thegreglowe.com

By GREG LOWE
IN BANGKOK

DEPOSED Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej’s bid for re-election suffered a blow yesterday when Parliament was forced to postpone its selection of a new premier after a no show from ruling coalition MPs prevented a quorum.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) re-selected Mr Samak as its candidate for prime minister on Thursday, just two days after the Constitutional Court forced him to resign from the position over a conflict of interest. [Read more →]

By GREG LOWE
IN BANGKOK

THAILAND’s deposed prime minister was re-nominated for the position by his ruling party yesterday in a move that both the opposition and analysts say will escalate the political crisis. He, on his part, appears determined not to give in to the so-called ‘Bangkok elite’ that is bent on driving him out of office.

The People Power Party (PPP) yesterday backed Samak Sundaravej as its choice for prime minister, two days after the Constitutional Court ordered his resignation from the post for receiving payments for hosting two TV cooking shows – which it said was a constitutional violation. [Read more →]

By GREG LOWE
IN BANGKOK

THAILAND’S banking sector can weather the global credit crunch, but domestic political instability continues to threaten its economy, finance observers said yesterday.

The industry’s sound credit fundamentals, net external debt position, and strong capitalisation will allow it to ride out the global slowdown, speakers at rating agency Fitch Thailand’s annual conference said. However, the credit crunch will cause the Thai economy to slow in 2H08. [Read more →]

By GREG LOWE
IN BANGKOK

PRIME Minister Samak Sundaravej was forced to resign yesterday for violating the Thai Constitution, over payments he received for hosting TV cooking programmes.

The Thai Constitutional Court’s unanimous verdict found the payments breached Article 267 of the 2007 charter, which bans ministers from holding outside economic interests. [Read more →]

Looking to put a fresh spin on your holiday? Choose from this two-wheel tour trio, grab a bike and get rolling on the road to outdoor adventure

BANGKOK
By Greg Lowe

Min Buri, just 20 km from downtown Bangkok, is one of the city’s best areas to explore by bike. Its cultural and ethnic mix and natural diversity offer a glimpse of the capital as it once was.

Home to one of the city’s largest Muslim communities, the area’s rice fields and canal-side villages are dotted with minarets and historic mosques. Still, the presence of a sizeable Chinese population is hard to miss, with Chinese signs festooning shop houses, tea shops and the century-old wooden market at Nong Chok. Read more…

Thailand’s tourism industry draws on a wealth of experience in greeting global dignitaries — including royalty, celebrities and Fortune 500 corporate leaders — to provide tourists who are culturally aware and environmentally responsible with the best destination experiences Asia has to offer. Read more

A lifelong passion for interior design and décor led Rafael Veiga to create RS Ventures, one of Thailand´s finest kitchen design companies. He explains how the recent boom in luxury villas and condominiums is boosting demand for high-end products, but notes the industry´s potential will continue to stagnate until the government cuts import duty and takes a more serious line on harbouring Thailand´s interior design talent. Read more…

‘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 odd questionable policy decision, read on.

Blumenthal is an established journalist who writes for a number of publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Guardian. He was an assistant to President Bill Clinton, and currently works as a senior aid to Senator Hillary Clinton. A staunch Democrat and pundit on US politics, he has penned a number of books, the latest being a collection of more than 70 weekly columns written in 2006 and 2007, in which he dissects the Bush administration’s policy, or lack thereof, with surgical precision. More…

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 – which must involve rolling back sanctions – takes place, argues Myanmar historian, former humanitarian worker and author of The River of Lost Footsteps, Thant Myint-U. [Read more →]

Tony Wheeler, co-founder of the Lonely Planet guide books, talks about the nature of travel and its impact on the environment

by GREG LOWE

When Tony Wheeler and his wife Maureen travelled from London through Asia to Australia in 1972, little did they know that their adventure would transform the nature of travel. Nevertheless, the self-published account of their journey, Across Asia on the Cheap, sowed the seeds of what would become the Lonely Planet guide book empire.

Back then travel was a slower, harder and more arduous task. The road less travelled was, well, less travelled, and free from the hordes of tourists that festoon the most faraway destinations today, feverishly clutching their oracle-like little blue guide books. More…