Showing 61 - 70 of 225
Hole at heart of China's Silk Road
News, Mihir Sharma, Published on 09/08/2018
» Nobody pretends the People's Republic of China is an entirely benign power, least of all its leaders in Beijing. Yet, even by the standards of what continues to be a remarkably repressive state, the stories that are emerging from behind the Great Firewall about the crackdown on Xinjiang's Uighur Muslim population are deeply disturbing and deserve more of the world's attention.
Slaves in fatigues
News, Published on 21/07/2018
» Thailand's military conscripts being used as "servants" at the generals' homes could be inscribed in the Guinness Book of World Records (Editorial, July 19).
Mahathir's rise puts deep South talks at risk
News, Wassana Nanuam, Published on 17/05/2018
» The return of Malaysian strongman Mahathir Mohamad to politics has led to uncertainty over the peace talks over the deep South between the Thai authorities and the Mara Patani. The talks, initially set for last month, have been postponed.
Muslim minority faces modern Orwellian nightmare
News, Peter Apps, Published on 17/05/2018
» In China's northwest Xinjiang province, the predominantly Muslim Uighur minority have nowhere to hide. Facial recognition software reportedly alerts authorities if targeted individuals stray more than 300 metres from their homes and workplaces. Residents face arrest if they fail to download smartphone software that allows them to be tracked, according to social media users. Simply wishing to travel outside China can be cause for arrest, with Beijing detaining family members and using its political clout to force extradition of those abroad.
Through the Russian looking glass
News, Jeffrey Edmonds, Published on 16/04/2018
» Since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the deterioration of Russian relations with the West, governments, policy gurus and defence institutions have been seized by what many call the country's new "hybrid warfare". By these accounts, Russia has challenged the current order by using a "mixture of military and non-military means of aggression, a combination of covert and overt operations and measures", according to Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, to achieve its political ends. But labelling every action by the Russian government as hybrid has its drawbacks. Hybrid warfare is not some new form of Russian strategy; there are new challenges emerging from the confrontation with Russia, but to label everything as "hybrid" is to lack the accuracy and precision needed to confront this challenge.
Southern comfort
News, Editorial, Published on 06/03/2018
» A visit to several restive provinces in the deep South by a delegation from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was more successful than anyone expected.
South shows peace signs
News, Editorial, Published on 06/02/2018
» The orchestrated "surrender" of nearly 300 men in Pattani last week is getting a rough reaction from some critics. They label it either a sham that means nothing or a misguided amnesty to admitted terrorists. The critics are wrong and the commander of the 4th Army commander is right. The welcoming "Bring People Home" ceremony won't end the southern insurgency and isn't meant to immediately bring peace. It's a true indication of the extremely difficult tasks at hand.
Once centres of hope, political parties are dying
News, John Lloyd, Published on 03/01/2018
» There's little difficulty in showing that some of the most venerable political parties of the democratic world may be facing terminal crises. The difficulty is in determining if government by a party or parties -- the sustaining base of administrations the democratic world over -- can last.
Why US shouldn't send arms to Ukraine
News, Daniel DePetris, Published on 30/11/2017
» The US National Security Council is reported to be on the verge of recommending the export of US$47 million (1.5 billion baht) worth of defensive arms to Ukraine. The package will reportedly include a cache of Javelin anti-tank missiles, weapons that would reliably and efficiently disable the hundreds of tanks that Russian-supported separatists in the country's east have acquired since the conflict began.
Time to listen in South
News, Editorial, Published on 28/11/2017
» The new-look government under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has travelled to the deep South for a mobile cabinet meeting which is scheduled to take place today in Songkhla, the first time in recent memory that the entire cabinet will be in the southernmost region.