Viengrat Nethipo is an associate professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. Her research interests are on clientelism and power relations in provincial politics, particularly in Thailand. Her favorite research activity is interviewing politicians and vote canvassers in different provinces. Viengrat is the author of two books in Thai, “Tun Chiang Mai” [Chiang Mai Capital] (2006) and “Heepbat kab Boonkoon” [Ballots and Gratitude: Dynamics of Electoral Politics and Its Impacts on the Clientelism] (2015).

Cat Yen was previously Thailand Country Editor at New Mandala. She currently works in advertising for some reason, but her research interests include documenting the substantive practice of political repression, as distinct from repressive laws and institutions.