2008 Texas Longhorns football team, Rankings and championship possibilities, 45–35 campaign and BCS controversy, Texas Tech and Oklahoma fan response
In response to the 45–35 campaign, Texas Tech and Oklahoma fans created a 39–33 campaign to remind voters that Texas Tech beat Texas 39–33 in Lubbock. An anonymous individual also created a website titled The game that Texas Longhorn fans seem to have forgotten. Tech Alumnus Shane Walker and other Red Raider fans also raised money to have their own plane fly over ESPN GameDay at the OU at Oklahoma State game, with a banner carrying the website "www.39-33.com".


2008 Texas Longhorns football team, Rankings and championship possibilities, 45–35 campaign and BCS controversy, Texas Tech and Oklahoma fan response
That campaign was covered by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Oklahoman.


2008 Texas Longhorns football team, Rankings and championship possibilities, 45–35 campaign and BCS controversy, Results
In the Coaches' Poll,  Oklahoma lost 15 votes, but remained at #2 with 1,397 votes while Texas gained 26 votes to move up to #3 with 1,396 votes. In the Harris poll, Texas gained two votes to pass OU and move up to #3 while OU lost 29 votes to fall to #4. In the AP poll, Texas gained six votes to pass OU and move up to #3 while OU lost six votes to fall to the #4 position. In the Sagarin ratings, one of the six computer polls that makes up one third of the BCS rankings, one loss Oklahoma moved into the #1 spot, jumping undefeated Alabama. Texas moved up to the #2 spot.


2008 Texas Longhorns football team, Rankings and championship possibilities, 45–35 campaign and BCS controversy, Results
Oklahoma and Missouri both went to the Big 12 Championship Game, so the game featured two teams that Texas beat by double digits. Oklahoma beat Missouri 62–21 and finished ranked #1 in the final BCS standings. Oklahoma would then go on to lose the BCS Championship to Florida, 24-14. Texas Tech also lost their bowl game to Mississippi in the Cotton Bowl. Texas would win the BCS Fiesta Bowl over Ohio State, 24-21.


2008 Texas Rangers season
The Texas Rangers 2008 season was the 48th year of the franchise and 37th since moving to Arlington, Texas. The organization, after finishing fourth in the American League Western Division in 2007. The new season would be the first under the oversight of newly hired club president and former Ranger great Nolan Ryan. Upon his hire, Ryan indicated that his role in the 2008 season would be largely observational with regard to baseball operations, and any major changes would be made following the conclusion of the regular season.


2008 Texas Rangers season
I don't come in with any preconceived ideas of what I want to do or what needs to be done", said Ryan, who indicated that he will make two extended trips to spring training to become acquainted with players and staff. "I think it'll be a learning process for me. I'm going to try to get my arms around our organization so I'll have a better understanding of who we are and what we do and what I can do to help us be better.


2008 Texas Rangers season
The Rangers set a Major League record for the most doubles by a team in a season, with 376.


2008 Texas Rangers season, Preseason, Notable offseason transactions
The Rangers' offseason was filled with activity as Jon Daniels moved to quickly acquire talent both on and off the field. The 2007 club roster fielded several arbitration-eligible players, whose status for 2008 remained unsure. Several of these players would sign short-term contracts with the Rangers while others would seek playing time elsewhere.


2008 Texas Rangers season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2008 Texas Rangers season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2008 Texas Republican presidential primary
The 2008 Texas Republican presidential primary took place on March 4, 2008. John McCain won the primary election, giving him enough delegate votes to guarantee his nomination at the 2008 Republican National Convention.


2008 Texas Republican presidential primary, Process
The Texas Republican primary process allocates delegates solely through the primary process. In addition to the candidates shown on the ballot, the ballot also shows a spot for "uncommitted".


2008 Texas Republican presidential primary, Process
Texas does not require a primary voter to be a registered party member – primaries are open to all voters, but a voter cannot vote in both the Republican and Democrat primaries; s/he must choose one or the other. In addition, voters who vote in a primary election cannot later sign a petition for a third-party or independent candidate to appear on the November general election ballot.


2008 Texas Republican presidential primary, Process
In 2008, Texas had 140 Republican delegates available for the taking, divided into three categories:


2008 Texas Republican presidential primary, Process
The delegate split for the congressional delegates uses a modified proportional methodology:


2008 Texas Republican presidential primary, Process
The delegate split for the at-large delegates uses a similar methodology. If a candidate receives over 50% of the vote, s/he receives all 41 delegates. Otherwise, the split is proportional to the statewide vote; however, a candidate must receive at least 20% of the statewide vote to earn any delegates.


2008 Texas Republican presidential primary, Process
The actual delegates are selected at precinct conventions on the date of the primary, which are held after the polls close at the site where voters in a precinct cast ballots (not always the same as early voting sites). Unlike the process in the Texas Democratic Party, these conventions only select the persons who will go to the state senatorial district, state, and the national conventions. All delegates are bound by the popular vote.


2008 Texas Republican presidential primary, Results
The results of the Texas primary, along with the other three states (Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont), gave McCain the number of delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination. After these primaries, Mike Huckabee ended his presidential campaign.


