As Thailand goes from “it’s not a coup” to “of course it’s a coup,” Thai newspapers are struggling under the load of web users trying to figure out what’s going on. Though it’s worth trying the The Nation or the Bangkok Post, readers may have better luck with this brief list of options for following the news as it breaks.
Live blogs: The BBC is running a detailed live blog, complete with broadcast coverage that is available no matter what part of the world you are in. The Bangkok post’s ”lite version” also has rolling updates and is likelier to load than the main site. Asian Correspondent is also has a live blog up with updates mostly from Twitter. Bangkok-based writer Richard Barrow has a detailed map of where the action is taking place in Bangkok.
Twitter lists: Reuters executive Vincent Baby has a “Thailand Live” list on Twitter that is filled with local and foreign observers. Jon Russell, a journalist based in Thailand, put together a list for the protests last year, which he has updated. Newley Purnell, a reporter with the Wall Street Journal (and formerly of Quartz), maintains a list of journalists in Bangkok and a larger list of accounts in some way related to Thailand.
Background: There have been 11 previous coups and seven attempted coups in Thailand since the end of the country’s absolute monarchy in 1932. The Insight on Conflict blog has a rundown of the key players in the country’s many overlapping conflicts. This two-minute video from the BBC explains the ouster of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra and provides some context for today’s events, as does this quick backgrounder on “Thailand’s troubled democracy” from Bloomberg.