Thai Govt drops &#39;peace birds&#39; in attempt to quell unrest
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MARK COLVIN: You might call them weapons of mass distraction - the hundred-million &quot;peace birds&quot; made of folded paper that the Thai Air Force has been dropping over southern Thailand.
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By GRANT PECK  BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's new military-appointed government has threatened to shut down an operatic version of the Hindu epic Ramayana, ostensibly over fears one of its scenes may bring bad luck.
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Thailand&#39;s military-appointed cabinet  lifted on Tuesday an order by the coup council to shut down Web  sites deemed threatening to the constitutional monarchy,  Communication Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom said.
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Thai politicians wrapped up their campaigns on Saturday on the eve of a general election unlikely to resolve deep divisions since Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a bloodless coup last year.
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BANGKOK, Thailand  -- Thailand's military council on Sunday issued new orders intended to stave off any possible opposition to their coup, banning political activities at the district and provincial levels.
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Thai military rulers say they have agreed to hold talks with southern rebels - a policy shift from the former regime.
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A massive airdrop of paper birds to promote peace failed to halt violence in Thailand&#39;s restive south, with a spate of new attacks targeting soldiers and local officials erupting on Monday.
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: Thailand&#39;s prime minister said Tuesday a military crackdown that left six rioters dead in the Muslim-dominated south was justified, arguing that such rioting is aimed at sowing chaos and cannot be tolerated.
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Thailand's junta has publicly announced a ban on all political meetings and the registration of new political parties, one day after staging a bloodless military coup that ousted the country's prime minister.
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Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra fired the defense and agriculture ministers after his public ratings fell following the government&#39;s failure to stop violence in the Muslim-dominated south and the spread of bird flu.
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HAT YAI, THAILAND - The Thai air force launched one of its biggest military operations in recent history on Sunday, dispatching 51 aircraft to drop 97 million origami paper cranes on Thailandâs troubled deep south to bring peace to the region.
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Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has warned that violence in the country&#39;s south could get worse. Mr Thaksin said suspected Muslim separatists wanted to provoke the government into over-reacting.
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Around 50 Thai Air Force planes &quot;bombed&quot; the largely Muslim south with paper birds on Sunday as a symbol of peace for the restive region where nearly 500 people have been killed since January.
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Thailand&#39;s prime minister announced yesterday that hundreds of Muslims detained after a riot in the country&#39;s restive south would be freed, in a bid to ease tensions over the deaths of 85 accused rioters - including 78 who died in military custody.
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Thailand plans to ban families from raising fowl in open-air farms in an attempt to stop the spread of the avian influenza virus, the government said, without providing any details on how it will implement the ban.
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Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has again ruled out negotiations with Muslim separatists in the south. In his weekly radio address, Mr Thaksin said he would not talk to militants trying to use violence to force his government to discuss secession.
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Thai Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula quits,  blaming infighting in the military-backed government.