• News & article

  The hand that feeds them

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 03/03/2019

  » When the columnists and panjandrums and degree-clutchers come to analyse the state of Thailand in mid- and late May, it's probably this past week that will fascinate them.

• News & article

  A bad week

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 25/02/2018

  » Bad week for the military regime. The antediluvians in green absorbed punishment from foreigners galore. Worse, at home, protesters judged to be disloyal Thais went on the streets. And after three years, eight months and some days, the courts put on their steel-toed boots and confronted the regime's rules.

• News & article

  Life without populism

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 06/05/2018

  » Once upon a time in a land very, very far away with a "government by the people, for the people" there was a plan to fix recalcitrant taxi drivers and make them pick up passengers, politely, and then to reward the drivers with a fare increase. And that plan was carried out in the faraway country, and passengers were happy to reward deserving, hard-working, uncomplaining taxi drivers.

• News & article

  Rough road ahead

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 21/01/2018

  » The general prime minister, aka the politician who used to be a soldier, is strolling into a battleground and exhibits no sign he is aware of it.

• News & article

  Indictment of the innocent

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 17/02/2019

  » It wasn't a good week for those who claim the March 24 general election will be free and fair. The "gateway to resumption of government accountability and democracy building" seemed firmly closed.

• News & article

  Fairness needs to be ensured

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 27/01/2019

  » In sports, as in politics, they call it a "tilted playing field". One or many tiny modifications to the game area give advantages that don't absolutely guarantee that the home team wins, but help to make it more likely.

• News & article

  Military firepower

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 06/01/2019

  » There are certain people who have stayed quiet for four-plus years who now are emerging with little bravado.

• News & article

  Big Brother's poll watch

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 10/06/2018

  » The next election, in 2019 or 2020 or so, will not be your grandfather's election. Or your mother's election or your elder sister's, either. Plans for the next election are more familiar to Cambodia's Hun Sen and survivors of Indonesia's late Suharto than to any Thai voter.

• News & article

  Rule of law

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 25/03/2018

  » When your main tool is a hammer, the cliche notes well, then after a while, every problem looks like a nail. The general prime minister has wielded a totally personal, custom-made, gold-plated hammer for the past four years, and even has given it a cute nickname.

• News & article

  Long and winding roadmap

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 01/04/2018

  » Question: Is it more scary, or less scary, that the junta doesn't have an actual plan slash conspiracy to keep itself in power? That it has extended its time and generous pay and perks without any design ever since the phantom 2015 election?

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