Abhisit Vejjajiva

Thailand's prime minister announced Thursday that he had cancelled a visit to a northern stronghold of his rival, ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, owing to security concerns. Abhisit Vejjajiva was set to travel to the northern city of Chiang Mai for a commerce meeting on Sunday, but decided against the trip after receiving death threats, despite initially downplaying the security risk. The cancellation highlights the political instability faced by Thailand, which has been wracked by rival street protests for months. Chiang Mai is a stronghold for Thaksin loyalists, known as Red Shirts, who want to see the former leader return from his self-imposed exile as ... Read Full Story

Thai supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra Wednesday called off rallies due to start this weekend after the fugitive former premier said the protests were too close to the king's birthday. Thaksin -- who is living in exile following a 2006 coup -- urged the "Red Shirt" movement in a radio address late Tuesday to postpone the protests at least until after King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 82nd birthday on December 5. The Red Shirts had previously announced plans to gather Saturday in Bangkok and stay on the streets until December 2, prompting the government to invoke a tough security law across the capital until mid-December. "We Red ... Read Full Story

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Supporters of exiled former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Wednesday they had postponed indefinitely an anti-government rally due to start this weekend, which had rattled financial markets. The red-shirted United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) had planned to rally from Saturday to Tuesday in the historic heart of Bangkok, with marches on key roads in the capital, to press its demand for fresh elections. But they scratched it, citing loyalty to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, who turns 82 on December 5 and whose birthday celebrations may have been marred by any street violence. Thai stock ... Read Full Story

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand passed a tough security law on Tuesday, giving the military broad powers to control a street rally that begins this weekend by supporters of exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. The Internal Security Act (ISA) allows troops to impose curfews, operate checkpoints, restrict movements of protesters and act fast if rallies by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) turn violent. Deputy government spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said the Thai cabinet approved the use of the ISA from November 28 to December 14 in Bangkok, where anti-government protesters plan to rally. Thaksin's red-shirted supporters plan to gather on Saturday in the ... Read Full Story

Former Thai prime minister Samak Sundaravej, who was forced from office in 2008 for starring in television cooking shows, died of liver cancer Tuesday at the age of 74, associates said. A close ally of ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Samak led the People Power Party (PPP) to victory in elections in December 2007 -- the first polls since a military coup that ousted Thaksin a year earlier. The fiery-tongued right-winger spent nine months as prime minister, beset by mass street campaigns against his government, before a court ruling on his TV appearances brought about his downfall. Samak had been battling liver cancer for more ... Read Full Story