Showing 1 - 10 of 56
NACC timing questioned
Oped, Editorial, Published on 11/02/2026
» As winning political parties begin forming alliances and the public waits for a new government to address bread-and-butter issues, the National Anti-Corruption Commission's (NACC) decision to move against former MPs from the People's Party is, to say the least, poorly timed.
Bibi's strategy to keep justice at arm's length
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 03/12/2025
» Israel's prime minister, Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, has just asked the country's president, Isaac Herzog, to "fully pardon" him of all three charges -- bribery, fraud and breach of trust -- that he has been on trial for since 2020. And the question is: Why did he only ask for it now?
Ethics failures plague Senate
Oped, Editorial, Published on 27/11/2025
» A recent court ruling against Senator Thanakorn Thavornchinachote for stealing from victims of a fatal car accident in Chachoengsao is a disgrace not only for the Upper House but also for the Election Commission (EC).
No-confidence and poll date in flux
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 14/11/2025
» Amid the drumbeats of military conflict with Cambodia, Thailand's political environment is evidently unruly and unsettled. The minority government of Anutin Charnvirakul, the third prime minister from the third largest-winning party since the latest national election in May 2023, is hard-pressed to stay in office beyond the four-month "Memorandum of Agreement" between his Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) and the People's Party (PP), the largest camp in the national assembly.
Bribery probe deepens police credibility crisis
Oped, Anucha Charoenpo, Published on 06/11/2025
» The reputation of the Royal Thai Police (RTP) has suffered a significant blow following a decision by the Police Complaints Review Committee (PCRC) to formally accuse former National Police Chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol and more than 200 police officers of disciplinary misconduct for allegedly accepting bribes from online gambling networks.
Wall Street risks shorting freedom in HK
Oped, Mark L Clifford, Published on 31/10/2025
» In early November, Wall Street's big guns will head to Hong Kong for a global financial summit, dining at the Palace Museum (featuring Chinese imperial works on loan from Beijing) before meeting at the nearby Rosewood Hotel -- one of the city's swankiest. There, the top brass from Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan and another 100 financial firms will enjoy delicious food and breathtaking views as Hong Kong's leaders pitch them on the profits to be made in the former British colony.
Brazil and the US: Same crime, different fate
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 16/09/2025
» If Donald Trump were a religious man, he might have said "There but for the grace of God go I" when he heard that former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro had been sentenced to 27 years in prison. Bolsonaro's crime was to have plotted a coup to take back the presidency he lost in the 2022 election.
Litigating against Cambodia's leaders
Oped, Kantathi Suphamongkhon, Published on 03/09/2025
» Thailand has been considering prosecuting Hun Sen, the president of the Cambodian Senate, and his son, Hun Manet, the prime minister of Cambodia, in Thai domestic courts as well as at the International Criminal Court (ICC). I will explore and evaluate options. (For terminology consistency, this article will use the word "state" to mean a sovereign state or a country.)
Thai-Cambodian feud is Asean's worst
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 15/08/2025
» The border dispute and consequent military conflict between Cambodia and Thailand in recent weeks have become Asean's worst crisis in its 58 years of existence. Ironically, it was an intra-regional war between Indonesia and Malaysia that gave rise to Asean in 1967, but now an intra-Asean military clash is undermining the Southeast Asian organisation's core reason for being and its main claim to credibility and prominence. Unless Asean, under Malaysia as its rotational chair this year, moves fast to contain the bilateral dispute and reinforce a delicate ceasefire agreement, Southeast Asia will be looked upon increasingly as a region and less as an organisation of member states.
Signs and symptoms of Thai stagnation
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 18/07/2025
» That Thailand is faring poorly in the world is no longer in dispute. Not so long ago, many were in denial and adamant that Thailand could still bring a good game to engage abroad, that "Teflon" Thailand could bounce back. Now, just about all indicators are pointing south. The causes of this country's decline and stagnation are not singular but multifaceted over a two-decade period. As Thailand's situation is likely to worsen before hopes for a better future can arise, it is instructive to start counting the costs.