THE WEEK IN REVIEW
Public prosecuters on Monday lodged a petition with the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions seeking the confiscation of 76 billion baht in cash and assets from former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his family.
Seksan Bangsomboon, the executive director for the Special Litigation Department, handed over a 125-page indictment report to the court along with 180 cardboard boxes containing legal documents and evidence.
The indictment, approved by Attorney-General Chaikasem Nitisiri, charged that the cash and assets were unlawfully acquired while Mr Thaksin was in office from 2001-2006 and should be seized by the state.
The assets seizure attempt is part of the now-defunct Assets Scrutiny Committee's investigations into Mr Thaksin's alleged corruption and abuse of authority. The ASC ordered a freeze on assets worth about 73.6 billion baht after the Sept 19, 2006, coup.
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Demonstrators storm state agencies
Thousands of members of the People's Alliance for Democracy on Tuesday stormed into seven agencies, including Government House, as the PAD tried to bring the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to its knees.
"All the agencies being raided are symbols of the corrupt state mechanism," said PAD co-leader Sondhi Limthongkul.
The demonstrators first burst into the NBT television station, followed by the Finance Ministry, where they broke through the three-metre-high iron gate, and then took over the ministry's compound.
Protesters also raided the city police headquarters, where they suspected a temporary studio had been set up for the NBT.
PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila said that by taking over the agencies they were sending a message to the government that it could no longer work and that Mr Samak should resign. He denied the PAD was trying to provoke violence or instigate another coup.
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Tej: Crisis part of democracy
Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag on Wednesday urged the international community to understand the current political situation in Thailand, saying it was part of the democratic process.
He was speaking after the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday ordered Thai embassies and consulates around the world to explain to their host countries in detail the events from the first raid on the state-run NBT television station on Tuesday by protesters led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) until their seizure of Government House.
"What happened definitely affected Thailand's tourism and economy, but we would like other countries to understand that this situation is part of the progress on democratic growth in Thailand. We will have to wait and see what will happen next," Mr Tej said.
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Reinstated Siriwat grateful for 'justice'
Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chief Siriwat Tiptaradol, who was transferred to an inactive post by the previous health minister, has been promoted to deputy permanent secretary of the Health Ministry.
Public Health Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul said the appointment, effective from Oct 1, was appropriate for Dr Siriwat, as he has the qualifications to assist the permanent secretary.
Dr Siriwat was transferred to an inactive position in March by then public health minister Chaiya Sasomsab, who is now commerce minister.
His removal was seen as a result of his support for the policy of compulsory licensing (CL) of patented medications. He was directly involved with this and was seen as a close aide to former public health minister Mongkol na Songkhla, who approved CL to bypass patents on Aids, heart and cancer drugs.
He also chaired a panel working on negotiating drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.
The minister's order to remove him sparked uproar among public health civil servants and health activists.
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PAD's women human shields show no fear
The dozens of women - young, middle-aged and old - who serve as human shields protecting the nine key leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) show no fear in carrying out their risky mission. One of the PAD's female guards, Tong, 34, who runs her own business, said she was not afraid of confronting anti-riot police, as she believed the officers would not dare to attack women.
"If I have no other choice, I will squeeze their private parts until their faces turn green," she said.
Tong and 10 of her family members have been involved with the PAD rally since it began in May.
She has been assigned to guard gate 4 of Government House, opposite the Office of the National Counter Corruption Commission.
She said she never gave a thought to the danger when she volunteered to be a human shield for the PAD leaders, who she said deserved protection.
"[The PAD leaders] expose facts about the wrongs carried out by corrupt politicians," she said.
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Trains stop after strike
Two train services to the Northeast were cancelled Thursday night after the State Railway of Thailand's (SRT) labour union staged a strike in support of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). State-run hospital unions have also threatened a nationwide strike if the government uses force to disperse the PAD rally.
