Thaksin chapter closes, another opens In yet another dramatic twist in Thai politics, erstwhile anti-establishment political juggernaut and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra accepted a one-year jail sentence and began serving his time behind bars on Sept 9. After his return from a 15-year self-imposed exile in August 2023 and a concomitant royal pardon that reduced his eight-year imprisonment on corruption convictions to...
https://www.bangkokpost.com/op....inion/opinion/310691

An Asean free from 'wars on drugs' Asean governments recently met in Singapore for a regional meeting about drugs, where the host nation urged renewed commitment to a "drug-free region". The problem isn't simply the recycling of an outdated mantra first declared in 1998, nor the fact that the region's drug markets have only expanded since then, but that this approach ignores how government policies themselves shape those markets...
https://www.bangkokpost.com/op....inion/opinion/310701

Lawless state capitalism no answer to China's rise It is tempting to frame the Sino-American economic rivalry as a clash between engineering doers and lawyerly naysayers, as the Chinese-Canadian analyst Dan Wang does in his new book Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future. But this is a false dichotomy, because law is a crucial feature of US capitalism.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/op....inion/opinion/310704

Border row spirals again The tense situation in the border province of Sa Kaeo, with Cambodian villagers staging a rowdy protest at Ban Nong Ya Kaeo village, has resulted in injuries on both sides and requires attention from decision-makers in the Thai government.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/op....inion/opinion/310709

Why is everyone becoming so self-righteous? It feels increasingly difficult nowadays to avoid righteousness; or, worse, self-righteousness. We are constantly being told what to do by those who supposedly have seen the light. For example, I was recently scolded by a colleague for suggesting that my own employer should aim to hire the best people, regardless of their sex or race. I was struck by the confidence that this person felt in...
https://www.bangkokpost.com/op....inion/opinion/310651