Showing 1 - 10 of 11
When peace seems such an ugly word
News, Atiya Achakulwisut, Published on 06/05/2014
» The emphasis on the expression of thanks is made dramatic, as an act of sarcasm should be. Indeed, the gesture could have come across as being excessively theatrical had it not been tinged with a measure of sincerity.
One rule for all
News, Published on 04/05/2014
» Re: “Govt complex ‘off limits’ to red-shirt rally” (BP, May 3).
Yingluck now faces harsh reality
News, Saritdet Marukatat, Published on 07/04/2014
» It appeared to be a perfectly designed plan. Now it is getting close to becoming a political disaster for caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Public must unite in condemning protest violence
News, Wasant Techawongtham, Published on 28/02/2014
» The summer winds are blowing in just as the political scene has heated up to the extent that no other affairs of state are more urgent now than ensuring peace is restored.
Focus has moved to talks for all the wrong reasons
News, Nattaya Chetchotiros, Published on 27/02/2014
» There have been a series of bomb attacks at anti-government rally sites, killing four children in Trat and Bangkok.
Postbag: Justice for whom?
News, Published on 22/02/2014
» It’s difficult to understand the judicial process in Thailand. Recently we have seen the Election Commission set re-election dates for April 28 despite the fact that it would appear that the constitution mandates that a new government must be formed within 30 days of an election. Then we hear that the Civil Court has said that the government cannot use force to dispel protesters in Bangkok, despite the fact that it appears that shots were fired and explosives used by protesters which resulted in the death of a policeman. It seems that many of the judgements are not based on just on the law but what the court considers best for Thailand. This is clearly outside their mandate. They should rule on the law, regardless of the outcome. After all, at the time Thaksin Shinawatra was accused of hiding assets in 2001, if the law had been strictly applied, he would surely have been found guilty, in which case the whole era of Thaksin would not have happened.
Postbag: The antithesis of buddhism
News, Published on 16/02/2014
» Buddhism and democracy have much in common. They both allow and encourage fairness, not unfairness, justice, not injustice, and giving, not taking. While democracy is far from perfect, it is the best form of government known to mankind. Its intention is social cohesion by allowing freedom of expression. In Buddhism, people are judged by their intentions not their actions.
Luang Pu courts public opprobrium
News, Ploenpote Atthakor, Published on 13/02/2014
» Luang Pu Buddha Issara is the kind of person you either like or loathe. The 46-year-old monk, who is also the abbot of Wat Onoi in Nakhon Pathom’s Kampaeng Saen district, has become a core leader of the protest movement against the Yingluck Shinawatra government. Many Buddhists feel uncomfortable with the activist role he has taken on.
Defining democracy
News, Published on 08/02/2014
» In principle, I agree with most of what Voranai Vanijaka wrote in his Feb 6 opinion piece "By shortcuts we fall". The democratic process is the ideal path towards bringing about true reform. And in a true democracy, where elected officials represent their constituents, this works. Blocking elections is counter-productive. I totally agree. But in Thailand's case an embittered and on-the-run fugitive calls the shots through his sister and bootlicking Pheu Thai MPs. We all know that. That's not speculation and it's not ''ranting'' (a term Voranai used to denigrate a detractor). And it's not a true democracy either.