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Search Result for “Southeast”

Showing 1 - 10 of 28

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OPINION

Thailand's interface with new FTAs

News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 21/12/2023

» The power of data in the expanding panorama of digital trade is becoming an essential component of commercial relations, especially recent free trade areas (FTAs). As Thailand is now exploring new agreements on its western flank (such as with South Asia, Gulf countries and Europe) and on its eastern flank (such as with Pacific rim countries, interlinking with the Indian Ocean), what are some of the stakes deserving careful reflection?

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OPINION

Building a rights protection framework

Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 10/11/2023

» The Asia-Pacific region is a vast conglomeration of large and small countries with a wealth of inter-generational wisdom. Yet, the region does not have a regional inter-governmental human rights protection system. What, then, are some possibilities for the future?

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OPINION

Lessons from the Khmer Rouge tribunal

Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 18/02/2023

» One of the saddest episodes of Southeast Asian history was the period during the 1970s that witnessed the rule of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The group was driven by a warped ideology, and it perpetrated myriad crimes against the general population. Millions were killed and displaced through a range of atrocities. Decades later, an internationally supported tribunal, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), or the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, was set up to prosecute the leaders of the group, and it is now ending its work. What are some of the key lessons the global community can learn from this?

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OPINION

Celebrating human rights in 2023

Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 02/02/2023

» This year is a time to remember and reiterate two key instruments which have shaped responses to human rights implementation since the end of World War II in 1945. It was the task of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), based on a Resolution of the UN General Assembly adopted in 1948, to identify and list a number of key rights of a global nature.

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OPINION

Green energy, economy, equity are key

Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 30/11/2022

» The challenge of climate change and environmental degradation is an existential threat which is increasingly recognised in all corners of the globe. Its urgency is all the more pressing because it harbours ill for our children and the next generations in terms of their survival and modus vivendi, unless comprehensive action is taken, anchored on the "whole of humanity and whole of society" approach and premised on effective global-local partnerships to prevent, reduce and rectify harm.

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OPINION

Beating scams, trafficking no easy task

News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 01/09/2022

» This region has been in the news in recent weeks in regard to online scams and human trafficking, compounded by other forms of exploitation such as forced labour and forced criminality.

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OPINION

Migration and climate change in Asia

Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 17/03/2022

» The close connection between migration, human rights and climate change is increasingly self-evident, as "natural disasters" related to that linkage loom in many parts of the world. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) estimates that about 22.5 million people migrate each year within and across borders because of climate change and weather-linked disasters. These are all compounded by the spread of Covid-19 in terms of lockdowns and other restrictive measures.

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OPINION

Stop deporting Cambodian refugees

Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 01/12/2021

» The recent deportation of three internationally recognised Cambodian refugees provoked an international outcry, much to Thailand's embarrassment. The first two were deported from Thailand on Nov 9, while the third was sent back home on Nov 20 to also face the risk of political persecution. Such efforts to "push back" refugees have regrettably tarnished Thailand's generally commendable policy and practice of offering refuge to persons fleeing persecution and other dangers from foreign territories. This is all the more poignant since Thailand's human rights record is in the middle of being assessed in Geneva under the UN's Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

OPINION

Protecting Southeast Asia's media

Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 03/11/2021

» There have been reports of attacks on journalists which cast a shadow of shame on the Southeast Asian region. Yesterday -- Nov 2 -- has also been designated as the International Day to end the impunity in relation to attacks on journalists.

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OPINION

Advocating for Afghan girls' education

Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 20/10/2021

» Afghanistan is a rugged country of great beauty straddling Asia and Europe, and it has been the scene of warfare and contestation for decades. The Taliban, a group connected to extreme violence, especially in the late 1990s, emerged as the power in control of Afghanistan recently, due to the void left by outsiders. This is their second time in power and the world can remember all too well that from the mid-1990s until 2001, their rule at the time was harsh and brutal, especially in their clampdown on the rights of women and girls. The latter suffered immensely from a lack of access to school, while the former were also prevented from employment.