Showing 111 - 120 of 128
Solve Mekong killings case
News, Editorial, Published on 25/01/2019
» The disappearance of 78-year-old political activist Surachai Danwattananusorn, also known as Surachai Saedan, and the killing of his two close aides, who had been living in exile in Laos, need not go down in history as unsolved and unexplained mysteries.
Abetting dictators
News, Editorial, Published on 12/12/2018
» The sudden government interest in apprehending political opponents of foreign governments is disappointing. It may be coincidence but in just a week, police have forcibly detained critics of the governments of Cambodia and Bahrain. The arrests and threats of deportation or extradition to these undemocratic countries go against normal human rights practices. They also violate decades of Thai policy that often welcomed and never threatened lives of foreigners pitted against their governments.
T-shirt saga a witch hunt
News, Editorial, Published on 15/09/2018
» In what seems to be nothing other than a witch hunt against a small group of people who hold a political ideology seen as unorthodox in Thailand, the military junta has set a bad precedent and made an unjust move in slapping severe criminal charges against four people, who are alleged to have promoted the political concept through the distribution of T-shirts.
Shared items with no sole 'owner'
News, Editorial, Published on 09/09/2018
» Over the past weeks, social media has buzzed with a number of Khmer netizens jittering over Thailand's registration of khon masked dance performance as intangible cultural heritage with Unesco.
One belt, but many burdens
News, Editorial, Published on 05/09/2018
» China has suddenly encountered a number of problems with its grandiose scheme to revive, modernise and then massively expand the Silk Road of old. Not only have several countries questioned and even pulled out of vital parts of the project. Some have rudely questioned the motives of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), often and even better known as the One Belt, One Road programme.
Laos dam disaster a warning for Thailand
News, Editorial, Published on 05/08/2018
» The breach of Xe Pian Xe Namnoy dam in southern Laos that killed dozens of villagers, with several still missing, should be a wake-up call for Thai authorities who this week issued disaster warnings while rolling up their sleeves for possible incidents.
Slow down dam building
News, Editorial, Published on 26/07/2018
» With 46 hydropower plants currently, Laos plans to have a total of 100 dams by 2020 to serve the energy-starved Mekong region. That could help the one party-ruled country achieve its ambition of becoming "the battery of Southeast Asia". But the dam collapse in Attapeu in southeastern Laos on Monday shows how easily catastrophes can happen.
Volunteers and success
News, Editorial, Published on 04/07/2018
» The successful search and the coming rescue of the Wild Boar football team is one of our finest moments. The 12 boys and coach were found and then broadcast on video to the nation by skilled and tenacious divers who refused to take a step or stroke backwards for 10 agonising days. They are heroes. So are the hundreds, Thai and foreigner, who supported them directly, as are the thousands who backed them actively.
Well done, can improve
News, Editorial, Published on 02/07/2018
» The annual US State Department report on efforts to combat human trafficking was released last week, with deserved praise for Thailand. For the second time in three years, the benchmark Trafficking in Persons Report raised the country's ranking against all nations of the world. The promotion to "Tier 2" caused celebration in the military regime. It also warned of serious challenges in the new campaign to raise Thailand from second place to the top.
Clock ticks on cave rescue
News, Editorial, Published on 29/06/2018
» As the search-and-rescue efforts within Chiang Rai's Tham Luang Cave enter their sixth day Friday, the task of finding the 12 boys and their football coach continues to be hampered by the extreme conditions of the cave environment -- rising water levels and flooding in deeper areas.