Thailand
Thailand’s PM Misses the Forest for the Trees on the Country’s Pollution Problem
March 22, 2024

Thailand’s Chiang Mai now has airborne pollutants that are 20 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. Last week, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin declined to designate the northern city as a disaster area in order to protect the country’s tourism sector. In an announcement on X (formerly Twitter), Srettha expressed worries that the announcement would “affect the number of foreign tourists when tourism has just recovered in the wake of COVID-19.” Some questioned the optics of the decision, suggesting that the Thai government instead focus more on the health and quality of life of its residents.


China  / East Asia  / Taiwan
Firmer, less peaceful language on Taiwan reunification
March 8, 2024

It was less than two days into 2024 when Song Tao, the director of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, called on all Taiwanese to promote “peaceful reunification” with the mainland. But down in the text, the New Year’s message posted to the office’s website had not-so-subtle wording, as Song warned “the motherland will eventually be reunified, and it will inevitably be reunified.” The message came less than two weeks before Taiwan held its presidential and parliamentary elections and coincided with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s message that reunification was an all but foregone conclusion.


Cambodia  / China  / Japan  / Southeast Asia
Japan’s Indo-Pacific Security Waiting Game in Cambodia
February 26, 2024

Amid China’s heavy investments in Cambodia, made evident by the vast sums of public and private cash flooding both the capital city of Phnom Penh and port cities like Sihanoukville, two Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) destroyers, the Suzunami and Shimakaze, each with a crew complement of about 200 sailors, made a stop at the Sihanoukville port. Currently, major upgrades to the nearby Ream Naval Base are underway, again with significant support from China.


Thailand
The Self-Defeating Nature of Thailand’s ‘Soft Power’ Push
February 19, 2024

Thailand’s new government cannot get enough of “soft power.” It has become such a buzzword in the Kingdom that a Chiang Mai man on X (formerly Twitter) gasped at the extent of its use, mockingly noting, “My [mate’s] daughter won a Thai dancing competition in [Bangkok] and her school called it a soft power competition.” It’s easy to see the appeal of the idea, given the recent appearance of pop superstar Ed Sheeran posing with famed Thai chef Jay Fai and his after-concert visit to a tattoo shop for a traditional Sak Yant tattoo.


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.