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

<p>Well you can’t argue facts with an Imam, can you?&nbsp;</p> <p>There’s no need to worry about crime in Saudi Arabia, he said, and he’s been there.&nbsp; Women don’t go in fear of rape because they have the death penalty for it.&nbsp; And that is Sharia law, the law of God, which cannot be changed by man.&nbsp; So that’s alright then.</p>

<p>After the first flush of pro-coup triumphalism, the Bangkok Post op-ed pages over the past two or three weeks have seen an insidious infiltration of exactly the kind of namby-pamby, woolly-minded, do-gooder insinuations that made the coup such a welcome necessity in the first place.</p>

<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>

<p>Israeli warplanes and artillery yesterday continued to pound right-wing Jewish settlements on the West Bank in apparent retaliation for the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir.&nbsp;</p> <p>Unconfirmed reports say that the Israeli authorities are looking for suspects who are members of a right-wing Jewish group who have established a number of illegal settlements in the West Bank, many of which have since been ‘legalized’, depriving Palestinians of their homes and land.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Thai government must know how Luis Suárez feels.&nbsp; Not in the sense of sympathy or feeling sorry for the millionaire delinquent, but on the lines of empathy, suffering in the same way.</p>

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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>‘Thai Rath Online has reported that the Commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division admits the mistake of shutting down the Association of Tennis Professionals websites (<a href="http://www.atptennis.com/" title="www.atptennis.com">www.atptennis.com</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.atpworldtour.com/" title="www.atpworldtour.com">www.atpworldtour.com</a>) due to his misunderstanding that they were gambling websites.’</p>

<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>

<p>The recent cosy-up between the Thai junta and the Chinese leadership has reflected the shift of the regional order. China is certainly on the rise. Thailand, even under civilian regimes, has been willing to bend backwards to please China. With the Americans coming out to criticise the coup, the military leaders have then switched their alliance to Beijing, at least for the time being.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3866/14462418942_8f96d8fd9f_o.jpg" /></p>