Showing 1 - 10 of 28
Thailand's cannabis U-turn is a cautionary tale
News, Published on 20/05/2024
» Turns out you can have too much of a good thing. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin ordered a U-turn on the country's landmark cannabis policy, saying the plant should be soon classified as a narcotic again and its use limited to medical and health purposes.
Death sentence for drug convicts is not acceptable
Oped, Published on 20/03/2024
» Nearly half of all state-sanctioned deaths around the world are for drug-related offences. This is not acceptable or justifiable and needs to end. My home country of Malaysia has taken steps to change this. Thailand and other countries should follow suit.
Tough penalties aren't enough
Editorial, Published on 04/02/2024
» Shocking crimes committed by young offenders often trigger a familiar demand: raise the legal age of minors so they must face the same penalties as adults. The sole focus on severe penalties, however, is not the answer to the rise in juvenile offenders.
Time to ditch the death penalty
Oped, Published on 10/10/2023
» Today marks the 21st World Day Against the Death Penalty. For Thailand, it marks the fifth consecutive year without executions.
Having another go at a UNHRC seat
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 03/08/2023
» Thailand is planning to be a candidate in the next round of elections for the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), with voting on the matter due at the UN General Assembly in 2024 for a seat in 2025-2027. What might be the reasonable expectations for this and what might be an appropriate strategy for the nation to be sufficiently self-prepared?
Lessons from the Khmer Rouge tribunal
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 18/02/2023
» One of the saddest episodes of Southeast Asian history was the period during the 1970s that witnessed the rule of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The group was driven by a warped ideology, and it perpetrated myriad crimes against the general population. Millions were killed and displaced through a range of atrocities. Decades later, an internationally supported tribunal, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), or the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, was set up to prosecute the leaders of the group, and it is now ending its work. What are some of the key lessons the global community can learn from this?
Nate has another go
News, Editorial, Published on 09/02/2023
» Former deputy attorney-general Nate Naksuk's decision to apply for the position of anti-corruption commissioner has caused a stir, again. According to media reports, Nate was among three candidates seeking the graft-busting job.
Who are the beneficiaries of 'free speech'?
Oped, Peter Singer, Published on 10/11/2022
» How is it that a man who has banned 83 million people from Twitter can freely use the platform to post his messages denigrating women and supporting the brutal attack on the writer Salman Rushdie? I'm referring to the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose government is killing young women who want to be able to show their hair in public.
Not fast or furious
Oped, Editorial, Published on 05/08/2022
» The new narcotics law that benefits Red Bull scion Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya, who went into hiding after his fatal hit-and-run case in Bangkok a decade ago, is still more evidence of problems in the justice system.
Nate probe a let-down
Oped, Editorial, Published on 19/05/2022
» The Public Prosecutors Commission yesterday announced the outcome of a disciplinary probe against Nate Naksuk, former director-general of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).