Showing 61 - 70 of 271
Charter a straitjacket on democracy
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 19/05/2023
» The military-appointed constitution drafting committee that was set up after the coup in 2014 surely knew what it was doing. It crafted a charter in 2017 that now acts as a straitjacket on Thailand's democratic outcome from the general election last Sunday.
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.
We must prepare for an aged society
Life, Kanokporn Chanasongkram, Published on 08/05/2023
» In mid-April, the Songkran Festival welcomes the Thai New Year with water splashing and people getting wet.
A poisonous can of worms
Oped, Editorial, Published on 04/05/2023
» The cyanide poisoning drama involving a pregnant suspect in Kanchanaburi is a shock, not only because of the high number of victims but also the legal loopholes that enabled the suspect to obtain and allegedly misuse a highly hazardous substance.
Thailand: Back around in the circle again?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 02/05/2023
» There have been occasional violent episodes in Thai politics and one recent massacre (2010), but the struggle for a genuine democracy has usually been relatively restrained. Maybe that is why it has lasted so long.
Pheu Thai may need a risky alliance
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 22/04/2023
» With the election approaching, Pheu Thai has experienced a setback. Despite its massive populist scheme -- a pledge of 10,000-baht digital wallets -- a number of pre-election opinion poll results show stagnating, if not declining, support for the party while its friend-turned-foe Move Forward Party is doing better by the day.
No justice in sight for Billy or his people
Oped, Paskorn Jumlongrach, Published on 19/04/2023
» The eldest child of missing Karen rights activist Porlajee "Billy" Rakchongcharoen enrolled in university this year, while her younger siblings are school students, some with financial help from kind-hearted donors. The youngest remains at home in Phetchaburi with his mum and Billy's widow Pinnapa "Mueno" Prueksapan.
Cambodia and the rise of a small power
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 11/04/2023
» For Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia, timing is everything. Therefore, it was not surprising that the world's longest-serving leader signalled recently that he would step down from politics. Unbelievable, right? He used to say he would remain in power until he was 90. If it had not come directly from him, nobody would have believed a word. His carefully calibrated decision comes at a critical time due to current domestic and external conditions and their likely long-term repercussions.
Uighurs' plight a lesson for govt
News, Editorial, Published on 09/04/2023
» The case of 63 members of the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church who were arrested for overstaying visas in Pattaya last week brings back memories of the notorious repatriation of another group of Uighur refugees back to China in 2014.
The worldwide population boon
Oped, Published on 31/03/2023
» An easy way to start a long, heated debate is to mention global population. Thomas Malthus famously ignited furious arguments in the 19th century when he warned that, absent fertility-control policies, exponential population growth would outpace improvements in agriculture and cause recurrent bouts of famine and pestilence. Industrialisation would postpone the crisis, but not forever.