Showing 1 - 10 of 11
Projecting hope for a world in turmoil
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 10/04/2026
» Today, the world is witnessing the most explosive situation since World War II, all too visible in conflicts such as the Iran war.
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.
From Asian values to Asian narratives?
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 01/07/2024
» A debate is emerging over whether Asia should claim its own "narratives". The humble onlooker might well ask whether this is another version, a cliché, of the "Asian values" of the 1990s.
Overcoming statelessness in Thailand
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 05/06/2023
» There are about 500,000 stateless people in Thailand, of whom over 100,000 are children. Recently, various national agencies, supported by UNHCR and Unicef, hosted a national consultation on statelessness. It was a timely opportunity to identify preferred directions.
Making room for youth in Thai politics
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 29/10/2022
» Thailand is heading towards national elections next year, and this is an opportune moment to ask how much room there is for the participation of youth in politics. The record to date has been ambivalent, and much depends on both political and social will to broaden the civic and political space.
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.
Protecting migrants, refugees in our age of conflict
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 07/01/2020
» There are about 270 million international migrants today who cross borders in search of new vistas. Many such as "expatriates" do well. However, many, particularly those who are pushed out of their homes, are caught in a trap of dislocation, dispossession and coercion, often due to armed conflicts, discrimination and violence. The number of forced migrants now stands at about 70 million people globally -- some 30 million who cross borders as "refugees" and some 40 million forced to move in their country of origin as "internally displaced persons".
Challenges to human rights in Asia
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 12/12/2019
» Cooperation between Europe and Asia offers much-needed opportunities to strengthen human rights education. The opportunities complement the global impetus to propel human rights education exemplified by various commitments in the recent past, ranging from the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education to the World Programme for Human Rights Education and the UN Resolution on Human Rights Education and Training.
Human rights and the Asian riddle
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 08/10/2018
» This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a seminal declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948. This document has spawned several international treaties ("conventions") and it has inspired a vast range of actions worldwide to protect human rights on the basis of equality and non-discrimination.
Charter intricacies and electoral delicacies
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 28/07/2018
» Thailand has witnessed 20 constitutions since 1932. The most recent, the 20th, came into effect last year, after an interim constitution, the 19th, which emerged as a result of a coup d'etat in 2014.