Showing 351 - 360 of 381
A divisive one-note tune
News, Editorial, Published on 20/02/2019
» The troubling response of the army commander to a rather benign political campaign promise has quickly escalated. Gen Apirat Kongsompong didn't just try to refute the call to cut both the military budget and the number of general officers. He retaliated by reviving the most hateful song in Thai political history, and promised to flood military bases and the airwaves with it. It is a move with an ironclad guarantee of major political and national division.
No need for S44 payments
News, Editorial, Published on 18/02/2019
» The government is already out of line for even considering new subsidies for the Big Three mobile phone companies. But its admission that it can only put billions of baht from taxpayers into such a scheme by using Section 44 is outrageous. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his chief legal adviser Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam seem not to realise they are in charge of a lame duck administration. Their obligation is to put this questionable issue on the shelf for the next government and parliament to consider.
Lift the Voice TV gag order
News, Editorial, Published on 15/02/2019
» The broadcasting regulator's complete shutdown of Voice TV, and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's continued exploitation of free airtime to promote himself in the lead-up to the upcoming general election are both highly unethical and unjustified.
EC must be firm and fair
News, Editorial, Published on 13/02/2019
» Princess Ubolratana's brief stint in politics is now safely in the past. The Election Commission (EC) on Monday disqualified her prime ministerial candidacy, nominated by the Thai Raksa Chart (TRC) Party, following a royal message issued by His Majesty the King on Friday night.
Outsider PM unacceptable
News, Editorial, Published on 12/02/2019
» The short-lived entry of Princess Ubolratana is over, but the fallout should be careful but extensive. The immediate question concerns the fate of the Thai Raksa Chart Party, and it looks bleak. Beyond that, however, are many issues of politics and of ethics quite separate from the matter of royalty.
All candidates must be equal
News, Editorial, Published on 09/02/2019
» At last, the electorate saw the full list of prime ministerial candidates Friday for the upcoming March 24 general election, with Princess Ubolratana emerging as an unprecedented option and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as the least surprising one.
Tantrums sink peace efforts
News, Editorial, Published on 06/02/2019
» The failure of the government to kickstart peace talks on the South is a disappointment to all involved. The Malaysia-based Mara Patani negotiating faction said on Sunday it won't talk until a new Thai government is formed. Peace talks were already barely moving but Sunday's events mean there will be no chance of any official movement for at least six months.
Assembly is a civil right
News, Editorial, Published on 05/02/2019
» The arrest of two democracy advocates at Government House on Saturday is a black mark on this government and law enforcement.
Dam study must be transparent
News, Editorial, Published on 03/02/2019
» After a short confrontation with conservationists and local southerners late last month over the controversial Wang Heeb dam project in Nakhon Si Thammarat, the Prayut Chan-o-cha government has agreed to step back, albeit temporarily.
Follow NLD charter lead
News, Editorial, Published on 01/02/2019
» Similar to the Thai constitution, Myanmar's supreme law entrenches the military in legislative and administrative power. It stands as a key obstacle to the country's full democratic transition.