Dr Gerhard Will  is a researcher at the Institute for International and Security Affairs, Germany

I admire Abhisit. He has a very difficult task to bridge all the deep-rooted divisions in Thai society and he has done a fairly good job.

Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun is a Lead researcher, Institute for Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore

There are four post-election scenarios and Abhisit's Democrat Party has a 50% chance of returning to power.

CJ Hinke is a Freedom Against Censorship Thailand blogger

Abhisit's early promises in office were that his government would not use the Computer Crimes Act for political prosecutions and that he would curtail the use of the lèse majesté laws. The reality is that there are now over 200 such cases before Thai courts, with the accused facing up to 70 years in prison.

China's soft  diplomacy has  far reaching  consequences  for the region's  eco-system

China is the only country that has built Mekong mainstream dams aimed at generating electricity to foster domestic socioeconomic development in Tibet and Yunnan, southwestern provinces which have yet to experience the same levels of economic growth as the eastern provinces. China's interest in beefing up its energy sector is strategically tied to the Mekong. The government devised the Western Regional Development Plan as part of its 10th five-year bid to meet local and international demand.

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests dambuilding on the Mekong mainstream could severely affect the richest and most productive fishery in the world.

As of today, 781 species of fish in the Mekong have been described, but experts predict there are at least 1,100 different species of fish – second only to the Amazon in terms of biodiversity. In a river basin where about 70% of the population is rural and where inland fisheries are the most intensive in the world, local communities are heavily dependent on the river for food security and livelihoods.

Dams harm ecosystems by replacing flowing riverine habitats with static reservoirs; reducing the amplitude and duration of the annual flood pulse which produces fertile floodplain fisheries; shrinking floodplain and wetland habitats; retaining sediments and nutrients needed for primary production and to replenish downstream habitats and blocking migratory fish.

The projects will be huge money spinners for two of the region's poorest countries – Laos and Cambodia. If all 11 projects go ahead, foreign direct investment to both nations is expected to top $25 billion through demand for additional inputs such as labour, construction materials, engineering and services. However, Cambodia has more to lose than Laos in terms of fisheries and agriculture.