Showing 101 - 110 of 110
A well-intentioned but problematic charter
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 24/04/2015
» Thailand's draft constitution of 2015 appears to be full of good intentions that may end up in futility.
Absolute authority brings absolute risks
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 03/04/2015
» The invocation of Section 44 of the interim constitution in place of martial law is a mixed bag in disguise.
A 'third-way' compromise is imperative
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 23/01/2015
» As Thailand is gripped yet again by a political climax surrounding former prime minister Yingluck Shinwatra's impeachment trial for dereliction of duty over her ousted government's rice-pledging scheme, it is instructive to take a long view beyond the drama of the day.
A saga and sideshow with much at stake
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 09/01/2015
» The impeachment case against former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra this month for dereliction of duty while in office over the rice-pledging budgetary losses is both a saga and a sideshow.
Govt faces self-imposed bumps ahead
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 26/09/2014
» Four months after the military coup on May 22, it is emerging that Thailand will either end up with the most benevolent, enlightened and effective military-dominated regime of the country's political annals that will clean up graft and institute reforms like no previous government could, or an inevitable collision course between pro- and anti-coup forces.
Don’t repeat 1992 hijack of democracy
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 05/09/2014
» As it approaches its four-month mark after seizing power on May 22, Thailand’s military regime has boldly taken over the entire apparatus of governance and policy-making processes. Not since the 1950s and 1960s have the top brass been so directly and personally engaged in running the country. What it must do now is to avoid the fatal mistakes of past military-authoritarian governments and to prevent good intentions from rotting into ill outcomes.
Thai authoritarianism: past and present
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 22/08/2014
» Thailand’s political pendulum has swung wildly. It has now completed a dramatic reversal, pitting the electoral authoritarianism of Thaksin Shinawatra from the early 2000s against the thinly veiled dictatorship of General Prayuth Chan-ocha in the mid-2010s.
How far can the Thai clock be turned back?
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 08/08/2014
» As the military coup on May 22 is being converted into a military government with a civilian face, at issue is how far the Thai clock can be turned back.
Thai coup elicits mixed global reaction
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 01/08/2014
» As Thailand’s armed forces fan out across its body politic and economy, the country’s international standing is increasingly challenged.
Learning from a long history of coups
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 06/06/2014
» As Thailand’s latest coup bears striking similarities and differences to its dozen precursors, it behooves the National Council for Peace and Order to learn from the past. The military’s seizure of power on May 22 is now accompanied by daunting challenges and pitfalls that are consequential for all who want to see Thailand regain its democratic traction and way forward.