Good afternoon,

The six measures introduced by former PM Samak Sundaravej to alleviate the suffering of the poor and the lowly-paid are to be continued for another six months by the new PADemocrat government. The measures include assistance in utility payments (water and electricity), transportation and education. Only the oil excise tax break is to be ended – well, the whole of Thailand’s energy policy, pricing included, needs to be looked at quite seriously. The PADemocrats of army-appointed PM Abhisit Vejjajiva have been accused of stealing the policies of the previous legitimately elected government but really this should be seen as a victory for the ideology of Thai Rak Thai and its creators.

The ASEAN Summit – which had to be postponed because of the PAD Disaster – and was then moved to Chiang Mai has now been moved again, this time to the small southern town of Hua Hin. The south is a long-term stronghold for the PADemocrats and the palace located in Hua Hin is where HM the King spends a lot of time these days so the army-appointed government presumably thinks it will be able to suppress demonstrations by the pro-democracy movement with more freedom.

A man arrested for murder has been found dead in the toilet of a police cell and it is reported that he managed to drown himself. Indeed. Human Rights Watch is calling on the Thai government to take action against those military personnel identified by a court as having tortured an imam to death last year. Will army-appointed PM Abhisit leap from his day-bed and confront the military who have run wild in the south for years? I am not holding my breath in expectation.

I have had two new reviews published at Bookideas: the first is of Accelerando by Charles Stross and the second is The White Wolf’s Son by Michael Moorcock.

Back tomorrow.