Why and how did Thai courts initiate a path of political intervention after 2006? Who were these judges? To what extent were they independent rather than political tools? Fighting for Virtue examines these and other questions. The author, Duncan McCargo, contends that the judiciary, following King Bhumipol's April 2006 call for it to resolve political divisions associated with Premier Thaksin Shinawatra, completely failed, making rulings that were “inept,” “inflammatory,” and “unconscionable” (p. x). McCargo is director of the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies and professor of political science at the University of Copenhagen, and he has been affiliated with Leeds University for several years. He is well known for his publications on Thailand, especially his coined term “network monarchy.” This book especially derives from participatory observation in criminal courts during 2012 as well as interviews conducted over the next three years.
The introduction traces Thai jurisprudence to the 1805 Three...