The cancellations came after about 100 SRT staff in Nakhon Ratchasima province took leave en masse on Thursday afternoon. The mass absence of rail workers crippled train schedules on the northeastern route.
Sathorn Silpru, the chairman of Nakhon Ratchasima's SRT labour union, said the suspension of services on the northeastern route was likely to last another few days.
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INTERNATIONAL
Pakistan's ruling coalition splits
On Monday, the ruling coalition that just a week before drove US ally Pervez Musharraf from the presidency broke apart, throwing Pakistan into political turmoil just as it faces an increasingly difficult fight against Islamic militants.
The collapse of the fragile alliance threw more power to Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of assassinated ex-leader Benazir Bhutto and a corruption-tainted former polo player who now becomes the front-runner to replace Musharraf.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif pulled his party out of the coalition after a dispute with Zardari over whether to restore the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudry, who was ousted by Musharraf.
There was concern within Bhutto's party, the Pakistan People's Party, that such a restoration would lead to the prosecution of Musharraf and perhaps even Zardari and that a fight would weaken the government's ability to fight militants.
Sharif's withdrawal will cost Zardari and the PPP their majority in parliament. But Zardari is expected to rally support from allies and form a new government with the help of small parties.
Sharif told reporters he would play a "constructive" role in the opposition but has already pledged to run a retired judge against Zardari next month.
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Russia recognizes independence
Russia stunned the West on Tuesday by recognising the independence claims of two Georgian breakaway regions, and US warships plied the waters off of Georgia in a gambit the Kremlin saw as gunboat diplomacy.
The announcement by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ignored the strong opposition of Europe and the United States, and signaled the Kremlin's determination to shape its neighbors' destinies even at the risk of closing its doors to the West.
While the risk of a military clash with the West seemed remote, the lack of high-level public diplomacy between the White House and the Kremlin added to an uneasy sense here at least of an escalating crisis. Medvedev also promised a Russian military response to a US missile defense system in Europe, which Russia says is aimed at blunting its nuclear capability.
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Rice criticises building in West Bank
Peace Now, the Israeli advocacy group, said in a report issued Tuesday that in the past year Israel had nearly doubled its settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, in violation of its obligations under a US- backed peace plan.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in Jerusalem on a short visit to help Israeli and Palestinian leaders in their negotiations, said, when asked about the report, that she had told Israeli officials that such building did not advance the cause of peace.
"What we need now are steps that enhance confidence between the parties, and anything that undermines confidence between the parties ought to be avoided," she said with the Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, beside her.
For her part, Livni said that settlement building should not influence the negotiations, because the goal should be "not to let any kind of noises that relate to the situation on the ground these days enter the negotiation room."
Earlier, Rice had made clear that neither Israelis nor Palestinians had fully lived up to their obligations.
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Arctic ice levels may reach new low
New satellite measurements show that crucial sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has plummeted to its second-lowest level on record Arctic ice always melts in summer and refreezes in winter. But more and more ice is being lost and not recovered. That's important because the Arctic acts as a refrigerator for the globe.
The National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, announced Wednesday that the extent of sea ice in the Arctic is down to 2.03 million square miles.
The lowest point on record is 1.65 million square miles set last September.
With about three weeks left in the melt season, the record may fall, scientists say.
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Gang forgets the loot
Four gunmen in northern Malaysia robbed a money trader who was carrying more than US$650,000 - but made off with nothing more than a bag of clothes. The robbers opened fire on the trader as he came out from an armoured van outside the international airport in Penang state on Tuesday.
The trader suffered three gunshot wounds and was admitted to hospital. The robbers sped off but mistakenly grabbed a bag of clothes, leaving the money in the van. The robbery was similar to one at Kuala Lumpur Airport in April when gunmen opened fire on two currency exchange workers and made off with US $1million.
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Democrats makeObama choice official
Barack Obama stepped triumphantly into history on Wednesday, the first black American to win a major party presidential nomination, as thousands of Democrats transformed their convention hall in Denver into a joyful, shouting celebration.
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