Showing 1 - 10 of 32
Trump returns to Asean with a bang
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 28/10/2025
» The Asean chair, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, said it all. Acknowledging US President Donald Trump's presence during the signing ceremony on Thailand-Cambodia relations on Sunday, he stated: "We, of course, admire your tenacity and courage because the world needs leaders who promote peace strongly."
'Game of Thrones', the Thai edition
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 28/12/2024
» As Thaksin Shinawatra, ex-prime minister and the de facto leader of the Pheu Thai Party, is trying hard to tighten his grip on power, the local political landscape is shifting and changing. Politicians are now divided into three blocs: the ruling party, Bhumjaithai (BJT) and the People's Party, which, despite being the opposition, remains a strong force.
Global warming and the burning issue of money
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 14/11/2024
» It's hard to imagine a less plausible venue for the annual UN-sponsored conference on climate than the dictatorial petrostate of Azerbaijan. Baku, the capital, has a walled medieval centre that's worth a day or two, but offshore the shallow Caspian Sea is littered with a century's worth of old and new oil wells.
Test of justice
Oped, Postbag, Published on 24/10/2024
» Re: "PM urged to track down defendants", (BP, Oct 22).
Tak Bai injustice
Oped, Postbag, Published on 22/10/2024
» Re: "iCon to face more charges", (BP, Oct 21) & "Expiry of Tak Bai charges 'linked to surge in unrest'", (BP, Oct 21).
Tak Bai case could jeopardise peace
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 19/10/2024
» With time running out for the Tak Bai lawsuit, it's almost certain that the government, the ruling Pheu Thai party in particular, is failing in its duty to bring justice to the families of the victims who died at the hands of state authorities during a protest in 2004.
Short arm of the law
Oped, Editorial, Published on 10/10/2024
» As the expiry of the statute of limitations in the Tak Bai case looms, the ruling Pheu Thai Party has yet to show its willingness to bring those involved to justice -- if only as a gesture of respect for the rule of law. That is upsetting, to say the least.
Justice for Tak Bai victims
Oped, Editorial, Published on 01/10/2024
» Two months ago, the families of the victims killed in the Tak Bai incident in Narathiwat two decades ago finally saw justice reaching out to them after the provincial court accepted their lawsuit against eight senior officials who were allegedly involved.
New government is new wine in old bottle
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 13/09/2024
» On the face of it, the new government under Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra appears to be a generational shift and gender breakthrough. Ms Paetongtarn is the youngest prime minister ever at 38 and only the second female government leader after her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra in 2011-14. The Paetongtarn cabinet features a record eight women among 36 with more ministers in their 30s-50s and fewer above 60. Yet on closer scrutiny, the new and younger faces are largely family legacies and proxies, surrounded by old-style politicians, while the new government's policy directions sound dated not well-suited for the times ahead.
The Thaksin factor in Thai politics
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 15/03/2024
» Thai politics in the near term will likely be dominated by the fate of the two largest vote winners from the general election in May 2023, the Move Forward (MFP) and Pheu Thai parties. While the MFP is at risk of another dissolution, the same as its predecessor Future Forward Party suffered in 2020, Pheu Thai's political future appears to hinge on Thaksin Shinawatra and his return from exile in what is believed to be a deal that follows the assumption of the premiership under Srettha Thavisin, and for Thaksin, a royal pardon and early release on parole.