2008 Texas State Bobcats football team
The 2008 Texas State Bobcats football team represented Texas State University–San Marcos in the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bobcats led by second year head coach Brad Wright, played their home games at Bobcat Stadium as a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season with a record of eight wins and five losses (8-5, 5-2 Southland). They finished the season with a loss at Montana in the First Round of the FCS playoffs.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
The 2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Mike Leach. The Red Raiders played their home games at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
With an 11–1 record in the regular season, the Red Raiders finished in a three-way tie with the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns atop the Big 12 South. In order to break the tie, BCS standings were used to determine who would face Missouri in the conference championship game. The Sooners, ranked #2 in the BCS polls at the time, were chosen to represent the South Division in the game.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
In a 2013 poll, the 2008 team was voted as the second best team in Texas Tech football history, losing to the 1973 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team by a margin of 53.2% to 46.8%.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Preseason, Rankings
Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel has Tech ranked at #10 in his preseason poll and later #8 in his college football power rankings. The team is also ranked #10 in the preseason by Fox Sports. ESPN.com writer Mark Schlabach ranked the Red Raiders #12 in his preseason poll and later #11 and #8 in revised editions of his preseason polls. In a March 26, 2008 article, Yahoo! Sports writer Olin Buchanan declared that Tech could challenge Oklahoma and Texas for supremacy in the Big 12 South in 2008.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Preseason, Rankings
As plusses, he cited a strong quarterback (Graham Harrell), experienced wide receivers (including Michael Crabtree), and five returning starters on the offensive line. As a weakness, he mentioned the defense's trouble stopping the run but speculated that a year of experience and new talent may help to alleviate this problem. Another weak spot he pointed out was the Red Raiders' trouble moving the ball on the ground on those rare instances when a rushing play is called.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Preseason, Rankings
Texas Tech was ranked #14 in the preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll, their highest ever preseason ranking since the 1977 season when they came in at #8. The Associated Press's preseason poll put the team at #12.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Preseason, Dave Campbell's Texas Football
Coach Mike Leach, along with players Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree were featured on the cover of the 2008 edition of Dave Campbell's Texas Football. The magazine predicted that the 2008 Red Raider football team would be the best in Texas and would challenge for the Big 12 South title.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Preseason, Personnel changes
On January 22, 2008, Ruffin McNeill was hired as the team's defensive coordinator. He had held the position in an interim capacity since Lyle Setencich was reassigned during the previous season. After McNeill took over from Setencich, the Red Raiders' numbers for the 2007 season improved in all areas: rushing defense per game (198.1 to 157.1), passing defense per game (206.8 to 190.8), scoring defense per game (28.2 to 24.5), opponent first downs per game (22.5 to 19.9), and opponent third-down conversions per game (47.8% to 39.3%). For the McNeill-coached games, Tech's average yield of 347.9 yards was the lowest allowed in the Big 12 Conference, and the scoring defense was fourth-best in the conference for that time frame.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Preseason, Personnel changes
On February 1, 2008, offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen resigned his position with the Red Raiders. He announced that he had been hired to the same position with the Houston Cougars.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Eastern Washington
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane were scheduled to travel to Lubbock for this game but backed out of the deal, choosing to play the Arkansas Razorbacks instead. On February 7, 2008, Texas Tech Athletic Director Gerald Myers announced that the Red Raiders would play the Eagles of Eastern Washington on August 30. During the previous season, the Eagles made it to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs before being defeated, 38–35, by three-time defending national champion Appalachian State. They came into the game ranked #7 in the FCS. Texas Tech came in with a #14 ranking in the FBS.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Eastern Washington
The Eagles won the coin toss and opted to receive the ball. On the first play after kickoff, Matt Nichols's pass was intercepted by Tech's Brian Duncan. The resulting drive ended in a two-yard rushing touchdown by Shannon Woods, followed by successful point after try by Donnie Corona. The Red Raiders scored twice more in the first quarter while shutting out the Eagles to bring the score to 21–0.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington was able to respond in the second quarter by scoring two touchdowns and a field goal. Meanwhile, Texas Tech was held to a single touchdown with successful PAT. Going into halftime, the score stood at 28–17 in favor of the Red Raiders.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Eastern Washington
In the third quarter, both Eastern Washington and Texas Tech added seven points. In the final quarter, the Red Raiders extended their lead when Aaron Crawford and Baron Batch both scored rushing touchdowns to bring the final score to 49–24.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Eastern Washington
During the game, the Red Raiders rushed 25 time for a total of 103 yards. Quarterback Graham Harrell completed 43 out of 58 pass attempts for 536 yards, two touchdowns and was intercepted once. He was named AT&T ESPN All-America Player of the Week for his performance. The team had a school record 18 penalties for 169 yards.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Nevada
The Red Raiders started off with the ball to begin the game. After failing to get a first down on the first three plays, Texas Tech decided to go for it on fourth down in Nevada territory and failed to make it. On the ensuing Nevada drive, the Wolf Pack successfully kicked a field goal giving them the lead, 0–3. On the next drive by Texas Tech, Graham Harrell's pass was intercepted by Uche Anyanwu. The next Nevada drive stalled on a three-and-out. Nevada was forced to punt to Eric Morris who took it 86 yards for a touchdown, giving the Red Raiders the lead, 7–3. Texas Tech and Nevada failed to score on their next drives with Nevada missing a field goal with a few minutes remaining in the first quarter.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Nevada
In the second quarter, Nevada's only points came from a field goal. Texas Tech drove 68 yards on five plays and scored on a one-yard run by Shannon Woods. The key play was a 50-yard pass from Harrell to Michael Crabtree who ran it all the way to the one-yard line. On the next Nevada drive, defensive end Brandon Williams tipped a pass which landed in the hands of defensive tackle Richard Jones. Both teams went scoreless the rest of the half. Nevada received the kickoff to begin the second half and immediately drove the field.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Nevada
Nevada's quarterback Colin Kaepernick dove into the endzone in what appeared to be a touchdown. However, after a lengthy review, the officials agreed that Texas Tech's Daniel Charbonnet forced the ball out of Kaepernick's hands resulting in a touchback. The next Red Raider drive, Mike Leach decided to go for a first down on fourth down, which they failed to make again. Nevada's resulting drive stalled, but they were able to kick a field goal due to good field position after the failed fourth down attempt. The only other points in the third quarter came on Texas Tech's next drive of six plays and 39 yards, scoring on Eric Morris' 13-yard run giving the Red Raiders the lead, 21–12.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Nevada
Harrell was intercepted to begin fourth quarter and the resulting Nevada drive went three-and-out. On the next drive, Harrell and Crabtree connected for another big play, this one resulting in 82-yards and a touchdown giving Texas Tech a 28–12 lead. Texas Tech's celebration did not last long, as on the very next drive Nevada's Kaepernick passed for the team's only touchdown, a 48-yard pass to Marko Mitchell to make the score 28–19 in favor of Texas Tech. The Red Raiders scored on their very next drive on a 21-yard run by Woods with 6:18 remaining. The next Nevada drive resulted in a turnover on downs and the Red Raiders held on to the ball and the win, 35–19.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Nevada
The story of the game was Texas Tech's defense, not the offense. So much so, that as the Red Raiders were walking off the field, Texas Tech fans in attendance chanted, "De-fense! De-fense!" Although they allowed 488 total yards, the defense held the Wolf Pack to four field goals in six red zone attempts. Harrell, after being named Player of the Week last week against Eastern Washington, went 19 of 46 (41.3%) and 297 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and set a career low in completions and completion percentage. There has been only two other times in Harrell's career in which he had completed less than 60 percent of his passes. This is the first time Texas Tech has won one of those games. Michael Crabtree had 7 catches for 158 yards and one touchdown.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Nevada
Nevada's place kicker Brett Jaekle went 4 of 6 on field goals from distances of 27, 26, 43, and 31 yards. Nevada quarterback Kaepernick had a huge game going 24 of 35 for 264 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He was also the team's leading rusher, gaining 92 yards on 17 carries.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, SMU
The Mustangs received the kickoff to begin the game. On the first play from scrimmage, SMU quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell's pass was intercepted by Daniel Charbonnet. Tech's following offensive drive ended in a Donnie Carona 35-yard field goal. The Red Raiders scored twice more in the first quarter. The first on a 43-yard rush by Baron Batch, followed by failed Carona point-after try. The second on a 23-yard pass from Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree, followed by failed two-point conversion. Tech scored once in the second quarter to bring the score to 22–0 at the half.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, SMU
In the second half, the Red Raiders scored three more times before putting in backup personnel.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, SMU
The Mustangs only score of the game came with 3:29 remaining when Logan Turner passed to Aldrick Robinson for a seven-yard touchdown, followed by a successful Thomas Morstead PAT.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, SMU
Texas Tech safety Daniel Charbonnet had a school-record three interceptions and was later named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, UMass
During the first quarter, the Red Raiders scored three touchdowns, followed by successful point after tries. The Minutemen scored once, on a 53-yard return of a Texas Tech fumble. The Red Raiders scored three times in the second quarter while shutting out the Minutemen. The score going into the half stood at 42–7.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, UMass
Tech's first score of the third quarter came when Darcel Mcbath returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown. Their second score was an 18-yard rushing touchdown by Shannon Woods. At the end of the third period of play, Texas Tech led 56–7. The only score by either team in the fourth quarter was a 2-yard rush by UMass's Korrey Davis with 51 seconds remaining on the game clock. The final score was 56–14 in favor of the Red Raiders.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, UMass
During the game, Texas Tech's Graham Harrell completed 27 of 34 passes for 322 yards. Backup quarterback Taylor Potts was 4 of 9 for 37 yards. The Red Raiders had a total of 359 yards passing with 11 players catching passes. They also had 179 yards combined rushing from 5 different players.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Kansas State
Coming into the game, K-State had lost the last 3 of 4 to the Red Raiders. Their last win against Texas Tech was in 2000 in Manhattan, Kansas. Texas Tech was favored by seven.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Kansas State
The Red Raiders scored first, on a 1-yard pass from Graham Harrell to Lyle Leong. The Wildcats responded by scoring on the following drive on a 33-yard TD pass to Ernie Pierce. Texas Tech made another touchdown, followed by successful PAT, to bring the score to 14–7. Facing fourth-and-inches from their own 29 late in the first quarter, the Red Raiders sent Shannon Woods on a sweep. But he was stopped and, four plays later, Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman scored on a 1-yard run, bringing the score to 14–14. A moment later, Texas Tech's Richard Jones recovered Lamark Brown's fumble on the Kansas State 34 and Baron Batch capped the ensuing drive with a 9-yard touchdown run on the following play to make the score 58–21.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Kansas State
On successive possessions in the second quarter, Harrell led quick-hitting drives of 53-, 70-, and 54-yards. Freeman, however, misfired on 9 of 10 passes, several of which Tech defenders got their hands on. The Kansas State junior, who a week earlier had become his own school's career passing leader, was 13-for-28 for 170 yards. Ernie Pierce scored on an 18-yard return of a blocked punt late in the game.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Kansas State
K-State's defense gave up 626 yards in the game. It was the third consecutive game that the Wildcats gave up more than 600 yards on defense. Graham Harrell threw six touchdown passes, matching his single-game career best. During the game, he also broke the school passing-yards record of 12,429 yard set by Kliff Kingsbury from 1999 to 2002. For his performance, Harrell was also named Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week as well as the O'Brien Quarterback of the Week.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Kansas State
Lyle Leong snared three touchdown passes from Harrell, who was 38-for-51 for 454 yards. Texas Tech scored on seven straight possessions and did not attempt a punt until Taylor Potts replaced Harrell late in the fourth quarter. Heisman candidate Michael Crabtree had nine catches for 107 yards and two TDs. With six, Harrell tied his career-best for touchdown passes, getting the ball to ten different receivers.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Nebraska
For homecoming, Texas Tech hosted the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Coming into the game, the Cornhuskers led the all-time series with Texas Tech, 7–2. However, the Red Raiders had won the previous two games. At Texas Tech's 2004 homecoming, they dealt Nebraska their worst loss in school history, 70–10. The following year, the Red Raiders won, 34–31, in Lincoln. This was Nebraska's first loss at their own homecoming in 37 years.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Nebraska
To begin the game, both the Red Raiders and Cornhuskers were forced to punt. On Texas Tech's next drive, Graham Harrell connected with Michael Crabtree on a 35-yard pass for the only score in the first quarter. This touchdown gave Crabtree the most touchdown receptions in school history. On the ensuing Nebraska drive, Quentin Castille scored on a 4-yard run and tied the game at 7–7. Texas Tech's Donnie Carona successfully kicked a 26-yard field goal on the Red Raider's next drive. After forcing a Nebraska turnover on downs, Shannon Woods gave Texas Tech a 17–7 lead on a 4-yard run. Nebraska later missed a field goal to end the half.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Nebraska
Nebraska began with the ball in the second half and drove 75 yards and scored on an Alex Henery 21-yard field goal. On the ensuing Texas Tech drive, Harrell again found Crabtree in the end zone this time on a 4-yard pass. Texas Tech had the lead 24–10 to end the third quarter.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Nebraska
To begin the fourth quarter, the Texas Tech defense forced a Nebraska fourth down and 1 in field goal range. The Cornhuskers brought out the kicker but faked the field goal and passed for a first down to the 1-yard line. Nebraska's Joe Ganz then scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak to pull Nebraska within 7 points with 12:10 remaining in the fourth quarter. After a Red Raider punt, the Cornhuskers once again drove the field and scored on a Ganz 2-yard pass to Dreu Young to tie the game at 24–24.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Nebraska
On the very next drive by Texas Tech, the Cornhuskers forced the Red Raiders to a fourth down with 5 yards to go on Texas Tech's own 36-yard line. Mike Leach decided to go for it, and Harrell found Crabtree again for a 47-yard reception keeping the drive alive. Harrell later said of the play, "If he was just a little covered, I would go to him. I threw it up there and he made the play." A few plays later, Harrell scored on a 1-yard run to give the Red Raiders the lead 31–24.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Nebraska
Nebraska then drove the field 79 yards in 8 plays and scored on a 17-yard pass from Ganz to Todd Peterson to tie the game at 31 a piece with 29 seconds remaining in the game. Texas Tech failed to score on the next drive and the game went into overtime.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Nebraska
In overtime, Texas Tech received the ball first. The Red Raiders utilized a screen pass to running back Baron Batch to the 1-yard line. Harrell then handed the ball to Eric Morris for a 1-yard touchdown run. On the extra point, however, Carona's kick was partially blocked which kept the score difference at 6, 37–31. On Nebraska's first overtime try, Ganz's pass was intercepted by cornerback Jamar Wall after Ganz tried to throw the ball away to avoid being sacked. This interception gave Texas Tech the win preserving their top-10 ranking.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Nebraska
Harrell's two touchdown passes to Crabtree gave the tandem the most touchdown connections by a quarterback-receiver combination in Big 12 Conference history with 32. Harrell ended the game completing 20 of his 25 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. Crabtree caught 5 passes for 89 yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back Baron Batch rushed 10 times for 89 yards.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Nebraska
Nebraska's Joe Ganz completed 36 of his 44 passes for 349 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The Cornhuskers held the ball for 40 minutes and 12 seconds in contrast to Texas Tech's 19 minutes and 48 seconds.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Texas A&M
Although, before the game, the Texas A&M Aggies led the all-time series with the Red Raiders, 34–31–1, they have not beaten Texas Tech since an overtime victory at Kyle Field in 2004. Mike Leach had a 6–2 record versus the Aggies. Sports bettors favor Tech to win by 21 points.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Texas A&M
The Aggies scored first on a 46-yard Randy Bullock field goal. The Red Raiders were able to answer with a touchdown to take the lead. However, A&M responded with a touchdown of their own, bringing the score to 10–7 in their favor. Thirty-nine seconds into the second quarter, Tech's Baron Batch scored on a three-yard run but the point after try was blocked. The Aggies scored two more field goals before the Red Raiders scored on an eight-yard pass from Graham Harrell to Baron Batch. Cory Fowler's extra point was good and Tech held a 20–16 advantage before A&M scored another touchdown to take a 20–23 halftime lead.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Texas A&M
In the third quarter, Texas Tech scored a touchdown and a field goal while holding A&M scoreless. Going into the final period of play, the Red Raiders led 30–23. With seven minutes remaining in the game, Texas Tech scored on a one-yard run by Graham Harrell. The extra point was blocked by Texas A&M and returned 97 yards by Arkeith Brown for the Aggies' final score of the game. The Red Raiders added one more touchdown to bring the final score to 43–25.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Kansas
Texas Tech placekicker Matt Williams made his debut during the game. Williams came to the attention of Coach Mike Leach when he kicked a 30-yard field goal during a halftime contest at the game versus UMass. Following Tech's victory over Kansas, Williams was recognized as the AT&T ESPN All-America Player of the Week.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Texas
The series between Texas Tech and Texas originated in Austin in 1928 and the two teams have met annually since 1960. Texas led the series 43–14 entering the game, with the Red Raiders last win coming in a 42–38 upset of the #3 Longhorns in Lubbock in 2002. In the 2006 contest, #5 Texas narrowly came away with a 35–31 win over an unranked Texas Tech team at Jones AT&T Stadium. In the 2007 game, #14 Texas won 59–43.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Texas
On the day of the game, ESPN's College GameDay broadcast from Lubbock for the first time.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State
Texas Tech and Oklahoma State first played in 1935. Coming into the game, the Red Raiders led the series over the Cowboys, 20–12–3. Oklahoma State last won in 2007 in Stillwater, 49–45, in a game that came down to the final possession. However, the Cowboys had not won in Lubbock since 1944. Texas Tech would not defeat Oklahoma State again until the 2018 season.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Oklahoma
Texas Tech and Oklahoma first played in 1992. Coming into the game, the Sooners led the series 11–4–0 though the Red Raiders had won 2 of the last 3 with the last loss coming in Norman in 2006. The only road game Tech had won in the series was during the inaugural season of the Big 12 in 1996. Under head coach Bob Stoops, the Sooners had lost only two games at home. The Sooners are 7-point favorites.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Oklahoma
The Red Raiders opened the game with a kickoff return to their 32-yard line. The Sooners forced a punt, and fielded their offense at their 27. The Sooners scored a touchdown with 8:59 left in the first. DeMarco Murray contributed 48 rushing yards in the drive. Tech returned the ensuing kickoff to their 22, and a Sooner personal foul after the return gave the Red Raiders 15 yards. Texas Tech lost 10 of those yards due to a delay of game and a false start.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Oklahoma
Starting at their 27, the Red Raiders were stopped at the Oklahoma 48, where they punted again. The Sooners got the ball on their 20. On the second play of the drive, Oklahoma was punished again with a 15-yard penalty. After three failed attempts to pass the ball for a first down, the Sooners elected to make their first punt. On the next Tech possession, Graham Harrell was sacked on two consecutive plays, once by Adrian Taylor and the other by Gerald McCoy. Coming into the game, the Red Raiders ranked second in the nation in sacks allowed, with only 5. The Sooners ended the first quarter with a 42-yard reception by tight end Jermaine Gresham and two rushes by Chris Brown for a combined 12 yards.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Oklahoma
Once the second quarter commenced, both Brown and Gresham moved the ball for a touchdown on three different plays. Tech started their next drive at their own 38 and advanced the ball through the air to eventually get to the Oklahoma 15. Two incompletions caused the Red Raiders to face a 4th-and-3. Tech decided to go for it. Woods was unable to catch a pass by Harrell to convert and Tech turned the ball over on downs. Murray rushed the ball for 23 yards on Oklahoma's first play of the drive.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Oklahoma
Murray followed with a 31-yard reception, which put the ball on the Tech 30. After two rushes by Brown, Gresham scored a touchdown on a 19-yard catch, and the subsequent extra point extended the Sooners lead to 21–0. Oklahoma's defense forced Tech to four plays on the next drive, with the fourth play being a 4th-and-4, Tech's second 4th down conversion attempt. With 9:31 remaining, Oklahoma completed a 1:44 scoring drive, which was capped by Juaquin Iglesias' 28-yard scoring reception. On the following possession, the Red Raiders reached the end zone, thanks to Harrell's 25-yard throw to Tramain Swindall.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Oklahoma
Matt Williams' extra point brought the score to 28–7. With 6:28 left in the half, Oklahoma began to drain the clock using their running game. The Sooners eventually scored on the 12th play of the drive. Once Tech got the ball, about a minute was left on the clock. On the second play, Harrell threw an interception to Travis Lewis, who returned the ball 47 yards. Tech offensive guard Brandon Carter, who stopped Lewis at the Tech 1, received a personal foul. Murray scored on a 1-yard rush to increase the Sooners' lead to 42–7.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Oklahoma
Tech got the ball again after the Sooner touchdown with 18 seconds remaining in the game. Harrell threw a shovel pass to Baron Batch, who ran 21 yards to the Tech 28. The half ended with Tech receiving a 16-yard personal foul. The Red Raiders left the field facing their biggest deficit of the season (35 points).


