Certainly, the Feb. 26 guilty verdict “will not heal the deeply polarised Thai politics,” Jakrapob Penkair, former Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office and one of the leading figures of the red-shirted National United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, said in an exclusive interview earlier this week.
Image source By Barry Blitt.
To Jakrapob, “the verdict was simply a continuation, and in many ways, a completion of the 2006 coup. It is the first and foremost reason why the verdict will not heal anything in Thailand.”
“A military takeover has been treated as a legitimate source of legal authority,” Jakrapob said. “One does not even have to hear the rest of the case to understand what was actually going on.”
Jakrapob raised one important point: why do the courts recognize the (legality) of the military coup of 2006 as well as the legitimacy of the current government, which was not elected? These are conditions fiercely in conflict with democratic tradition. The full Asian Sentinel article » By Pavin Chachavalpongpun
- The New York Times - Learning Network – The Political is Personal –
Overview | Students explore their own personal political philosophies by identifying events, people and experiences that have helped shape their beliefs and writing an essay. Go to this Building Society and ESL Lesson. - The New York Times - Learning Network – Democracy in Action –
Overview | Students consider words that reflect their knowledge and opinions about democracy. They then work in groups to research countries that have recently transitioned to democratic forms of government. Their learning is further enhanced by reflecting on what has transpired in these countries to date.create voter education campaigns to raise awareness of and interest in the government for future voters. Go to this Building Society and Law Lesson. - The New York Times – Learning Network – Examining Military Coups Around the World -
Students will consider military coups and their aftermaths, research famous coups… illustrating those events, and write letters from the perspectives of ousted leaders examined during class. Go to this Law and Society Lesson. - The Learning Foundation – Making Good Laws: “Is the Thai Constitution credible?” -
Go to this Building a Healthy Society and Law Lesson.
Fahad Shadeed/Reuters
Judge: Kenny Thai, 14, presides over Colonie youth court
President Obama giving his State of the Union address to Congress. Behind him are Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.,left, and to his right Speaker of The House, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.
AFP/File
