Showing 1 - 10 of 63
The three gutsy peers
News, Alan Dawson, Published on 16/09/2018
» The six-month Bangkok Shutdown campaign may have given off an aura of fun and games with a positive outcome for the green shirts and a negative one for the reds.
Scum of the Earth
News, Alan Dawson, Published on 24/02/2019
» At the Bangkok Post Forum on Feb 7, Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit said it would be splendid if Thailand had green shirts with four stars who favour democracy. He called for a review (English translation: cancellation) of the recent, 2.3 billion-baht purchase of 14 more Chinese main battle tanks. Oh, and Thailand should halt conscription.
Two hats not good
News, Alan Dawson, Published on 07/10/2018
» When Bangkok got too noisy because of all the criticism about cabinet ministers taking advantage by openly playing politics unfairly, the general prime minister escaped to the North on another scrupulously non-political trip to give away money and be photographed with every local personality and housewife within 20 kilometres.
Commission on a mission
News, Alan Dawson, Published on 17/03/2019
» "The Election Commission shall announce the result of the election", and there really hasn't been any more vast difference between the EC and the members of the public. It's not even supposed to be a worry. But everyone's worrying about the scraping of all the foreign votes and the vital gathering of all today's advance votes and the really major assembling next week of every one-person-one-vote.
Promises, promises
News, Alan Dawson, Published on 19/08/2018
» The general prime minister is off to the South this week. The trip to Chumphon has been planned for a while, so the irony is coincidental.
Into the political fray
News, Alan Dawson, Published on 30/09/2018
» Last June 30, the sometimes-accurate online Wikipedia updated the opening line of its entry on the general prime minister. For the first time, the introduction read, "Prayut Chan-o-cha is a Thai politician..." Before that, according to Wikipedia, Gen (Ret) Prayut was just a retired army general and head of the military junta -- which is what he claimed to be.
Art of the graft
News, Alan Dawson, Published on 03/06/2018
» Coup leader Gen (Ret) Prayut Chan-o-cha first mentioned his programme concerning corruption in late May, 2014, not long after seizing power. It was so long ago that there wasn't even a National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). It was still called the National Peace and Order Maintaining Council (NPOMC).
Time on their side
News, Alan Dawson, Published on 18/03/2018
» They took down the Interpol Red Notice to locate, arrest and hold for extradition Thailand's most infamous wilding child last week. Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya is further off the hook than ever.
Life without populism
News, Alan Dawson, Published on 06/05/2018
» Once upon a time in a land very, very far away with a "government by the people, for the people" there was a plan to fix recalcitrant taxi drivers and make them pick up passengers, politely, and then to reward the drivers with a fare increase. And that plan was carried out in the faraway country, and passengers were happy to reward deserving, hard-working, uncomplaining taxi drivers.
The hand that feeds them
News, Alan Dawson, Published on 03/03/2019
» When the columnists and panjandrums and degree-clutchers come to analyse the state of Thailand in mid- and late May, it's probably this past week that will fascinate them.