Showing 1 - 5 of 5
Unpacking China's global influence
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 29/08/2024
» Is China an enigma? If it is difficult to decipher the country on some fronts, there are other elements which are more accessible. While it might be easy to look at its impressive growth in recent decades as diverging from other global players in key areas, there are other areas which are mutually convergent. From the multidimensional panorama of a complex world -- the "multiplex" world, a preferred approach is not to generalise too much but to analyse the specifics of our times for possible confluence.
Respect democracy and human rights
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 16/08/2024
» The judiciary is a critically important pillar of the state. It is often cited as one of the three pillars, with the others being the executive branch of government and parliament. From a broader angle, the people of the land are the key fourth pillar that should not be overlooked. While some judges are emblematic of justice personified, others are of a more questionable quality, with extreme cases embodying the toxic. What then is to be done to offer a sobering tonic?
Our UN obligations on disappearances
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 15/07/2024
» Enforced disappearance is the technical term for a heinous crime whereby a person or persons are deprived of their liberty, such as detention in an unknown place ("incommunicado"). This is accompanied by a cover-up by the state.
From Asian values to Asian narratives?
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 01/07/2024
» A debate is emerging over whether Asia should claim its own "narratives". The humble onlooker might well ask whether this is another version, a cliché, of the "Asian values" of the 1990s.
Thai Human Rights Council aspirations
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 17/05/2024
» Thailand's quest for membership of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), Geneva, for the period 2025-2027, is rightly gaining interest among the general public. With a new foreign minister today, it is intriguing to prospect whether there will be more (or less) momentum in the competition towards the winning post -- with elections for the HRC due in New York in October.