Showing 111 - 120 of 164
'Death island' lawsuit a farce
News, Editorial, Published on 06/07/2017
» Instead of encouraging concerted efforts from all sides to dig deeper for the truth surrounding the death of 30-year-old Belgian tourist Elise Dallemagne on Koh Tao, authorities in Surat Thani choose to proceed with a disgraceful act -- a lawsuit against a local English-language news website which broke the story.
Confidence gets a boost
News, Editorial, Published on 19/06/2017
» The government and security teams involved in last week's arrest of suspects in the PVC pipe-bomb attacks deserve much praise. Initial reports indicate that a man with an anti-military obsession was planting the devices around Bangkok for at least two years, and possibly 10. The accused bomber was tracked and found through patient detective work. It is gratifying to learn that security teams were able to find this needle in a haystack and, hopefully, make the capital safer.
Police reform in sorry state
News, Editorial, Published on 17/06/2017
» Allegations about position buying in the police force, which have drawn widespread criticism, reinforce the need for urgent reform of the "boys in brown".
City in ruins, IS still a threat
News, Editorial, Published on 13/06/2017
» The disgraceful story of Marawi City in the southern Philippines is an embarrassment to the country's president, Rodrigo Duterte. But it is a threat to Asean neighbours, including Thailand. Southeast Asia today is not only a target of the Islamic State (IS) but an actual threat which could, and should, have been avoided.
Patrols watch porous border
News, Editorial, Published on 07/06/2017
» The move by the 15th Infantry Division to step up patrols along the Malaysian border is well taken. The army began the new security steps more than three weeks ago. The patrols were a direct response to an upsurge in arms smuggling. Both Malaysian and Thai authorities have recently apprehended a number of men carrying weapons across the border. Since the trade almost certainly is linked to the insurgency in the deep South, serious steps are necessary to try to stop it.
Stop attacks, or stop talks
News, Editorial, Published on 26/05/2017
» The bombing of a Big C Supercenter in Pattani on May 9 has perversely put the government on the back foot. The car bomb attack which wounded 59 innocent civilians has been condemned worldwide for its savagery. It also raised political questions without clear answers for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the regime. How the military proceeds in the coming days will probably determine whether there is even a slim chance of ending the southern violence.
Timid Thailand may miss the boat
News, Editorial, Published on 21/05/2017
» It was not clear why Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was not invited to the One Belt, One Road summit hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping from May 14-16. The Chinese leader may simply have forgotten to extend an invite to the Thai premier or it could reflect the level of importance that China has attached to Thailand for this massive infrastructure development.
Police chief owes us an explanation
News, Editorial, Published on 14/05/2017
» While anyone who launched the bomb blasts targeting civilians at a Big C Supercenter in Pattani province that resulted in at least 61 injuries last Tuesday must be condemned, security officers have to be held responsible over what seemed to be their lax operations.
Keep a lid on Songkran
News, Editorial, Published on 13/04/2017
» The Songkran Festival officially begins today. Unlike previous years, the water splashing activities especially in Bangkok will take place in regulated calmness thanks to a series of state orders that are driven by the need to promote road safety and curb traffic-related fatalities.
Army's bullying tactics won't work
News, Editorial, Published on 09/04/2017
» Less than a month after the botched environmental and health hearing for the controversial Pak Bara deep-sea project in Satun was called off, rumours have abounded that there is an attempt to transfer a local doctor out of the area who has been helping southern villagers in their fight against the state project. Dr Supat Hasuwannakit, director of Songkhla-based Chana Hospital and a key figure in the Rural Doctors Society, has emerged as a state target owing to his sympathy for embattled villagers opposing the state's projects, which include planned coal-fired power plants in Songkhla and Krabi provinces that would adversely affect the environment and peoples' livelihoods.