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Oklahoma
Tech attempted an onside kick to start off the second half, though the Sooners grabbed the ball at the Tech 34. OU ended the drive on a 33-yard field goal. Tech fumbled on their next possession, Oklahoma's Keenan Clayton recovered the fumble and return it 53 yards to the Tech 3. The Sooners added another 7 points to extend their lead to 52–7. Tech cranked up its passing game on its next possession, eventually scoring a touchdown and extra point with 5:39 remaining in the third quarter.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Oklahoma
On the subsequent drive, the Red Raider defense forced their first sack on Bradford, and also forced the Sooners to punt. The Sooner defense countered in the next drive by forcing a three-and-out. The Sooner offense then added another score on a 66-yard reception by Manuel Johnson. The Tech defense blocked the extra point, and the score remained at 58–14.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Oklahoma
In the fourth quarter, Tech failed to convert another fourth down, producing another turnover. Oklahoma scored immediately afterwards, improving their lead to 65–14. On the next possession, Tech was able to make three pass completions of at least 12 yards, though on the final play of the drive, Harrell lost the ball to the Sooners on a sack. With 10:50 left in the game, the Sooners started to run out the clock. The Red Raiders stopped them from scoring on a 4th down from the 1. Tech got the ball back with 4:48 on the clock.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Oklahoma
After a few plays, Tech faced another 4th down, and this time was able to convert it with a 13-yard throw to Crabtree. Tech later score their third touchdown with 11 seconds left, and Williams tacked on the extra point to change the score to 65–21. Tech attempted an onside kick and recovered the ball. The final play was a short-yard catch by Woods.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, at Oklahoma
Since the Sooners won, Tech, Texas, and OU all tied for first in the division at 6–1. All three teams won their regular season finales to tie again at 7–1, the highest ranked team in the BCS standings earned a spot in the Big 12 Championship game. Sports columnists also stated that the quarterback of the winning team would be the front runner for the Heisman Trophy.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Baylor
Two of Tech's starters on the secondary were unable to play in the game. Tech scored on the first possession of the game. The Bears countered on the ensuing drive, in which they scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Robert Griffin. On the next drive, Harrell's pass got intercepted on third down, and Antonio Johnson returned the interception for four yards to the Tech 34. After a few plays, Griffin soon scored a 13-yard rushing touchdown. Baylor's kicker Ben Parks missed the extra point, keeping the Baylor lead at 13–7 by the end of the first quarter.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Baylor
At the start of the second quarter, the Tech offensive line gave up another sack on Harrell, which cost them 10 yards. The Red Raiders, however, were able to complete the drive with a touchdown to regain their lead at 14–13. On the second to last play of the drive, Michael Crabtree injured his right ankle with about four minutes left in the half. Crabtree's right ankle twisted as he got tackled while making a 6-yard reception at the Baylor 1-yard line. Crabtree hobbled to the Tech bench, and was later taken to the locker room on a cart.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Baylor
He did not return for the second half. Baylor was forced to kick a field goal on their next possession, though Parks missed it from 29 yards. Once Tech got the ball back again, Harrell got sacked on the second play of the drive, and lost the ball in the process. Baylor recovered the fumble and fielded their offense at the Tech 16. Griffin led his team to another scoring drive, which ended on a successful two-point conversion. Baylor left the field leading 21–14 at halftime.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Baylor
The Bears opened the third quarter with a 9-play 78-yard offensive drive that produced another touchdown. The longest play was running back Jay Finley's 47-yard rush. On their next drive, the Red Raiders scored again, though still trailed 28–14. Early on in the drive, Antonio Johnson sacked Harrell and forced a fumble, but running back Baron Batch was able to recover the fumble.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, Baylor
The Red Raiders compiled 7 points with 12:20 remaining in the game. On Baylor's next drive, Tech intercepted the ball at the Baylor 38. They soon converted the interception into a touchdown. On Baylor's final possession, which lasted 5 plays, Griffin was sacked twice. The second sack occurred on a fourth down, which caused the Bears to turn the ball over on downs. Tech ran out the clock and preserved their 35–28 victory.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Game summaries, vs. Ole Miss (Cotton Bowl Classic)
The Red Raiders were defeated by the Ole Miss Rebels in the 2009 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas, Texas on January 2, 2009. The Red Raiders and the Rebels have met in bowl games twice before: the 1986 Independence Bowl and the 1998 Independence Bowl, with Ole Miss winning both. The teams also met during the 2002 and 2003 regular seasons with Texas Tech winning both games of the home-and-home series.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game
The 2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game was a Big 12 Conference college football game played between the Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. The game was played on November 1 and was one of the most memorable games in the two teams' rivalry. Heading into the game, both teams were undefeated at 8–0. However, a big difference between the teams was their rankings in the AP poll. Texas came into this game as the number 1 ranked team in the nation, led by coach Mack Brown.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game
The Red Raiders, unlike their rivals, were not in the top 3. Instead, they came into the game ranked number 6 in the country. In the game, the Red Raiders stunned the Longhorns 39–33 on a last second touchdown pass. The game appeared over on the previous play, but Texas dropped an interception. The game has gone down as one of the greatest upsets in the rivalry's history and was crucial in a 3-way tie that happened in the Big 12 at the end of the season.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Pregame
The rivalry between Texas Tech and Texas originated in Austin in 1928 and the two teams have met annually since 1960. Texas led the series 43–14, with the Red Raiders last win coming in a 42–38 upset of the #3 Longhorns in Lubbock in 2002. In the 2006 contest, #5 Texas narrowly came away with a 35–31 win over an unranked Texas Tech team at Jones AT&T Stadium. In the 2007 game, #14 Texas won 59–43.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Pregame
On the day of the game, ESPN's College GameDay broadcast from Lubbock for the first time.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Game summary, First quarter
The Red Raiders received the opening kickoff, but their opening drive stalled out when quarterback Graham Harrell was sacked at the Texas 44-yard line on third down. The punt pinned the Longhorns at their own 2-yard line, and on their first play from scrimmage, they were forced into the end zone for a safety, giving Tech the first points of the game. The Red Raiders' next drive would result in a 29-yard Matt Williams field goal, and after the Longhorns had to punt again, Texas Tech finished the first quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run by Baron Batch as the clock ran out, giving them a 12–0 lead following the extra point.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Game summary, Second quarter
Texas Tech's early dominance continued as the Longhorn offense went three-and-out on each of their first two drives of the second quarter, and Tech's first possession of the quarter resulted in another touchdown, extending the lead to 19–0. However, their second possession ended with the first turnover of the game when Texas linebacker Sergio Kindle forced wide receiver Michael Crabtree to fumble at the Texas Tech 29.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Game summary, Second quarter
A 43-yard Hunter Lawrence field goal would get the Longhorns on the board, though the Red Raiders would come back to answer with a field goal of their own, giving Texas the ball with 1:37 left in the half. The Longhorns would get as far as the Tech 8 before settling for a field goal as time expired, and the first half would end with the Red Raiders leading 22–6.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Game summary, Third quarter
Texas received the ball to start the second half and was unable to cross midfield on their opening drive, but a 61-yard punt pinned the Red Raiders at their own 1-yard line, where they would go three-and-out, Jordan Shipley returning the ensuing punt 45 yards for a touchdown to bring the Longhorns within 9. Their next drive would stall out just past midfield, but a pair of penalties had the Longhorns facing second-and-22 from their own 7-yard line.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Game summary, Third quarter
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was then intercepted by safety Daniel Charbonnet, who returned it 18 yards for a Red Raiders touchdown, pushing the lead back to 16 points. The teams would trade punts before the Longhorns scored again with 12 seconds left in the quarter, Malcolm Williams catching a 37-yard pass from McCoy. The Longhorns then attempted a 2-point conversion to get within 8 points, but McCoy's pass was knocked down, and Texas trailed 29–19 after three quarters.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Harrell quickly led the Red Raiders down the field on the first drive of the fourth quarter, where they would reach second-and-7 from the Texas 9, but an incompletion and a sack for a 16-yard loss would force a Matt Williams field goal attempt, which the Longhorns would block. McCoy then hit Malcolm Williams for a 91-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage, and the extra point cut the deficit to 29–26 with 11 minutes remaining. The Red Raiders' next drive would eat up 5:15 and ended with a 42-yard Donnie Carona field goal.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Game summary, Fourth quarter
McCoy then led the Longhorns on an 11-play, 80-yard drive, completing four of five pass attempts as well as gaining 11 rushing yards on two carries, culminating in a 4-yard touchdown run by Vondrell McGee. Lawrence's extra point made it 33–32 Longhorns, their first lead of the game, with 1:29 left on the clock. The Red Raiders returned the kickoff to their 38-yard line, where Harrell went to work, completing passes of 8, 5, 11, and 10 yards to get a first down at the Texas 28-yard line with 15 seconds remaining.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Harrell's next pass was deflected to Texas safety Blake Gideon, but Gideon was unable to catch what would have been a game-clinching interception, giving Harrell another chance with 8 seconds to go. Harrell's pass went to Crabtree, who caught it near the sideline at the 6-yard line, broke a tackle, and went in for the touchdown with one second remaining. Thousands of Texas Tech fans rushed the field and had to be shooed off as officials reviewed the play to make sure Crabtree had stayed in bounds.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Game summary, Fourth quarter
As a result, the Red Raiders were charged with two excessive celebration penalties and had to kick off from their own 7-yard line following the extra point. However, Texas was unable to convert the kickoff for a touchdown, Texas Tech recovering an errant backwards pass attempt to ice the 39–33 win.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Aftermath
Texas Tech's victory raised its record of 9–0, while Texas' loss dropped it to a record of 8–1. The following Monday, the polls reflected the game's outcome and Texas Tech rose from 6th to 2nd in the AP Poll, 5th to 3rd in the Coaches Poll, and 7th to 2nd in the BCS rankings while Texas dropped from 1st in all three polls to 5th in the AP, 7th in the Coaches, and 4th in the BCS rankings.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Legacy
The game was named ESPN Classic's game of the week. In 2010, Stewart Mandel named the game as his Moment of the Year for the 2008 season. In 2009, Michael Crabtree's last second catch was named as the 2nd most memorable moment in Big 12 Conference history by ESPN, with the San Antonio Express-News listing it  in its top 12. Following the season, the Los Angeles Times listed the game as one of the top 10 moments of the season.


