Nr. 9 / 2011 | Corinna Johannsen | Thailand: Quo vadis? The recession of democracy in the land of smiles (engl.)
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has dissolved Parliament on May, 10th. As a consequence, the highly anticipated national elections finally took place on July, 3rd. Thailand’s recent democratic record has been more than a little spotted starting with the military coup in 2006. After the last parliamentary elections in 2007, the country has had three Prime Ministers and witnessed two major party dissolution cases involving the respective governing parties. A continuous political mass-mobilisation that culminated in severe clashes between the so-called red shirts and security forces in April/May 2010 has heightened the tension between the opposing political camps significantly. To reinstate order, the government held up a state of emergency in Bangkok and some provinces for up to eight months after the confrontations. Moreover, massive cutbacks on the freedom of speech and the press freedom have been further diminishing the quality of democracy. International watchdog organizations such as Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, and Reporters without Borders among others show in their recent assessments that the quality of Thailand’s democracy is dropping in international rankings. In the Freedom Barometer Asia 2010 of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty, Thailand occupies the 9th position only behind the Philippines and Malaysia.Donwload full report (PDF)
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