thai monarchy



STORY OF THE DAY • Aug 27, 2021 • 8 min read

Analysis Top-secret list shadows Thailand’s never-ending battle against its ‘enemies’

By Mark S. Cogan • Aug 27, 2021
This month, a top-secret document emerged in Thailand. It revealed not only a list of 183 people deemed enemies of Prayut's military-backed government – among them a monk, a journalist and two 15-year-old girls – but also a paranoid state's long-standing urge to purge 'unThai' elements

Jun 29, 2021 • 11 min read
Thai democracy

Amid politics and pandemic, Thai democracy movement attempts revival

By late 2020, the Thai pro-democracy movement looked set to bring about major changes. But in the months since, legal warfare from authorities and a public health crisis has ground protests to a halt. Now, activists are returning to the streets, but is momentum gone?
By Wanpen Pajai • Jun 29, 2021

Jun 24, 2021 • 9 min read
Analysis

The Bangkok disappearance of Thanong Po-Arn, three decades on

This week 30 years ago, the car of vocal Thai labour organiser Thanong Po-Arn was found abandoned in Bangkok, the culmination of months of death threats. His presumed murder remains unsolved, but Thailand's trend of enforced disappearances is alive and well
By Mark S. Cogan • Jun 24, 2021

May 21, 2021 • 8 min read
Analysis

In Thailand, May is the month for coups, crackdowns, and villains

May is a month with a dark recent history in Thailand, from the 1992 Black May events that would see 52 people lose their lives in protests against strongman Suchinda Kraprayoon, to the 2014 coup d'etat that brought Prayut Chan-o-cha to power
By Mark S. Cogan • May 21, 2021

Apr 21, 2021 • 7 min read
Analysis

Streckfuss is just the latest victim in Thailand’s academic freedom crackdown

Last week, it emerged that American academic and long-term Thailand resident David Streckfuss had his work permit terminated and visa revoked. The lèse majesté expert is merely the latest victim of the kingdom's academic crackdown, says Professor Mark S. Cogan
By Mark S. Cogan • Apr 21, 2021

Mar 09, 2021 • 12 min read
Analysis

Is it time to bring Thailand’s illicit gambling industry into the light?

As Thailand's illicit gambling industry has become associated with virus outbreaks in recent months, discussion has started again about the potential benefits of bringing this murky and widespread industry out of the shadows and under government control
By Wanpen Pajai • Mar 09, 2021

Mar 04, 2021 • 7 min read
Analysis

Thailand and Myanmar’s militaries get cozy, but at what cost?

The outsized roles played by the Thai and Myanmar militaries in the affairs of their respective countries has led to a close bond between the two. Now, the Myanmar coup has brought them closer than ever – but at what cost to Thailand's standing at home and abroad?
By Mark S. Cogan • Mar 04, 2021

Feb 23, 2021 • 7 min read
History

What lessons can we learn from Thailand’s 1991 coup?

On this day in 1991, Thailand's coup-happy military staged yet another putsch that removed civilian premier Chatichai Choonavan. Three decades on, the effects of those events are still felt today, with lessons to be learned for current pro-democracy protestors
By Duncan McCargo • Feb 23, 2021