|
|
Article: The rise & fall of imperial democracies: from the Beltway to Bangkok, Moscow to Manila, elected leaders are using the threat of terror to grab more power--and making the threat worse.
- Article from:
- The Washington Monthly
- Article date:
- January 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Washington Monthly Company. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
In most parts of Thailand, it's difficult to avoid the vibrant nightlife. At dusk, food vendors wheel their carts out into public squares and start cooking phat thai, stir-fries, and grilled fish. Thais nibble until late: Night markets stay open until the early morning, and people shop for essentials close to midnight. Even Thailand's smallest towns usually have one or two nightspots, and Bangkok has a reputation as one of the world's after-dark capitals.
But in Yala, a small city in the deep south of Thailand, the situation is far different. As the sun sets around 6:30 in the evening, shopkeepers frantically draw metal gates over the front of their stores. ...