Showing 1 - 6 of 6
MPs face uphill battle
Oped, Editorial, Published on 21/02/2025
» The latest move by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to summon 44 MPs of the now-dissolved Move Forward Party -- now rebranded as the People's Party -- over allegations of serious ethical violations might affect the role of civilian-elected lawmakers.
Srettha out, what's next?
Oped, Editorial, Published on 15/08/2024
» Thai politics has again plunged into a precarious position after the Constitutional Court's judges ruled 5:4 that Srettha Thavisin is unfit to be prime minister because he appointed an ex-convict as a cabinet minister.
Thailand's spreading rot of irregularity
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 19/07/2024
» The rot in Thailand's institutional makeup has become so deep, dense and widespread that it can be found nearly everywhere there is controversy. Newly elected Senator Keskamol Pleansamai is the latest case in point. Just about everything that comes with her meteoric rise to the Senate spurs accusations of irregularity and impropriety.
Journalism on trial in Guatemala
Oped, Christophe Deloire & Jose C Zamora, Published on 01/08/2023
» July 29 marks the first anniversary of the arrest of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora. As the founder and editor of the newspaper elPeriódico, Zamora spent decades uncovering political corruption before being arrested on fabricated money-laundering charges. In June, he was handed a six-year prison sentence, but the prosecution, insisting on a 40-year term, is expected to appeal. The harsher punishment, prosecutors say, would compensate those whose "name and reputation" have been tarnished by Zamora and his publication. Their real goal is to deter other journalists from following in Zamora's footsteps.
Thailand's bankrupt Myanmar policy
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 17/06/2022
» Few signboards foretell the global issues of our time better than what is addressed at the annual meetings of the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) in Singapore. After a pandemic-induced two-year hiatus, the most recent SLD covered the gamut on the main stage, from the United States-China geostrategic competition and military modernisation to security cooperation and climate change. The only anomalous single- and small-country focus in a special session was Myanmar.
Ruling adds to popular grievances
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 04/12/2020
» Anyone who has wondered or insinuated that the student-led protest movement for Thailand's fundamental reforms must somehow be sponsored by some foreign government or politically motivated agents at home need look no further than the Constitutional Court's unanimous decision to clear Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of violating the 2017 charter by staying in army housing after retirement. In a 9-to-0 verdict, the nine-member bench sided with an army regulation over charter stipulations. The controversial verdict will exacerbate Thailand's political polarisation and add to popular grievances that are backing the student-led reform drive.