Political Crisis and Rajiv Biswas

Rajiv Biswas: While the new caretaker government is still in office, there are already indications that Southeast Asia second-biggest economy is hurtling towards recession given the prolonged political crisis, says, Rajiv Biswas, the chief Asia economist of the analytics firm IHS, in a DW interview, according to Deutsche Welle. DW: Given the protracted conflict and the recent declaration of martial law, is Thailand at risk of sliding into a recession later this year and Thailand biggest investor Japan expressed on Tuesday, May 20, "grave concerns" after the army imposed martial law, while the United States said it must only be "temporary" as multinational firms monitored events nervously. After months of deadly anti-government protests, the Thai army deployed armed troops in central Bangkok and censored the media, but insisted the move was "not a coup." The country has been plunged in a political crisis over the past seven months, pitting the Bangkok-based middle-class and establishment, as well as staunchly royalist south against the north and northeastern rural support base of the Shinawatra clan. The declaration of martial law does not create a path to political compromise, says Biswas (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.