Thailand’s February 8 election stunned some political pundits and defied national polls that predicted that the People’s Party would gain a larger percentage of the vote than the eventual winner, Prime Minister Anutin Charnavirakul’s Bhumjaithai party. However, just hours after the results were revealed, a mini crisis of trust emerged, as more than 300 people began a protest at Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, a polling station in Pathum Thani province.
It’s one of the oldest marketing gimmicks in the world and it hasn’t lost its appeal. You’ve seen the slogans before: “Enter now for your chance to win!” Companies have expanded their market share by luring in new customers, from soda giant Pepsi’s offering of a Harrier jump jet in 1996 to Publisher’s Clearing House deceiving consumers for decades with the chance to win millions, particularly if they bought products from the company. One would think that the general public would now be wary of such false promises in the information age, but Thailand’s Pheu Thai Party is banking on the same corruptive practice with their recently announced election sweepstakes.
Just months after being selected by her party as leader and later the first woman to become prime minister of Japan, Sanae Takaichi announced the dissolution of parliament, which will trigger an election on February 8. The hope for her and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is that she will move beyond the fragile political consensus that saw her gain power back in October to a public mandate.
In the Deep South provinces of Thailand, violence is commonplace in January. In this month in 2025, two border patrol officers were killed in Narathiwat when their truck hit an explosive device. Around the same time, nine village volunteers were injured when a bomb planted on a motorcycle exploded outside a police station in Pattani. It was on a January day in 2004 when a raid on the Fourth Development Battalion of the Royal Thai Army at Pileng Camp killed four soldiers and led to the capture of over 400 weapons.
As the 9th TICAD, the Tokyo International Conference on African Development concluded in Yokohama City, late last month, a seemingly innocent initiative to foster “hometown” partnerships was launched by the Japan International Development Agency (JICA) in four African cities. JICA announced that four partner countries, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania, would be matched with four regional Japanese cities, Imabari, Kisarazu, Sanjo and Nagai. Public reception was not as expected, and decidedly negative.
Earlier this month, the prominent American academic Dr. Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, Thailand, was arrested on charges of insulting the Thai monarchy (lese-majeste). In addition to causing international headlines and earning a quick response from the U.S. State Department, the arrest represents a dangerous new development in Thailand’s usage of politically motivated charges to silence criticism and dissent, but has multiple and dire consequences for the 58-year-old Chambers.
Charges under Thailand’s strict lese-majeste law used to be rare, both for Thais and foreigners. When foreigners were charged, it made public headlines, and such was the case of a drunken Swiss man, who defaced the portraits of King Bhumibol (Rama IX) and Queen Sirikit on December 5, his birthday. On the same day, however he was not only given a reduced sentenced, but was pardoned by the King after offering an admission of guilt. A few years later, an Australian novelist was also charged a convicted for defaming the Crown Prince in his novel, but was pardoned seven months later. Public remorse and admissions of guilt were often keys to early release.
During Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, one of the main topics of discussion was the proliferation of scam centers close to Thailand’s borders in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Recently, under Chinese pressure, Thailand has initiated a number of measures to combat scam operators in eastern Myanmar, such as tightening visa rules and cutting electricity and fuel from Thailand into Myanmar. After her meeting with Xi, Paetongtarn agreed to “strengthen law enforcement cooperation with China” and take steps to address the crisis of cross-border crime, including online gambling and fraud.
In the first few weeks of his second term, President Donald Trump has resumed his advocacy for a renegotiation of trade deals, namely with Canada, Mexico and China. While the tenor of Trump’s discourse on trade is ideological, the justification for trade protectionism and the subsequent levying of punitive tariffs on imported goods is based on their potential ben efit to American workers, manufacturers, and consumers.However, with the bluster and pace of policy changes combined with a lengthy history from his first term as evidence, were tariffs on China in alignment with America’s national interests? I argue that what is past is prologue.
After more than three decades in service with the United States Air Force, the Northrop-Grumman-built B-2 Spirit is set to retire, along with its older sibling, the B-1, replaced by the new B-21 Raider. Also manufactured by Northrop, the sixth-generation bomber represents an evolution in technological advancement, with an open architecture that allowed for rapid inclusion of new weaponry, and advanced digital manufacturing (AM) that is claimed to help mitigate the substantial risk of production.