Thai society is undergoing major change, and politics over the past decade has in part been a battle between the old royalist ruling class and an ascendant majority based in the north and northeast that has benefited from development and has begun to see itself as a political force.Much of that struggle has played out around one man — former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a billionaire tycoon deposed by a 2006 coup who now lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a prison sentence on a corruption conviction. The issue of whether to support or oppose Thaksin and his powerful political machine has divided friends, families and the nation.
Thaksin entered politics by founding his own political party and buying the loyalty of local political bosses nationwide. He won a landslide election in 2001, and once in office he cemented his popularity among Thailand’s rural and urban poor majority with unprecedented populist policies. Thaksin was often accused of being arrogant and for bullying critics, as well as a failure to keep private business interests separate from the business of government. This alienated the educated, urban middle class and alarmed traditional ruling circles — royalists and the military — who perceived in his naked ambition a desire to usurp the prerogatives of the throne, or even destroy the nation’s revered monarchy itself...
Source: Latest News in Hindi
Watch News Videos Online on Vodeos.jagran.com
In what promises to be memorable visit, golf ace Tiger Woods is set to play for the first time in India. Woods, the world No.1 golfer, is reportedly slated to tee-off at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) on February 4.
