Bird flu and brutal attacks continue to trouble government

TWO continuing crises have dented the Thai government’s popularity and credibility – the avian flu outbreak which has crippled the multi-billion baht poultry industry and a series of brutal attacks on monks in the south that have sparked new fears of a religious and ethnic conflict. 

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, accused by Opposition leaders, farmers and the poultry industry for either trying to cover up the avian flu epidemic or acting too slowly to contain it, has pledged to bring the outbreak under control within days.