Tensions are high in Thailand as a political crisis that has been simmering for years is reaching boiling point. Last week a judicial coup ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and several of her ministers. Ben Gliniecki analyses the latest developments and the revolutionary potential in Thailand.

The holding of the referendums in eastern Ukraine represents a new and potentially dangerous twist in the Ukrainian crisis. The representatives of the people of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions say 89% and 96% respectively voted in favour of self-rule. Alan Woods analyses the significance of the referendums and the responses of Putin’s Russia and the Western media.

Sunday 11th May saw referendums in Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. We publish here an article by Jorge Martin, written in advance of the referendum, which analyses the situation in the region, including the activities and involvement of fascist paramilitaries on the one side and the growing role of the working class on the other.