thegreglowe.com

Much is made of Thailand’s economic fundamentals but the fact remains that the current political turmoil will only dampen economic activity, chase away tourists and investors and weaken the country’s overall performance. Here are a few comments on the likely impact on the economy, these have all been made very recently, but not in response […]

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By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK THE Thai government’s declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding provinces will not significantly affect investor confidence in the country, says Thailand Trade Representative president Kiat Sittheeamorn. The business community supports the government’s efforts to clear so-called Red-Shirt anti- government protesters from their rally point at Ratchaprasong […]

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By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK THE Supreme Court’s landmark ruling to seize 46.37 billion baht (S$1.97 billion) in assets belonging to the family of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is unlikely to have a significant impact on the Stock Exchange of Thailand index or investor sentiment in general, analysts say. Two grenade attacks on Bangkok […]

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‘Complacency breeds failure’ A new book scrutinises the Bush administration’s policies by GREG LOWE If you love President George W. Bush, then Sidney Blumenthal’s latest book The Strange Death of Republican America: Chronicles of a Collapsing Party will get your blood boiling. On the other hand, if you think ‘Shrub’ has made more than the […]

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Historian Thant Myint-U tells Greg Lowe why the international community must change its tactics on the question of Myanmar Myanmar’s military government shocked the world when it chose to let its people die rather than allow foreign aid workers enter its storm-damaged interior. And the horrors will continue until constructive engagement with the junta – […]

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Asia’s ability to compete on a global scale will remain severely hampered until the Northern Hemisphere’s better off nations loosen their economic grip by removing barriers to trade. Access to markets in the West is a vital lifeline for the development of Asian countries, not only on purely economic levels, but also in terms of […]

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Unlike most people, Jane Flemming, the protagonist of Scottish author Christopher Brookmyre’s novel All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses an Eye, can pinpoint the exact turn of events that transformed her life. A drunken, awkward, and most importantly unprotected bout of unsatisfying sex with her Catholic boyfriend Tom morphed the 19-year old blue-haired punk […]

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It is folly to talk of Asia as if it was a unified entity. It is home to more than half the world’s population and comprises some 53 countries. However, the continent today does suffer from a “certain commonality of problems”, according to Colin Mason author of A Short History of Asia. Underdevelopment, poverty, disease, […]

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It’s hard to deny Thailand’s intrinsic charm has made it one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. The kingdom’s magnetism pulls in more than 10 million visitors each year, with white westerners, aka farangs, making up a third of this figure with an average of around 10,000 arriving each day. Along with the flow […]

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A disturbed teenager slaughtering rabbits and torturing wasps; A futuristic religious leader decapitating his nemesis, keeping the head alive as he uses it daily as a punch bag; A serial killer intent on murdering those who represent the excesses of Thatcher’s Britain. Just a few examples of the dark, warped, and often perversely funny themes […]

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