Opinion

Before the panel marking 20 years since the enforced disappearance of human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Monday began, I asked Somchai’s wife, Angkhana Neelapajit, whether she is still living in the same Bangkok house in which Somchai resided before he disappeared 20 years ago.

Thanks to PM Srettha Thavisin who said last month that the Singaporean government paid two to three million dollars per show to American songstress Taylor Swift to ensure that she performs exclusively in Singapore while in Southeast Asia, the disclosure has led to lessons and debate among the neighbors of Singapore.

During the march against Russian invasion of Ukraine in Bangkok last week on Feb. 24, around six Thais joined 50 other Ukrainians and Europeans in a peace march from Lumpini Park to Benjakitti Park.

Over the past two weeks, we have seen royalists and ultra-royalists wearing purple shirt and dress, changed their social media account’s background color to purple, which is the birth color of HRH Princess Sirindhorn, to express their love and solidarity towards the Princess whose royal motorcade was recently honked at by monarchy-reform activist Tawan Tuatulanond.

Former inmate Thaksin Shinawatra has finally returned home after 17 years today. He was first ousted in the coup in September 2006 and subsequently faced corruption-related charges before being sentenced upon returning to Thailand late last year.

Barely a week has passed since the Constitutional Court’s January-31 ruling that the Move Forward Party’s pledge to amend the controversial royal defamation law was unconstitutional when the issue of monarchy reform is back on the media front pages.

The door to have reform of the monarchy done through the parliament was shut when the Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that the pledge by Move Forward Party to amend the law was unconstitutional and tantamount to an attempt to subvert the political system with the King as Head of State.

It is not unthinkable that the most popular political party in Thailand could be dissolved on Wednesday.

The local authority in Bangkok finally puts up a “no sunbathing” and no wearing of bikinis sign at Sanam Luang on Thursday, a few days after some Thai netizens were outraged at the photos of two scantily clad Caucasian female tourists sunbathing at the lawn in bliss, but oblivious to the backdrop of the Emerald Buddha Temple and the Grand Palace behind.

There are many things I wish to see changed in Thailand in 2024, a sort of forlorn wish, but worth noting three here since it is the beginning of the year.