Showing 1 - 10 of 19
Re-energising higher education in Asean
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 22/12/2025
» Higher education, implying the tertiary level associated with universities and parallel institutions, is at an inflexion point in Southeast Asia, where the trajectory of socio-political, economic and cultural development is changing rapidly.
Vitalising pathways for Thai-US ties
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 30/08/2025
» Tariffs have certainly been in the news lately, in the face of exponential increases imposed by the US on other parts of the world.
Bridge-building for ethnic concerns
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 08/05/2025
» Recent months have witnessed intense negotiations in Thailand's parliament concerning the proposed new law on the protection and promotion of the livelihood of ethnic groups. Can the various gaps be truly bridged?
Streamlining Myanmar refugee policy
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 13/02/2025
» Thailand's record on sheltering a multitude of refugees has generally been commendable throughout the years. Yet at times there are paradoxes, exemplified by the push-back of Cambodian refugees recently, the current threat to send back a Vietnamese Montagnard refugee, and the ominous clouds pressing insidiously for the forced return of Uyghur refugees.
Deep dive into Indo-Pacific dreamscape
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 02/08/2024
» Is the term "Indo-Pacific" an illusion? Or is it a defined concept, a geographical configuration, a channel for connectivity, and/or a confining strategy? Perhaps it embodies an all-embracing blend, waiting for the onlooker to dive deep into political undercurrents. It may also be time to move beyond the landscape and the seascape and even leave the dreamscape behind.
Our UN obligations on disappearances
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 15/07/2024
» Enforced disappearance is the technical term for a heinous crime whereby a person or persons are deprived of their liberty, such as detention in an unknown place ("incommunicado"). This is accompanied by a cover-up by the state.
Refugees flee to find further repression
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 17/06/2024
» Transnational repression is emerging as a critical concern for the world community, including the Asean region. Basically, it encompasses actions by state authorities and their agents to intimidate, harass and or harm those deemed to be dissidents -- usually their nationals -- who have sought shelter or are present in other countries.
Handle Myanmar influxes with care
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 19/04/2024
» 'Preparedness" and "humane response" offer keywords for handling the various mass influxes from Myanmar. Those influxes might range from civilians in search of refuge to fighters ("combatants") in flight, all the more poignant today because of the armed conflagration in that country and the precarious border situation.
An Israel-Palestine conflict explainer
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 23/10/2023
» The armed attacks by militants from the Gaza Strip, an area controlled primarily by the Hamas group, into southern Israel in early October and the subsequent armed responses from Israel deserve to be put in a historical and political context. Gaza is one of the two parts of Palestinian territory, the other part being the West Bank, both of which are part of an age-old conflict which has not been resolved but regrettably has been left to fester.
Time travelling with human rights
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 03/07/2023
» If humanity had to travel with human rights (past, present and future), what might be pivotal dates interplaying with our destiny? 1993, 2005, 2023 and 2033 might well be candidates for testing our recent chronology.