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A 35-year-old social studies teacher has been arrested in Bangkok for allegedly sexually assaulting a male student during a school-organised scout camp in Dan Makhamtia district of this western province.

Provincial authorities confirmed the 14-year-old victim is a grade 9 student from a school in the capital, adding there are no links to local schools in Kanchanaburi.

Yesterday, police from the Crime Suppression Division apprehended the suspect, identified as Mr Worawat, under a warrant issued by the Kanchanaburi Provincial Court.

He faces charges of sexually assaulting a minor under 15, abducting a child from parental custody, and committing an offence against a student under his supervision. The arrest took place outside a residence in Klong Toey district.

The incident occurred on the night of Jan 14 during a scout camp held from Jan 13-15. The victim reported that the teacher assaulted him in the camp’s sleeping quarters and warned him not to tell anyone. The student later experienced physical pain and informed his parents, who filed a police report at Dan Makhamtia police station.

The student gave testimony to prosecutors on June 1.

Thousands of civil society organisations (CSOs) and activists are gathering in Bangkok during the International Civil Society Week from Nov 1-5. The event will be organised by the CIVICUS Alliance. CIVICUS is an international non-profit organisation focused on civil rights and citizen action. It was founded in 1993 and is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In a moment when we are witnessing a massive inequality and climate crisis and a global wave of restrictions for civil society, this will be a unique moment to vindicate and defend our role as fundamental to keeping governments accountable towards equality and social justice.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the world recognised the value of civil society as fundamental to preserving the right to associate. The United Nations Millennium Declaration “emphasised the importance of human rights and the value of non-governmental organisations”. A decade later, through the Istanbul Principles and the Busan agreements, governments agreed on key elements for civil society to operate.

In parallel, dramatic changes happened. The early years of the 21st century marked a new cycle of limitations to rights and liberties by means of aggressive securitisation policies. Years later, the Arab Spring movements for democracy and freedom were met with harsh repression.

Backlash against democracy

The arrival of populist and authoritarian governments in the last decades had a backlash on democratic values and contributed to political and economic elites remaining in power. They have imposed diverse restrictions to curb dissent and human rights, with restrictions on the freedom of assembly, expression and protest.

Diverse legislation put in place restricts CSOs’ close access to foreign funding and/or prohibits influencing policies. Penalties are disproportionate, with scarce means of defence in front of a frequently co-opted judiciary.

Biased or discriminatory narratives, especially against LGBTQI+ groups, feminist movements and progressive CSOs, have been widely replicated by mainstream media and social networks. Additionally, there’s been a dramatic increase in crackdowns on protests and killings of human rights defenders and journalists.

Well-funded organisations promoting regressive agendas abroad have gained great political influence in some African countries, but not limited to this region. These groups are based in deep patriarchal roots and manifest in nationalist, conservative, fundamentalist and social perspectives that promote gender stereotypes.

This context is complemented by a wide range of technological tools used by state and non-state actors to target critics, stifle dissent and restrict freedom of speech.

Asian governments increasingly use surveillance, internet shutdowns, arbitrary arrests and repressive laws. Peaceful protests — from farmers to students in South and Southeast Asia — have been met with violence. Even digital activism has faced military crackdowns.

It is no coincidence that, at the same time, global inequality has increased.

Since 2015, the richest 10% have gained at least $33.9 trillion, enough to end poverty 22 times over. In the case of Asia, as our recent inequality report shows, the top 1% now captures between 60% and 77% of national income in major regional economies.

At the rate of progress, it would take an estimated 300 years to end child marriage, 40 years for women to be represented equally in positions of power in the workplace and 47 years to achieve equal representation in parliaments.

Effects of inequality, such as poverty, poor public services, reduced social mobility and rupture of social cohesion, are the effects of a rigged economic system that is tied specifically to colonial, racist and sexist perspectives. Intentional shrinking of civic space is a deliberate strategy to protect privileges and perpetuate inequality.

Rebuilding civic space

Civic space is an integral part of our global strategy. Our goal is to mobilise the power of people to fight inequality, beat poverty and end injustice. Civic space is thus at the core of everything that CSOs, including Oxfam, do and a vital precondition for the changes we strive towards.

