May 2006 in Southeast Asia

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Other events in May 2006
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Africa - Britain and Ireland - India - Thailand
2006 developments by topic Monthly events, 2006

[edit] Deaths in May May 20: Cherd Songsri [edit] Events May 6: Singapore general election May 20: Sarawak state election, Malaysia [edit] Ongoing events 60th anniversary celebrations of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's accession to the throne Avian influenza (H5N1) outbreak Non-Aligned Movement ministerial meeting at Putrajaya. [edit] Ongoing armed conflicts South Thailand insurgency 2006 East Timor crisis [edit] Related pages 2006 in Malaysia 2006 in Singapore About this page

[edit] Events in Southeast Asia

This page deals with May 2006 events in or of interest to Southeast Asia and/or events that involved its citizens.

[edit] 31 May 2006 (Wednesday)

• Relative calm returns to Dili for the first time in more than a week of violence, with President Xanana Gusmão assuming special emergency powers, including command of an international peacekeeping force in Operation Astute. However, despite calls for him to step down, Prime Minister Marí Alkatiri sows confusion by saying he is still responsible for defence and security, denying that Gusmão is in charge. (Reuters) (BBC)
• Paintings and drawings by the renowned 17th century Dutch artist Rembrandt will be exhibited at Central Chidlom's event hall in Bangkok during June 2-20 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne and the 400th year of Rembrandt's birth. (The Nation)
• Former president Suharto leaves Pertamina Hospital in Jakarta, nearly a month after undergoing colon surgery to stem internal bleeding. (Antara) (AP)
• President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono returns to Jakarta after having run his administration from Gedung Agung presidential palace in Yogyakarta since May 27 while supervising relief efforts after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake. The Social Affairs Ministry raises the death toll from the May 27 quake to 5,846.(Antara)(CNN)

[edit] 30 May 2006 (Tuesday)

• East Timor President Xanana Gusmão announces he will assume special emergency powers in a bid to quell violence. The former Fretilin leader will take sole control of the country's security forces.(Wikinews)
• International relief arrives as the death toll in the Java earthquake reaches more than 5,700. Planes carrying supplies and foreign experts include Japanese paramedics and a contingent of U.S. Marines, land at the airport in Yogyakarta, which re-opens to commercial traffic despite a heavily damaged terminal. It's estimated 130,000 people are left homeless by the quake. (Reuters)
• The new Cabinet of Singapore, led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, is sworn into office, after the People's Action Party received a strong mandate in the general election. (The Hindu)
• The Cabinet approves the new election date on October 15 as proposed by the Election Commission. (TNA)
• Royal Malaysian Police captures 12 Islamist militants in Sabah. Most of the militants are Indonesians. (Reuters)

[edit] 29 May 2006 (Monday)

• The film The Last Communist (Lelaki Komunis Terahkir), a "semi-musical documentary" inspired by the leader of the disbanded Malayan Communist Party, Chin Peng, is banned by the Home Ministry under the Film Censorship Act 1991. (Wikinews)
• The Thai Government donates USD 100,000 of financial aid and 1,000 tons of rice to Indonesia after the country was severely affected from the huge earthquake. (NNB)

[edit] 28 May 2006 (Sunday)

• Shin Satellite announces that its Thaicom 5 satellite was launched into orbit by Ariane 5 rocket from the Spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana on Saturday local time or Sunday morning in Thailand and successfully place Mexico's Satmex 6 and Thailand's Thaicom 5 into preliminary orbits. (TNA)

[edit] 27 May 2006 (Saturday)

• An early morning earthquake measuring magnitude 6.3 strikes Central Java province, killing at least 5,135 people, and injuring thousands more. In Yogyakarta, more than 3,000 buildings collapse and electricity and communications links are severed. Experts monitor nearby Mount Merapi for increased activity. (Wikinews)
• Myanmar's military regime extends opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest by another year. Just the day before United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan had called on Myanmar's military chief, Senior General Than Shwe, to release the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. (Bangkok Post)
• Malaysia hosts Non-Aligned Movement's ministerial meeting in Putrajaya. (Bernama)

[edit] 26 May 2006 (Friday)

• United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan presents the first Human Development Lifetime Achievement award to Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej for his decades-long dedication to the nation's development. The inaugural UNDP honour was in response not only for His Majesty the King's sustained commitment to a series of royally-initiated projects, but also for His Majesty's lifelong expression of concern and action for the well-being of all his country's people. (TNA)
• Caretaker Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang urges young Thai Buddhists to study and adopt the practices of one of the country's most respected religious leaders, Buddhist monk Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, who was recognised by the UNESCO as one of the world's 'Great Personalities'. (TNA)

[edit] 25 May 2006 (Thursday)

