March 16, 2006 (Thursday)
- Tens of thousands of Thai anti-government protesters continue their rally against the country's current Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra today. They also demand his resignation from the post. The opposition leader, Sondhi Limthongkul, declared he and his party would not stop protesting all day and night until the PM resigns. (Reuters)[permanent dead link]
- U.S. President George W. Bush nominates Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne as United States Secretary of the Interior. (CNN)
- Near the third anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war, U.S. and Iraqi forces on Thursday launch an air assault known as Operation Swarmer into Salahuddin province in what was termed the largest air assault since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. (ABC News), (BBC), (USDoD)
- The Iraqi National Assembly meets for the first time since it was elected in December 2005. (Reuters)
- An international child pornography network is discovered using information from an Internet chat room, leading to the worldwide arrests of 4 Australians, 13 Americans, 10 Canadians, and 2 Britons. (National Nine News)
- The 2006 NCAA Men's Division 1 Basketball Tournament begins in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Salt Lake City, Utah; Jacksonville, Florida; and San Diego, California.