Showing 1 - 10 of 12
Humanising policy towards refugees
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 02/03/2023
» The recent death of a Uighur man -- who had sought refuge in Thailand and was subsequently detained for nearly a decade, was a sad reflection of the unbalanced response towards persons who seek refuge, or "refugees", in this country. Various groups currently seek protection from persecution, armed conflicts and key human rights violations in their country of origin, and they deserve to be treated decently and humanely.
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.
Follow-up needed
Oped, Postbag, Published on 24/02/2023
» Re: "Authorities confirm death of Uighur asylum seeker", (BP, Feb 22) and "Govt confirms deportation of 109 Uighurs to China", (BP, July 9, 2015).
Beijing has grave dearth of activists
Oped, Yi Fuxian, Published on 16/12/2022
» Protesters recently took to the streets of China's cities in a rare show of political dissent. While the demonstrations are focused largely on the authorities' zero-Covid policy, they have sparked speculation that a pro-democracy movement -- and even a Taiwan-style political transition -- could come next. But this is unlikely, not least because decades of strict family-planning policies have left China with too few young people to join the fight.
Why is China's Uighur population shrinking?
Oped, Yi Fuxian, Published on 22/07/2022
» After becoming the Communist Party of China's (CPC's) chief of Xinjiang province in 2016, Chen Quanguo oversaw a security crackdown that led to a sharp drop in births. Some observers accused China's leadership of committing genocide against the province's mostly Muslim Uighur population through forced sterilisation and abortion. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi dismissed the allegations as "fake news", arguing that Xinjiang's Uighur population had grown steadily to 12.7 million in 2018, an increase of 25% from 2010 -- and higher than the 14% increase in the province's total population.
UN is failing the Uighurs in China
Oped, Mark S Cogan, Published on 07/05/2021
» Of the 11 million Uighur Muslims living in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, up to two million of them, including ethnic Uzbeks and Kazakhs have been detained inside camps, while those remaining on the outside facing a crackdown for a number of years. Human rights organizations and many foreign governments have described the many human rights abuses inflicted on the Uighur people as genocide.
Genocide in Armenia: Call it what it was
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 28/04/2021
» Following in the path of 31 other countries including Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Russia, and Brazil, the United States on Saturday at last "recognised" the Armenian genocide. Not that the United States ever denied it, but it officially avoided the word "genocide" for 106 years for fear of angering the Turks.
António Guterres does not deserve a second term
Oped, Mark S Cogan, Published on 22/01/2021
» United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Jan 11 that he would be seeking a second five-year term. Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal, campaigned for the position in 2016 with an agenda focused on UN reform, as well as positioned himself as someone who could bring consensus to persistent global challenges such as climate change and the forced displacement of people from around the globe. However, his tenure as the world's top diplomat has been disappointing, marked by failures to address human rights abuses, initiate fundamental institutional reforms, or champion multilateralism in the face of withering criticism by an isolationist American administration.
Biden win a boon or bane for Thailand?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 08/09/2020
» There are only nine weeks to go before Nov 3 when American voters decide on their new president. If former vice president Joseph Biden wins, Thailand must prepare a new strategy to "renew" and "reinvent" engagement with the US that will take be tougher on issues related to China, human rights and democracy. The Biden administration's approach could be a boon or bane for Thailand, one of its five allies in the Indo-Pacific, depending on the country's diplomatic pathway and strategic preparedness. With a new administration under the Democrats, the US State Department would again shape overall policy towards its benign ally.
Credit Abe with Japan's middle power evolution
Oped, Mark S Cogan, Published on 31/08/2020
» After a record stint at the helm, Shinzo Abe is resigning as prime minister because of health complications. His departure comes in the middle of an epic security dilemma with China and could signal the end of a long pursuit of constitutional changes that would normalise Japan. His tenure in office can be assessed by assertiveness, pragmatic diplomacy, and the creation of partnerships that have propelled Japan from a reluctant sycophant of American foreign policy priorities to a more "proactive" and reliable regional partner.