Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Why police reform hasn’t come to Thailand
September 2, 2021

In Nakhon Sawan province, a 24-year old man arrested for selling methamphetamine pills suffocated to death as corrupt Thai police officers attempted to extort a bribe of two million baht for his release. The leaked footage sent chills down the collective spine of Thailand, and ignited—or renewed a debate over both the common practice of police brutality and the need for comprehensive police reform. Police reform is a tired subject because somehow, attempts have failed or not lived up to their billing.


Afghanistan  / Central Asia  / China  / Pakistan  / United States
Containing the Taliban after America’s Defeat
August 31, 2021

The ancient Chinese strategy game of weiqi, or Go, involves a competition in which the player who occupies the most board space wins. Logic would dictate that in Afghanistan, a Go strategy by the Taliban would have resulted in a decisive victory, but that would be absolutely wrong. Had the Taliban pursued a Go strategy, holding the countryside, where  some three-quarters of the Afghan population lives, it would not have succeeded as spectacularly as it did in seizing power following the U.S. withdrawal earlier this month.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Top-secret list shadows Thailand’s never-ending battle against its ‘enemies’
August 27, 2021

When Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, the former magazine editor and current pro-democracy activist, shared on Facebook earlier this month what appeared to be a copy of an old top secret document that classified opponents of the military-backed regime, it didn’t take many by surprise. The list, which emerged on August 9 and may have originally been released by the Move Forward Party – whose Secretary General and at least two members of Parliament are named – contains individual photos, Thai ID numbers and passport numbers.


Afghanistan  / Central Asia  / China
Taliban rule deadly for development
August 20, 2021

Inside the walls of the United Nations compound in Afghanistan over the past few weeks, diplomats scurried about looking for some semblance of security and operational control, for after all, the Taliban were on the doorstep of Kabul and later, president Ashraf Ghani fled, leaving a slew of questions in his wake. Afghans and international staff sent hundreds of exchanges to senior UN officials in Kabul, frightened by the prospect of Taliban rule and afraid for the security of themselves and their families.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Social stigma a major barrier to controlling COVID-19 in Thailand
August 20, 2021

Recently, a young woman from Baan Kam village in Buriram province contracted COVID-19 after working in Samut Sakhon province. After seeking treatment at Satuek Hospital in her hometown, her doctor gave her permission to return home, with orders to self-quarantine for 14 days while obeying public health guidelines. The local news report noted that she quarantined alone, isolated herself from everyone around her, and stayed inside her home by herself.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Information Wars: Securitization Creep Pervades Thai Society
August 13, 2021

In the seven years since Prayut Chan-o-cha seized power, he has spent a considerable period of time as premier securitizing disinformation. The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), already fully in control of the public through strict bans on public gathering and attitude adjustments, moved quickly into the practice of digital repression, including the manipulation of online information. 


Southeast Asia  / Thailand  / United Nations
Thailand’s human rights narrative runs contrary to reality, even at the UN
August 6, 2021

Every four and a half years, all 193 United Nations member states have their human rights records examined in a peer-reviewed process known as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). In November, this will mark Thailand’s third time through the UPR, with the 2016 review occurring around the less than auspicious second anniversary of the May 2014 coup d’état.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Prayut’s new ‘fake news’ decree will have dire consequences for free expression, media freedom
July 30, 2021

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered state agencies and departments to “take action against individuals spreading fake news about COVID-19, which might cause public confusion during the pandemic.” The government claims that the harsh edict came in response to social media rumors that the Bang Sue vaccination center in Bangkok would be shut down due to overcrowding.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
How long will the spontaneous boycott of Foodpanda in Thailand last?
July 29, 2021

Foodpanda, a major food delivery service in Thailand recently faced a backlash and a spontaneous boycott from pro-democracy protesters after it tweeted from its official account that an anti-government demonstrator was committing an act of “terrorism”, after a man dressed as a food delivery man was filmed trying to set fire to an image of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
In Thailand, Covid-19 exposes the vulnerability of informal workers
July 26, 2021

Informality in Thailand runs deep. One might expect it to be confined to specific sectors of the economy like agriculture and fishing, which account for more than 50% of Thailand’s employment, but it stretches into the service sector, from wholesale and retail trade to hotel and restaurant workers. Informal workers, roughly 25 million people, comprise as much as 62% of all workers in the kingdom.