Political uprisings

Thailand: Ruling on Thaksin Fortune May Prompt Protests, Instability

Date: February 10th, 2010 |

The Thai Supreme Court will rule Feb. 26 on whether the $2.2 billion fortune of disgraced former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra can be seized by authorities. The money, frozen after he was deposed in 2006, is believed to have been obtained largely through corruption. But he still has hundreds of thousands of “Red Shirt” supporters [read more]

Honduras: Tensions High as Zelaya Returns

Date: September 24th, 2009 |

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Deposed and exiled President Manuel Zelaya snuck back into the country and took shelter in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, where thousands of supporters rallied Sept. 22 and were dispersed by soldiers firing tear gas. The airport was closed, a curfew was imposed, and one person was killed in the violence. Neither Zelaya nor the [read more]

Nepal: Political Crisis Follows PM’s Resignation

Date: May 6th, 2009 |

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Nepal fell into a political crisis when Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the former Maoist guerrilla leader, resigned to protest the president’s refusal to fire the army chief. Dahal wanted the army head fired because he refused to integrate Maoist rebels into the army. Dahal’s resignation caused the government to fall, and the president set [read more]

Fiji: Bainimarama Flexes Muscles, Limits Freedoms

Date: April 15th, 2009 |

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Fiji’s Court of Appeals ruled that the government of Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who seized power in a 2006 coup, is illegal. He responded by imposing a state of emergency, abolishing the constitution, firing all judges, expelling foreign journalists, posting censors in domestic newsrooms and cracking down on internet use. He said he would hold elections [read more]

Madagascar: Political Crisis Brings Down President

Date: March 18th, 2009 |

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A political crisis that started in January and devolved to daily clashes between opposition and government supporters in the capital city, Antananarivo, led to a mutiny by some factions of the army and the deposing of the army chief. On March 16 the president, who had been elected to a second term in 2006, was [read more]

India: Visa Requirements Revised, Independence Demanded in Telangana, Gorkhaland

Date: December 16th, 2009 |

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In response to the arrest of a U.S. citizen in Chicago on charges of helping plot the Mumbai terrorist attacks of Nov. 2008, India has revised its visa regulations. U.S. citizens with five- or ten-year visas will not be allowed to reenter India within two months of their previous departure if their last visit was [read more]

Honduras: Curfew Extended in Aftermath of Coup

Date: July 1st, 2009 |

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Congress extended a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew July 1 that had been imposed throughout the country June 29-30 in the wake of the military removing President Manuel Zelaya from power and sending him into exile. Demonstrations both for and against the coup occurred in Tegucigalpa and elsewhere, and tensions remained high. The U.S. [read more]

Yemen: Violence in South Raises Concerns about Country Splitting

Date: May 6th, 2009 |

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Several violent incidents occurred in Yemen in the past year, and violence in the south in late April-early May raised concerns that the government may now be facing a second insurgency and the threat that the country could dissolve. A prominent tribal leader called for a separate southern state at a large rally on April [read more]

Thailand: Protests End, Political Challenges Remain

Date: April 15th, 2009 |

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Several days of protests in Bangkok came to an end April 14 when combat troops surrounded a final crowd of 2,000 demonstrators and persuaded them to go home. The protesters, supporters of ousted former prime minister Thaksin, had besieged the prime minister’s residence, Government House, for 2 ½ weeks and plunged Bangkok into chaos over [read more]

Madagascar: Political Crisis Continues

Date: February 26th, 2009 |

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A political crisis between the president and the former mayor of Antananarivo continued, with a curfew remaining in effect in the capital city from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. The crisis has lasted more than a month and seen some 100 people killed in street violence and clashes with security forces. Commercial airlines continue to [read more]

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