BANGKOK — To pacify a divided nation, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva — blamed for a military crackdown on protesters that left more than 80 dead and 1,500 injured over two months — says Thailand needs to "heal the mind."
He could start with himself. Educated at Oxford, he has disappointed Thai intellectuals by acting like former U.S. President George W. Bush and slapping terrorism charges, which can carry the death penalty, against his opponents, including Red Shirt protest leaders and the exiled former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra.
The European Union and Human Rights Watch, among others, have condemned his government and the Thai military for "secret detentions" and for shooting live rounds at Thai citizens.