There are recent reasons for hope. Young activists have proved the power of organising and speaking out in Asia, Africa and South America. People are standing against inequality and injustice.

Nevertheless, if change is not followed by governments responding to communities’ needs, the countries face a vacuum that can rapidly be seized by new autocratic regimes. And civil society has a critical role here.

We need to deepen our feminist, decolonise and localise commitments, strengthen our accountability and enhance our solidarity with marginalised community groups, decolonial feminist movements, LGBTQI+ collectives and indigenous organisations.

Organisations need to mobilise influencing agendas at a global level to position the demands and realities of civil society and social movements, while supporting and mobilising resources for institutional strengthening, coordination and learning.

This includes advocating for more enabling environments that allow them to do their work safely and effectively, based on the rule of law, democratic values and international human rights standards.

Civic space is not only a concern for human rights organisations. Its defence and evolution require global and cross-sector alliances: movements, funders, journalists, lawyers, communities and even actors in the private sector working together. Civic space is the oxygen that enables critical voices to breathe and be heard.

With a space to speak out, claim rights and hold powerholders accountable, change towards a fairer, feminist and sustainable world is absolutely possible.

Thailand is still seeing rainfall in the early days of the cool season, with showers expected to continue in the capital over the weekend, according to the Meteorological Department.

Although the cool season officially began more than a week ago, many parts of the country have continued to experience heavy rain.

‘This is a transitional period,’ the department said in a Facebook post on Thursday, referring to the shift from the rainy to the cool season. It added that the lingering showers were due to the influence of a cold front expanding from China and the La Niña weather phenomenon.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration on Friday warned of a 70% chance of rain across Greater Bangkok, while the weather agency forecast rainfall in central, northern and northeastern provinces throughout the weekend.

The Administrative Court yesterday dismissed a lawsuit accusing the Royal Thai Army (RTA) of conducting information operations (IO) to discredit people with differing political views.

The case, filed in March 2021 by independent academic Sarinee Achavanuntakul, iLaw manager Yingcheep Atchanont and TV host Winyu Wongsurawat, was the first in Thai history in which citizens sued the military over alleged political IO campaigns.

After the ruling, Mr Yingcheep told reporters that both the panel of judges and the reporting judge agreed that five official documents submitted as evidence — which contained directives targeting political dissenters — appeared authentic, despite the army’s denials and its decision not to pursue forgery charges.

The court acknowledged the army’s involvement in online activities but ruled that interactions with the complainants could have been personal actions by individual officers, not official military operations. On that basis, the case was dismissed.

“We accept that this was a hard case to win, given the political climate. But the fact that the court acknowledged the documents as real is progress,” Mr Yingcheep said. “The army said they were fake, but the court said they were not.”

He added that while IO efforts may continue, the ruling confirmed that government agencies cannot legally use public funds for operations discrediting political opponents.

Ms Sarinee called the verdict a “milestone”, saying it clarified the distinction between public communication and information operations. She said she intends to appeal, arguing the official directives prove IO activities did exist. Mr Winyu also saw grounds for appeal, saying the ruling should encourage others facing online harassment to continue seeking accountability and justice.

In early November, Wall Street’s big guns will head to Hong Kong for a global financial summit, dining at the Palace Museum (featuring Chinese imperial works on loan from Beijing) before meeting at the nearby Rosewood Hotel — one of the city’s swankiest. There, the top brass from Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan and another 100 financial firms will enjoy delicious food and breathtaking views as Hong Kong’s leaders pitch them on the profits to be made in the former British colony.

The same day as the gala dinner, a very different type of gathering will take place in Hong Kong. The veteran political activist Chow Hang-tung will try to quash national security proceedings against her. She is scheduled to stand trial in January, along with Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho, for their role in organising annual commemorations of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre — an event that drew hundreds of thousands of people every June 4 until 2019. Chow and Lee have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and Ho is a well-known lawyer in Hong Kong. They now face 10 years in prison on subversion charges, simply for urging Hong Kongers to light candles in honour of the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Chinese protesters who were killed by their own government.

