Good afternoon,

Mass pro-democracy protests were held around Thailand over the weekend, reminding the world that the Thai people have not forgotten the events of 2006, the military coup and subsequent disastrous junta period, the judicial coup and the appointment of the military/anti-democracy movement-backed Democrat coalition government. Whether the demonstrations will have any positive effect remains unsure – the right have shown no hesitancy in using the legal system to terrorise anyone who opposes them and everyone remembers the violence used by the anti-democracy PAD movement. Meanwhile, the relevance or irrelevance of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has again been called into question – while he was oiling his way through a speech about press freedom and media reform, the police were raiding the Prachatai offices and arresting people right and left on the basis of comments that someone may have left on one of their forums. Comment would be superfluous.

A former senior monk (acting Abbot, no less) has been arrested on suspicion of being leader of a gang of ID forgers and falsifiers of other official documents. The former monk, who was arrested with two other men, is a Burmese national and the papers relate to migrant workers, it appears.

Two brothers were murdered and their bodies burned in Pattani over the weekend in what appears to be the latest episode of insurgent-fuelled violence in the Southern border region. The violence has been at a higher ebb in recent weeks – so at least it appears. This has coincided with a freer role for the military in running the area, although correlation does not imply cause, of course.

Back tomorrow.