Showing 1 - 10 of 17
Thai-style rule by law lands new blow
Oped, Surasak Glahan, Published on 12/03/2020
» With the Election Commission (EC)’s decision on Tuesday to pursue criminal charges against Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit over a much-disputed media share transfer case, many observers may have stopped questioning how Thailand’s law-enforcement system could have come this far, and started wondering whether the worst of things is yet to come.
Political nitpicking stymies our progress
News, Surasak Glahan, Published on 06/02/2020
» If the Constitutional Court rules on Friday that the 2020 budget bill is invalid, let's not blame the delay in budget disbursement on proxy voting by a tiny number of MPs. Who should take the blame then? The culprit is our parliamentary system, for its inability to resolve this tiny technical hiccup in the Lower House, which allowed it to get out of hand.
Thanathorn guilty, but motive in doubt
News, Surasak Glahan, Published on 21/11/2019
» It's official. Rising star opposition politician Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has been disqualified as a party-list MP.
Hun Sen learns how to fake democracy
News, Surasak Glahan, Published on 14/11/2019
» Cambodia may avoid trade sanctions from the EU and US if its government has learnt the art of faking a return to democracy and rule of law from Thailand, which has done its neighbour a huge favour by barring entry to its exiled opposition leaders.
Integrity vital as our system falters
News, Surasak Glahan, Published on 10/10/2019
» In recent months, questionable logic in the justice process involving certain political cases has raised many eyebrows -- as many as were raised by the Election Commission's ruling that helped the first runner-up party form and lead a government after the March election.
Political purge all in the name of law
News, Surasak Glahan, Published on 09/06/2019
» What's next for Thailand after things went according to (the military regime's) plan, with junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha as our prime minister?
Clone wars: FFP boss is not Thaksin 2.0
News, Surasak Glahan, Published on 23/05/2019
» The ongoing media shareholding case against Future Forward Party (FFP) leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit may not have come this far if he wasn't ultra rich and moderately successful. But his high net-worth and popularity makes him a clone of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra in the eyes of the anti-Thaksin elite and conservative media, who seem to be on a crusade to stop Mr Thanathorn's rise.
Targeting FFP boss sets bad precedent
News, Surasak Glahan, Published on 02/05/2019
» Here we go again. Another seemingly excessive and dubious use of law to bring down the rising political star Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. The Election Commission (EC) has accused the Future Forward Party (FFP) leader of breaking the election law by failing to transfer his shares in V-Luck Media Co prior to running in the general election. If found guilty, he will be disqualified from serving in the Lower House.
Another poll, another missed opportunity
News, Surasak Glahan, Published on 28/03/2019
» With over a decade of political turmoil and almost five years under a military dictatorship, it comes as no surprise that Thailand is no longer the front-running economic powerhouse in Southeast Asia. The country's economic growth has been much lower than that of Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Political cases may bode ill for democracy
Oped, Surasak Glahan, Published on 28/02/2019
» The uniquely Thai way of sabotaging popular political parties and their leaders with surprising ease yielded further progress yesterday, as the fate of the executives at the helm of the Future Forward Party (FFP) and Thai Raksa Chart Party (TRC) were left hanging in the balance.