This book examines two aspects of the abbreviated reign of King Ananda Mahidol (1935-1946), or King Rama VIII, of the current Chakri dynasty of Thailand. First, it discusses the royal family's plot to thwart a romantic relationship between the young king, Ananda, and his Swiss girlfriend, Marileine Ferrari, a daughter of a famous pastor of Lausanne, Switzerland. Interracial marriage, particularly with Westerners, has been strictly forbidden for Thai kings or heirs apparent. The restriction stems from the interwoven connection between sexual relationship and the security of the throne. The second part investigates the mysterious death of King Ananda, a long-held taboo topic in Thailand. Although the two events were not specially related, both in their own way served to unavoidably shake the position of the monarchy and hence threaten its existence. The palace's reactions to these events demonstrated its continuous search to maintain its power and ultimately to warrant its survival.

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Thailand is a timely survey and assessment of the state of contemporary Thailand. While Thailand has changed much in the past decades, this handbook proposes that many of its problems have remained intact or even persistent, particularly problems related to domestic politics. It underlines emerging issues at this critical juncture in the kingdom and focuses on the history, politics, economy, society, culture, religion and international relations of the country. A multidisciplinary approach, with chapters written by experts on Thailand, this handbook is divided into the following sections. History Political and economic landscape Social development International relations Designed for academics, students, libraries, policymakers and general readers in the field of Asian studies, political science, economics and sociology, this invaluable reference work provides an up-to-date account of Thailand and initiates new discussion for future research activities.

This edited collection analyzes the innovative changes in Japan's foreign policy. Pursuing new relationships with South Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe, Japanese initiatives include regional peace-building and human security activities, Asian multilateralism, and the Indo-Pacific concept. This collection focuses on these evolving international relationships through Japan's unique approach to political change and continuity.

This edited collection analyzes the innovative changes in Japan's foreign policy. Pursuing new relationships with South Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe, Japanese initiatives include regional peace-building and human security activities, Asian multilateralism, and the Indo-Pacific concept. This collection focuses on these evolving international relationships through Japan's unique approach to political change and continuity.

A Plastic Nation examines the role of Thai nationhood in domestic and international politics. Although in fact ill-defined, Thainess, or khwampenthai, has been consistently used by Thai leaders to legitimize their power and defend their economic interests. Not only has the assertion of Thainess been deeply rooted in the private interests of those in power, it has been deployed as part of nationalist sentiment to guard against any international norms, often considered as threats to the leaders' own interests. This book is intended for students and professors in the field of Thai nationhood and nationalism, contemporary Thai-Burmese relations, and policy practitioners in the government and military

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Thailand is a timely survey and assessment of the state of contemporary Thailand. While Thailand has changed much in the past decades, this handbook proposes that many of its problems have remained intact or even persistent, particularly problems related to domestic politics. It underlines emerging issues at this critical juncture in the kingdom and focuses on the history, politics, economy, society, culture, religion and international relations of the country. A multidisciplinary approach, with chapters written by experts on Thailand, this handbook is divided into the following sections. History Political and economic landscape Social development International relations Designed for academics, students, libraries, policymakers and general readers in the field of Asian studies, political science, economics and sociology, this invaluable reference work provides an up-to-date account of Thailand and initiates new discussion for future research activities.

This book examines two aspects of the abbreviated reign of King Ananda Mahidol (1935-1946), or King Rama VIII, of the current Chakri dynasty of Thailand. First, it discusses the royal family's plot to thwart a romantic relationship between the young king, Ananda, and his Swiss girlfriend, Marileine Ferrari, a daughter of a famous pastor of Lausanne, Switzerland. Interracial marriage, particularly with Westerners, has been strictly forbidden for Thai kings or heirs apparent. The restriction stems from the interwoven connection between sexual relationship and the security of the throne. The second part investigates the mysterious death of King Ananda, a long-held taboo topic in Thailand. Although the two events were not specially related, both in their own way served to unavoidably shake the position of the monarchy and hence threaten its existence. The palace's reactions to these events demonstrated its continuous search to maintain its power and ultimately to warrant its survival.

ASEAN has an abiding interest in peace and stability in this region and in freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea. Much of ASEAN's commerce, including its members' traded food and energy resources, passes through or over the South China Sea. The stakes for ASEAN and its members in the South China Sea are very high.

