<div>Given the circumstances in the south where the draconian special laws (martial law, the Emergency Decree and the Internal Security Act, all of which violate very basic human rights to different extents) have been imposed for more than ten years now (compared to just six months for the rest of the country), there is no proper and official communication channel for the non-state armed groups (NSAGs, which despite their official protests are often referred to as separatists by both the Siamese colonialists/Thai governments and Thai media). </div>

<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8670/15739699828_295e603d48_z.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color:#ff8c00;"><em>Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and some ASEAN leaders</em></span></p>

<p>For all its faults, Wikipedia has been a godsend to the Thai education system.&nbsp; Think of the thousands and thousands of term papers and theses that have benefitted from a judicious cut-and-paste job, sometimes on a massive scale, sometimes even with proper attribution.&nbsp;</p> <p>In this way, Wikipedia has helped to secure a ready supply of suitably trained academics to serve the plagiarism-friendly educational institutions of the country.</p>

<p>This government is beginning to get up my nose.</p> <p>Why can’t they stick to what they do best?&nbsp; Like barging into TV stations and telling them what they can and cannot show.&nbsp; And then saying they don’t do censorship.&nbsp;</p> <p>Or resurrecting a xenophobic rewrite of the Foreign Business Act that will stop these filthy foreigners from controlling their own investments.&nbsp; And then buggering off to international meetings and telling foreigners that we just love your filthy money so please keep investing here.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This week, I spent my time in the Japanese city of Hiroshima, attending a week-long conference under the Asian Public Intellectual project. The conference brought together 25 Asian Public intellectuals from various fields to present their research, to discuss common concerns in the region, and to exchange views on topics that affect the livelihood of their communities.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5611/15164484744_1793d3b8a6_z.jpg" /></p>

<p>The music and political worlds went into shock yesterday when the International Violin Competition Executive (known by its French acronym VICE) banned Thai Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha from all international violin competitions for four years.&nbsp; The ban follows an investigation that revealed ‘irregularities’ into the way Gen Prayut was invited to participate in the prestigious Paganini Competition held last year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Khun Jod Lukplasaenmon.&nbsp; You are an advisor to the Prime Minister.</p> <p>Yes.&nbsp; Yes, I am.</p> <p>And so you give advice to the Prime Minister.</p> <p>Well, we try.&nbsp; There’s a team of us, you see.&nbsp; But the PM is a very intelligent man, you know.</p> <p>Is he?</p> <p>Oh yes, a tremendous intellect.&nbsp; So sometimes he doesn’t need our advice.&nbsp; Most of the time, in fact.</p> <p>I see.&nbsp; So this campaign against corruption, was it something that you advised? &nbsp;Or perhaps …</p>

<p>Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha will pay an official visit to Cambodia today for a two-day trip to strengthen bilateral ties. He is scheduled to meet with his counterpart, Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia, and to have an audience with King Sihamoni, who, on 14 October, celebrated his 10^th anniversary of enthronement. Prayuth’s visit is highly significant in many ways, both for his own domestic purposes and for Thailand’s fragile relations with Cambodia.</p>

<p>The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security has drafted a Gender Equality Bill, to be sent for consideration by the blatantly gender-unequal Cabinet and then for enactment by the similarly gender-biased National Legislative Assembly.</p> <p>Its proponents are touting its progressive characteristics.&nbsp; For the first time, it mentions a gender other than male and female.</p> <p>Whoopee.</p>

<div><em>Note: The fable below was <a href="http://Unauthorized possession of weapons and ammunition">originally published in Thai </a>on Prachatai on 13 October 2014. The author, Pornthip, or Golf, is a detainee currently being held in pre-charge detention in an Article 112 case. She was arrested on 15 August 2014 and her detention has been renewed 6 times; the prosecutor has to decide whether or not to prosecute her by 25 October. Her lawyers have opposed her continued detention and requested bail four times. </em></div>

<p>The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is a bit of military flummery that nominally provides security for the monarch but in reality keeps the tourist dollars flowing.&nbsp; The sight of humans imitating automatons in ridiculous hats attracts the gawping attention of those in need of regular trivial mental stimulation.</p> <p>At 6 pm every evening a similar change-over occurs in police stations around the country.&nbsp; This attracts no attention at all and the mechanics of it are unknown to the general public.&nbsp;</p> <p>But perhaps they should be.</p>

<p>Perhaps this is what comes of appointing an Air Chief Marshal as Minister of Transport.&nbsp; If the General formerly known as Prayuth Chan-ocha had chosen an Admiral, I don’t think the idea of raising the three oldest bridges over the Chao Phraya would ever have seen the light of day.&nbsp;</p>