Showing 1 - 9 of 9
UN debate swerves, slides, but scores
Oped, John J Metzler, Published on 01/10/2025
» US President Donald Trump lambasted the United Nations on opening day for its failure to stop global crises in the midst of major regional wars, humanitarian disasters, looming security threats, never mind costly bureaucratic waste. But as the leader of the most prominent and founding UN member state, he then added that the world organisation isn't living up to its potential, and scathingly challenged, "What's the purpose of the United Nations?" The old rebuke, "You can do better!" Sometimes it works.
What is the Gaza war costing us?
Oped, Abdullah Gül, Published on 27/08/2025
» As the horrors in Gaza continue, owing to the lack of any plan to end the violence, it is necessary to ask what the costs will be, not just regionally but globally. The suffering inflicted upon innocent civilians in Gaza has become almost indescribable. Yet Israel has decided to redouble its military operation, opening another phase in its regional expansionist policy, with severe ramifications for international peace and security, as well as for Gaza's humanitarian crisis.
Trouble with detention
Oped, Editorial, Published on 01/11/2024
» The government's honeymoon period after winning a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council looks set to be short-lived, as the unfortunate end of the statute of limitations in the Tak Bai incident cast doubts over the government's commitment to ending the culture of impunity among state officials.
Held Uyghurs need asylum
Oped, Editorial, Published on 13/03/2024
» Today, exactly 10 years ago, Thai police arrested 350 Uyghurs in a forest along the Thai-Malaysian border in Songkhla on suspicion of passing illegally through the country en route to Malaysia to seek asylum. After the arrests, which grabbed global headlines, the Uyghurs were separated to face different destinies. The Prayut government sent 109 back to China, as requested by Beijing.
New plan could benefit Asean's EVs
Oped, Ambiyah Abdullah & Auliya Febriyanti, Published on 28/10/2023
» The need for clean energy technology deployment towards global net-zero emissions is becoming more critical. To meet the net-zero emission target in 2030 and reduce global energy consumption to 7% less than the level in 2020, a massive deployment of clean energy technologies is needed.
Treat Uyghurs justly
Oped, Editorial, Published on 02/05/2023
» Shockingly, the Thai government remains tight-lipped about the fate of Uyghur refugees who have been held in detention for eight years after the recent deaths of two of them.
Time to solve Uighur saga
Oped, Editorial, Published on 24/02/2023
» The death of Aziz Abdullah, a Uighur detainee at Bangkok's Immigration Detention Centre, is the epitome of the government's mishandling of those escaping China's southwestern Xinjiang region as well as the Muslim minority group's long-forgotten plight on Thai soil.
Will Myanmar's fate rely on Asean?
Oped, Marzuki Darusman, Published on 27/05/2022
» As the dust settles on the US-Asean Summit in Washington, a clear path forward is emerging for Asean on Myanmar. The 10-member regional bloc finally took steps towards resolving Myanmar's junta-made crisis when Malaysia's foreign minister, Saifuddin Abdullah, held an informal meeting with his counterpart from Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG), and proposed to Asean that it do the same. But with the situation inside Myanmar now a massive humanitarian emergency, its people cannot wait any longer for Asean to act. Asean must call for a massive global humanitarian response to the crisis if it has any hope of saving its credibility.
Implications of Blinken's aborted visit
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 17/12/2021
» Having skipped Thailand due to a Covid-19 case among his travel delegation, the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken's aborted three-country tour of Southeast Asia has hindered the full projection of President Joe Biden's Indo-Pacific geostrategy. Not wrapping up the trip with a visit to Thailand, a mainland Southeast Asia pivot and longstanding US treaty ally, also misses an opportunity to shore up what has been a relative bilateral estrangement. In short, Secretary Blinken's diplomatic foray in Southeast Asia has fallen short for the time being.