2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game, Legacy
Following the end of the Bowl Championship Series to transition into the College Football Playoff, Yahoo! Sports listed the game as one of the top 50 moments in the entire 15 year era. Sporting News ranked the game as 7th in their top 10 moments in the BCS era. The notable nature of the game also earned a profile in the National Football Foundation's This Week In College Football History series. In 2014, the NFL Network listed the game as one of the best 10 games in the 2000s.


2008 Thai Senate election
Prawit Wongsuwan (PPRP)Wissanu Krea-ngamAnutin Charnvirakul (BJT)Jurin Laksanawisit (D)Don PramudwinaiSupattanapong Punmeechaow


2008 Thai Senate election
Borders : Cambodia Laos Malaysia Myanmar (Maritime : India Indonesia Vietnam)


2008 Thai Senate election
Senate elections were held in Thailand on 2 March 2008, the first under a new constitution. Voter turnout was 56%. Results were expected on 9 March 2008.


2008 Thai Senate election
76 candidates were elected, one for each province, while 74 senators will be appointed by a selection panel headed by the Constitution Tribunal's president Virat Limvichai. Nominations for these seats were made by professional groups between 13 January and 18 January 2008, whereafter a panel appointed by the Electoral Commission vetted the nominees' credentials before forwarding the nominations to the selection panel. The Thai Election Commission endorsed the 74 senators selected from the nominations. The senators will serve six-year terms.


2008 Thai Senate election
The appointed senators are considered to be closer to the outgoing military administration, while among the elected senators a substantial number are closely connected to deposed former PM Thaksin. A prominent critic of Thaksin and anti-corruption activist also appeared to have been elected.


2008 Thai Senate election, Aftermath
On 13 March 2008, the Senate President was elected. The former Appeals Court president Prasopsuk Boondej, a nominated senator, received 78 votes. Thaweesak Khidbanchong, considered to be close to former minister Newin Chidchob, received 45 votes; General Lertrat Ratanawanit, reportedly closely connected to the defunct coup-making Council for National Security received 15 votes, and Police Lieutenant-General Manoj Kraiwong, who had been criticised for having leaned onto the opposition Democrat Party, received six votes.


2008 Thai political crisis
Beginning in 2008, there was worsening conflict between the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the People's Power Party (PPP) governments of Prime Ministers Samak Sundaravej and Somchai Wongsawat. It was a continuation of the 2005–2006 political crisis, when PAD protested against the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. PAD followers usually dressed in yellow, yellow being the royal color of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and were called "yellow shirts". National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) followers, known as supporters of the deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, dressed in red and were widely called "red shirts".


2008 Thai political crisis, History
The PPP won the December 2007 general election. Though it became the largest party in the House, it did not gain an absolute majority. PPP became the leading party when five other smaller parties, previously allies of Thaksin Shinawatra, agreed to join the coalition government under Samak Sundaravej.


