• THAILAND

  Revenge of the kamnan

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 22/01/2017

  » It had been 975 days since the military regime did anything to justify the coup d'etat that was needed specifically to bring happiness back to the people by national reconciliation. So the general prime minister named a 98-man, three tier committee of otherwise unemployed two-, three- and four-starred green shirts to draw daily allowances and proceed to bring about unity.

• OPINION

  Military firepower

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 06/01/2019

  » There are certain people who have stayed quiet for four-plus years who now are emerging with little bravado.

• OPINION

  Out of the box

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 20/01/2019

  » For kakistocrats who have failed for four years-plus to organise reconciliation, bring back happiness, fight pollution in the air and on the beaches or even to organise so much as a date for an election, our all-male green-shirt regime sure has a lot to criticise about the rest of us.

• OPINION

  Facts, fake news and media control

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 02/09/2018

  » While the regular comedy clubs that ban political humour are running as usual, the best line of the week was actually the statement:

• OPINION

  Signs of concern

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 01/07/2018

  » The general prime minister said last week that he really doesn't even want to talk about an election before September. Also, there won't be an election until he's able to announce the success of his programme of national reconciliation.

• OPINION

  Long and winding roadmap

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 01/04/2018

  » Question: Is it more scary, or less scary, that the junta doesn't have an actual plan slash conspiracy to keep itself in power? That it has extended its time and generous pay and perks without any design ever since the phantom 2015 election?

• THAILAND

  What, we worry?

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 18/02/2018

  » Last week filled out the cast of the least-awaited drama in Thai TV news history, <i>The Untouchables: Bred Men Walking</i>, starring the Watchman, the FAT man and the Catman.

• OPINION

  Punishment and crime

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 10/09/2017

  » A country without clear rule of law is a nation adrift. Citizens have pride, patriotism but little control or input to their own country's future.

• OPINION

  What he's thinking

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 24/09/2017

  » The election campaign began rolling in earnest last week. Now if only the government had kept its promise and actually had an election. Minor detail, perhaps, but memories are so short when they operate on political bias that it's good to do history.

• THAILAND

  The more things change

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 19/03/2017

  » A military regime is in power. It is driving Meechai Ruchupan's new constitution and passels of laws through its handpicked National Assembly to enable and ensure military hands on power even after it nominally returns to the barracks to allow elections the red shirts will probably win again. It has a new Computer Crime Act to intimidate and if necessary incarcerate infuriating pests complaining about lack of democracy. Oh, and almost forgot: it's not 2017.

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