Cambodia  / Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Thai-Cambodian reset a symptom of a wider problem
February 11, 2024

On February 2, three political activists, including Lim Sokha, a senior member of the Candlelight Party, the once fledgling opposition party that was banned from participation in Cambodia’s sham July 2023 elections, were arrested in Thailand after seeking asylum and being granted refugee status. Fears were that the three outspoken activists, who planned to hold a protest during Hun Manet’s visit to Thailand on February 7, were rounded up because the two governments were working in concert to prevent “interference in Cambodian internal politics” on Thai soil. 


Thailand
Thai Constitutional Court Decision on Move Forward is Judicial Overreach
February 9, 2024

Thailand’s nascent semi-democracy suffered a tremendous blow last week (31 January), when the Constitutional Court ruled that the Move Forward Party’s (MFP) campaign to reform Article 112 of the 2017 Constitution was tantamount to treason. The Court has ruled several times, delivering punishing blows to opposition parties, such as the dissolution of the Future Forward Party, But the recent Court decision is among the most consequential and far reaching and pushes the upper limits of judicial overreach. First, a high court exists to serve within the boundaries of the law and produce legal decisions that are in keeping with established jurisprudence and established principles of law.


Russia  / Thailand
Will Thailand Deport a Group of Dissident Musicians to Russia?
January 31, 2024

Members of a self-exiled Russian rock band that has openly opposed Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine were recently detained in Thailand and face deportation, but if returned to Russia could face severe consequences. Seven members of Bi-2 were detained by the Thai government after performing in Phuket last week after it was discovered that the group had issues with their work authorizations. The group, originally from Belarus, is one of Russia’s more popular rock groups, but when they refused to perform at a pro-war venue, their concerts were canceled and its members went into self-imposed exile.


China  / India  / Maldives  / South Asia
Despite Maldives’ Embrace of China, India’s Sphere of Influence Remains Intact
January 26, 2024

When the new president of the Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu, took power less than four months ago, his anti-India stance altered the fragile state of India’s sphere of influence in its own backyard. Running on a firm pro-China “India Out” platform, Muizzu has taken deliberate steps to lessen the island nation’s dependence on New Delhi. This includes expanding health care coverage beyond India to include the United Arab Emirates and Thailand and increasing agricultural trade with Beijing.


China  / East Asia  / Hong Kong  / United Nations
China set to dodge accountability at its UN human rights review
January 22, 2024

Since 2018, the human rights environment in mainland China and its associated autonomous regions has deteriorated. The evidence is overwhelming. The latest US State Department Report on China’s human rights record recognised ‘genocide and crimes against humanity’ against Muslim Uyghurs as well as members of other religious and ethnic groups in the Xinjiang region.


Thailand
Why Srettha should risk it all for Pita
January 15, 2024

As Charles E Weller once wrote, "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country". While the quote's original purpose was just a typing exercise, it rings true on occasion, and especially now at a critical crossroads in Thailand's fledgling semi-democracy. Twin trials await former Move Forward Party (MFP) prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat later this month, both in the Constitutional Court, a judicial forum known for its past crippling of Thailand's democratic opposition.


India  / Russia  / South Asia  / Ukraine
India’s G20 Year: Looking Beyond the Hype
January 9, 2024

It was easy to see the good news. Back in May, countries from the Global South were keen on drawing India closer, evidenced by Prime Minister James Marape of Papua New Guinea, who welcomed Modi at the India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit by reaching down and touching his feet, an act of respect in Indian culture. That theme of India as the standard bearer for the developing South continued into the BRICS Summit in South Africa. But beyond the hype of image and the elevation of expectations, India’s year in foreign policy was less than stellar.


Sri Lanka
‘Himalayan Declaration’ Lays Bare Deep Divide Among Sri Lankan Tamil Groups
January 3, 2024

The Joint Himalayan Declaration, the output of a dialogue between a Buddhist delegation and the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), the once-powerful Tamil umbrella organization that was blacklisted by the Sri Lankan government, is the latest development to stir tension among the Tamil population. 


East Asia  / Japan  / South Korea
Tokyo Must Finally Bury the Hatchet with South Korea
January 2, 2024

The late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought to improve ties over security concerns about North Korean provocation, but like his counterpart, South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon in the end, failed. In 2008, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak also wanted to improve ties with Tokyo and then-Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, but that too, predictably failed.


United Nations
The UN’s Public Communication Is Broken
December 6, 2023

The United Nations is suffering from its worst crisis in decades. It’s not its inability to resolve global crises, such as the current conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Myanmar, and Syria. Rather, the source of the crisis is internal, as critical personnel, from the Secretary-General to program officers in various UN agencies, have failed to communicate the UN’s increasingly complex mission to the public at large. While the problem extends across agencies and cuts across thematic areas, no one issue exemplifies the institution’s catastrophic inability to communicate more than climate change.