NationMultimedia.com - Opinion

What to do when a human life is as cheap as a new T-shirt

Fri, 24 May 2013 1:00:00

"This is not the first time girls have been burned alive in the city. Every week I must learn of the untimely death of one of my sister workers. Every year thousands of us are maimed. The life of men and women is so cheap and property is so sacred. There are so many of us for one job it matters little if 146 of us are burned to death," Rose Schneiderman, a prominent socialist and union activist, said in a speech at the memorial meeting held in the Metropolitan Opera House on April 2, 1911, days after the March 25, 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City.

Tibetan schools: Preserving socio-linguistic ties that bind

Fri, 24 May 2013 1:00:00

On March 27, 2006, the Dalai Lama addressed a throng of followers in Dharamsala about a topic very near to his heart: the part that education plays in bolstering Tibet's endangered cultural identity.

Praise for Stephff's rib-ticklers

Fri, 24 May 2013 1:00:00

For a while now, I have been reading Stephff's latest series of cartoons in The Nation ("You know you've been in Thailand too long when").

Pakistan reaches milestone on rocky road to democracy

Fri, 24 May 2013 1:00:00

The people have spoken; now PM Sharif must steer country through interference from the military, insurgents and the United States

Taiwan must contemplate meaning of latest food scare

Fri, 24 May 2013 1:00:00

Food safety has again become a major concern after chemical-tainted starch was found in a wide range of food products. It is likely not an accident that the starch was tainted with maleic acid, but yet another alleged case of rogue businesses adding toxic stuff to their products in order to lower costs.

Facing the music

Fri, 24 May 2013 1:00:00

Re: "It's time for Thaksin to respect the rule of law: senior Democrats", Politics, May 21.

Lee Kuan Yew would never survive Thailand

Fri, 24 May 2013 1:00:00

Re: "Can we learn from the success of Singapore?", Editorial, May 22.

No double standards in UN checking judicial system

Fri, 24 May 2013 1:00:00

I have no problem with Deputy PM Chalerm's wanting the Justice Ministry to report possible civil- and political-rights violations in the Supreme Court's trying of Thaksin to a UN human rights panel. As Chalerm put it, "I wonder [if the trial] was in line with international legal proceedings and human-rights principles."

Why are they talking about an early election?

Thu, 23 May 2013 1:00:00

Political pundits seem to have come to the conclusion that the ruling Pheu Thai Party is gunning for an early election, perhaps before the end of the year, or even earlier.

Neutral Asean members can do more on South China Sea issues

Thu, 23 May 2013 1:00:00

Clues about the character of the new Chinese leadership are emerging from its interactions with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Following the regional group's latest summit in Brunei, China's new foreign minister, Wang Yi, visited the region for the first time. Ties are cooperative on many fronts but the South China Sea remains the hot issue that is colouring the overall relationship.

The never-ending rape of the Cameron highlands

Thu, 23 May 2013 1:00:00

There is none so blind, as he who will not see. The hills of the Camerons are dying. Nature is crying out in anguish. And still, there are those who cannot, and will not, see the problem staring them in the face.

Beijing cracks down on illegal street barbecues

Thu, 23 May 2013 1:00:00

The Chinese capital Beijing is stepping up efforts to reduce illegal barbecues, in order to cut down on roadside air and noise pollution. The city has issued outdoor barbecue permits to several qualified night markets, which are equipped with environmentally friendly cooking equipment that gives off less pollution.

Grave challenges lie ahead for Pakistan under Sharif

Thu, 23 May 2013 1:00:00

Good, bad or ugly, the 2013 elections are over; and now testing times are ahead for the new incumbents. It is the third coming for Nawaz Sharif, a remarkable turn of fortune for a leader who was ousted from power by the military at gunpoint in 1999 and convicted on treason charges.

Our only chance of progress lies with our children

Thu, 23 May 2013 1:00:00

Surveys show that many Thais support graft if it benefits them, so what hope do we have of ending the vicious cycle of corruption and coup?

Take responsibility for settling disputes

Thu, 23 May 2013 1:00:00

The suggestion of compulsory mediation for warring neighbours unable to resolve their differences signals the difficulty faced by community peacemakers caught between a rock and a hard place. When neighbours are overwhelmed by a need to put someone in their place, legal and administrative resources, time and money are consumed indiscriminately in pursuit of a victory, no matter how minor it is. That approach to conflict resolution creates a social atmosphere where relationships are vitiated by zero-sum attitudes born of distrust and animosity.

Copycat culture earns a deserved reputation

Thu, 23 May 2013 1:00:00

Re: "US keeps Thailand on priority watch list", May 3.

Unfair system in immigration jail

Thu, 23 May 2013 1:00:00

The reported recent unshackling of the ankles of many prisoners at Bang Kwang Central Prison is a good beginning, but other reforms also need to be made: nutrition, hygiene, healthcare and security for prisoners, among other things.

Put some money into road maintenance

Thu, 23 May 2013 1:00:00

I doubt many Cabinet ministers or MPs drive their own vehicles, especially over rural roads. Or if they do, they are cushioned from the disgraceful condition of these roads by their expensive limousines.

A naive leader transformed by her impatient brother

Wed, 22 May 2013 1:00:00

Prime Minister Yingluck "Bridget Jones" Shinawatra has turned into Erin Brockovich for a reason. While many are tempted to believe that her speech in Mongolia indicated a screw loose somewhere, she appeared perfectly sane when she delivered it. Those who gaped at her drastic transformation, therefore, might not have anticipated the "amnesty" issue re-emerging so soon, or seen Chalerm Yoobamrung coming forth with an ironically named "reconciliation" bill.

Entangling the dragon in Middle-Eastern quicksands

Wed, 22 May 2013 1:00:00

The quicksands of the Arabian Desert are notorious for swallowing up anyone trying to control the area. Historically, that's what happened to Turkey, Britain, France, Russia and the US. Sooner or later, all discovered that instead of dominating the Middle East, they ended up being dominated by the region's never-ending problems.