Opinion pieces and commentary on Thailand's current affairs, in English, from Thai PBS World contributors.
The new military alliance among three Anglo-Saxon countries – the US, the UK and Australia, known as AUKUS – for the sharing of nuclear submarine technology is a bad move. It will have far-reaching ramifications for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and ratchet up the arms race. It will turn Southeast Asia into
Uproar over the recent killing of a drug suspect by police investigators has revived debate on the need for a law banning torture and killings by state officials. And the long-awaited move is now a step closer to reality after the House of Representatives on Thursday (September 16) voted 368:0 to approve in principle draft
Global sympathy travels fast, based on the news in the headlines. The other day it was Yemen. The day before, it was Myanmar. Today it’s all about Afghanistan. It appears that these events, rarely followed up in any depth by either the New York Times or the Washington Post, have been resolved or disappeared. These
An early general election has become more likely after Parliament voted on Friday (September 10) to approve a charter amendment bill that restores the two-ballot election system and alters the House of Representatives composition – changes expected to benefit larger parties in the next national vote. However, the bill may need to clear another hurdle
The quick fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban has made the 20th anniversary of Sept 11 even more sad. The loss of tens of thousands of lives, both American and Afghan, during the two decades of conflict aside, the good intentions and opportunities carefully nurtured over the years have all but gone in a puff of
The surprise departure of Palang Pracharath’s secretary-general, Thammanat Prompow, from the Cabinet threatens to cause disarray in the ruling party and impact its performance at the next general election. The dismissal of Thammanat, arguably the ruling coalition’s most powerful political broker, has baffled political observers, who were convinced he had made peace with Prime Minister
Halfway through their government’s four-year term, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and his brothers in arms – Gen Prawit Wongsuwan and Gen Anupong Paochinda – apparently have no choice but to change tack if they want to remain in power. Events surrounding last week’s censure debate indicate that Prayut has lost his bargaining power with factions in the
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha managed to survive his third no-confidence vote, but a brewing storm in the ruling party is now undermining his once solid position. For analysts, recent developments also point to an uncertain political future for the “3P group” of former Army chiefs, namely Gen Prayut, Deputy Premier Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, and Interior
Chung Eui-yong, a young South Korean diplomat who served in Thailand 30 years ago, had always dreamed of returning to the country of which he had grown fond. Last week, Chung visited Thailand as the foreign minister of South Korea. He received a warm welcome from his counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is bracing for his third censure debate this week when he and five other Cabinet members will be grilled by opposition politicians. The attacks will center on the government’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating economic fallout, according to opposition leader Sompong Amornvivat of the Pheu Thai Party. The four-day
Recent weeks have seen the emergence of youth-led violent protests at Bangkok’s Din Daeng intersection – in what observers view as a strategy to help support the mainly peaceful anti-establishment movement. Calling themselves Talugas, the usually small groups of protesters come armed with slingshots, firecrackers and small explosives known as “ping-pong bombs”. Clashes then occur
Thanks to social media and a whistle blower, who leaked the chilling video of a group of police officers torturing a drug suspect to death, yet another public outcry against the authorities has been triggered over this blatantly horrendous act and the denial of the suspect’s right to prove his innocence in the justice system,
