Showing 71 - 80 of 109
Thailand's murky, muddled road ahead
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 31/03/2017
» In a new era of transformative technologies and tectonic geopolitical shifts, standing still is tantamount to falling behind. This is what Thailand is doing. Its recent news flow indicates the country is mired in a regressive holding pattern.
Moving on from the cycles of Oct 6, 1976
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 07/10/2016
» Four decades can be a watershed. For Thailand, what happened on Oct 6, 1976 when a right-wing backlash brutally crushed a budding, left-leaning political movement has now come full circle. The imperative for the country is to internalise the lessons of the past and find ways to move forward into the future. As ever, a spirit of compromise and accommodation not just across colour-coded divides but also across generations and political fault lines is imperative.
Thailand's law of graft and government longevity
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 23/09/2016
» After a surprisingly successful referendum on its preferred draft constitution, the military government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha appears on course for relatively smooth sailing for the next 15 months or so in the run-up to the next poll. The only two potential show stoppers on the government's path are the royal transition and self-inflicted abuse of power. The former is a process that is difficult for Thais to fathom after a 70-year reign that has turned Thailand from a backwater village to a modern nation. The latter, however, is all too familiar.
Military rule worsens divide
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 20/05/2016
» After two years of hope and anticipation, it is clear now that Thailand is no closer to peace and reconciliation than it was in the run-up to its latest military coup. In addition to the colour-coded divisions among civilians that have beset Thai politics over the past decade, we now suffer from a recurrent chasm between military authorities and civilian forces that was last seen more than two decades ago. As junta rule extends into a third year and possibly beyond, it looks increasingly like a combustible recipe full of tensions and risks that can only be cleared with a return to a legitimate government under popular rule.
Can we have 'Premocracy 2.0' in the 2010s?
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 01/04/2016
» As preparations are under way for Thailand's second-ever referendum on Aug 7, the completed draft constitution will now be dissected and digested in myriad ways, although public reactions and views will be constrained by the military-backed authorities. Because of a lack of public input and feedback for what is supposed to be a charter for the Thai people, tensions will likely mount ahead of the referendum, marked by the military government's escalating repression.
Thailand's rocky road for 2016 and beyond
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 08/01/2016
» No country in Southeast Asia has been shooting itself in the foot more than Thailand. With so much going for it, the second-largest economy in the region manages to underperform spectacularly. Its growth trajectory is in the 2-3% range while it has the potential to track twice as high.
Seeing politics via the Chuvit phenomenon
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 09/10/2015
» As Thailand's popular rule is in deep freeze under an undisguised military dictatorship, few dare to speak out for fear of intimidation and temporary detention. One exception for all Thailand watchers to follow is Chuvit Kamolvisit. What he has been saying speaks volumes about the current state of Thai politics.
Charter-drafting reset set to fuel tension
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 11/09/2015
» That the National Reform Council (NRC) scuttled the Constitution Drafting Committee's (CDC) draft charter last Sunday is akin to a political abortion, a wilful abandonment of a year-long process both bodies were set up to complete in tandem.
Cabinet revamp vital in 'indefinite interim'
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 19/06/2015
» Thailand has a military government that unilaterally seized power by force, and it intends to stay in office for a while during a once-in-a-lifetime political transition for the Thai people.
Thailand caught in indefinite transition trap
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 22/05/2015
» Milestones and anniversaries are for marking. But few should overdo the focus on Thailand one year after its 12th successful coup in 83 years under constitutional rule. The past year is merely a large blip on a long political continuum that dates back a decade or even a century in which Thai society has been grappling with the form and content of a political order that is being contested between the forces of tradition and modernity.