• In the 2006 East Timor crisis, Australian troops secure Comoro airport in Dili. Australia has 600 troops in East Timor, and is sending a further 1,200 in what is called Operation Astute to quell civil unrest. Malaysia is sending 219 personnel, a carrier plane and two support vessels. New Zealand and Portugal are also sending troops. (Wikinews)
• Prices of electricity will go up about 12% next month but it will not affect the poor people.(The Star)
• Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra calls an urgent meeting to tackle the problem as government authorities confirmed Wednesday night that the death toll of persons killed in flash floods and mudslides in the northern provinces of Uttaradit, Sukhothai, Phrae, Lampang and Nan has risen to 51. (TNA)
• Employment Department predicts that unemployment could rise by 1.7 per cent this year while economists at the Kasikorn Research Centre (KRC) expects a bit more as the country's economic growth has slowed due to expensive oil prices which have driven up the interest rates. (TNA)

[edit] 24 May 2006 (Wednesday)

• The Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary announces that HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej has appealed to all parties concerned to provide for the urgent rescue for flood victims in the north. On Tuesday evening, HM the King instructed the country's three armed forces--the Royal Thai Army, the Royal Thai Navy, and the Royal Thai Air Force--to conduct joint efforts in cooperation with other agencies to carry out urgent relief operations. (TNA)

[edit] 23 May 2006 (Tuesday)

• Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra chairs a cabinet weekly meeting at Government House for the first time in one and a half months. (TNA)
• Flash floods triggered by days of heavy rain killed at least two people and trapped thousands in northern Thailand. (The Nation)

[edit] 22 May 2006 (Monday)

• According to the Commerce Ministry, Thailand's trade balance in April turned in deficit of around US$551 million due to a renewed oil price hike. TNA

[edit] 21 May 2006 (Sunday)

• Thousands of Thais and foreign tourists witness a religious rite to restore a much-revered Brahma statue in Erawan Shrine, two months after its being destroyed by a mentally-disturbed man. (TNA)
• Barisan Nasional wins the Ninth Sarawak state election, garnering 62 seats out of 71. (Bernama)

[edit] 20 May 2006 (Saturday)

• Thailand will invite the World Health Organization jointly host the Prince Mahidol Award, which given to persons for outstanding research in medicine and contributions to the public's well-being. (TNA)
• Corrections Department orders prisons throughout Thailand not to allow inmates to watch live matches of 2006 FIFA World Cup on television, but to show recorded matches to avoid gambling. (TNA)

[edit] 19 May 2006 (Friday)

• A medical team from Siriraj Hospital, Thailand's oldest and largest public hospital, demonstrates their expertise in heart surgery by performing a high tech procedure called a percutaneous coronary intervention to a global conference on cardiology in Paris. (TNA)
• South Thailand insurgency: Security forces rescued two women teachers held hostage and beaten up by angry Muslim villagers. The villagers angered by the arrest of local people suspected of shooting marines. (The Nation)

[edit] 17 May 2006 (Wednesday)

• The Film Censorship Board votes 6-5 that The Da Vinci Code can be screened in Thailand without any cuts. (The Nation) (ThaiDay)
• According to Permanent Secretary for Commerce, the Thai-Japanese FTA pact will be signed after the new Thai government takes office. (TNA)
• Resuming official duties, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrives at Government House to chair a meeting on state ceremonies to mark His Majesty the King's 60th anniversary on the throne. He refuses to answer any political questions to the media. (TNA)

[edit] 16 May 2006 (Tuesday)

• The government will announce the opening date of Bangkok's new international airport, the Suvarnabhumi Airport, for commercial use in June. (TNA)
• The committee responsible for film censorship announces that the controversial Hollywood film The Da Vinci Code will be allowed to screened in Thailand, with 10 minutes of climax removed, following a petition by four Christian organisations to ban it as they claimed the film insulted Jesus and harmed the Christian faith. (TNA)
• General Charupat Ruangsuwan became the first of four commissioners to quit Thailand's Election Commission (EC) after a strong pressure has been put against them to step down following the Constitutional Court ruling last week that the country's April 2 general election was unconstitutional. (TNA)

[edit] 15 May 2006 (Monday)

• Thai-Lao diplomatic concerns lead to the cancellation of Lucky Loser, a Thai sports-comedy film in which the Thai and Lao national soccer teams face each other in a World Cup qualifying match. Lao diplomats said they feared that the depiction of the Lao players would be seen as offensive by Lao people and warned of a Lao version of the 2003 Phnom Penh riots if the film was released. (The Nation)
• The Election Committee suggest October 22 as the date for the repeat of the nullified election in April. (The Nation)
• Thailand and other countries in the western Pacific Ocean region will participate in the first regional tsunami warning drill on Wednesday conducted by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). (TNA)
• Thailand and the United States, joined by teams from Indonesia, Japan and Singapore, kicks off the annual military exercises codenamed Cobra Gold, the largest U.S. war games conducted in Asia. (Defense News)
• The Central Group buys part of the British embassy compound in Bangkok reportedly worth about 50 million US dollar. (The Nation)

[edit] 14 May 2006 (Sunday)

