Showing 171 - 180 of 675
PM's debate 'win' may prove pointless
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 30/07/2022
» Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha survived the no-confidence debate, albeit narrowly. Yet his victory in parliament, a result of cash handouts to minnow parties and heavy bargaining, doesn't necessarily mean he and his government have won the support of the public.
Poll 'game' won't work
Oped, Editorial, Published on 29/07/2022
» Rumours of another attempt to amend the constitution -- which will see the next election revert from the current two-ballot system to the one-ballot system that was used in the last election -- have been rife in parliament over the past couple of days.
'Spywaregate' needs answers
Oped, Published on 23/07/2022
» The National Human Rights Commission and other related agencies must step in to examine allegations that the government has routinely used phone spyware to surveil dozens of politicians and pro-democracy activists known for playing active roles in demanding the reform of major institutions.
Japan's crucial moments after Abe murder
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 18/07/2022
» It was a bullet that some people said would change Japan forever, and it certainly had people outside taking a closer look at the world's third largest economy. For me, hearing the news that Shinzo Abe had been shot on July 8 was a shock similar to the events of Sept 11, 2001, which most people agree changed the world.
How Abe shaped Japan through foreign policies
Oped, Bill Emmott, Published on 13/07/2022
» Former Japanese prime minister Abe Shinzo's assassination at an election campaign event in Nara, Japan, is both shocking and puzzling. It is shocking because Japan has known almost no political violence for at least a half-century, and because gun ownership in the country is tightly controlled. It is puzzling because Abe, having stepped down as prime minister in 2020, had no formal government role; yet the killing was plainly a political act.
A new direction for UN in Thailand?
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 13/07/2022
» Thailand is proudly a hub for United Nations (UN) agencies and programmes, and this adds weight to its leverage in international relations. Inevitably, the UN presence has to address key issues of sustainable development, human rights, democracy and peace. A key question is thus whether a viable balance is being struck between national practices and international aspirations.
Remembering Abe and Japan's rise
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 12/07/2022
» It is not an overstatement to say that the late prime minister Shinzo Abe single-handedly promoted Japan's regional and international profile through unconventional economic and security policies. Abe linked his country's economic policies with security and strategic twists in its relations with the rest of the world, Asean in particular.
Self-interest governs list-seat drama
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 11/07/2022
» The prospect that the opposition Pheu Thai Party may win a landslide election next year may have struck fear among bigwigs in the government.
Myanmar, Thai militaries in cahoots
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 08/07/2022
» The recent incursion by a Myanmar MiG-29 fighter jet into Thai airspace is par for the course in the intimate ties between the militaries of both countries. Myanmar's military, also known as the Tatmadaw, in fact wants to be more like its Thai counterpart. The Royal Thai Armed Forces, on the other hand, may end up later having to be more like the Tatmadaw to maintain its role and rule in politics. These two militaries together pose a litmus test for states and societies everywhere. If the popular will and public interest can be systematically stolen and subverted in this corner of the globe, it can happen anywhere.
With eased Covid curbs, lift decree
Oped, Published on 05/07/2022
» Last week, the Thai government downgraded the Covid-19 situation in the country from a pandemic to endemic. In turn, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his government should also immediately lift the draconian Emergency Decree, which the authorities have used to criminalise legitimate dissent.