Be Not Grateful to Junta Lifting of Travel Ban
Why rejoice in the junta’s arbitrary use of powers in returning the right to travel abroad to some citizens, whom were robbed of that two years ago?
View ArticleAttacking One Another Probably Not Best Way for Dissidents to Fight Junta
Even among those who profess to be for democracy, disagreeing without insult is difficult.
View ArticleThe Many Faces of Intolerance Dragging Down Thailand
Intolerance, political or not, brings out the worst in us. A pro-democracy political science freshman at Chulalongkorn University discovered it June 9 when a lecturer there suggested he was unfit for...
View ArticleThe Gulf States’ Expat Dividend
PARIS – How should policymakers in the Middle East’s Gulf States manage their countries’ large expatriate workforces? In Saudi Arabia, foreign nationals account for roughly one-third of the population....
View ArticleA Forlorn Wait for Burmese Restaurants in Bangkok
It wasn’t something 26-year-old Thawng Tha Lian expected would be an issue when he left Myanmar nine months ago on a scholarship to earn a master’s degree at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.
View ArticleThe Brexit Revolt
LONDON — With its vote to leave the European Union, the United Kingdom has staged a revolt so forceful that it will shake – and potentially even destroy – the European project. Indeed, as the UK...
View ArticleWhat The EU Must Do Now
WASHINGTON, DC – The United Kingdom’s Brexit vote is arguably the greatest disaster ever to hit the European Union. Now, the EU must act fast – not least by ending the post-referendum market turmoil –...
View ArticleLittle England and Not-so-Great Britan
AMSTERDAM — As an Anglo-Dutchman – British mother, Dutch father – I cannot help but take Brexit rather personally. I’m not a wholehearted Euro-enthusiast, but a European Union without Britain feels...
View ArticleBrexit and the Exits for Thailand
In Thailand, people often believe there can only be one notion of national interest. And if you disagree with this commonly held belief of what constitutes national interest, then you are against it....
View ArticleInnovation and Its Discontents
CAMBRIDGE – Technological innovation is often extolled for its power to overcome major development challenges, fuel economic growth, and propel societies forward. Yet innovations frequently face high...
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The Bizarre ‘Referendum’ Process
How much meat must a sausage contain in order for it to be labelled as a genuine meat sausage? How absurd can a referendum process get before it can no longer be called a genuine referendum?
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The Case For Illogical Logic and The Absurd in Juntaland
BANGKOK — Red bowls, balloons, leaflets attack the charter underwritten by the military. Toys with messages call for freedom and democracy, while people stand still in public, read George Orwell’s...
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Turkey’s Failed Coup Through Thai Eyes
Last week’s failed coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reignited the pro-vs-anti coup debate in Thailand, particularly on social media.
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Turkish Democracy’s Secret Weapon
The recent failed coup attempt in Turkey highlights the country’s continuing vulnerability to military takeover. But it also reveals a newly developed – and highly potent – as set, one that Turkey’s...
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Through Wounds Self-Inflicted, Thai Media Gatekeepers in Terminal Decline
The withdrawal of an ultraconservative newspaper from the largest national media association last week was another chapter in the ongoing debate and struggle over the role of Thailand's mass media.
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Be Fair Even to the Unfair and Accept Referendum Outcome* (*If It’s Clean)
BANGKOK — One of the biggest dilemmas facing those opposed to the coup makers is to whether participate in tomorrow’s referendum on the controversial junta-sponsored charter.
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When Thainess Means Gotta Ban’Em All
Whenever disruptive innovation reaches the shores of Thailand, time and again the knee-jerk reaction is to make a huge fuss, ban it as yet another Western evil, launch a “better” “proper” Thai...
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This is Not the End of Thai Democracy
A week before the referendum on the junta-favored charter draft, which ended in a decisive victory for a constitution written entirely by junta appointees, I asked a taxi driver if he would tell me...
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Internet or Splinternet?
Who owns the Internet? The answer is no one and everyone. The Internet is a network of networks.
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Media’s Self-Inflicted Punishment is the New Censorship
Public and foreign diplomats are routinely told by the military regime that Thai media enjoys freedom to criticize. That’s only half true at best. The reality is that, two years after the 2014 coup,...
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