Chow, Lee and Ho are just three of almost 800 political prisoners held in the once-free city. The most prominent is 77-year-old pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai. Having been held in solitary confinement for most of the past five years, he soon faces a verdict in his marathon national-security trial.

Most Hong Kongers now feel the chill of Beijing’s long shadow. Charges still hang over many of the 10,000+ people arrested during the massive protests of 2019-20, when as many as two million people flooded the streets demanding democracy.

It is telling that Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee cannot even open a bank account at most of the banks whose leaders are attending the upcoming summit. Under US sanctions for his role in the crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrators, he was even humiliatingly denied a visa to attend the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. Yet now, financiers who cannot bank Mr Lee will shake his hand and listen to his remarks at the Rosewood.

Hong Kong wants to convince these bankers that everything is back to normal. Its representatives will insist that the market is strong, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index up more than 30% year-to-date, and that Hong Kong will likely be the world’s largest market for initial public offerings in 2025.

By attending, the masters of global finance are signalling that they do not care that China broke its promise to the people of Hong Kong. They would prefer to forget that, under the treaty governing Hong Kong’s return to China after a century and a half of British rule, the Chinese government committed to maintaining the freedoms that Hong Kong had enjoyed. It even doubled down, promulgating a mini-constitution that upholds free speech, a free press, freedom of worship, trial by jury, the right to choose one’s own lawyer and the other guarantees of a free society. China has broken every promise.

One thing China does care about, of course, is profits. Hong Kong’s market has barely moved in the five years since China introduced its draconian National Security Law, which has been weaponised against Chow, Lee, Ho and Lai. Despite its strength this year, the Hang Seng remains about 3% above where it was when the National Security Law was introduced, whereas the S and P 500 has more than doubled.

This gap reflects the fact that if you have political prisoners, you cannot also be a global financial centre. Political prisoners exist only where a free press does not, but the free flow of information is a prerequisite for price discovery. Likewise, when courts are politicised, property rights cannot be protected, and many investors will stay away.

So, why are Western bankers showing up? The only conclusion is that they are chasing short-term profits, even if it means funding a repressive regime that’s made no secret of its animosity toward the West. Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to upend the liberal world order, and he’s betting that American financiers will help him fund that effort. Mr Lee and his Communist Party bosses know that Wall Street is the soft underbelly of American capitalism.

If Western bankers insist on going, they should use the occasion to speak up. Otherwise, they should stay home. ©2025 Project Syndicate

It appears that Thai authorities are under a serious misconception about negotiations with the US on rare earths if they think they will get tariff relief from those negotiations. Instead, it is more likely that the US will threaten to hike tariffs to 30%, 50% or even more if Thailand does not agree to Trump’s demands on rare earths.

Realistically, Thailand has virtually no leverage on the issue, largely because Thailand has almost no alternatives to acceding to Trump’s terms. Neither China nor Russia has any need for Thailand’s rare earths, and the market for rare earths in Western Europe and elsewhere is not very large.

Thus, all the leverage is on Trump’s side. By now, everyone should realise that he is determined to maximise the use of his power as part of his commitment to put the interests of America first, even if that results in harming long-time friends such as Thailand.

George Rothschild

Feeling unwelcome

Re: “Former tourism boss touts measures for 2026 comeback”, (Business, Oct 22).

The media is full of stories about the economic impact of the lack of tourists. Allow me to share mine.

I have had a retirement visa for 20 years. My wife and I have lived well, eating and drinking, and spending money in the local economy during the rainy and low seasons.

Recently, Immigration is turning on us regarding bank accounts. After 20 years of living in the same house, we are still treated like this. Other countries are now welcoming, and so many friends have gone to Vietnam who welcome them.

Clif Snow

Govt lacks vision

Re: “Data centre dangers”, (Opinion, Oct 29).

This editorial brings up important considerations for Thailand. We were just informed that the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) is shuttering and postponing electricity-generating capacity due to weak demand. If Thailand is also considering becoming a data centre hub in Southeast Asia, one can assume this is a case of poor government coordination of policy planning among stakeholders.

