Good afternoon,

The junta-appointed cabinet has come up with a new law aimed at, apparently, making privatization illegal in the future (http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=119564). The military government is also restructuring the Internal Security Operations Council to allow it to have even wider powers to do whatever it wants, especially in the South (http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/20Jun2007_news03.php). There is speculation that junta leader General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin will head the restructured committee so his grip on power will continue after he ‘retires’ to allow elections, which army henchmen still claim will take place this year.

Democratically-elected prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been ordered to return to Thailand to face some trumped-up charges (http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/20Jun2007_news01.php). General Sonthi has already made a not very veiled threat against the prime minister if he does come to Thailand and more than one assassination attempt was made against him before the military coup. Junta crony and appointed ‘prime minister’ General Surayud Chualanont claims that he will guarantee Thaksin’s security but that is not very believable (http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=30019). Many people believe that decisions by the court will be reached in the same strange ways that recent decisions to dissolve Thai Rak Thai and ban its leaders and to freeze the Prime Minister’s assets were made.

The economy, meanwhile, is rapidly disappearing down the plughole (http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IF20Ae01.html).

My review of Ma Ma Lay’s Not Out of Hate has been published at Bookideas (http://www.bookideas.com/reviews/index.cfm?fuseaction=displayReview&id=3804). My paper on ‘Labour Market Policies in ASEAN’ was well-received at the BSRI Conference and my doctoral students acquitted themselves well. Also met some useful people and, all in all, it was well worth attending.

Back tomorrow.

T-shirt slogan of the day: “High-tech excuses for the 90s.”