Better than Belarus...

"There is no freedom. There is no space for us to express ourselves even though we chose to fight peacefully"

The continuing attacks on freedom of the press and expression and the climate of fear that is deepening, twelve printing houses have turned down Red Shirt publications and Red Power News (http://www.redpowernews.com/) has taken to printing in Cambodia (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/10/29/politics/Red-power-mag-stranded-on-Cambodian-border-30141089.html)

With Thailand one position below Azerbaijan and one above Belarus in the world press-freedom ranking (http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2010,1034.html), two and a half satang can truly look down on two.

Response suggests that "Better than Belarus" might be used to attract foreign investors to Thailand, or even tourists.

There is increasing light being shone on the UK Prime Minister David Cameron's trip to Siam over the festive period with well publicized calls for him to call off his trip (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/2010/10/31/david-cameron-urged-to-axe-trip-to-thailand-115875-22676572/).

Thai PM testifies in crucial case - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

The Democrat Party - Thailand's oldest party - could be dissolved if found guilty while Abhisit, who was its deputy leader at the time the grant was allegedly misused, could be handed a five-year ban from politics, along with other executives.

Thai PM testifies in crucial case - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

Thai Style Human Rights

http://asiancorrespondent.com/siamvoices/thai-style-human-rights

As Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva heads to Europe in a further attempt to gloss over Thailand’s increasingly poor human rights reputation, an account outlining torture, beatings and coercion by the Thai Army against Redshirt pro-democracy activists has emerged.