Thailand unrest abates

In Thailand, on Dec. 2 the court banned the prime minister from politics for five years, over election fraud, and disbanded his governing party. On Dec. 3 the protesters who had blocked traffic at Bangkok’s airports since Nov. 25 left. Other protesters who had occupied the prime minister’s office for three months had left on Nov. 30.

The King endorsed the new prime minister and government on Dec. 16 after elections on Dec. 14. At press time, opposing parties had not yet sorted out power-sharing agreements, but the frequency of marches and protests was decreasing.