2008 Thai political crisis, History
The coalition government vowed to amend the 2007 constitution which they called undemocratic, prompting PAD to resume protests against the constitutional amendment plan after having suspended its movement after the 2006 coup. PAD charged that the amendment was aimed at revoking charges against Thaksin and election fraud charges by PPP executive members. The Samak government suspended its amendment plan, yet PAD vowed to continue their protest, calling for Samak Sundaravej's resignation, noting that during his election campaign, he had declared himself a nominee of Thaksin. Tensions escalated when PAD seized Government House.


2008 Thai political crisis, History
Samak was forced to resign in September after the Constitutional Court found him guilty of being an employee of a television cooking program after he became the prime minister. PPP deputy leader Somchai Wongsawat, vice president of PPP and a brother-in-law of Thaksin, became the new prime minister. This change prompted continued PAD protests. The protests led to violent clashes between the police, PAD, and anti-PAD protesters on 7 October as the government aimed to disperse them from blocking the entrances of the House. A PAD protester was killed by a grenade near the premier's office and a member of the PAD security forces was killed when his car exploded. Many protesters were also injured.


2008 Thai political crisis, History
As PAD was attacked, it stepped up its protests by seizing the government's temporary offices at Don Mueang Airport, and the seizure and closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport after the arrest of Chamlong Srimuang, one of its leaders. The sieges ended in December when the Constitutional Court dissolved the PPP and banned its executive board from political office after finding it guilty of election fraud. The Constitutional Court dissolved two coalition partners of the PPP on similar charges, which broke the coalition apart. Prime minister Somchai resigned.


2008 Thai political crisis, History
It is alleged that the army then urged MPs of a former PPP faction, the Friends of Newin Group, and MPs of the former PPP coalition partners to cross the aisle and form a coalition with the Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva. After days of negotiations, Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the Democrat Party, was voted in by a margin of 235 in favor, 198 against.


2008 Thai political crisis, History
The People's Alliance for Democracy opposed to what it called the "Thaksin system", which is seen by some as the Thaksin' "autocracy", his domination of independent supervisory institutions and violations of human rights and the freedom of the press. It began the mass protest against Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006 after the removal of the critical TV program of Sondhi Limthongkul. In 2008, PAD accused Samak Sundaravej and Somchai Wongsawat of being proxies for Thaksin.


2008 Thai political crisis, History
Samak had announced that he was Thaksin's nominee during his election campaign, Somchai is Thaksin's brother-in-law, and several new Pheu Thai Party members are former TRT/PPP members. PAD was opposed to all attempts to reform the constitution in ways that would allow politicians banned from political office to re-enter politics, and to revoking the charges against Thaksin. PAD has also called for "new politics", a "new age of politics, free from the corrupted politicians". In May 2009, PAD founded its party, the New Politics Party.


2008 Thai political crisis, History
One of the PAD's major aims was to oppose what it considered the anti-monarchy movement, supposedly among some Thaksin supporters. PAD promoted the role of the king as the guard of the all people's power against the "corrupted politician". That is why PAD uses yellow, Rama IX's symbolic birthday colour, Monday, as its brand. Yet its ideology was blasted by some critics as "anti-democratic".


2008 Thai political crisis, History
The National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) was the group consisting mainly of social activists, scholars, and Thaksin supporters who opposed the 2006 coup deposing Thaksin Shinawatra. It believed that the coup was supported by powerful persons, the "elites" or "nobles", targeting Prem Tinsulanonda, head of the privy council. The UDD aimed to topple the amatayathipatai (government run by traditional elites, nobles, and the bureaucratic polity).


2008 Thai political crisis, History
In the April 2009 protest, its aims were the immediate resignation of the prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and members of the privy council, Prem Tinsulanonda and Surayud Chulanont, as well as new elections. It also demanded that charges be brought against PAD for the 2008 airport seizures and unrest. Several members of parliament in the Pheu Thai Party were vocal in their support of UDD, as well as of Thaksin Shinawatra himself.


2008 Thai political crisis, Origins of the crisis
The 2008 crisis had its roots in the 2005–2006 Thai political crisis, the 2005 election and 2006 elections, the 2006 coup, and the 2007 general election.


2008 Thai political crisis, Origins of the crisis
Thaksin Shinawatra's Thai Rak Thai party (TRT) won a landslide victory in the 2001 election, the first elections held under the Thai Constitution of 1997. Thaksin's grassroots economic policies helped reduce poverty and provided universal health care, making him hugely popular in rural Thailand. His drug policies were effective at reducing drug use but were attacked for the large number of extrajudicial executions that resulted. He was accused of conflicts of interest due to his family's continued holdings in Shin Corporation, the telecoms business that he founded prior to becoming Premier. Despite this, he became the first politician in Thai history to finish his term. Thaksin's re-election in 2005 election had the highest voter turnout in Thai history.


2008 Thai political crisis, Origins of the crisis
Media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul had been a staunch supporter of Thaksin until major losses at state-owned Krung Thai Bank caused CEO Viroj Nualkhair to be fired. Viroj was Sondhi's former banker and had forgiven Sondhi for billions in bad personal debts. Sondhi's levied public criticisms of Thaksin on his TV show and his media outlets, the Manager Daily newspaper and ASTV.


2008 Thai political crisis, Origins of the crisis
Sondhi's People's Alliance for Democracy soon gathered supporters among Dhammayuttika Nikaya disciples of Luang Ta Maha Bua, prominent socialites and members of the Thai royal family who claimed that Thaksin frequently insulted King Bhumibol Adulyadej, several state-enterprise unions who were against Thaksin's state-enterprise privatization plans, and various factions in the Royal Thai Army who claimed that Thaksin promoted only those who were loyal to him. The movement gained in popularity after Thaksin's family sold their share in Shin Corporation to Temasek Holdings while making use of a regulation that exempted individuals from paying capital gains tax. The PAD led protests demanding that Thaksin pay additional taxes, despite the SEC and the Revenue Department saying that no wrong had been done.


2008 Thai political crisis, Origins of the crisis
The protests escalated. In February 2006, Army Commander Sonthi Boonyaratglin started secretly planning for a military coup, despite regular denials. On 14 July 2006, Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda addressed graduating cadets of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, telling them that the Thai military must obey the orders of the King – not the Government.


2008 Thai political crisis, Origins of the crisis
The coup was executed on 19 September 2006 while Thaksin was attending a UN summit, just weeks before a planned Parliamentary election. The junta canceled the elections, abrogated the Constitution, dissolved Parliament, banned protests and all political activities, suppressed and censored the media, declared martial law, and arrested Cabinet members. The PAD voluntarily dissolved after announcing that its goals had been accomplished. Surayud Chulanont, Prem's former close aide, was appointed Prime Minister. A junta-appointed court banned the TRT and 111 of its executives from politics for five years.


2008 Thai political crisis, Origins of the crisis
Privy Council President Prem harshly criticized Thaksin, who was in exile, comparing him to Adolf Hitler. A junta-appointed committee drafted a substantially revised constitution. Elections were scheduled for December 2007. Many TRT politicians moved to the People's Power Party. The PPP won the December elections and nominated Samak Sundaravej as Premier.


2008 Thai political crisis, 2008 resumption of PAD protests
The Samak Sundaravej government, elected in the December 2007 general elections, came under pressure to resign since May 2008, when the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) reformed and staged regular street protests. They protested the government's proposals to amend the 2007 constitution, claiming that Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his government are acting as a proxy for former deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The PAD also criticized the Samak government's decision to support the Cambodian government's application for the listing of the disputed Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage site.


2008 Thai political crisis, 2008 resumption of PAD protests
Tensions rose between Thailand and Cambodia as the PAD called for Thai investors to withdraw from Cambodia, the closure of all 40 Thai-Cambodian border checkpoints, a ban on all flights from Thailand to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, the construction of a naval base at Koh Kut near the border, and the abolition of the committee which oversees demarcation of overlapping sea areas and the unilateral declaration of a Thai marine map.


2008 Thai political crisis, 2008 resumption of PAD protests
In late June, the opposition filed a no-confidence motion in parliament, which the government survived. The PAD proposed that the constitution be amended to reduce the proportion of elected members of Parliament. This would disenfranchise the rural population, which the PAD viewed as being insufficiently educated to vote for anti-Thaksin Shinawatra parties.


2008 Thai political crisis, Siege of Government House
Tensions escalated to crisis when on Tuesday 26 August the protesters stormed and occupied the grounds of the Government House, displacing the prime minister from his offices. Another armed group attacked the headquarters of the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand, while the offices of three ministries were also partially invaded. Major roads into Bangkok were blocked by PAD supporters. Prime Minister Samak remained defiant, refusing to resign, while also vowing not to violently remove the protesters.


2008 Thai political crisis, Siege of Government House
Despite a court warrant for the arrest of the PAD's nine leaders and a Civil Court order to evacuate, the PAD remained firmly lodged in the government compound. Friday 29th saw semi-violent clashes at various protest sites between protesters and riot police, who were still largely unable to control the group.


2008 Thai political crisis, Siege of Government House
Transport infrastructure was disrupted beginning 29 August, with state railway workers union, the PAD's alliance, was on strike partially disabling train services. PAD demonstrators occupied the runways of and closed down airports in the southern cities of Hat Yai, Phuket and Krabi. (The airports later reopened on the 30th and 31st.) The State Enterprise Worker's Union threatened to disrupt public infrastructure services including electricity, waterworks, airline, bus, port and communications services, beginning with police and government offices, on 3 September.


2008 Thai political crisis, Siege of Government House
Prime Minister Samak called an emergency session of parliament on 31 August to resolve the issue, but refused to dissolve parliament as suggested by the opposition. Meanwhile, pro-Thaksin protesters calling themselves the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship of Thailand (UDDT) began to gather in Sanam Luang.


2008 Thai political crisis, September 2008 state of emergency
One week after the PAD began occupation of the Government House grounds, violence erupted as members of the UDDT clashed with the PAD in a melee involving firearms, resulting in 43 injuries and at least one death. Prime Minister Samak, by virtue of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situation, BE 2548 (2005), declared a state of emergency in Bangkok at 07.00 hours of the following morning.


