Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Thai army needs to march to a new tune
Oped, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 13/05/2023
» I always get feelings of fear when I hear the army's famous propaganda song, Nak Paendin, which in Thai means "burden of the country". As a child born during the 1970s, this song reminds me of military putsches.
Breaking the cycle of land inequality
News, Editorial, Published on 02/04/2023
» Thailand's land ownership disparity is one of the worst in the world. As such, land reform should be a crucial campaign policy for the upcoming general election. Unfortunately, it is not.
Time is on our side
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 15/08/2022
» Win or lose, a protest is a process of trial and error. To put it simply, it is disruption, innovation, or something in between, just the way the now-defunct but shape-shifting Future Forward Party was in 2019 because it is born out of a spirit, not a person or a party. If the student-led demonstration goes down in history for demanding the boldest political reform, including the role of the monarchy, its resurrection last week proves that the pro-democracy movement is coming of age.
#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.
'My country's got' these socio-political ills
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 02/11/2018
» The explosive Rap Against Dictatorship music video that has taken Thailand by storm has raised myriad socio-political questions and issues. Known in Thai as <i>Prathet Ku Mee</i>, the sensational music video has been viewed on YouTube more than 25 million times in just 10 days in a country of 69 million people, a feat in its own right and a record for its artistic kind in Thailand. How this five-minute rap song in the Thai language has done so much says a lot about where Thailand has been and where it is going.
Time for the regime to face the music
News, Atiya Achakulwisut, Published on 30/10/2018
» Finally, the return to democracy has begun. It's raw. It's vulgar. It's controversial. It has also unleashed a rush of polarised opinions. Police are gunning to outlaw it as more people flock to view it online, with over 21 million on YouTube for the music video in question as of yesterday mid-afternoon.
The kids are all right
News, Alan Dawson, Published on 28/10/2018
» <i>Prathet Ku Mee</i> is no slapped-together concert song. It wasn't made, so much as crafted. The accusatory lyrics are set against the shameful, hovering background of the 1976 dictators' massacre at Thammasat University. The rap song's finale brings the background image of the hanged, beaten student to the front of the picture, before fading out to the hopeful message, "All people unite".
Sucking the wind out of the elections
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 05/05/2018
» The verb of the week is "to dood".
Billionaire activist holds out hope of new era
News, Surasak Glahan, Published on 05/03/2018
» Canada has 46-year-old Justin Trudeau as prime minister. France has Emmanuel Macron, 40. New Zealand has Jacinda Ardern, 37. What kind of a national leader will Thailand have after the election next year?
Stamping out criticism only foments gossip, mockery
News, Achara Ashayagachat, Published on 10/03/2015
» On the surface, Thailand appears quiet on the political front, with relative peace and order as it enters another stage of the political roadmap.