What did the 2006 military coup show us? It demonstrated that the crux of the Thai crisis is far more serious and much wider in scope than had previously been thought. The monarchy is surely not a victim in the protracted conflict, but the root cause and continuing factor that has eroded Thai politics. The coup set in motion more prejudicial uses of the lese-majeste law, and in the process, has led to more political prisoners. It has also shredded the military into several segments, turning generals into desperate royalists who continue to live off the monarchy in order to survive. Issues of violence in the Thai south and the Thai-Cambodian dispute became greatly intensified in the age of militarised politics. The coup also produced unique colour-coded politics and created crises of legitamacy. This book is a collection of essays that reflect developments in Thai politics in the post-coup period.

International labour migration can be characterized in three ways - as human aspiration, tradition, and necessity. For some people, working overseas is a dream. For others, international labour mobility is a tradition. For a great number of people however, international labour migration is an economic necessity. It is the only viable solution to realize their basic human right to a decent life. GMS worker movements to Thailand typify all three characterizations of international labour mobility. While this book focuses on the economic dimensions of international labour emigration, principally from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to Thailand, it recognizes at the very outset the equal standing of non-economic motivations for migration.

This volume is the result of a workshop that had the objective to ascertain the facts of ASEAN-U.S. relations and the specific matter of the United States' engagement with ASEAN and East Asia, for possible use by ASEAN in the discussions at the next ASEAN-U.S. Summit Meeting and other ASEAN-U.S. policy forums. The book covers several elements of this relationship, ranging from U.S. military presence in the region, cooperation on maritime security, and recent U.S. policy towards Myanmar, to progress on technical cooperation.

This book is a product of the Expert Round table Discussion on the topic 'The Road to Ratification and Implementation of the ASEAN Charter', jointly organized by the ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC) of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) and the Habibie Centre, on 17 July 2008 in Jakarta. The objective of the discussion was to illuminate the provisions of the ASEAN Charter and its strengths and weaknesses. Despite its evident merits, the signing of the ASEAN Charter has brought to prominence the sharp differences that have divided partisans and critics of ASEAN, as reflected by selected speakers who voiced their views on the subject. They, however, agreed that the Charter was imperfect in its current state and required clarification and further attention to detail. Even the more skeptical participants in the Round table discussion did not consider the Charter a complete failure but admitted that, if implemented well, it could be beneficial to the people of the ASEAN member states.

After a two-month stand-off between Red Shirt protestors and the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, violence and arson scarred central Bangkok in mid-May 2010. This shocking turn of events underlined how poorly understood the deep divisions in the society and politics of Thailand remained, even five years into the country's prolonged crisis. This volume collects analysis and commentary on those divisions from an unusually large and prominent group of Thai and foreign scholars and observers of the country. Contributions examine socio-economic, political, diplomatic, historical, cultural, and ideological issues with rare frankness, clarity, and lack of jargon.

The optimism provoked by Myanmar's political reforms in 2011-2012 has now given way to a sense that the uneven nature of change in this nation of 54 million has lead to instability and uncertainty. The liberalization of critical sectors and expansion of certain freedoms - such as political and legal opportunities for expression and mobilization - contrasts with the entrenchment of structural problems. It becomes ever more difficult to tackle ethnic marginalization and conflict, over-dependence on natural resource extraction, inadequate public services, and problems of under-capacity in the civilian bureaucracy. The result is the build up of a toxic environment in which classism, racism, and bigotry threaten to rend Myanmar's already delicate social fabric. The contributors to this volume bring unique perspectives and methodologies to bear to unravel Myanmar's tangled challenges. Whether it is through studying corruption by analyzing the country's real estate bubble, assessing civil society advocacy capacity against extractive industries, or gauging the strength (and surprising weakness) of Myanmar's military, the volume employs unconventional approaches and analytical rigor to address a fundamental question: is Myanmar itself unraveling?

On 2-3 May 2008 Cyclone Nargis slammed into Myanmar, causing almost 140,000 deaths and leaving 2 million in the Ayeyawaddy delta homeless. As Myanmar's initial delay in responding to the humanitarian crisis was evident, ASEAN emerged as mediator and convenor, coordinating international and regional efforts. This led to a tripartite cooperation mechanism among the Government of Myanmar, the United Nations and ASEAN. Through June-December 2008, Pavin Chachavalpongpun and Moe Thuzar documented ASEAN's role in helping Myanmar respond to Nargis. This book provides a snapshot of how unprecedented mechanisms came about for international, regional and local groups to work together in assisting cyclone survivors. A preliminary report was presented to the 14th ASEAN Summit in February 2009. The book's conclusion has since been updated and provides a timely reminder - one year after Nargis - of the continued needs of cyclone survivors in rebuilding their lives.