2008 Thai political crisis, September 2008 state of emergency
Sundaravej also put Gen Anupong Paochinda, Army Commander in Chief, in charge of the remedy of the said State of Emergency, and appointed Pol Gen Patcharavat Wongsuwan, National Police Commander in Chief, and Lt Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, 1st Army Area Commander as assistants to Gen Anupong.


2008 Thai political crisis, September 2008 state of emergency
He also issued bans on the gathering or assemblage of more than five persons within the Bangkok Metropolis; on the nationwide press release, distribution or dissemination of letters, publications or any other information containing the matters which may instigate apprehension amongst the people or is intended to distort information in order to mislead an understanding of the State of Emergency to the extent of affecting the security of state or public peace and order or good moral of the people; and on other matters which were a kind of public rights and liberties restriction.


2008 Thai political crisis, September 2008 state of emergency
However, on the same day, Mr Nitithon Lamluea, a member of Thailand Lawyer Council's Human Rights Committee, lodged with the Supreme Administrative Court a complaint against Prime Minister Samak accusing him of abuse of power as he imposed a state of emergency in Bangkok, but the circumstances on 2 September were not what was prescribed in said Emergency Decree as being a State of Emergency. The complaint also requested the Court to revoke the State of Emergency. Tej Bunnag, then the Minister of Foreign Affairs, resigned from office as he disagreed with the Government's measures to remedy the crisis and felt uneasy in representing the Government to foreigners when explaining the prevailing circumstances to them.


2008 Thai political crisis, September 2008 state of emergency
On 14 September, the Government issued an Announcement revoking the State of Emergency throughout Bangkok together with all the pertinent announcements, orders, and articles.


2008 Thai political crisis, Fall of Samak
On 9 September 2008, the Constitutional Court of Thailand found that Samak had hosted and received payment for hosting two cooking TV shows, "Tasting and Grumbling" and "All Set at 6 am," for a few months after he had become Prime Minister. He had been hosting the shows for years prior to becoming Premier. Section 267 of the 2007 Constitution of Thailand forbids members of the Cabinet from being employees of any person; this was to prevent conflicts of interest.


2008 Thai political crisis, Fall of Samak
The court found that although Samak was a contractor to the show's producers, and did not fit the definition of the term "employee" as defined under the Civil and Commercial Code, the law on labour protection or the law on taxation, the spirit of the Constitution gave a broader definition to the term. It thus found Samak guilty of breaching the Constitution and terminated his Premiership.


2008 Thai political crisis, Fall of Samak
A session of the House of Representatives was held on 12 September to vote for a new prime minister. The People Power Party decided to renominate Samak as Premier (he had stopped hosting the TV shows earlier that year and thus was no longer an employee). The session was cut short because the House lacked a quorum. The nomination of a new Prime Minister was postponed until 17 September, where the PPP successfully nominated Deputy Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat as Premier.


2008 Thai political crisis, Fall of Samak, Reactions to court decision
Karn Tienkaew, deputy leader of Samak's People Power Party, said the party planned to propose a parliamentary vote Wednesday on returning Samak to power: "Samak still has legitimacy. The party still hopes to vote him back unless he says no. Otherwise we have many other capable candidates."


2008 Thai political crisis, Fall of Samak, Reactions to court decision
On 10 September 2008, however, the PPP shied away from their earlier statement they would renominate Sundaravej and was apparently looking for an alternative candidate instead; the new PM was to be nominated on 12 September 2008.


2008 Thai political crisis, Fall of Samak, Reactions to court decision
People Power Party's deputy spokesman Kuthep Suthin Klangsang, on 12 September 2008, announced that: "Samak has accepted his nomination for prime minister. Samak said he is confident that parliament will find him fit for office, and that he is happy to accept the post. A majority of party members voted Thursday to reappoint Samak. Samak is the leader of our party so he is the best choice." Despite objections from its coalition partners, the PPP, in an urgent meeting, unanimously decided to renominate Samak Sundaravej.


2008 Thai political crisis, Fall of Samak, Reactions to court decision
5 coalition parties, namely Chart Thai, Neutral Democratic, Pracharaj, Puea Pandin and Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana, unanimously agreed to support the People Power party (PPP) to set up the new government and vote for the person who should be nominated as the new prime minister. Chart Thai deputy leader Somsak Prissananantakul and Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana leader Chettha Thanajaro said the next prime minister who will be nominated on Friday. Caretaker prime minister Somchai Wongsawat said PPP secretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee will notify the 5 parties who the PPP nominates to take office again.


2008 Thai political crisis, Fall of Samak, Reactions to court decision
Some lawmakers, however, said they will propose an alternate candidate. Meanwhile, Thailand's army chief Gen. Anupong Paochinda said he backed the creation of a unity government that would include all the country's parties, and he also asked for the lifting of a state of emergency that Samak imposed on 2 September.


2008 Thai political crisis, Fall of Samak, Reactions to court decision
On 12 September 2008, the quorum for selecting the new PM was not reached and the decision was delayed to 17 September 2008 in an event seen as signaling the end of Samak's career. After its four coalition partners stated they'd prefer someone else to become PM instead of Samak, the PPP agreed to drop his nomination. Embattled Samak Sundaravej abandoned his bid to regain his Thailand Prime Minister post, and Teerapon Noprampa said Samak would also give up the ruling People's Power Party (PPP) leadership.


2008 Thai political crisis, Fall of Samak, Reactions to court decision
Meanwhile, PPP's chief party spokesman Kudeb Saikrachang and Kan Thiankaew announced on 13 September that caretaker prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, caretaker justice minister Sompong Amornwiwat, and PPP Secretary-General Surapong Suebwonglee were PPP's candidates for the premiership. However, Suriyasai Katasila of People's Alliance for Democracy (a group of royalist businessmen, academics, and activists), vowed to continue its occupation of Government House if a PPP candidate would be nominated: "We would accept anyone as prime minister, as long as he is not from the PPP."


2008 Thai political crisis, Fall of Samak, Reactions to court decision
The ruling People Power Party, on 15 September 2008, named Somchai Wongsawat, as its candidate for prime minister to succeed Samak Sundaravej. Somchai Wongsawat was ratified by the National Assembly of Thailand as Prime Minister of Thailand on 17 September, winning 263 votes against 163 votes for Abhisit Vejjajiva.


2008 Thai political crisis, October violence, Chamlong's arrest
On 4 and 5 October 2008, respectively, Chamlong Srimuang and rally organizer, Chaiwat Sinsuwongse, of People's Alliance for Democracy, were detained by the Thai police on charges of insurrection, conspiracy, illegal assembly, and refusing orders to disperse (treason) against each of them and eight other protest leaders. At the Government House, Sondhi Limthongkul, however, stated that demonstrations would continue.


2008 Thai political crisis, October violence, Clashes and the siege of Parliament
Armed with batons, PAD forces surrounded Parliament and used razor wire barricades to prevent the legislature from meeting to hear Samak's replacement, Somchai Wongsawat, formally announce his policies. The government decided to crack down on the protesters. Police used tear gas but many bullets were fired at the protesters. Many protesters got seriously wounded; some even lost legs, causing over a hundred injuries. One additional PAD leader was killed, claimed by the police, when the bomb in his car went off in front of the headquarters of the Chart Thai Party, a member of the government coalition.


2008 Thai political crisis, October violence, Clashes and the siege of Parliament
Several protesters lost their hands and legs, although it was not clear whether these injuries were caused by tear gas rounds or the ping-pong grenades. Pornthip Rojanasunand, Director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science, claimed that the loss of one particular PAD member's leg could not have been the result of tear gas usage, but came from a more powerful explosion. After viewing photographs of Angkhana Radappanyawut's injuries, Pornthip Rojanasunand suggested unequivocally that the death was caused by the explosion of a tear gas canister. She also stated that there was no need to conduct further investigations into the death and injuries of protesters because it became clear that they were caused by weapons of police. Investigations took place while charges against the police and government were filed by many protesters.


2008 Thai political crisis, October violence, Clashes and the siege of Parliament
Afterwards, Doctor Suthep Kolcharnwit of Chulalongkorn Hospital led a campaign calling for doctors to refuse medical care to police injured during the clashes as a protest against the violence. Doctors from several major Bangkok hospitals joined him in his campaign. Doctor Suthep Kolcharnwit of the Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Medicine along with several doctors from also refused to provide medical care to police injured in the clash, and urged doctors of other hospitals to boycott police as well.


2008 Thai political crisis, October violence, Clashes and the siege of Parliament
After the violent crash, the demonstrators returned; the siege of the parliament was given up in the evening. Yet demonstrators started the siege of police headquarters near the Government House. The demonstrators called for the counter-attack on police force, then new clash erupted, causing the death of a female protester and injury of several protesters. The PAD leaders called the demonstrators to return to the Government House and limit the protest only at their 'stronghold', at the House, avoid using violence. Then calm returned to Bangkok.


2008 Thai political crisis, October violence, Queen's appearance
On 13 October 2008, Queen Sirikit presided over the funeral ceremony of Angkhana Radappanyawut, the PAD supporter who had been killed by police during the protests. The Queen was accompanied by her youngest daughter, Princess Chulabhorn, Army Chief Anupong Paochinda, Opposition Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, and many high-ranked officials, but there were no signs of any police personnel. The Queen received a jubilant welcome from thousands of PAD supporters.


2008 Thai political crisis, October violence, Queen's appearance
She spoke with the deceased's father, Jinda Radappanyawut, who later said she was concerned for the welfare of the protesters and "would soon send us flowers". Her Majesy told Angsana's parents that their daughter had sacrificed her life for the sake of the monarchy, and that she was a good person.


2008 Thai political crisis, October violence, Queen's appearance
Previously, the revered Queen had donated ฿1 million to cover the medical expenses of those injured on both sides in the clashes. The protesters tried to claim the financial donation as a gesture of support for them, though in reality it went to aid injured policemen as well. The King also made a financial contribution to the dead woman's family.


