In the next day or so the world’s most famous pro-Thaksin website is shutting down (it even has a countdown timer!). This site, hi-thaksin.net, has, regular readers might recall, been discussed from time-to-time here. In its last 48 hours online it is broadcasting a video presentation of the past couple of years of Thai politics. This video provides a handy visual summary of much that has been the subject of debate over the years on New Mandala.

There is also a long, and apparently final, statement that contextualises the website’s mission. Is this a case of mission accomplished? Or only in the George Bush, on the aircraft carrier, not quite victory, the war continues, sense of “mission accomplished”?

Thoughts from readers are, of course, very welcome here.

[And, before I forget, anyone hoping to one day write a history of the past few years in Thailand would do well to capture this website for posterity. In its day, it certainly had some of the most interesting (and perhaps important) material available online. Now that it is going offline (and has already taken down most of its content) who knows how much of its material will be available in the years to come. Worth a look, and perhaps some effort, for anyone who is that way inclined…]

Update 30 April 2008: As of this morning, UK time, hi-thaksin.net is no more: “the page cannot be displayed”. Before too long it will be de-indexed by search engines and will, I assume, disappear into the ether. However, using tools like the “Wayback Machine” it is possible to stumble upon some of the old material.