Record UDON THANI – As Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is losing popular support, facing fierce criticism for her management of the massive floods plaguing Bangkok, her strongest supporters, the Red Shirts, are finding new ways to strengthen their movement and prepare for the worst. With fears of a looming coup, Red Shirt...

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Red Shirts remember 5-year anniversary of Thailand’s military coup – A photo essay

By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Mon, Sep 19, 2011 1:25PM UTC 0 Comment

Red Shirts continued to surround Democracy Monument late into the night. (Photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha)

By Lillian Suwanrumpha (guest contributor) On Sunday, September 18, 2011 the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship and its affiliated groups commemorated the five-year anniversary of the military coup of September 19, 2006 that ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Reportedly, 15,000 red shirts convened on Ratchadamnoen Road around Democracy Monument in the afternoon to hold speeches...

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Now Germany and soon Japan: More countries let Thaksin back in

By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Mon, Aug 15, 2011 9:00AM UTC 4 Comments

Fugitive former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra speaks to the journalists at his luxury villa in Dubai, Monday. Pic: AP.

By Saksith Saiyasombut We all know Thailand’s ex-prime minister and on-the-run fugitive, Thaksin Shinawatra, is pretty busy traveling the world ever since he’s out of Thailand. When he’s not at his new home base in Dubai, he mostly goes on business trips, for example in Uganda. But the list of countries he can visit has...

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Asian political parties silent on 2010 Bangkok crackdown

By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Mon, May 23, 2011 10:00AM UTC 5 Comments

By Anek Sae-Lao As I was cleaning up my email account today, I came across a forwarded email which I received from an activist friend around this time last year. The email was an open letter to Dr. Neric Acosta, the Secretary-General of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), a network of allegedly...

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