• THAILAND

  The war bringer

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 12/03/2017

  » The southern rebellion against the government begins its 58th year tomorrow. It will be the first time the anniversary is marked without any of the original 1960 instigators but in particular it will go on without its primary leader, better called the godfather of the southern conflict.

• THAILAND

  Mr X's gang unravels

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 12/02/2017

  » Sayobphairee Operation 60/1, the biggest trafficking takedown since the army chased Khun Sa back to Myanmar, began with the largest drug bust outside a nightclub urine test-centre.

• OPINION

  Islamic State, keep out

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 27/11/2016

  » The most intriguing story of the week was the suggestion that Thai Muslims had been caught out in supporting the Islamic State (IS). It was intriguing because while the neighbours have often been involved directly in international terrorism, and still are, no Thai ever has been linked to the post-9/11 groups championed by Osama bin Laden, his progeny or their many copycats.

• OPINION

  The big issue: Fighting war, talking peace

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 04/09/2016

  » Separatists in the deep South tried to have it both ways last week, thankfully failing (mostly) on one score but arguably pushing ahead on the second, long-range part of the strategy.

• OPINION

  The big issue: An interesting life

  Alan Dawson, Published on 15/05/2016

  » People say you should never speak ill of the dead, so let’s say of the recently late Masae Useng of Narathiwat that he was an interesting man. “Interesting” in the sense that security forces were interested in him, police and the army were interested in him, and the prosecutors and court system found him interesting.

• THAILAND

  Abu Sayyaf beheading deadline nears

  Alan Dawson, Published on 25/04/2016

  » Asia's most vicious terrorist group has set a deadline of 2pm Monday (Thailand time) to behead at least one of three foreign and one Filipina hostages it holds in the southern Philippines.

• OPINION

  The big issue: Passports, please

  Alan Dawson, Published on 14/02/2016

  » All newspapers carried this big story of the week, with the <i>Bangkok Post</i> cutting immediately to the chase.

• OPINION

  The big issue: How to make a terrorist

  Alan Dawson, Published on 06/09/2015

  » Thailand and international terrorism have a history that goes way back. The current calls for security forces to get serious about threats to the country are only echoes of the past 40-plus years.

• OPINION

  The big issue: The first man

  Alan Dawson, Published on 27/09/2015

  » There are three days left for Somyot Poompunmuang to catch the Erawan Shrine bomber before he is no longer police chief. It would be a terrific, matching bookend to the one he got in his first week on the job, when he solved the Koh Tao murders.

• OPINION

  The big issue: The goats of August

  Alan Dawson, Published on 26/07/2015

  » Army officers approached Sama-ae Thanam in his Yala prison cell last month, according to the former Pulo terrorist. He quickly agreed to their proposal to support government-sponsored peace moves in exchange for breathing the free air of the deep South — not because they were extra persuasive, but rather because he had been thinking over his support of violence for a long time.

1 2 Next Last