A state of emergency, streets paralyzed with protesters, the fatal shooting of a leading pro-government activist and an election campaign teetering on chaos may not sound like the script from a rising Southeast Asian economic powerhouse.
A controversial election in Thailand will proceed as scheduled Sunday despite threats of continued violence from antigovernment protesters and fear that the result will only deepen the country's eight-year political crisis.
One of the ways to get out of the colour-coded political rut is for rival parties to set a common agenda on shared problems, visualise a more just future together, and work toward what their children will be grateful for. This sounds easier said than done.
Yingluck Shinawatra was poised to become Thailand's first female prime minister Sunday after her party won a majority of parliamentary seats in the nation's general elections.