• OPINION

  Guarding privacy amid digitalisation

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 24/06/2022

  » The issue of privacy, especially in terms of the protection of personal data linked to a person's identity, has come to the fore this month due to the coming into force of Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). It applies to both public and private entities that keep or process personal data concerning other people and it establishes safeguards to protect people's privacy.

• OPINION

  Disappearances bill nears final vote

  News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 06/06/2022

  » A recent seminar on May 24 hosted by the Ministry of Justice together with international organisations highlighted various stepping stones in the struggle against torture and enforced disappearances in Thailand. There was detailed discussion of the draft national law on the issue. There was also analysis of Thailand's most recent report on its implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CAT), which was an eye-opener for the public.

• OPINION

  Remembering Bloody May 1992

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 18/05/2022

  » This month commemorates the 30-year anniversary of the Bloody May events in 1992 that witnessed extensive violence against street demonstrators and the subsequent fall of the military-linked government that had come to power due to the 1991 coup. What then are some of the lessons to remember, resonating from the past to the present and the future?

• OPINION

  Making change via K-Pop and Thai-Y

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 04/05/2022

  » K-Pop and artistic ripples through films and other forms of entertainment from South Korea have been conquering the world in recent years, as part of soft power and smart power.

• OPINION

  UN General Assembly must assert itself

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 20/04/2022

  » The recent vote in the UN General Assembly (GA) suspending Russia from the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), due to its conduct in Ukraine, in early April 2022 is a rare instance of the GA asserting its powers with binding force. Generally, only the UN Security Council (SC) can adopt measures; these are exemplified by sanctions adopted by the SC periodically against errant states, non-government armed groups and individuals. Is there then room for a more assertive GA, especially when the SC is dysfunctional?

• OPINION

  Cambodia's progress has been stalled

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 31/03/2022

  » The situation in Cambodia can perhaps be described as straddling a testament and a predicament. The testament is the 30th anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreements (October 1991) which brought peace to the country after a long period of warfare and the "recent tragic past". It established a pivotal framework for human rights, democracy and sustainable development in the country.

• OPINION

  Migration and climate change in Asia

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 17/03/2022

  » The close connection between migration, human rights and climate change is increasingly self-evident, as "natural disasters" related to that linkage loom in many parts of the world. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) estimates that about 22.5 million people migrate each year within and across borders because of climate change and weather-linked disasters. These are all compounded by the spread of Covid-19 in terms of lockdowns and other restrictive measures.

• OPINION

  Heed the global messages against discrimination

  News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 03/02/2022

  » The past couple of months have seen two global developments sending strong messages against discrimination and exclusion. On Jan 13, the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus a key resolution against denial of the Holocaust, advocating stronger action against such a refutation on an international level.

• OPINION

  We cannot lose control of technology

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 19/01/2022

  » The advent of Covid-19 has accentuated digitalisation and its close linkage with automation, algorithms, and artificial intelligence ("the three A's"). The Asian region interfaces closely with this phenomenon, especially because it is the most populous continent. It is also a region with a large number of non-democracies and semi-democracies. This panorama invites care to prevent misuse of those three As.

• OPINION

  Tackling the controversial NGO law

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 06/01/2022

  » Does Thailand need a law to regulate the operations of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), otherwise known as non-profit organisations (NPOs)? A draft law has emerged recently which is causing a lot of headaches for civil society. The cabinet on Tuesday approved this draft in principle; it is now being forwarded to the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security for a public hearing, before it is sent to parliament for final approval. The authorities claim the new law is required to make the work of NGOs more transparent and to counter money-laundering.

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