Mob rule tramples democracy in Thailand

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Smiling protesters hide a grim reality of propaganda and murderous violence

Special to Times Colonist

Published: Thursday, December 11, 2008

Last week, Thailand's worsening political crisis seemed to ease due to two key issues being resolved.

The Constitutional Court dissolved the controversial, yet democratically elected, Somchai Wongsawat government. This, in turn, caused protesters to end their weeklong siege of Bangkok's international airport. After months of growing violence, calm has returned to Bangkok.

Yet calm is likely to be fleeting at best. This is because the protesters, rallying under the People's Alliance for Democracy flag, have proved not only to be a challenge to the government but have threatened the country's democratic institutions.

The complete article can be found here.