This is not surprising for a newbie PM. Unfortunately, PM Anutin Charnvirakul succeeded six newbie prime ministers, and among them, the longest-serving prime minister lasted just over a year (Paetongtarn Shinawatra). Some were in office for a few days as acting prime minister, or for a couple of months for those few who got the boot.

Prior to that, Thailand had a military man in office who, frankly, was not abreast of the times, lacked vision, and led a rather moribund government that accomplished little.

To walk into the future and meet challenges, it is abundantly clear that a new charter needs to be established, created by forward-thinking individuals that will allow younger generations to participate enthusiastically and fairly. The concepts of permanent secretaries and an appointed senate need to be rethought, and the government needs a better structural system of checks and balances. If Anutin accomplishes nothing else, he should prepare the country to vote on a new constitution.

Authorities have shut down a major online gambling operation, which had around 367 million baht in transactions, and arrested three suspects in the Thai beach town of Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

Led by the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), the operation targeted a network linked to the online gambling website Lavabet555, said Pol Maj Gen Chomchawin Purathananon, deputy commander of Provincial Police Region 7, said during a press briefing on Friday.

On Thursday, police executed a search warrant approved by the Hua Hin Provincial Court at a residence in Hua Hin district. They arrested two suspects, identified only as 25-year-old Supachai and 24-year-old Khemana, and seized a personal computer, a laptop, three mobile phones and two bank passbooks.

During questioning, Mr Supachai and Ms Khemana confessed to managing the website, police said.

Further investigation led to the arrest of site administrator Chirapong, 26, at a residence in Pran Buri district, where police seized two computers, five mobile phones, three bank passbooks and five ATM cards.

Investigators said the Lavabet555 platform had been operational since Jan 25, 2022, with total funds in circulation reaching 367.4 million baht.

Authorities are expanding the investigation to pursue additional charges, including money laundering, illegal gambling networks and conspiracy to conduct online betting.

Tensions flared on Friday in a sensitive border area of Sa Kaeo province, after ultra-nationalist activist Veera Somkwamkid led a group of people to demand the removal of Cambodian settlers from Thai territory.

Supporters from outside the eastern province, including a busload of veterans from Ang Thong, arrived to join the demonstration at Ban Nong Chan in Khok Sung district. A backhoe was also on hand.

The Burapha Task Force deployed a company of territorial defence volunteers to seal off access routes about 800 metres from the Cambodian settlement, a source at the border said.

A second company of riot control police was stationed further inside, equipped with anti-riot gear. Behind layers of barbed-wire fencing, Thai army troops were deployed to prevent any potential incursion from either side.

Mr Veera arrived with one backhoe and four tractors, reportedly to be used to demolish houses within the disputed area.

He told supporters he would personally lead the march empty-handed and unarmed, while the heavy machinery would be held back but could be moved in once he gave the order.

The protest escalated around 1pm when Mr Veera and his supporters breached a security barrier near the village of Kamnan Lee, an area within Thai territory that remains hazardous due to the presence of unexploded landmines and reports of Cambodian snipers monitoring developments.

‘If the government won’t act, the people will,’ Mr Veera declared. ‘Don’t blame people for doing what the government has failed to do. How could they let Cambodians stay for 40 years?’

He warned that if martial law were invoked, it should apply to Cambodians first, not to him. ‘If officials try to harm me, I have the right to defend myself,’ he added.

Lt-Gen Adul Bunthamcharoen, the deputy defence minister, warned that any attempt at forced eviction could complicate the situation and impede the military’s efforts to implement the peace agreement, particularly regarding the management of disputed areas and joint demining operations

He stressed that the military must handle the sensitive issue of encroachment through existing mechanisms agreed on by both governments.

Despite repeated warnings from Thai security forces, Mr Veera’s group advanced into the zone, prompting officials to intervene and prevent further movement into the danger area.

Around 100 officers from the Internal Security Operations Command and crowd control units were deployed to maintain order and ensure public safety. Authorities urged protesters to stay on designated paths.

Officials subsequently invited Mr Veera and his group for talks, after which he reportedly said he was satisfied with their explanations.

