Showing 11 - 20 of 25
TV crossed ethical line in gun drama
News, Editorial, Published on 22/05/2016
» On Thursday afternoon, television viewers sat glued to their sets watching the six-hour standoff between police and murder suspect Wanchai Danaitamonut. It was a real-life suspense drama being played out on the TV networks, as the Rajabhat University lecturer brandished a gun and threatened to kill himself while relatives and friends begged him to surrender.
High alert for terrorism
News, Editorial, Published on 03/05/2016
» The savage murder last week of a Canadian hostage by self-styled Filipino Islamists was a reminder of the terrorist threat in this region. Authorities have said on several occasions they have not uncovered any case of an active Islamic State network or agent in Thailand. The need for constant alert is clear.
Plans to fight terror lacking
News, Editorial, Published on 25/11/2015
» The wave of terrorism in recent days has been horrific. The Paris attacks killed at least 129 and shattered many hundreds of lives of the wounded and the victims' families. Similarly, a bloody attack on a hotel in Bamako, Mali, killed 27 but harmed far more. In the Middle East and in the Philippines, extremist groups beheaded a Norwegian, a Chinese citizen and a Malaysian because their families could not raise the money to ransom them.
Rights record queried again
News, Editorial, Published on 20/11/2015
» Thailand has earned an international frown once again this week -- and rightly so -- for forcibly deporting two Chinese dissidents back to China despite their registered refugee status and already prepared plans to resettle in a third country.
Military must open up
News, Editorial, Published on 12/11/2015
» Four years after the mysterious death of a conscript, Private Wichian Puaksom, at Peeleng army camp in Narathiwat, the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) has finally decided to find an army lieutenant and 10 other drill masters guilty of malfeasance in office and causing Private Wichian's death.
Bomb probe cannot stop
News, Editorial, Published on 26/10/2015
» Police, and presumably other authorities including the government and the military, have made a poor decision to create an exit strategy for the Erawan shrine bombing investigation. It must be hoped this decision does not come back to haunt them in the form of more violence.
A good lesson from Tunisia
News, Editorial, Published on 12/10/2015
» In recent years, the Nobel Peace Prize committee has been criticised for handing out the world’s most respected honour as if it were a political bauble. Last week, it made no such mistake. The four-part Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet is more than just a deserving Peace Prize award recipient. The men and women - and the union they formed - is a democratic ideal. It can even serve as a model in many places. Thailand could try to replicate it, but it would take enormous effort to succeed. The Arab Spring began in Tunisia in 2010 when a street vendor set himself on fire in a political protest. By 2011, revolution was not just underway, but already beginning to wane and to fail. Other countries followed.
Media not to blame for police failings
News, Editorial, Published on 20/09/2015
» If violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, blaming the media for your failings is the next most desperate place to take shelter. It is a stance that is rarely defensible; those waging a war of words with the messenger look as though they are petty, deflecting uncomfortable truths or unwilling to take responsibility for their actions. Lately, it has become a common refrain for authorities, from junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha down, to lash out at reporters whenever difficult questions are asked or anything remotely controversial is up for discussion.
Blast probe needs a hand
News, Editorial, Published on 15/09/2015
» It is fair to say that authorities floundered for two weeks after the Aug 17 Erawan shrine bombing. Most of the leaders and officials in charge were clearly caught flat-footed. The military regime's deputy spokesman declared within hours of the blast, without any evidence, that it was clearly an evil act by the political forces ousted by last year's military coup. Credit police and supporting security forces, then, for so quickly turning investigative chaos into crackerjack detective work. Now comes the really hard part.
Taking eyes off the ball
News, Editorial, Published on 09/09/2015
» Recent events have shown that two of the country's biggest problems remain interconnected and festering. Earlier this year, driven by domestic crime and foreign pressure, the government began at last to try to clean up the vicious gangs and weak law enforcement responsible for human trafficking and slavery. After short and effective steps, however, leaders took their eyes off the targets. Some of the worst activities have resumed and expanded, exactly at the worst possible time.