2008 Thai political crisis, October violence, Queen's appearance
Since the Queen's appearance was without precedent in modern times, many academicians and media deemed them to be "unusual" and perhaps an "explicit royal backing to a five-month street campaign to oust the elected government". Historian David Streckfuss of the University of Wisconsin–Madison noted that no Thai social activists slain in the previous decade had had royal attendance at their funerals, "so it is interesting to note that in this case—a conflict that is controversial and ongoing—that a member of the royalty should apparently show support."


2008 Thai political crisis, October violence, Queen's appearance
Yet one could claim in support of the PAD that really was there was a small 'anti-monarchy' movement which supported Thaksin. This disturbed many monarchists. Sondhi Limthongkul, forefront leader of PAD, had claimed this since 2005, when he started criticizing Thaksin Shinawatra for his 'inappropriate' act defaming the monarchy when Thaksin held a religious ceremony at the royal temple of Wat Phra Kaeo. From then on, PAD has accused Thaksin's followers as being 'anti-monarchy'.


2008 Thai political crisis, October violence, Queen's appearance
The UDD's and Thaksin's harsh attack on Prem Tinsulanonda, head of royal Privy Council and close advisor of the king, has been seen as a contradiction of Thai tradition and a hidden attempt to make a regime change. Moreover, a leader of UDD, such Jakrapob Penkair has engaged in public criticism of the role of the monarchy, mostly, seen 'negatively'. Several UDD leaders were also charged and arrested and accused of insulting the monarchy, a crime under Thai criminal law. The PAD, therefore, has always claimed that it was defending the most revered institution according to the Constitutions, blasting UDD and Thaksin Shinawatra as anti-monarchist. The controversial issue of the monarchy has been then one of the fierce causes among these factions' supporters.


2008 Thai political crisis, Airport seizures, Protest at Suvarnabhumi International Airport and closures of airports
On the evening of Tuesday 25 November 2008, the PAD executed what they called "Operation Hiroshima." A convoy of hundreds of armed PAD members dressed in yellow blocked the two ends of the road in front of the terminal building of Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok's main airport and an important regional hub and blockaded the main road to the airport, aiming at resisting the landing of the prime minister's flight. PAD forces quickly overpowered hundreds of policemen armed with riot gear. PAD leaders mounted a mobile stage and proceeded to criticize the government. PAD members armed with clubs, iron bars and knives, with some wearing black balaclavas, then entered the terminal, much to the surprise of the thousands of travellers inside.


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport
PAD forces also forced their way into the control tower, demanding the flight plan for Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's return from the APEC summit in Peru. Somchai flew into Bangkok Don Mueang airport on the evening of 25 November 2008 before flying on to Chiang Mai. After hours of turmoil, the Airports of Thailand, AOT, eventually decided that all Suvarnabhumi flights were suspended, leaving thousands of travelers stranded in the airport., this action led to the official closure of the airport later.


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport
The government called on the Royal Thai Army to restore order at the airport. The Army did not follow the orders. In a press conference on 26 November, Army Commander General Anupong Paochinda proposed that the PAD withdraw from the airport and that the government resign. He also proposed that if the PAD did not comply, that they be subject to "social sanctions", whereas if the government did not comply, that the bureaucracy stop implementing government orders. A written copy of the proposal was sent to the government. Neither the PAD or the government complied with the proposal.


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport
At 4:30 am on the morning of 26 November, three explosions were heard on the fourth floor of Suvarnbumi on the outside of the passenger terminal. Another explosion was reported at 6 am. Several people were injured. It was not clear who set off the explosions. The PAD did not allow the police or forensics experts to investigate the explosions.


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, Attempts to evict the PAD
Also on 26 November, the Civil Court issued an injunction ordering the PAD to leave the Suvarnabhumi International Airport immediately. Notices of the injunction were placed on the front doors of the houses of the 13 PAD leaders. The PAD did not comply with the injunction.


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, Attempts to evict the PAD
On the evening of 27 November, the government declared a state of emergency around the two occupied airports and ordered police to clear out PAD forces. The state of emergency allowed the military to ban public gatherings of more than five people. The Navy was assigned to aid police at Suvarnabhumi, while the Air Force was assigned to aid police at Don Muang. The Army's spokesman noted, "The army disagrees with using troops to resolve the problem. The army does not want to do that, and it is not appropriate to do that."


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, Attempts to evict the PAD
The PAD was defiant. PAD leader Suriyasai Katasila announced that the PAD would fight off police. "If the government wants to clear the protesters, let it try. The PAD will protect all locations because we are using our rights to demonstrate peacefully without causing damages to state properties or rioting," Suriyasai said. Suriyasai also threatened to use human shields if police attempted to disperse the PAD.


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, Attempts to evict the PAD
On the morning of 28 November, PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang announced to PAD forces that he had received a call from an unspecified "senior person" (ผู้ใหญ่ท่านหนึ่ง) telling him to end the rallies. But he refused to do what the senior person told him. "For the past 108 days, the Alliance has protested together under hardship, while another group of people has remained in comfort. They can't just suddenly ask us to stop protesting," he told the assembled forces. Addressing supporters on ASTV, Sondhi said, "If we have to die today, I am willing to die. This is a fight for dignity."


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, Attempts to evict the PAD
Police manned checkpoints on roads leading to the airport. At one checkpoint, police found 15 home-made guns, an axe, and other weapons in a Dharma Army six-wheel truck taking 20 protesters to Suvarnabhumi airport. One checkpoint, about 2 kilometers from the airport, was attacked by armed PAD forces in vehicles, causing the police to withdraw. Police Senior Sgt Maj Sompop Nathee, an officer from the Border Patrol Police Region 1, later returned to the scene of the clash and was detained by PAD forces. He was interrogated by Samran Rodphet, a PAD leader, and then detained inside the airport. Reporters and photographers tried to follow Sompop to his interrogation, but PAD forces did not allow them. PAD supporters were moved from Government House to the airport.


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, Attempts to evict the PAD
With the exception of one airplane leaving for the Hajj, no flights with passengers were allowed for eight days. The PAD was apologetic to inconvenienced travelers in the airports and offered them food.


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, End of the siege
Shortly after the Constitutional Court dissolved the three parties of the government coalition on 2 December 2008, the PAD held a press conference where they announced that they were ending all of their protests as of 10 am local time (GMT 7+) on 3 December 2008. "We have won a victory and achieved our aims," said Sondhi Limthongkul.


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, End of the siege
Flights from Suvarnabhumi resumed on 4 December, when a Thai Airways flight departed for Sydney, Australia. Thai Airways expected to have five other international flights departing on 4 and 5 December to New Delhi, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Seoul, and Copenhagen. Passengers for these flights had to check in at a convention centre outside the airport.


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, Views on the seizure, Democrat Party
Democrat Party MP for Sukhothai, Samphan Benchaphon, said of the airport seizure that the PAD "have the right to do it." Democrat Party MP for Bangkok, Thawil Praison, said that the PAD "could seize the airport and doing so is not excessive. The entire world understands that this is a normal matter in the struggle of democratic countries."


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, Views on the seizure, International reactions
The governments of China, France, New Zealand, Singapore, Britain, the United States, Australia, and Japan warned their citizens to avoid Thailand and steer clear of protesters at the airport.


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, Views on the seizure, International reactions
The European Union urged the protesters to peacefully leave the airports. EU ambassadors to Thailand wrote in a joint statement that the demonstrators are hurting Thailand's image and economy, continuing "While respecting the right of protesting and without interfering in any way with the internal political debate in Thailand, the EU considers that these actions are totally inappropriate".


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, Views on the seizure, International reactions
US State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said that occupying the airports was "not an appropriate means of protest" and that the PAD should "walk away from the airports peacefully."


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, Closure of Bangkok Don Muang Airport
On the night of 26 November 2008, the services at the Don Mueang Airport were stopped after the People's Alliance for Democracy seized control of the domestic passenger terminal.


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, Closure of Bangkok Don Muang Airport
A bomb exploded near a bunker made of tires near the main entrance to the passenger terminal at Don Muang Airport at 3.55 am on 30 November. Before the explosion occurred, about seven gunshots were heard from the direction of a warehouse deeper inside the airport compound. No one was injured in the explosion. It was not clear who or what set the bomb off.


2008 Thai political crisis, Official closure of the airport, Closure of Bangkok Don Muang Airport
A plainclothes policewoman at the airport was identified and captured by PAD security forces and forced onto the main PAD stage inside the airport. Angry PAD protesters threw water at her and many tried to hit her. She was eventually allowed to leave the airport.


2008 Thai political crisis, Constitutional Court ruling on parties' dissolution, Prior to the decision
In December 2008, the Constitutional Court was scheduled to rule on whether or not to dissolve the PPP, Chart Thai, and Matchima Thippatai parties on electoral fraud charges. If the parties were dissolved, executives of the parties could have their political rights stripped for five years. However, non-executive MPs of the parties have the right to change parties for a period of time after the court decision. 37 PPP executives were also MPs, although 8 had resigned, leaving only 14. If the PPP was to be dissolved, the number of MPs they have would fall from 233 to 219.


2008 Thai political crisis, Constitutional Court ruling on parties' dissolution, Prior to the decision
Out of Chart Thai's 43 executives, 19 of them are MPs. No Matchima executives are MPs. Thus, if the Constitutional Court dissolved all three parties, the government coalition would reduce in size to 283 out of a total of 447 MPs in Parliament – a majority is 224. The opposition Democrat Party has only 164 MPs. If all the non-PPP parties allied with the Democrats, they would have a total of 228 MPs – only 4 MPs above a majority.


2008 Thai political crisis, Constitutional Court ruling on parties' dissolution, Prior to the decision
The site for the court decision was changed from the Constitutional Court to the Supreme Administrative Court after UDD supporters surrounded the Constitution Court. The Supreme Administrative court was protected by Royal Thai Army troops armed with M16 rifles. The Constitutional Court handed down its decision immediately after hearing closing comments from the Chart Thai party.


