Taking Heat

As the crowds poured into Bangkok's royal plaza last Saturday, Vasan Sitthiket was there again—just as he had been in May 1992, when people power rocked Thailand and ousted a government. Then, the target of the people's wrath was a military regime. Now it's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, re-elected in a landslide victory just a year ago but vilified in recent months by many of Bangkok's residents. Demonstrations in the capital have become a weekly feature, led by a businessman-turned-political opponent of Thaksin, Sondhi Limthongkul, whose rallies draw tens of thousands. Vasan is a regular. An artist, he sketches caricatures of...