Vol. 6, No. 1 June 2007 ISSN 1684-629X   Article Thaksin Overthrown:  Thailand's 'well-intentioned' Coup of September 19, 2006 Michael H. Nelson © Nelson Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai (TRT – Thais Love Thai) Party was registered on July 14, 1998. In the general elections of January 4, 2001, it won 248 out of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives. Four years later, this number had increased to 377 seats. Thaksin’s power seemed to be unassailable for the next four, eight, or even twelve years. Thai Rak Thai’s slogan for its second term in office was an optimistic policy promise: si pi som si pi sang (four years of repairs, four years of construction). Everything looked as if Thaksin would “become Thailand’s greatest leader of modern times.” Instead, only twenty months after this electoral euphoria, Thailand’s military rolled out its tanks, surrounded Government House and secured strategic positions throughout Bangkok. <more> Article Transitional Justice in Taiwan: An Austrian Perspective Christian Schafferer Sixty years ago, the Nationalist Chinese Army brutally killed several thousand civilians in Taiwan. After the massacre, the Chinese Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching-kuo continued to rule Taiwan until 1988. During the Chiang era, tens of thousands of civilians were persecuted, tortured and killed. After almost twenty years of democratization, none of perpetrators has been prosecuted. The aim of this paper is to give an insight into the approaches taken by the Austrian government to reckon with legacies of widespread and systematic crimes against humanity and to draw a critical comparison with developments in Taiwan.   <more> Conference Announcement International Convention of Asia Scholars  ICAS5 The International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) is listed among the largest gatherings of research scholars from centers on Asia and Asians studies, especially in the humanities and social science fields. Recent developments in Asian studies indicate an emerging trend in cross-disciplinary and inter-regional approach in Asian studies. This positive development among the scholars of Asian studies will be further enhanced through a dynamic and interactive platform at ICAS 5 in Kuala Lumpur. The first ICAS was held in Leiden in 1998. ICAS 2 (Berlin, 2001), ICAS 3 (Singapore, 2003) and ICAS 4 (Shanghai 2005) followed as ICAS’ role in developing Asian Studies became progressively prominent. ICAS 5 seeks to continue this tradition with “Sharing a Future in Asia” as its theme. Expecting the participation of over 2,000 delegates representing 60 countries, ICAS 5 will be held from 2 to 5 August 2007 in the heart of Asia, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia. Date: 2-5 August 2007 Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Center Final Programme (EXL) Application Form (DOC) © 2007 by eastasia.at