Kansai Gaidai University, Osaka, Japan
Who rules Thailand, the military or the monarchy?
In Thailand’s turbulent politics, old political taboos are being shattered and the once off-limits monarchy is being subject to public criticism. Youth-led protesters are targeting 10 specific areas of government and monarchical reforms, demanding the…
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No, the United Nations is not racist
The United Nations may be flawed and it may have a diversity problem in some agencies, but it can’t be called racist. François Soudan’s article on racism on 2 November argues that the United Nations…
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Will Thailand Inspire a Cambodian Spring?
There will be no Cambodian Spring anytime soon. This is the sobering reality to a question so tempting to ask – particularly in the shadow of what’s happening in Thailand and now in Lao PDR.…
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Can the monarchy survive the Thai Spring?
The death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13, 2016 marked a substantive shift in public sentiments toward the Thai monarchy. In mourning and in unity, hundreds of thousands of Thais gathered a week later…
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It is time to defund the Thai Police
Thai society has watched the Royal Thai Police commit acts of professional misconduct, brutality, corruption, and violations of human rights without action by the government to reign it in. The youth-led pro-democracy protests have again…
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Prayut is a symptom not the disease that plagues Thai democracy; both must go
It was supposed to be another good coup. Prayut Chan-o-cha and his band of Royal Thai Army loyalists promised to return “happiness to the people,” or at least that is how it was advertised. And…
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The Rise, Dominance, and Decline of Thailand’s Monarchy
Recent political turmoil in Thailand has broken many of the taboos surrounding its once-revered monarchy. The youth-led social movement that has demanded the resignation of Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has also submitted a list…
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How Far Will Free Expression Fall Under Thailand’s New Emergency Decree?
After whirlwind protests that saw thousands of people take to the streets of Bangkok on Tuesday, Oct. 14, the next morning saw the Royal Thai government issue a “severe” emergency decree while at the same…
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The age of government (dis)information in Thailand
Social media giant Twitter last week blocked nearly one thousand accounts linked to the Royal Thai Army, which were in violation of its policies on manipulation of information. According to a statement released by Twitter,…
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Cambodia a Focus of Sino-Nippon Rivalry
Last week, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, speaking at the opening of a US$85 million amusement park funded by a Chinese company in Kandal Province (and repeated in a barely-noticed tweet, posed a simple question,…
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