Showing 1 - 10 of 358
EC needs to do better
News, Published on 10/02/2026
» The election on Sunday has finally ended, albeit with mixed reactions. Despite the polling process going relatively smoothly and a clear winner emerging by the end of the day, the ham-fisted actions of the Election Commission (EC) risk bungling the vote-counting process.
Pheu Thai bets again on loyal red-shirt base
News, Anucha Charoenpo, Published on 06/02/2026
» The Pheu Thai Party's call for supporters to wear red shirts today appears to be a last-ditch effort to re-energise its traditional "red-shirt" base.
Exit the Snake, enter the Horse
News, Curtis S Chin and Jose B Collazo, Published on 30/12/2025
» As we bid farewell to 2025, and welcome 2026 -- and soon, the lunar Year of the Horse -- we once again highlight the winners and losers of the year gone by in Asia.
Iran: Drought, incompetence, revolution?
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 22/11/2025
» Twenty years of strict sanctions on Iran by both the United States and the United Nations did not bring down the regime of the ayatollahs. Half a dozen major waves of non-violent protest involving several thousand deaths have not brought it down either. Even last June's massive bombing campaign by Israel and the US did not bring it to heel.
Beneath Tak Bai's calm, scars remain
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 15/10/2025
» 'I went out after dark to help my friend. Luckily, his phone still worked when he called. On the way from my house, there were corpses floating in the water, face down, shot dead. I'm sure there were more deaths than what they reported. The sound of gunfire kept going late into the night. I remember earlier that day, when the soldiers opened fire, I'd seen people's heads blown to bits as I was running home. I'd never forget what I saw."
Border tactics need review
News, Editorial, Published on 14/10/2025
» The war of words between controversial activist Guntouch "Gun Jompalang" Pongpaiboonwet and Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit reflects the flaws in the army's handling of the simmering border conflict with Cambodia.
Time to let Afghan women lead
News, Palwasha Hassan & Shafiqa Khpalwak, Published on 10/03/2025
» This year's International Women's Day is marked by a sense of foreboding, even despair. Progress on women's rights and representation is stalling: the number of women in parliaments grew last year at the lowest rate in a generation, and the global financing gap for gender initiatives remains wide. At a time of widespread democratic backsliding -- and with US President Donald Trump freezing foreign aid, including for gender initiatives -- the prospects for improvement appear bleak.
Burma on the brink of ousting the military?
News, Published on 27/02/2025
» If the Burmese drive General Min Aung Hlaing and his brutal military regime from power, as they seem about to do, the first thing they should do afterwards is take a leaf from Costa Rica's book and abolish the army. Don't reform it or downsize it; just get rid of it forever.
Border disputes need a smarter path
News, Sally Tyler, Published on 27/02/2025
» Though I live in Washington, DC, I generally spend some time each year in Thailand. When I visited recently, I was interested in noting the renewed controversy around the MOU 44 with Cambodia concerning Koh Kut and the overlapping claims area. While there are obvious parallels with the Preah Vihear conflict, using the dispute surrounding the celebrated temple complex as a guide for an effective resolution in Koh Kut will prove unsatisfactory for all parties.
South Korea's charter needs fixing
News, Yoon Young-kwan, Published on 30/12/2024
» The events that have unfolded in South Korea this month, beginning with President Yoon Suk-yeol's short-lived declaration of martial law on Dec 3, have underscored both the remarkable resilience and underlying fragility of the country's democracy. The system survived this time, but no democracy is safe if it constantly faces severe stress tests.