News From Countries We Care About

Corrie and I care about many countries, of course, but when news of political strife or natural disaster tear through one of our countries, we try to stop and listen. The two countries I'm talking about right now are Thailand and Guatemala.

Thailand's political crisis has been brewing since, well, in the immediacy, since '06, when Thaksin, their PM, was deposed by a military coup, forced into exile, and, as the courts have alleged, began to plan out the crippling protests that have gripped the nation since '08. Thaksin Shinawatra was a very wealthy businessman who formed his own political party, was swept into office in a landslide, used his connections as Prime Minister to make him an even wealthier man, and like any good politician, made sure his friends and relatives were well take care of. Not that the Muslim conflict that's been going on in southern Thailand is his fault, but it wasn't helped by his "war on drugs" that turned out to be basically a hit-list of both his political opponents and prominent southern Muslim Thais. By 2006, he was so disliked that once the king backed the coup, it was a foregone conclusion. The Thai king's power is not as a political figure or ruler of the country's infrastructure, but as an elder statesman and role model; the Thai are united under their king. They love him, and when he publicly backs something, the people tend to obey.

So people protested Thaksin. Then they protested his replacement, who turned out to be Thaksin's brother-in-law (or something), and now a group allegedly led by an absent Thaksin has choked out Bangkok's airport and main thoroughfares on and off for the past few months. A leader for an opposition (to Thaksin) organization was almost assassinated in early May, while two weeks later, a general (most likely having been involved in the coup) at a well attended rally was shot in the head...he remains in critical condition.

The political problems in Guatemala are as evident as any small yet densely populated Central American country, but here I'm talking about natural disasters, and I meant to write that in the plural form. One day, their main volcano gets angry and spits soot and ash all over the place. Within a week (maybe even less time) a tropical storm makes landfall, and rivers of mud proceed to take out valleys, bridges, and towns. I have a picture from the Internet that is of a sinkhole formed in Guatemala City, the capital city. It is an amazing sight and isn't doctored at all.