• Caretaker Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon says on the eve of his meeting with a senior Japanese official to seek Japan's help that the Thai government will continue to search for the missing Thai woman who alleged to have been abducted by North Korean agents almost 30 years ago. (TNA)

[edit] 12 May 2006 (Friday)

• Thousands of Buddhists participate the Visakha Puja celebration in Sanam Luang and Phutthamonthon in Nakhon Pathom despite high temperature. (The Nation) (NNB)
• Kasikorn Research Centre reports that there are increasing tourists from China generating greater revenues. (TNA)
• Shin Satellite announces that it will launch its Thaicom 5 satellite into orbit by the end of May. (TNA)

[edit] 11 May 2006 (Thursday)

• Annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony forecasted rich rainfall and high crop yields this year. (The Nation)
• Thailand political crisis 2005-2006: The Democrat Party announces that it will not attend the meeting on Monday called by the Election Commission to discuss preparations for the upcoming general election because the Party wants a new EC that can promise greater transparency. (TNA)
• Marines and sailors began leaving Okinawa for Thailand earlier this week for the upcoming multilateral training exercise Cobra Gold. (Stars & Stripes)
• A Thai entrepreneur launched an Internet radio station for dogs this week because he noticed that dogs seem happier when he plays music. (CNN)

[edit] 10 May 2006 (Wednesday)

• Thailand fails to receive enough votes to secure a seat on the new United Nations Human Rights Council. (ThaiDay)

[edit] 9 May 2006 (Tuesday)

• Nomination day for the Ninth Sarawak state election. Barisan Nasional wins two seats unopposed. (Bernama)

[edit] 8 May 2006 (Monday)

• Thailand political crisis 2005-2006: The Constitution Court nullified the April 2 election with 8 of 14 judges ruling these election as unconstitutional. The election has to be repeat later this year, a new date is not yet set.

[edit] 6 May 2006 (Saturday)

• Thailand political crisis 2005-2006: A source close to the deliberations said yesterday that the April 2 election results will likely be declared invalid by a narrow majority of Constitution Court judges on Monday.
• A Phuket marine-supply company is seeking permission to salvage what it believes are two British human torpedoes that have been lying in the sea since World War II. (The Nation)
• The People's Action Party gains a landslide victory in the Singapore general election, winning 82 of the 84 parliamentary seats.

[edit] 5 May 2006 (Friday)

• To mark the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne, the Tripitaka featured in eight languages will be released in the King's honour on Tuesday in a ceremony ahead of Visakha Puja Day. (The Nation)
• Veteran politician Sanoh Thienthong believes many Thai Rak Thai Party MPs will move out and join his forming Pracharat Party if a constitutional requirement that poll candidates must be members of a political party for no fewer than 90 days is lifted. (NNB)
• South Thailand insurgency: A gunman shot and killed a Border Patrol Police unit commander while he was taking part in the Friday weekly prayer at a local mosque. (The Nation)

[edit] 4 May 2006 (Thurday)

• Deputy Democrat Party leader Alongkorn Polabutr has asked the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) to investigate a sister of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for allegedly being unusually rich. (NNB)

[edit] 3 May 2006 (Wednesday)

• Their Majesties the King and Queen proceed by car to Amarindra Vinichaya Throne Hall in the Grand Palace to preside over a merit making ceremony in connection with the Coronation Day (NNB)
• A former senior government official was given a suspended 15-month prison term and a Bt15,000 fine for sexually harassing an air hostess and two female passengers on a Thai Airways flight two years ago. (The Nation)

[edit] 2 May 2006 (Tuesday)

• Kantathi Suphamongkhon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, affirms that there is no weapon training in Kelantan of Malaysia. (NNB)
• Somsak Thepsuthin, deputy leader of the Thai Rak Thai Party, believes there are no grounds for the Constitution Court to declare the April 2 general election null and void. (NNB)
• Bahrain signed an open-sky air-transport agreement with Thailand last week to double Gulf Air flights between the two countries by July. (The Nation)

[edit] 1 May 2006 (Monday)

• The Constitutional Court has accepted to rule on the legitimacy of the April 2 general election and by-election that followed. (NNB)

[edit] News collections and sources

• Wikipedia:News collections and sources.
• Wikipedia:News sources - This has much of the same material organised in a hierarchical manner to help encourage NPOV in our news reporting.

[edit] Malaysia

• New Straits Times [1]
• The Star [2]
• Bernama [3]
• The Malay Mail [4]
• Daily Express [5] (mainly Sabah news)

[edit] Singapore

• Channel NewsAsia [6]
• Straits Times [7]
• Business Times [8]
• The New Paper [9]
• Visit Singapore, Event Calendar

[edit] Thailand

• Bangkok Post [10]
• Business Day [11]
• The Nation [12]
• National News Bureau (NNB) [13]
• Thai News Agency (TNA) [14]
• International Herald Tribune/ThaiDay [15]