Julapun Amornvivat, a former deputy finance minister, has been elected as the new Pheu Thai Party leader, securing 354 out of 369 votes, with 15 abstentions.

The meeting, chaired by acting party leader Chusak Sirinil, was convened on Friday at Pheu Thai’s headquarters in Bangkok to elect a new executive committee and a candidate selection committee for future general elections.

Mr Julapun, a Chiang Mai MP, becomes the ninth leader of Pheu Thai, receiving 354 votes in his favour, with 15 abstentions.

He replaces former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin Shinawatra’s youngest daughter, who recently stepped down to pave the way for a major party shake-up aimed at restoring public confidence and boosting the party’s popularity ahead of the upcoming general election scheduled for March 29 next year.

Ms Paetongtarn also attended the party’s general assembly.

Mr Julapun, 50, thanked his party members for entrusting him and the new 29-member executive committee with the responsibility of steering the party forward. He described the appointment as the greatest honour of his political career.

‘I have been with Pheu Thai since the Thai Rak Thai era, and over the past 25 years, I’ve worked alongside this political movement through both triumphs and challenges,” Mr Julapun said. “It has never been a path paved with roses, but we have endured.’

He pledged to overhaul the party, starting with improving communication with the public and ensuring swift, transparent messaging. He also emphasised the importance of selecting high-quality MP candidates who reflect the needs and aspirations of the people.

‘Our policies must directly address the concerns of the public. It is not an easy task, but I believe that with the support of our members and the tens of millions of people who stand behind us, Pheu Thai can win the next election and return to government,’ said the new party leader.

Mr Julapun holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Chulalongkorn University and a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from Boston College, USA.

He previously served as deputy finance minister under the Srettha Thavisin and Paetongtarn administrations between 2023 and 2025. From 2021 to 2025, he also served as Pheu Thai deputy leader.

The new Pheu Thai leader, who is the son of veteran politician Sompong Amornvivat, has been elected as an MP for Chiang Mai for five consecutive terms since 2005, initially under the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party, then the People Power Party and later Pheu Thai.

During the general assembly, veteran politician Prasert Jantararuangtong was appointed party secretary-general, while Suksit Srichomkwan was named party spokesperson.

Thailand is securing long-term public health resilience and vaccine security while fostering partnerships in South Korea’s biomedical sector, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says.

The premier yesterday held talks with Ahn Jaeyong, CEO of SK bioscience Co Ltd, and Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, at the Commodore Gyeongju Hotel, South Korea, said government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat.

During the meeting, Mr Anutin recalled that during his tenure as public health minister in 2022, he had begun discussing a collaboration between the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO), the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) and SK bioscience, Mr Siripong said.

Thailand is looking to reinforce vaccine security and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers by promoting the country’s self-sufficiency in vaccine production, particularly elevating the GPO’s manufacturing capacity and ensuring that locally produced vaccines are affordable and widely accessible, he said.

To prepare for future public health crises, Thailand is looking to develop key vaccines, he said.

The prime minister anticipated that the collaboration between the GPO and SK bioscience would allow Thailand to produce vaccines within 100 days of a disease outbreak, the government spokesman said.

This would help lower vaccine costs and give people, especially elderly people, those with underlying diseases and pregnant women, timely access to critical medicine, he said.

SK bioscience’s CEO, meanwhile, expressed confidence that a joint venture with the GPO would facilitate technology transfer and vaccine production knowledge, Mr Siripong said.

Mr Ahn said he believed it would help Thailand achieve its production goals, Mr Siripong added.

He also thanked Mr Anutin for his suggestion in expanding vaccine development to strengthen both national and regional vaccine security, Mr Siripong noted.

Founded in 2005, SK bioscience is headquartered in Seongnam-si city of Gyeonggi-do and operates two main facilities: the Pangyo R and D Centre and the Andong L-HOUSE vaccine plant, which meets EU-GMP international standards, Mr Siripong said.

The company produces key vaccines, certified by the World Health Organization, for influenza, chickenpox, shingles and typhoid, he said.

SK bioscience also serves as a contract development and manufacturing organisation and contract manufacturing organisation for other companies, he noted.