2008 Thai political crisis, Constitutional Court ruling on parties' dissolution, Summary of decision
Prior to the delivery of decision, judge Chat Chonlaworn, President of the nine-judge panel, remarked that:


2008 Thai political crisis, Constitutional Court ruling on parties' dissolution, Summary of decision
The Court's trials at this time are independent, and not interfered or compelled by any political influences. The provisions under the Constitution are taken as the Court's guidance in trying these cases. And in this kind of political circumstances in our Country, certain sectors would favour with the outcome of the trials while the others would not; however, the Court ask for the faith and trust in it... The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, Buddhist Era 2550 (2007) contains the spirits to justify the elections, especially, through providing the provisions to prevent electoral fraud, such as vote buying.


2008 Thai political crisis, Constitutional Court ruling on parties' dissolution, Summary of decision
The vote buying is one of countless means chronically practiced by the politicians to be able to win the election; but, it is a severe offence and detrimental to the democratic development as well as the Country, for the politicians, after having come into the power, are brazen-faced in wrongfully seeking for self-interests in order to benefit their future elections. The Constitution, hence, attempts to pitch out this unceasing unpropitious circle, and promotes the politicians, whose heart and hands are so devoted, to participate in bringing about the advantages to the Country.


2008 Thai political crisis, Constitutional Court ruling on parties' dissolution, Following the decision
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was, therefore, disqualified by the Court's decision, and replaced in a caretaker capacity by Chaovarat Chanweerakul, the Deputy Prime Minister.


2008 Thai political crisis, Constitutional Court ruling on parties' dissolution, Following the decision
The PPP issued a statement calling the ruling a "judicial coup", and called into question the court's procedures, for instance, allowing all the PPP's witnesses only 2 hours to speak. It also noted that the wife of one of the judges was an active PAD member, and said that these and other irregularities would likely lead the Thai people to call the integrity of the court into question and see the ruling as an alternative means of accomplishing a coup. Former PPP MPs and members founded the For Thais Party to prepare for the event that the PPP should be banned, and PPP members immediately started joining the For Thais Party.


2008 Thai political crisis, Constitutional Court ruling on parties' dissolution, Following the decision
Reelections for the 26 constituencies of the banned executive members from the three parties were held on 11 December 2008.


2008 Thai political crisis, Constitutional Court ruling on parties' dissolution, Following the decision
On 6 December 2008, the opposition Democrat Party announced it had garnered sufficient support from former coalition partners of PPP and their splinters to be able to form a government, while For Thais claimed the same, adding that it had already been joined by more than a third of MPs. The coalition partners of the Democrat Party appeared to be most of the dissolved parties, the Thai Nation Party and the Neutral Democratic Party, as well as the Thais United National Development Party, the For the Motherland party, and the "Friends of Newin" faction, a splinter of the banned PPP.


2008 Thai political crisis, Constitutional Court ruling on parties' dissolution, Following the decision
On 15 December 2008, Abhisit Vejjajiva was elected the new Prime Minister. Army commander and co-leader of the 2006 coup, General Anupong Paochinda, was widely reported to have coerced PPP MPs to defect to the Democrat Party. PAD leader Khamnoon Sitthisamarn and junta-appointed Senator called Abhisit's premiership a "genuine PAD victory" and a "Anupong-style coup d'etat." The circumstances of his ascent to power closely linked Abhisit to the Bangkok elite, the Army, and the Royal Palace.


2008 Thai political crisis, Economic effects
As the crisis is ongoing and fluid, the final economic consequences of the crisis are as yet unclear. After a state of emergency was declared on 2 September 2008, the SET Index reached its lowest point since January 2007 at 655.62; it had fallen 24.7% since the beginning of the PAD's demonstrations in May 2008. The baht hit a one-year low of 34.52 per US dollar, prompting the Bank of Thailand to intervene.


2008 Thai political crisis, Economic effects
The PAD seizure of Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi Airports is estimated to have cost the Thai economy at least three billion Baht (approximately US$100 million) a day in lost shipment value and opportunities. As of 1 December 2008, the number of stranded passengers was estimated at anywhere from over 100,000 to 350,000.


2008 Thai political crisis, Political effects
The long term political consequences of the crisis are as yet unclear. The crisis, and particularly the siege of Suvarnabhumi Airport, saw a rise in international press coverage on Thailand, with numerous high-profile articles breaking Thai taboos about public discussion of the role of the monarchy in the crisis as well as the succession. There was a decline in the popularity of the PAD among the Bangkok elite as the crisis escalated and increasingly affected the economy.


2008 Thai political crisis, Political effects
The crisis saw increasing polarization in Thai political thinking, with David Streckfuss of the Council on International Educational Exchange noting that it "shattered the myth of unity that has been papered over the many social and political cleavages in Thailand." The judiciary was increasingly seen as a tool of the elite, having flagged the government for even the tiniest infractions while refusing to rein in the growing violence of the PAD.


2008 Thailand League Division 2
2008 Thailand League Division 2 was contested by the two Group league winners of the 3rd level championships of Thailand.


2008 Thailand League Division 2
The league winners and runners up  Group A and Group B were promoted to Thailand Division 1 League. No teams would be relegated due to restructuring at the end of the season.


2008 Thailand League Division 2, Champions
The 2008 winner of the Thailand Division 2 League Championship was Prachinburi FC.


2008 Thailand League Division 2 (Group A)
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2008 Thailand League Division 2 (Group A)
The 2008 Thailand League Division 2 Group A had 11 teams.


2008 Thailand League Division 2 (Group A)
The league winners and runners up were promoted to Thailand Division 1 League. No teams would be relegated due to restructuring at the end of the season.


2008 Thailand League Division 2 (Group B)
The 2008 Thailand League Division 2 Group B had 11 teams.


2008 Thailand League Division 2 (Group B)
The league winners and runners up were promoted to Thailand Division 1 League. No teams would be relegated due to restructuring at the end of the season.


2008 Thailand National Games
The 37th Thailand National Games (Thai:การแข่งขันกีฬาแห่งชาติ ครั้งที่ 37 "พิษณุโลกเกมส์") also known (2008 National Games, Phitsanulok Games) held in Phitsanulok, Thailand  during 14 to 24 December 2015. Representing were 35 sports. This games held in Phitsanulok Sport Center, Phitsanulok sport school, etc. and Nakhon Sawan hosted 17th national games in 1984.


2008 Thailand Open (tennis)
The 2008 Thailand Open was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 6th edition of the Thailand Open, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, from 22 September through 28 September 2008.


2008 Thailand Open (tennis)
The singles field was led by ATP No. 3, Australian Open champion, French Open and US Open semifinalist, Indian Wells and Rome Masters winner Novak Djokovic, Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Miami Masters semifinalist, Båstad finalist Tomáš Berdych. Also lined up were French Open semifinalist Gaël Monfils, Australian Open quarterfinalist Jarkko Nieminen, Robin Söderling, Marat Safin and Jürgen Melzer.


2008 Thailand Open (tennis), Champions, Doubles
Lukáš Dlouhý /  Leander Paes defeated  Scott Lipsky /  David Martin, 6–4, 7–6(7–4)


2008 Thailand Open – Doubles
Sanchai Ratiwatana and  Sonchat Ratiwatana were the defending champions, but lost in the first round to Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut.


2008 Thailand Open – Doubles
Lukáš Dlouhý and Leander Paes won in the final 6–4, 7–6(7–4), against Scott Lipsky and David Martin.


2008 Thailand Open – Singles
Dmitry Tursunov was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.


2008 Thailand Open – Singles
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won in the final 7–6(7–4), 6–4, against Novak Djokovic.


2008 Thailand Open – Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2008 Thailand Premier League
The 2008 Thai Premier League had 16 teams. It was the twelfth since its establishment. The first matches of the season were played on 18 February 2008, and the season ended on 11 October 2008. Three teams would be relegated to Thailand Division 1 League. The Champion in this season would qualify for the AFC Champions League 2009 qualification stage and the runner-up would be enter the AFC Cup 2009. The official name of the league at this time was Thailand Premier League.


2008 Thailand Premier League
Provincial Electricity Authority won their first championship after they changed their home stadium from Bangkok to Ayutthaya, where they have a bigger fan base. This season also saw the great successful team of Thai football league, Bangkok Bank relegated to Division 1 league after they were defeated by Chonburi in the final match of the season.


2008 Thailand Premier League
Defending champions Chonburi were pipped to the title after faltering against new Premier League side Samut Songkhram in the second to last game of the season. Samut finished in a creditable 7th place, one place above Chula United who also impressed in their first season back in the top flight.


2008 Thailand Premier League
Customs Department FC, the other newcomers along with, found life to difficult and dropped back into Division One at the first attempt.


2008 Thailand Premier League, Member clubs
† Chula-Sinthana  changed to "Chula United" from August 2008 season


2008 Thailand Premier League, Champions
The league champion was PEA. It was the team's first title.


2008 The Citadel Bulldogs football team
The 2008 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Kevin Higgins served as head coach for the fourth season. The Bulldogs played as members of the Southern Conference and played home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium.


2008 The Coffee Club V8 Supercar Challenge
The 2008 The Coffee Club V8 Supercar Challenge is the eleventh round of the 2008 V8 Supercar season. It was held on the weekend of the 24 to 26 October at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Queensland.


2008 The Coffee Club V8 Supercar Challenge, Qualifying
Qualifying rounds for the race were held on Friday the 24 October 2008.


2008 The Coffee Club V8 Supercar Challenge, Race 1
Race 1 was held on Saturday the 25 October 2008.


2008 The Coffee Club V8 Supercar Challenge, Race 2
Race 2 was held on Sunday the 26 October 2008.


2008 The Coffee Club V8 Supercar Challenge, Race 3
Race 3 was held on Sunday the 26 October 2008.


2008 The Coffee Club V8 Supercar Challenge, Other categories
The 2008 Nikon Indy 300 had five categories (including V8 Supercars) of racing.