The street demonstrations in Hong Kong these past few months have been, in a way, a dramatic payoff in the political fight that Joshua Wong has been waging since childhood. The biggest protests in Hong Kong’s history, they are daily proof of a profound popular defiance against Beijing. But even as the …
ON 24 March, for the first time since a May 2014 military coup, Thailand held a general election. The election was not free and fair. The rules under which it was conducted were designed to decrease the electoral chances of large parties and increase those of a pro-junta party. Parties …
POLITICAL drama of the type that beset Thailand on 8 February is not new. In the course of a single day, King Vajiralongkorn’s elder sister broke historical precedent by registering as a prime ministerial candidate — a move that the King himself condemned as unconstitutional and inappropriate only hours later. …
THE Junta-led Thai government have pointed to a potential delay in the impending general election, sparking protests among activists who called on the kingdom’s leadership to honour the Feb 24 date. Late last week, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Kreangam said the polls would likely be delayed to avoid election-related activities …
“This is what democracy looks like.” It was the chant heard again and again at the women’s marches the day after Donald Trump was inaugurated and echoed later in mobilizations on behalf of gun sanity and the Affordable Care Act, in defense of immigrants and refugees, and in support of …
Only Trump’s flamboyant awfulness stands in the way of his party’s power grab. Donald Trump, it turns out, may have been the best thing that could have happened to American democracy. No, I haven’t lost my mind. Individual-1 is clearly a wannabe dictator who has contempt for the rule of …
The military junta attempts to win hearts and ears Change is coming. Ahead of a long-awaited election, scheduled for February 24th after years of delays, the military government is expected to relax a few of its repressive rules, including a ban on political gatherings of more than five people. Its …
THAILAND’S military Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said any political party that wished to see him run for office as a civilian in the upcoming elections should extend a formal invitation. Prayuth said this after key figures from the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), a newly formed pro-military and conservative political party, …
A RAP group in Thailand are using music to vent their frustrations with the state of political discourse in the country, with a song accusing the military junta of dictatorship. The song, entitled “Prathet Ku Mee”, or “Which is my country” in English, was posted to YouTube on Oct 22 and …
MALAYSIA’s prime minister-in-waiting and former political prisoner Anwar Ibrahim is expected to cruise to an easy victory in a by-election next weekend, taking him a step closer to realising his decades-long ambition of taking office. Since the historic general election on May 9, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has …
THAILAND’S ruling army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha on Monday said he was interested in pursuing a political career ahead of the elections that must be held by May next year, sparking concern among the kingdom’s pro-democracy activists. His remarks came amid wide speculation of his apparent ambition to stay in office as …
Pheu Thai and Democrat Party amenable to alliance to blunt junta’s power after 2019 polls BANGKOK • Thailand’s two major political parties, which have battled viciously over the past decade, are open to joining hands after the next election to blunt the powers of unelected officials. In separate interviews last …