Showing 1 - 10 of 136
Democracy in action with bid to target Yoon
Oped, Published on 11/12/2024
» Yoon Suk-yeol's latest political gambit undoubtedly did not unfold as he expected. After abruptly declaring martial law on Dec 3, South Korea's scandal-plagued president was forced to lift the order within hours in the face of public protests and legislative opposition. He now faces an impeachment motion filed by the opposition Democratic Party, which has condemned his "insurrectionary behaviour".
The way to fight coups
Oped, Editorial, Published on 11/12/2024
» South Korea has charmed the world with "soft power" such as K-Pop. But the country and its citizens have just shown their democracy is even more inspiring.
Court ruling emboldens Pheu Thai
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 25/11/2024
» The ruling Pheu Thai Party was given a big shot in the arm after the Constitutional Court dismissed allegations that the party and its de facto leader, Thaksin Shinawatra, attempted to overthrow the constitutional democracy.
The US election and the crisis of whiteness
News, Published on 28/10/2024
» The "crisis of democracy" across Western countries is generally attributed to rising inequality, the hollowing out of the middle class, and the politics of mass migration. But another major factor is demography, especially in the United States, where the threat to democracy tracks developments affecting white voters. Moreover, since demographic trends cannot be easily reversed, America's growing dysfunction is likely to be a persistent factor in global politics for a long time.
Shigeru Ishiba's premiership could be short
News, Published on 02/10/2024
» After a 15-day election campaign, Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has elected Shigeru Ishiba as its president. Since the ruling party holds a majority in the National Diet (parliament), Mr Ishiba will be Japan's next prime minister. For the 67-year-old Mr Ishiba, long a leading rival of the late Shinzo Abe, ascending to the post is the realisation of a long-held dream. But Mr Ishiba's political star will likely soon fall.
Shift from elections to governance
Oped, Published on 01/10/2024
» With half of the global population having already voted or preparing to do so in 2024, the "year of elections" has had a profound impact on democracies worldwide. Now, as the year enters its final quarter, it is becoming increasingly apparent that 2025 will be an equally transformative "year of governance".
Stop all of the democracy in-fighting
Oped, Published on 11/09/2024
» If democracy is going to flourish on this planet, its practitioners must be members of the same team.
Activists step up Mulan boycott campaign
Published on 05/09/2020
» Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, Thailand and Taiwan have revived their calls to boycott the new live-action version of the Disney blockbuster "Mulan", which opened on Friday in cinemas in many Asian countries including Thailand.
#BehindTheHashtags
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 06/03/2020
» Many student protests that were partly set off by the dissolution of Future Forward Party over the past two weeks has also ushered in new hashtags into the lexicon of Thai social media. At the time of writing, it has been reported that there are 28 hashtags associated with campus protests. Some are humourous while others carry strong political stances and sharp gibes. Whether you agree with these students who've chosen to make their voices heard, it's better to get used to their protest hashtags as more student flashmobs are on their way (but many speculate that the designation of Covid-19 as a dangerous communicable disease may be used as a tool to suppress them). Not to mention, an online campaign calling for people to wear black on Fridays as a symbol to oppose dictatorship began last Friday.
School students join rally trend
Online Reporters, Published on 26/02/2020
» High-school students have joined university students in staging pro-democracy protests, led by all-girls Satriwithaya School in Bangkok on Wednesday.