<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5595/14938866207_58ae164270_z.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 421px;" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color:#ff8c00;"><em>General Thanasak Patimaprakorn</em>, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, met with Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia, 1 September 2104.</span></p>

<p>Myanmar last week played host to the gatherings of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as chair of the organization this year. So far, Myanmar has received mixed reviews from the international community on its performance of the chairmanship. Some criticized Myanmar for failing to seriously address the issue of South China Sea. Some congratulated Myanmar for its own political reforms that also saw a rapprochement between Nay Pyi Taw and Washington.</p>

<p>It's not just through guns and tanks that the military junta, known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), usurps and clings to power. Two months after the coup, the Kingdom saw the use of both soft and hard power, as well as support from a large enough sector of the population that helped shore up the NCPO.</p>

<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3862/14783115555_c659fd2807.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color:#ff8c00;"><em>Professor Charnvit Kasetsiri (Left) and Professor Tham Chaloemtiarana (Right)</em></span></p>

<div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“I have no regrets, at all, that I decided not to report myself to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).” Even though many people told me to reconsider, I remain firm in my original decision.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>As soon as the broadcast of Announcement No. 5/2557 [2014] of the military dictatorship of the NCPO on the afternoon of Saturday, 24 May 2014, which ordered 35 individuals to report themselves, was finished, I did not hesitate. </div>

<div>I'm frequently asked by my friends who are outside the conflict area of the Southern Border Provinces of Thailand or Patani on what they can do in order to help us. Those who are working for organizations specialized in aiding and social works never ask this question, as they can be part of conflict solution by performing their duties. This question is always asked by those well-wishers whose job has nothing to do with conflict solution. The well-wishes of these people are highly appreciated, but I must confess that I'm always at a loss when met by such questions. </div>

<p>Thainess, viewed in different quarters as a concept, a firm quality, a pipedream and an unparalleled ego trip.</p> <div> </div>

<div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The rape and murder of a child on a night train is an abominable crime and the most severe punishment available must be passed on the perpetrator. However, the angry demands for the death penalty must give pause. &nbsp;There are calls for mandatory sentencing. But mandatory sentencing is not an available punishment. “Mandatory” death penalty is a denial of humanity. </div>

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<p>unofficial translation by Nicha Rakpanichmanee<br />On the commemoration of June 24, 1932 revolution&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2902/14306630867_c361bf9015.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 281px;" /></p>

<div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Article 30 of the 2007 Thai constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. The official statement of intention clarifies that this includes discrimination on the basis of gender, gender identity and sexual orientation (referred to as "sexual diversity" in the text). </div>

<p>China’s tactic has been cautious and very diplomatic. Thailand and China established its diplomatic ties in 1975. Throughout the latter half of the Cold War, Thailand and China formed a loose military alignment against the advancement of Vietnamese communists in Indochina. After the end of the Cold War, bilateral relations have remained healthy thanks to the absence of territorial disputes, the firm ties between the Thai royal family and the Chinese leadership, and the well-integrated Chinese community in Thailand.</p>