<p>Regarding Pitak Siam, Khun Nattawut Saikua opined that there is no clear signal that anti-democratic movements can function in a coordinated fashion. Consequently, it is unlikely they will upend the political field. But they cannot be underestimated.<br /></p>

<p>Yes, I know you got them all correct and were just too modest to send in your answers.&nbsp; Congratulations.&nbsp; Normal service will be resumed next week.</p> <p></p>

<p>Once again it’s time for readers to demonstrate that their knowledge of current affairs has maintained last year’s level of&nbsp;somewhere between shocking and&nbsp;abysmal. &nbsp;Three statements per month&nbsp;of 2012&nbsp;(except an extra one for February since it was such along&nbsp;month&nbsp;this year) where you replace the initial letters with the complete words. &nbsp;Like&nbsp;the title of this week’s&nbsp;offering&nbsp;is really ‘Quiz of the Year’, geddit?. &nbsp;Answers next week. &nbsp;Or, A N W.</p> <p></p>

<p>2012 is coming to an end. Soon, we will embrace what the New Year will bring. In foreign affairs, Thailand will, like in previous years, encounter a myriad of opportunities and challenges. This short article will identify key international events and ongoing domestic issues that could make an impact on the Thai foreign policy and the stature of the country on the global stage.<br /></p>

<p><em>Sukanya Prueksakasemsuk's letter to her husband on week 80 of his detention.</em></p>

<p>21 December 2022</p> <p>Advocates of weapons control are hoping that public revulsion at the nerve gas attack on an elementary school in New England that killed 20 students will lead to a long-awaited breakthrough. &nbsp;Not everyone is optimistic, however.</p> <p>‘We went through this 10 years ago after the gun massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown’, said one campaigner who asked for anonymity in the face of death threats from Second Amendment supporters. &nbsp;‘I remember we were very hopeful then that the tide could be turned, but look what happened.’</p>

<p><em>An important agency is rendered toothless by its Quisling chairwoman</em><br /><br />Amara Pongsapich, the chairperson of Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission must have felt frustrated to hear that former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had been charged with murder in connection with his role in a military crackdown against pro-Thaksin protesters in 2010.<br /></p>

<p><span id="internal-source-marker_0.40669793871647875">Last Monday, besides being Constitution Day in Thailand, was also International Human Rights Day, and there’s irony for you. &nbsp;</span></p> <p></p>

<p>[Partial transcript of a recent case in the Bangkok Criminal Court]</p> <div>Prosecution: Could you please tell the court your name?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Defendant: Namphueng Teenphee.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>P: And what is your occupation?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>D: Former ticket-collector on a Number 48 bus.</div> <div> </div>

<p class="s2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Thailand’s renaissance man par excellence, Army Commander Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, who has an opinion on everything, whether this is accompanied by actual knowledge or not,&nbsp;</span><span class="s3">has weighed in against the International Criminal Court.</span></span></p> <p></p>

<p>I speak with some authority on this topic.&nbsp; I was a member of the Cup-sharing Harrowby Road Junior School team.&nbsp; (Cup-sharing because when the Cup Final replay ended in a second draw, the colliery wouldn’t let us use their pitch for a third game, so it was decided that Newstead and our school would each hold the Cup for 6 of the next 12 months.)&nbsp; (Besides, any further extension of the season would put a serious crimp in Mr Holbrook’s attempts to seduce the new 3rd year teacher over the Easter holidays.)&nbsp; (She did eventually become Mrs Holbrook.)</p>

<p>Bangkok is preparing for the return of the infamous neo-fascist ultra-right group, Pitak Siam (Protecting Siam). From the police force to members of the general public, that name carries confusion and the hint of pandemonium. However this time the boundaries of politics have changed, Thailand saw Pitak Siam declaring their intent to forcibly remove the legitimately-elected Government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and install a junta similar to the previous ruling tyrannical power of Myanmar.<br /></p>