Thai protesters call for PM's resignation

Thousands of red shirted protesters called for the resgination of Thailand's current Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva. The protesters are loyal to former Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was outed in the 2006 Coup. The protesters said that by Wednesday demonstration they would draw up to 300,000 people.

The protesters are saying that the current Prime Minister, who has only held office for 4 months, did not elecet his government democratically and want him to resign.

Ashley Hartz
Thailand

Italians protest over economic crisis

Hundreds of thousands of Italians marched in Rome, Italy today, shouting anti-government slogans, protesting against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's handling of the economic crisis.

The story was reported in the British newspaper Herald Sun and described Italians varying from students, to workers, to leftist politicians took to the streets in Rome with red banners and balloons, blocking off traffic to much of central Rome. One of the banners at the scene read "Enough! It's time Italy fires Berlusconi!"

A protester was quoted in the newspaper saying how the government keeps making announcements, when instead they should give checks to people who lose their jobs. He made a statement saying "Berlusconi talks and talks but the money never shows up."

Its estimated up to 500,000 Italians can lose their job within a two-year span, up to mid 2010.The amount of Italians unemployed can be much higher than in 2007 when the economic crisis began.

More of this story can be read on the Herald Sun's website.


Eva Bruce (Italy)

BURMA: Protestor Detained

As a follow up reaction to the previous blog about Burma, a lone protestor was arrested by police on Friday, March 27.

A private tutor, Aung Phe, stood outside the office of the National League for Democracy for over five hours from 6 a.m. - 11 a.m. and was arrested by Twante Township police.

Police did not comment nor did articles cover why Aung Phe was protesting. It is interesting to note that although a group protest was held in peace, one protestor was arrested for reasons unknown. Although the protestor was not shouting slogans or causing a ruckus, unidentified specifics of the incident could explain the arrest. Regardless, this suggests instability within the Burmese government rules and officials making arrests.

http://www.mizzima.com/news/breaking-and-news-brief/1899-lone-protestor-detained.html

Kay Makishi

Protests in Burma

Our semester-long project about the current level of press freedom in Burma is focused on a series of protests called the Saffron Revolution which happened in the fall of 2007. Thousands of citizens and reporters were arrested and some were even killed.

On Friday, March 20, at least 20 people in Twante Township in Rangoon protested against the cyclone reconstruction committee because they claimed that the reconstruction fees were not used appropriately within their village. They marched four miles to the committee's office demanding the reconstruction of their homes which were destroyed in Cyclone Nargis of 2008. The protesters reportedly dispersed around 5 PM on Friday after the committee claimed that it would look into their problems.

This news shows that the people of Burma are passionate about their rights. It is interesting to see that people refuse to be silenced by the military junta which is known for its brutal crackdown on the protesters of the Saffron Revolution. According to the Mizzima, there was no violence during the protests and the protesters returned to their homes.

- Sarah Popovich (Burma)

Protesters gather as tense Thailand prepares for 'last battle'

This is interesting as the Thai government has been going through a rough patch very recently and since Thaksin has been overthrown. Thousands of protesters gathered today as a final push for their 6 month long campaign to bring down their current government. Many have already died in the attempts, and protesters have pointed the finger at the government, but the government denies any sort of ties to the violence that has partaken towards the protesters during this long period.

-Jared Besecker

Thailand: Tension Grows

In a Bangkok Post top story, five pro-government supporters were held by security guards for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) . Scuffles broke out and a woman was punched in the face after the guards claimed they were armed and ready to incite violence. The four women and one man were intercepted by the guards wearing red shirts which said "Choose Samak, Love Thaksin" in a pick-up truck stuck in traffic. The guards claimed that a group of men in the back of the truck fired slingshots at them and that one also threw an axe but missed. The guards then paraded the man and women, who were found inside the truck, in front of a group of PAD supporters. They were then handed over to police for questioning.

This incident is of importance because it shows the rise in tension between the two groups and absence of stability within the political system of Thailand right now. Some people fear that things will continue this way or worsen because of events to come. A rally is planned for the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorships (UDD) on Saturday and a political talk show in Bangkok is said to attract a crowd of UDD supporters when the former prime minister will address the rally by telephone from London.

Despite the tension, the fact that a televised political talk show will be airing the viewpoints of former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, proves that there is still evidence of press freedom within the country and broadcast stations are not censoring themselves from covering a variety of material.


By: Allison Kershner